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LAPADA experts on the joys of collecting antiques

Antiques are self-selecting, only the fittest survive – and their survival is testimony to the quality of their manufacture and how much they were cherished. We ask seven members of LAPADA, the largest Association of Art & Antiques Dealers in the UK, to offer their expertise on the joys of collecting in disciplines favoured by the modern man today.

Arms & Armour

Arms and Armour were considered in their day to be the most expensive single item a gentleman could purchase other than land. The handmade rapier, the suit of armour, the flintlock pistol, the hand forged shield – all would have been purchased to order and made to measure. These bespoke items demanded exceptional craftsmanship from the creators beyond the skill or knowledge of any contemporary manufacturer. Indeed, a fine tailored suit from Savile Row is the closest thing a man could purchase today that would be comparable.

Arms and Armour have a huge tactile quality. To enjoy them hung or displayed on a wall, or worse behind glass, is to miss so much of the pleasure in them. Handling the item, its feel and weight and balance, is as much an experience as any visual pleasure. Like a good suit, armour is enjoyed as much for its aesthetic appeal as for anything else.
Today, with their original use rendered obsolete, what remains of their masculine intent is what the gentleman attaches himself. The working knowledge of mechanisms and the evolution of arms is also much of their appeal.

Simply handling such treasure is enough to transport somebody back in time and so by association make connections that gentlemen enjoy.

Dominic Stickland from Michael German Antiques
www.antiquecanes.com

Vintage Posters

Posters provide an emotional link to a person’s interests or an important period of their life. As a design element, they are bright, bold, imaginative, arresting and timeless; they can be elegant yet masculine. Original vintage posters are also recognised as collectible items and alternative investment, ideal for the growing trends of man caves and cinema rooms, as well as personal garages and ski chalets.

The most popular subjects for men of all ages are sports – in particular skiing and cycling – and cars, especially those associated with classic movie icons like James Bond.

Ski posters, like many advertising posters, were originally produced to entice holidaymakers and winter thrill-seekers to resorts and alpine areas. The early to mid-century skiing posters were often designed by notable artists of the time and are colourful, dynamic, glamorous, nostalgic and stylish, sometimes also fun and quirky.
Since its invention in the 1800s, the humble bicycle has been the subject of many cycling posters, from the promotion of safer cycling to advertising events such as the Tour de France. These are proving increasingly popular as more people take up cycling as a lifestyle choice.

Harriet Kalinin from Antikbar
www.antikbar.co.uk

Maps

Maps are usually associated with travel, exploration and adventure, generally appealing more to men than women. Often decorative, in design or colouring, they appeal to collectors and novices alike. Today, there is a trend in interiors for large wall and 20th century maps, as they make great statement pieces.

Maps appeal for their historical importance. It is interesting to observe how the layout of the continents and countries has changed over time. In general, collectors look for the earliest printed maps of a particular area, and then concentrate their collection on these early examples, or they collect maps of a certain place through the ages – enjoying the stages of development. For some, finding an unrecorded state of a map turns into a lifelong quest. Others concentrate on a cartographer, trying to accumulate a complete collection of maps in all different stages.

Also sought after by collectors are maps with fundamental mistakes, like the depiction of California as an island; caricature maps that depict countries as people; and fantasy maps of ‘the Land of Love’.

Angelika Friebe from Map Woman
www.mapwoman.com

Sporting Antiques

Sport is part of our lifestyle, everybody can identify with one sport or another. Men especially like to share their interests with friends and acquaintances. One of the best ways to fire the imagination and rekindle memories is in owning and handling beautiful historic pieces.

Of particular appeal are the vintage sports paraphernalia that bear the name of great sportsmen of the past who endorsed the equipment they used and helped to develop it. Buyers like the fact that you can actually still use a great deal of sports equipment like croquet sets, billiard tables, football tables and amazing vintage and classic cars, and motor bikes. Some equipment is still used by traditionalist and enthusiasts professionally, such as the split cane fishing rods or the 1920s hickory gold clubs at the English, Welsh and Scottish Hickory Golf Championships.

Manfred and Gabi Schotten from Manfred Schotten Antiques
www.sportantiques.co.uk

Campaign Furniture

Campaign furniture was made for travel, principally for the military and empire builders who were used to the finer things in life. The cabinetwork is very good, and protective brass strap details are common. Designed with clean lines, their style is timeless, appeals to many, and works in a variety of settings.

However, they are not standard pieces of furniture, and have the added ‘surprise’ function of folding or dissembling for ease of travel, and out of this practical necessity often ingenious design was born. It might be a portable shower that packs into a box, or an oak briefcase that turns into a table.

Sean Clarke from Christopher Clarke Antiques
www.campaignfurniture.com

Aviation Pieces

Over the last decade, aviation pieces have become increasingly popular, especially with men. People are drawn to the aesthetics: their sculptural forms and good design. There is an adage in the flying world that says: if it looks good it will fly well. The pieces are made to the highest standards, in order to pass rigorous security tests, with high-grade materials such as titanium, rare alloys and hard laminated wood.

Alan Hatchwell of Hatchwell Antiques
www.hatchwellantiques.co.uk

Antiques are self-selecting, only the fittest survive

LAPADA: Lining up for art in Berkeley Square

Birthday celebration draws the crowds to a treasure trove

Although a London and international institution, it might be hard to realise that LAPADA (The Association of Art and Antique Dealers) celebrated its 40th birthday last year.

Established – some might say, a mite audaciously – on December Friday 13 1974, dealer Gordon Savage was quick to wish the association well but wondered whether it would survive the launch ceremony. But if the hordes of conspicuously eager visitors were anything to go by, the enthusiasm and enjoyment of this fair has not diminished. As many observers and writers are quick to point out regarding the significance of the date of the launch, this certainly did not seem the most suitable time to garner clients and of course, impress customers.

1974 began with the Three Day Week, which many will remember for restriction of electricity, which meant doing homework by candlelight. Or not doing it at all! Television broadcasts ended at 10.30pm. And then there was the oil crisis. But despite all, business in the art and antiques world in many quarters was on the up. On reflection, the establishment of Lapada at this time of seeming negativity was not such a bad idea. At least there would be plenty of chandeliers to light up the darkness. And oh yes…the symbol of Lapada… precisely that.

If anything, the opposite is true. For seven of those forty years, the familiar Berkeley Square marquee has been such an integral part of the early London autumn scene that this part of the capital would look strangely denuded without it. Of course it is a given that even if attending every moment of every day that the fair is open, one still will not be able to see everything. The sheer variety of the exhibits – paintings, sculptures, furniture, jewellery, fugitive objets d’art and other oddities dazzled this year, buoyed up by the birthday celebration at the Collectors’ Preview. This witnessed a vast audience in attendance, sipping Lanson champagne (seemingly endlessly poured), whilst a glittering queue snaked around the Square. But the mood was one of bonhomie, expectation and excitement, despite the wait to gain entrance.

Although seasoned visitors can and usually are experts in their field and choice of collecting, it has always been a feature of the fair that the first time buyer should not be deterred but indeed encouraged. Accordingly, although one might not receive much change from half a million pounds for an item or two, for just £500 one can secure a precious treasure here. It will have great provenance and may be purchased from a dealer whose own enthusiasm marks him or her out – even among other dealers who might not be part of the association. The chief joy for many this year – as in the past – was the ingenious balancing of the antique world and the fervently, even feverishly contemporary scene. Curated with care and a precise eye, old and new worlds provided a not surprisingly contextual balance – the stridency of a pop image, say, informing the established assurance of a Regency extravaganza. Often, old and new actually needed one another – quite evident if one thinks about the collecting zeal of characters as diverse as say, Andy Warhol and Gianni Versace.

An example last year might be the Butchoff Antiques competition to mark half a century in business. This took the form of a competition for students. The winning design by Kingston University’s Giulia Liverani was a portable laptop table called ‘E-Scritoire’ – an appellation that wittily united the antique and contemporary worlds. Other students were inspired by Butchoff’s history of providing customers with choice pieces from the Georgian, Regency and Victorian eras.

As a timepiece (more than) enthusiast, this writer found much to weep about – tears shall we say, not of jealousy but envy. In this sector, from a heritage piece for your wrist to the classic vestibule statesman in the form of a long case clock, there really was something for everyone. A cliché perhaps, but what is a cliché if not an often repeated truth?

What is particularly impressive here is not only the precision of the knowledge of these dealers but specification almost within specification. Craig Carrington’s Grand Tour pieces dazzled and Sandra Cronan’s unerring eye for the finest jewels reminded everyone of her authority. The indefatigable Tony Pontone of the Albemarle Gallery fused together several contemporary talents and Tanya Baxter displayed luscious jewel-bright oriental portraits. Philip Mould displayed divine portrait miniatures.

There were so many highlights that it would be impossible to list them all, but the carpets and tapestries on display provided that element of luxury and bursts of woven colour which perfectly partnered the
objets de vertu.

Mieka Sywak, the Fair’s Director, emphasised the event’s overall design – nature in an urban setting, balancing, “elegance and a touch of whimsy.” And a more desirable, timeless inspiration one might be hard-pressed to shake a very polished stick at.

Birthday celebration draws the crowds to a