Sunbury to trial a Wimbledon market
Sunbury Antiques Market, organiser of the bi-weekly Kempton Park Racecourse fair, is moving into London with a trial Sunday event in Wimbledon.
The Wimbledon Homes & Antiques Fair is targeting both trade and private buyers from across London with an antiques, homes and interiors angle. It will be held in Prince George’s Playing Fields on the A298 Bushey Road, a feeder road to the A3.
The fair’s initial dates are August 30 and September 13. They will start at 10am with a £1 entry fee for adults (children free) and free parking.
Golightly script, substantial price
The final typescript for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, covered in author Truman Capote’s handwritten edits, sold at Sotheby’s for a hammer price of £300,000 (plus 25/20/13.9% buyer’s premium + 1%).
Cover of the 'Breakfast at Tiffany’s' script sold for £300,000 at Sotheby’s.
It sold to an anonymous buyer at the Books and Manuscripts: A Summer Miscellany sale in London on August 4.
Until this very final draft, the lead character was known as Connie Gustafson. At this final stage every reference to Connie is crossed out and replaced with Holly Golightly – immortalised by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film.
This typescript was submitted to Random House in May 1958, and the lot comes with the original envelope from the publisher addressed to Mr Truman Capote | 70 Willow Street | Brooklyn 1, New York.
Early starter in Birmingham
One of the oldest numberplates in the world has sold for £192,000 at Silverstone Auctions. The Motor Car Act 1903, which came into force on January 1, 1904, required all motor vehicles to be entered on an official register and to carry alphanumeric plates for the first time.
Each city in the UK was issued a prefix. Birmingham got the letter O, meaning that the registration plate sold – O9 – was the ninth official registration issued there.
Many years later, in 1949, it was bought for £5 (quite a lot of money at the time) by the Silverstone’s vendor’s father from Birmingham Motor Taxation Off ice as a surrendered plate from a vehicle that was being scrapped. He was a life-long Jaguar enthusiast and proudly displayed O9 on all his Jaguars until his death and the plate had remained with the family.
The auction house said: “He was happy to be associated with O9 for over six decades and we understand, from his son, that his birthday was August 1 and that, were he to have lived, that he would be aged 100 on August 1, 2020 – the day when we were offering O9 for sale.”
Estimated at £130,000- 150,000, the plate sold after a six-minute bidding battle for £216,000 when premium is included, underbid on thesaleroom.com.
Art week focuses on digital offer
London Art Week (LAW) is launching a new series of October events to take place in participating galleries and on its online platform.
Dubbed Art History in Focus, it has two themes: women in the art world, including artists, gallerists and collectors, and the impact of framing and presentation on pictures. Events involve gallery offerings and online articles and lectures.
Organisers say this is a chance to revive the market for some top yet undervalued female artists – coinciding with the opening of the Artemisia Gentileschi show at the National Gallery. Among the works on offer from LAW exhibitors are sculptures by Félicie de Fauveau (1799-1886) from Stuart Lochhead and Didier Aaron, portraits by Maria Verelst (1680-1744) from Philip Mould and paintings by early Abstract Expressionist Belle Cramer (1883-1978).
The lecture programme kicks off with Matthew Reeves of Sam Fogg speaking on historic picture frames from a curatorial and conservational perspective.
The new event is scheduled from November 26-December 4 and is in addition to London Art Week Winter. As well as featuring gallery and online exhibitions and talks, it includes the second LAW Symposium.
Devon auction house launches
A new auction house has opened in Devon at a recently launched antiques centre. Auction Antiques occupies a 4500 sq ft building in Hele and has hired a new member of staff.
Steve Ferguson has joined as head of auction services. He previously worked at Bristol Auction Rooms and specialises in jewellery, silver and watches.
Steve Ferguson of Auction Antiques.
He will be on the rostrum hosting regular auctions, with the next on August 21. Auction Antiques is also consigning for a specialist sale of watches, jewellery and fine antiques planned for the late autumn.
The auction house shares the site of The Antique Village, a centre that opened last year. Owners Ian Rosher and Clive London acquired the four-acre site of a former cider factory.
The company will open a new showroom gallery space at the auction house in early September to host art, textiles, ceramics and fine antiques sales.
Rosher and London also run antiques dealership London Fine Antiques.
Most read
The most viewed stories for week July 30-August 5 on antiquestradegazette.com
1 Kempton owner tests Sunday ‘interiors’ format fair at new Wimbledon venue
2 Mary Queen of Scots’ prayer book sells at Christie’s Classic sale
3 Dealer and restorer Gary Wallis launches new TV programme
4 Bust of Crimean War heroine Mary Seacole sells for £101,000 at auction and heads to Nightingale Museum
5 Lucie Rie record as footed bowl takes $180,000 at Phillips
In Numbers
1061
The number of silver hammered coins, dating between the 15th and 17th centuries, unearthed by metal detectorist Luke Mahoney in a field behind his local pub in Suffolk. The hoard, estimated to be worth more than £100,000, will be handed over to a finds liaison officer under the Treasure Act 1996.
Silver hammered coins found in Suffolk.
