He makes no secret of the fact that he has enjoyed a very
successful decade in the town, and is celebrating the anniversary
with a special exhibition of Chinese antiques, entitled The
Splendours of Imperial China, at his shop at Swan House, Market
Square from this Saturday, September 18 to October 17.
This is an extensive and very much a selling show with the dealer,
as usual, providing a broad spectrum of prices.
Although some of the rarer items will be priced at up to £40,000,
there will be a surprisingly large selection available at well
under £500, and an inscribed 17th century ceramic box will be
available at £75.
The exhibition covers textiles, ceramics and a range of
collectables dating back to the Han Dynasty.
It seems strong on antique clothing, with formal court robes in
silk embroidered with exotic creatures, hair ornaments, fans and
3in (8cm) long shoes for for the feet of well-born women, bound
since babyhood.
Ceramics abound with terracotta warriors from the middle of the
6th century, glazed Ming ceremonial figures, blue and white Ming
ginger jars and an attractive and large pair of c.1860 Imperial
pattern famille rose Canton vases at £19,000.
Richard Gardner has expanded his premises at Petworth and now has
the biggest shop in town, where he carries a large, varied
selection of antiques and pictures, with a consistently good
selection of bronzes.
With regular, well-produced catalogues and a constantly changing,
well-presented stock, there is no doubt that this dealer is as
adept at marketing as he is at dealing.
The success Mr Gardner has enjoyed has not gone unnoticed by his
peers, and, not surprisingly, his conspicuous ability to shine in
hard times has led to some unflattering comments from others in the
trade.
In fact, Mr Gardner's efforts have benefited the whole of the
Petworth trade - witness his efforts at raising the profile of the
37-strong Petworth Antique Dealers Association, of which he is
chairman.
The choice of Chinese antiques for this celebratory exhibition may
surprise some, because up until now Oriental has not been part of
the Gardner branding.
But you can bet it will be in the future and this exhibition is a
way of bringing a new area of interest into the business as it
enters its second decade.
After decade of success, Gardner switches focus to East
IT IS ten years since well-known dealer Richard Gardner moved into Petworth, West Sussex. Today, even in a town known internationally as one of the most notable concentrations of antiques trading in the South of England, Mr Gardner can certainly be said to have made his mark.