1 How do you define the field you trade in/your area of expertise?
Morgan Strickland specialises in British and European 20th century decorative arts and jewellery, particularly Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts and Art Deco. If it has great design and is well made, we will sell it.
2 What is one little-known fact about dealing in general?
In my view the best and most successful dealers follow their eye and their gut instinct. No dealer can know everything but those with a good eye and who are brave tend to make the best buys.
3 What is encouraging about the art and antiques market this year?
Despite all the troubles associated with Covid-19 the desire for antiques has remained very strong over the last year and business has been surprisingly good. After having to sell remotely and having little if any face-to-face contact with customers for so long, looking forward everything is exciting! We will be exhibiting next month at Petworth, our first fair for well over a year and we cannot wait.
An Art Nouveau bronze lamp by Hjördis Nordin- Tengbom, c.1900, £2950 from Morgan Strickland Decorative Arts.
4 One question it is important for people to ask before buying?
Once you have established that an item is genuine and you are fully aware of any condition issues, the one and only really important question for a buyer to ask themselves is ‘Do I love it?’. Don’t buy just for investment and don’t buy because it seems cheap. If you really love it you will end up with a collection that you truly cherish.
5 One object you couldn’t do without?
Traditionally I would say my jeweller’s loupe (although I lose them on an extremely regular basis). However, these days with business relying more and more on an online presence it is probably my phone.
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