Organiser Patricia Harvey was refreshingly frank about business at her fair being curtailed by prevailing circumstances, but she was also quite right to point out that there were some good pockets of business and some dealers fared very well. Most encouragingly there were some Americans, from both the antiques and interior design trades.
A San Francisco dealer on his first visit to the decorative fair bought eight items from Millers Antiques of Ringwood, and further delighted Carol and Ann Miller when later in the week he visited their shop and made further purchases.
London’s Berg Brothers sold to the American decorator Mary Fox Linton and other dealers who sold well to the decorators included Anthony Sharpe and Taurus Antiques. Taurus from Kent sold a fine pair of metamorphic George I games tables to a Belgravia interior designer for £18,000 on the first day.
Textiles found a good market and Owen Hargreaves’ excellent stock of tribal art was as appreciated as it deserved. Indeed, Mr Hargreaves sold more than he did in January, when he had an excellent fair.
There was the expected demand for the stylish 20th century stock which is currently so much in vogue, but other areas of the trade can take heart from the marked demand at this fair for more traditional antiques, such as a Regency glazed mahogany corner cupboard and a satinwood sewing table.
We have spoken before of the increasing importance of private buyers at the decorative fair and this time actors Alan Rickman, Miranda Richardson and Liv Tyler were among the buyers.
Throughout the fair a lot of the business achieved, both trade and private, was with new clients.
Dog days in Battersea, but Americans return
WITH around 80 exhibitors the Spring Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair was well down on its usual total and visitor figures were also down at the marquee in Battersea Park between April 8 and 13.
