When Marc and Heather finally managed to visit an old friend last year (between lockdowns!) – a retired Art and Antiques dealer in Paris – they did not expect to come across a collection of Belgian artworks they had never seen before in their years of travelling around Europe. They certainly did not expect to […]
Author: Natasha
Paul Daxhelet
Gilding – A Not So Practical Guide
Lockdown created more than its fair share of problems, as I’m sure we can all agree. One issue I hadn’t considered however was the amount of restoration classes I would miss, and subsequently have to catch up on in a relatively short space of time. The course (which I mentioned in my last entry), has […]
Parma – From Car Boot to Corregio
fur coats, stuffed animals and supposedly Roman statues – all treated with the same irreverence amongst the shouting and gesticulating. After 8 hours of trawling the aisles, asking prices with a scattergun approach because you should never assume that something is going to be too expensive, I decide to call it a day and make […]
Faded Grandeur and Fabled Pizza
I had the good fortune to spend the day in Naples to view a collection of Attic style vases, which were made in this city in the 18th and 19th centuries as tourist’s mementoes for visitors doing the European “Grand Tour”. The richest visitors invariably bought the ‘real thing’, as many Attic and Appulian vases […]
On the Menu at Montpellier, or “An Army Marches On Its Stomach”
It has been a while since I've been to Montpellier with Dad (AKA Kevin Weaver). It's supposedly because we need enough people left manning the shop but I have a sneaking suspicion that it might be down to the fact that with two of us along, that's twice as much food and wine. Wine possibly […]
Arte Povera
Lacca Povera, perhaps more commonly known as Arte Povera; which literally translates to poor art, is as term which you might be surprised to find associated with some of the beautiful European furniture of the 19th and 20th Century, such as these Venetian Consoles from Newel, left, or our Italian Commodes right. Far from showing […]
Montpellier Fair
The antiques fair at Montpellier, which is a one day trade only event, happens around 5 times a year. I remember first going there about 30 years ago when the hangars seemed to me to be brimming with amazing pieces, and I wanted them all – I’ve calmed down a bit now, but the energy […]