ABA hosts winter Firsts online
The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association (ABA) is hosting a winter edition of its online rare book fair, Firsts. It runs from November 27-December 2 and features rare books, manuscripts, ephemera and other works on paper from international booksellers.
Running during the weekend that would have been the association’s Chelsea Rare Book Fair, the virtual event is devoted to dealers who would have stood at the London fair, or at the Edinburgh Rare Book Fair (now tentatively rescheduled to March 26-27, 2021).
The ABA has launched a new website devoted to its fairs at firsts-online.com.
PBFA virtual format
The next PBFA online event is the Christmas fair on November 29. It offers more than 1000 books, prints, maps, manuscripts and ephemera. It is set to be the association’s biggest online fair since the PBFA launched them in April.
Hannam’s opens second saleroom
Auction house Hannam’s in Selborne, Hampshire, has expanded its premises and opened a new saleroom. The Granary is the second saleroom on the site at The Old Dairy, Norton Farm.
The new space will contain all house clearance items and general wares and the larger storage and auction space has meant the firm launched in 2014 can increase sales to four days. Probate valuations services have also been expanded.
Hannam’s recently hired two new saleroom assistants.
CINOA slams UNESCO stats
Dealer group CINOA has spoken out against UNESCO’s continued use of illicit trade in cultural property statistics.
CINOA claims the information used by UNESCO on the size of the illicit trade in cultural property is incorrect and has written an open letter to ask the organisation to reconsider. In the open letter, CINOA president Clinton Howell calls for the antiquities trade and UNESCO to “work together on evidence-based policies and initiatives to protect, preserve, and promote cultural property”.
New faces at four auction houses
Elstob & Elstob, founded in January 2018, has expanded to 13 departments with militaria, nauticalia and sporting antiques, led by new recruit David Douglas. He will also act as a valuer and agent in Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.
The firm has hired Camilla Rawlinson as junior valuer and cataloguer. She has previously worked at Tennants and Morphets in Harrogate.
Edinburgh hires
Three new specialists have joined Lyon & Turnbull. Former Christie’s specialist Joy McCall has joined as senior specialist in decorative arts and will head a new series of biannual sales devoted to Lalique starting next year.
Katherine Wright has joined on a maternity cover basis as European ceramics and glass specialist. She spent more than 15 years with Bonhams.
Formerly of McTear’s, Sarah Fergusson has become the new head of watches at L&T (see ATG No 2466 for more).
Jewellery specialist
Rachel Bailey has joined Dix Noonan Webb.
Dix Noonan Webb has hired Rachel Bailey as a jewellery specialist, with principal responsibility for developing further UK and overseas business. Currently, DNW holds four specialist jewellery auctions a year. Bailey joins from Bonhams where she worked in the jewellery department for eight years in Edinburgh, then Knightsbridge and New Bond Street.
The new Person
Christophe Person has joined Artcurial.
Christophe Person has joined Artcurial as head of Contemporary African art. He joins from Piasa auction house where he created a department of Contemporary African art.
Person is tasked with developing the market in Paris and Marrakesh.
Beaumont launches art consultancy
Auctioneer and valuer Max Beaumont has set up his own consultancy and dealer business. He was previously head of Art & Design and Silver at Duke’s in Dorchester.
Based in Poole, Dorset, he will cover the south coast, London and surrounding counties.
Max Beaumont.
Books and paper course on offer
City & Guilds of London Art School launched its undergraduate course in Books & Paper Conservation this September, with a full cohort of first year BA students.
It is the only one of its kind in London and the UK, running alongside the Art School’s longstanding BA (Hons) Conservation: Stone, Wood & Decorative Surfaces.
The school on Kennington Park Road in south London has also expanded its MA Conservation programme to include Books & Paper, which will involve the Conservation department as a whole doubling in size over the next three years.
Most read
The most viewed stories for week November 12-18 on antiquestradegazette.com
1 Buyer’s premium rises at Bonhams and Phillips
2 John Constable landscape emerges at Sworders after being dismissed as a copy by another London auction house
3 Art and antiques dealers make bold moves in London’s West End with new galleries
4 Police return £2.5m rare books to dealers but four still missing after west London raid
5 Museum buys memorial plaque of Great War’s ‘first black officer’
In Numbers
1600
The number of police officers who were involved in raids across several German states as part of the investigation into the theft of jewelled items from the Dresden Green Vault (Grünes Gewölbe) last year. Three people have been arrested and police raided homes in Berlin.
