Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office
The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office in London has promoted Will Evans to the post of general manager.
The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office in London has promoted
Will Evans to the post of general manager following the retirement of Robert Organ as deputy warden in October.
Organ will take up a new role as senior hallmarking consultant to the Assay Office.
Evans started his career at the Assay Office in 2000 as a lab assistant and progressed through the ranks, eventually becoming superintendent assayer in 2017. He has been responsible for leading on many of the technological advances of the Assay Office over the last 21 years from the introduction of 3D laser engraving to online services for customers.
Under Organ’s new role he will continue to be involved with a number of initiatives including helping co-ordinate the Antique Plate Committee, the body for adjudicating spurious silver articles, take part in the annual Trial of the Pyx (testing the nation’s coinage), as well as represent the London Assay Office on trade and government bodies.
Robert Organ retires as deputy warden in October and takes up a new role as senior hallmarking consultant to the Assay Office.
Chairman of the Assay Office management board, Neil Carson, said, “Will has been a great asset to the Assay Office for over two decades. He will now be responsible for the safe and efficient running of all of the Assay Office facilities (Goldsmiths’ Hall, Greville Street, Heathrow and Allied Gold).”
He added: “I am also very pleased that we will continue to benefit from Dr Organ’s expertise and knowledge as we address some of the prevailing challenges that face the UK hallmarking industry.”
The coin in the image is The Three Graces. I included it because it was one of the coins at this year’s Trial of the Pyx.
Sotheby's
Noah Horowitz is to join Sotheby's and will report to Brooke Lampley, chairman and global head of sales for Sotheby’s.
Noah Horowitz will join Sotheby's in the newly created role of worldwide head of gallery and private dealer services. He was previously at Art Basel where he was director of the Americas for the fair organizer. Prior to that, he was executive director of The Armory Show in New York for four years. At Sotheby’s he will report to Brooke Lampley, chairman and global head of sales for Sotheby’s.
Lampley said it is important to have a healthy art market ecosystem in which “auction houses, galleries, fairs, collectors and institutions all benefit from working together”.
Sworders
Sworders has hired James Flower.
Sworders has hired James Flower as a valuer in its Hertford office. Flower joins from Bonhams where he most recently worked in the Modern British & Irish Art department. Previously he worked at Lawrences of Crewkerne.
Grinling Gibbons Tercentenary events
Exhibitions of Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721) continue this month to celebrate the life and legacy of the 17th century master wood carver and sculptor.
Events organised by the Grinling Gibbons Society included an exhibition at Bonhams (which ended on August 27).
The current show in London has been created by the Architects’ Company, the Grinling Gibbons Society and the Master Carvers’ Association.
The exhibition, called Art & Ornament, opened in St Mary Abchurch (rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the 1666 Great Fire with carved reredos by Gibbons). The show has now moved to The Dutch Church, at Austin Friars in the City, running until September 3.
The exhibition’s location acknowledges Gibbons’ birth in Rotterdam and the consequent influence Dutch Renaissance Art played on his development.
As well as this show a plan for a Modern Legacy Project, to create a building in the City to showcase best practice for traditional trades in modern buildings, is being worked on.
The Grinling Gibbons Tercentenary National Festival runs for a year - until August 2022 - and other events are also planned around the UK. Find out more at https://grinling-gibbons.org/
NAJ Valuers’ Conference
The Institute of Registered Valuers’ annual conference will take place as part of the National Association of Jewellers’ NAJ Summit on September 11-13 at the De Vere Staverton Estate near Daventry.
Antiques and jewellery experts will headline the latest valuers conference.
The Institute of Registered Valuers’ annual conference will take place as part of the National Association of Jewellers’ NAJ Summit in Northamptonshire from September 11-13.
Among those scheduled to speak are valuer David Callaghan; jewellery historian, Dr Jack Ogden; valuer Craig O’Donnell; auctioneer Richard Winterton as well as jewellery specialists Joanna Hardy, Sandra Cronan and John Benjamin. There will be more than 50 speakers and workshop hosts in attendance with topics from Cartier, Georgian gems and sapphires through time.
Further information can be found here: https://naj.co.uk/whats-on/naj-summit/
Wizardry in Wood
An exhibition of contemporary and historical woodturning organised by The Worshipful Company of Turners is returning this autumn. Wizardry in Wood takes place on October 13-16 at Carpenters’ Hall, 1 Throgmorton Avenue in London. Works by established and up and coming turners will be on display as well as talks and lectures and an exhibition of 400 years of turning. For information and tickets visit https://turnersco.com/turning/wiw/
Fellows' Syon House event
Fellows Auctioneers has teamed up with Historic Decoration to host a jewellery event at Syon House (the west London residence of the Duke of Northumberland) on October 19. The day includes hearing from guest speaker jeweller Andrew Prince, who created some of the items seen in Downton Abbey and trying on some of the creations from the show. The event also includes a tour of the house with Caroline Percy (who grew up at Syon House as the eldest daughter of the 10th Duke of Northumberland) and architectural historian Oliver Gerrish.
Limited tickets are available at https://www.fellows.co.uk/downton-abbey-jewels-at-syon-park
