South-east England

The buying crowd at IACF Ardingly was more local than usual but no less enthusiastic

Top tips from IACF’s Ardingly International Antiques & Collectors Fair.

The highlight of NASA’s 1965 Gemini IV mission was the first space walk by an American. As astronaut Ed White floated free outside the spacecraft for approximately 20 minutes in June 3 he wore an Omega Speedmaster Ref 105.003 strapped by Velcro to the outside of the left-side sleeve of his G4C space suit.

So-called ‘Black Forest’ carvings don’t get much better than this walking stick stand modelled as a seated hound next to a tree stump offered by Hannam’s (23% buyer’s premium) in Selborne, Hampshire.

Barney and Sam James own a huge warehouse showroom called The Home Bothy near Crawley in Sussex, currently only open by appointment.

A Victorian taxidermy case of four New Zealand birds by Rowland Ward of Piccadilly sold for an unexpected £7000 (estimate £100-200) at Windsor Auctions (18% buyer’s premium) in Berkshire.

The Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair (September 11-13), is a big step towards getting back to business as usual for many dealers and collectors.

It was catalogued as 18th or 19th century but this 2½ x 3½in (6 x 8.5cm) ivory plaque was more probably a product of medieval Christendom.

Derbyshire auctioneer Charles Hanson has purchased the assets of two struggling UK salerooms: Charles Ross Auctioneers in Woburn and Holloway’s in Banbury.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

Robert Morrison, a protestant missionary, pioneer sinologist and author of several works on the Chinese language as well as a translator, has been called the ‘Father of Anglo-Chinese Literature’.

Pictured below are three lots of Oceanic art that proved to be in much demand during UK sales held in August.

This 12in (39cm) Portobello pottery plaque piece, c.1820, is a rare piece but one known in a number of different colour variations.

This Minton majolica figure of a 12in (30cm) dancing bear playing a drum kit carries a patent lozenge for May 1876.

A pair of Chinese export black lacquer chinoiserie decorated cabinets on stands came for sale at Bellmans (22% buyer’s premium) in Wisborough Green, West Sussex on August 11 with a blue-chip provenance.

This 17th century teak, ebony and ivory standing cabinet or contador is a type associated with the Indo-Portuguese settlement in Goa.

Nearly six months after doors closed on the last major British antiques fair, another is ready to open.