Tuesday, July 31, 2012

An Enlightening Experience

Auctioneers the world over are in a very privileged position.  We are invited into clients' homes to advise on their treasures for a variety of purposes and meet people from all walks of life.

The visit may be to assist with the sale of particular pieces or to offer advice on their value.  This can be for a number of reasons and will often be a valuation for insurance replacement purposes or for inheritance tax following the death of a family member.

Usually there is someone at the property to greet you and, in some cases, to provide a provenance or history of the particular piece.  The story of where it was bought, who might have owned it or how it has been passed down through the generations of the family adds to the interest.  It creates a fuller picture of the real identity of the object before the factual description is entered on to an inventory or included in a catalogue.

A wonderful insight into everyday life both at home and abroad can be gleaned from the detailed knowledge of an object and its uses, which creates a social history.

As you can imagine, one man's or woman's treasure would not be given house room by another.  Many is the time something described as silver turns out to be electro plate or the description of gold needs to be replaced by gold coloured metal.  How many Ming instances have there been and were they more Campbell than Chinese?

The same is true of furniture where the addition of "style" can make a huge difference to the catalogue description of what was thought by an owner to be a period piece.

To provide an opinion requires a mix of ingredients.  The evidence must be gathered up by listening to the story and debating its merits.  The visual inspection is vital, clearly assessing the make up and feel of the object you are inspecting, searching for the tell tale signs of wear and use.

All this is set against the knowledge gained from the experience, from reading and research and from handling items in the past.  It is then that all becomes clear and the light burns brightly.

And, talking of light, this reminds me of a valuation we were asked to undertake many years ago of the contents of a property housed in a former Vicarage in a rural village not so far from Framlingham in East Suffolk.

Having been to carry out the initial inspection of the property, it was evident it was going to be a difficult task as this was not an occasion where we could indeed see the light.  There was no electricity connected!

I suspect this will be the only case in my career when it was necessary to arrange for a rudimentary electrical installation so that we could undertake the valuation.  The "circuit" resulted in loops of cable linking the various naked bulbs.  I am not sure how "Health & Safety" would have reacted today!

Scrabble around and put a little treasure on the Bookshelf

Those with an interest in antiques may like to consider adding to their library with what I regard as a little gem.

The book is entitled 'The Collectors' Glossary of Antiques and Fine Arts' and was compiled by a Fellow of the Chartered Auctioneers' and Estate Agents' Institute.  This excellent Professional Body was subsequently 'swallowed up' by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors', so thank goodness there's an alternative - the National Association of Valuers' and Auctioneers - which "does what it says on the tin" as they say!

The little tome was put together by John Bernasconi and includes an array of knowledge with sections on furniture, silver, gold, Sheffield Plate, pewter, porcelain, pottery, glass, jewellery, fabrics etc.

One of the more unusual chapters revolves around emblems and symbols used in Chinese Art.   Chinese antiquities have become widely prized by those in their homeland in recent years, reflecting the growth in their nation's economy and the desire to "repatriate" items which had left their country during previous decades and centuries.

With this in mind, it might be useful to appreciate interpretation of some of the emblems and symbols used in Chinese Art. 

So, in alphabetical rather than no particular order, a butterfly is an emblem of conjugal felicity, a conch shell indicates a prosperous journey, fishes represent domestic happiness, while a leopard appropriately reflects power and energy.

Somewhat surprisingly, a magpie is a bird of good omen, while more intriguingly a parrot instructs wives to be true to their husbands - how cultures vary!

Less contentiously, spring can be portrayed by a peony, by a Prunus or peach flower - but with no leaves - summer by poplars, pinks and pines, while winter can somewhat confusingly be represented by Prunus as well!  Early roses or winter scenes are apparently equally appropriate.

So, if you wish to broaden your knowledge in all things antique, then it's a volume you might like to search out.  It can be difficult to find, but then the 'thrill of the chase' should be rewarding ….  And you will no doubt enjoy being able to look up the definitions of 'ecu,' or 'estoc', so you can use them in your next game of Scrabble.