Meyer Maori gift to Dutch museum
The exceptional kauri wood canoe bailer, thought to be the work of the master carver Raharuhi Rukupo or one of his students, was made in the Gisbourne area of the North Island, New Zealand c.1850.
Meyer said: “I have grown alongside TEFAF. With a bit of creative mathematics I can say that I’ve spent just about a year of my life at the fair in The Netherlands and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
“TEFAF gave me the opportunity to connect with museums and institutions and over the years I did business with many of them. In 2009 the Museum voor Voolkenkunde in Leiden acquired two Maori pieces from me.
“To help complete its collection of Maori art and in celebration of my 20th anniversary at TEFAF, I am pleased to make this offer.”
Keno twins settle payment disputes
LEIGH and Leslie Keno have resolved all of the legal claims against them.
The twins, trading as Keno Art Advisory, had faced lawsuits from four US regional auctioneers – New Orleans Auction Galleries, Sloans & Kenyon, Kamelot and Stair Galleries – who accused them of buying multiple lots at auctions and then failing to pay.
Keno Art Advisory is understood to have made good on the winning bids.
Leigh Keno issued a statement in February saying:
“Having grown up in the art and antiques world, we have a deep appreciation and respect for the hard work of the people in this community and are thankful for the patience of those who’ve been affected.
“Since this situation began, we’ve been working every day to fulfil our obligations. We are relieved to put this situation behind us.”
Car smashes into antiques centre
A DERBYSHIRE antiques centre has suffered damage to its façade after a car collided with it last month.
A Mini Cooper, after apparently hitting a kerb, smashed into the glass frontage of Heanor Antiques Centre and hit several of the display cabinets within.
The centre has remained open since the crash, which occurred on Saturday, February 5, though owner Jane Richards estimated that the cost of the damage would be more than £10,000. Among the objects broken were some Royal Copenhagen figurines, and the cabinets that were struck are now unusable.
The driver was hospitalised and Richards said that her staff were “traumatised”.
The centre hosts more than 200 dealers and is open seven days a week.
Ceramics slice of exhibition paradise
NEW to the summer calendar this year is A Collectors’ Paradise, a multi-dealer selling exhibition held over the three floors of the Brian Haughton Gallery in St James’s.
Three ceramics specialists are currently signed up – Brian Haughton, Christophe Perlés of Paris and Robyn Robb of Chelsea – and other dealers from different disciplines are expected to join in the coming months.
The creation of the weeklong show running concurrently with London Art Week from June 20-July 7 follows the decision not to host the Art Antiques London fair this year. That event, which grew out of the International Ceramics Fair and Seminar, was developed by Brian and Anna Haughton.
Most read
Here are the most clicked-on stories for week February 23-March 1, 2017 on
1 Chinese sleeper at auction sets £810,000 house record
2 12 highlights from TEFAF Maastricht
3 Martinware birds lift debut auction
4 Rorke’s Drift medal at auction in London
5 Private sale for ‘Downton Abbey’ photographs
It’s good to torc in Staffordshire
WHAT is thought to be the earliest example of Iron Age gold ever discovered in Britain was unveiled on February 28 at The Potteries Museum in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.
The group of four torcs and a bracelet, now named the Leekfrith Iron Age Torcs, was found on farmland in Staffordshire last December by two metal detectorists, Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania, who handed them over to the Portable Antiquities Scheme at Birmingham Museums, which manages the voluntary recording of finds.
The collection could date back to 400BC and is thought to have been made in Continental Europe, perhaps in France or Germany.
The site has since been investigated by archaeologists who say it is a complete find with no evidence of any other pieces on the land.
The find was declared treasure by the coroner last week and will go to a committee for valuation.
Hambleton and Kania, who had permission from the landowners, the Heath family, to search on the land, will split any proceeds from the sale of the find with the landowners.
In Numbers
170
The number of staff formerly employed by Auctionata, which is in the process of liquidation. The firm said that around 30-40 staff will stay on through the winding-up process. See story on page 4.
