My Family Silver

In addition to being the best event of its kind in the world, The European Fine Art Fair or affectionaly known as TEFAF for short. It was held in Maastricht, Holland and is probably the most inaccessible event of it’s kind along with being the best! (At least from an English perspective)

After rising at an unholy hour (4am) on Friday, I eventually reached the unprepossessing conference hall which houses the fair at 2pm after a journey involving four trains and a taxi. All this to travel a distance not too dissimilar from London to Newcastle. (Frankly, the only way to reach the fair swiftly is by private jet but as such a display of wealth is rather infra dig these days, I imagine the really big hitters travelled, like me, incognito on Eurostar)

Having said the above, the journey was worth every minute and forgotten as soon as I entered this truly spectacular event. In a recent interview for Apollo Magazine, fair organiser and dealer Ben Janssen stated his aim of creating an “Alice in Wonderland” feel for TEFAF this year. He certainly did not fail. From the sumptuously decorated entrance to the cleverly lit aisles and stands, the fair had a magical look creating the perfect staging for hosting the mind-boggling treasures on show from (my favourite) a sixteenth century nautilus shell drinking cup with Paris dealer Kugel, to a ravishing seascape oil by August Strindberg at French and Company. Collectively the works of display rivalled a great museum but what gives this fair its extra frisson is the knowledge that anyone can take them all home (given the funds, of course, a rather inconvenient hurdle).

The fair is a level playing field where visitor and museum curator alike (and most of the leading ones attend) jostle for bargains in the most expensive and most beautiful shopping mall on the planet. Although endlessly distracted by the extraordinary works of art all around, I did manage to see many old friends in the antique silver trade including Francis and Nicholas Norton at SJ Phillips; Anthony Marks, Stephen Dale and Clive Toberman at Marks Antiques; Lewis Smith at Koopman Rare Art; and Stephen and Janie Burton from my former stamping ground at Hancocks & Co. It was early days when I visited (the fair continues until 22 March) but there was a quiet sense of optimism and no lack of interest as the aisles were packed all day long.  Collectively all these dealers, and the many others attending from around the world, produce an extraordinary and unrivalled event which will live long in the memory (or until next year’s show!)

There was a fire at the 17^th century College of Arms in central London on 5th February which served as a stark reminder of the fragility of historical documents. More info on the fire by the BBC and the Evening Standard.

Thankfully, none of the irreplaceable heraldic records stored at the College appear to have been destroyed in the fire. But their vulnerability to loss or damage is again revealed, as it was when faced with previous threats such as the 1666 Great Fire of London (when the original College building was gutted) and the Blitz (when the current building was badly bomb damaged).

Fortunately, on both occasions, the records had been moved to safety beforehand. In addition to its priceless contents, the College itself, which sits in splendour below St Paul’s Cathedral, is a rare treasure being one of the earliest surviving buildings in the City of London. Not that it hasn’t faced down its own threats.

In the early 19^th century there were plans to move the College to the more fashionable West End of London. Then in the 1860’s some typically ill-advised town planning drove the new Queen Victoria Street through the college buildings, destroying one side of the original quadrangle and slicing off the remaining wings. The digitisation of records (including our own small contribution at My Family Silver) will safeguard their knowledge but can never replicate their beauty.

There is also a growing debate among institutions about the projected lifespan of digital records. Even whether we will be able to access records saved now using technology which will be outdated in the future.

So, regardless of the convenience and utility of digital records, we will always need the original sources. Another reason, if needed, is to celebrate their recent close escape and the careful custodianship of today’s heralds.

To the Goldsmiths Hall today for the press launch of British Silver Week. Now in its second year, British Silver Week was the brainchild of Gordon Hamme who, frustrated by the lack of public awareness of the flourishing British contemporary silver scene, established a week of exhibitions showcasing the best designers.

During Silver Week, which begins this year on 8th June, My Family Silver will host all the participating galleries allowing visitors to view the exhibits online. In the grand and glittering surroundings of Goldsmiths Hall, Gordon announced a series of spectacular events linked to the week including a showcase exhibition at Chatsworth House, in Derbyshire, the seat of the Duke of Devonshire who is a keen patron of contemporary art.

Over at Krug champagne, I met a number of the silversmiths who will be showing their work including Alan Craxford famed for his innovative use of materials and outstanding engraving work; and Ndidi Ekubia who batters and hammers silver into complex and highly beautiful forms. Ndidi had brought along one of her fabulous wine coolers to the press launch – another will be offered as a prize during British Silver Week.

Sterling Silver Wine cooler by Ndidi Ekubia.

I was also introduced to Polly Biekeka of the Gallery Pangolin at King’s Place which will be hosting a show during the week. I am a huge fan of her gallery having visited it before Christmas to see Sterling Stuff II. This remarkable and thought provoking show included works in silver by hip contemporary artists like Lynn Chadwick, Damien Hirst and Anthony Gormley, the famed creator of the Angel of the North. Sterling Stuff II opened many eyes to the versatility of silver as a medium for expressing challenging ideas in art.

Sterling Silver Foetus in Petrie dish by Anthony Gormley.

With such exciting participants, British Silver Week should be a fantastic event.

I can’t wait, can you?

I’ve now checked out the crests I was shown at The Original Miami Beach Antiques Show using Crestfinder (the magical and unique function on myfamilysilver.com). I’ll start with an armorial I saw on a smart pair of silver tureen covers offered by one of the dealers (as shown here):

As you can see, the crest consists of the upper figure of a woman holding a tower and some sort of plant. A search in crestfinder (which I can do, but you can’t yet…) using the simple terms “woman, castle” turns up a couple of crests including, as you can see, the one (on the left) we were looking at:

This crest, with small variations, is carried by a number of families including Aitkinson and Bailey. However, by checking the motto below the engraved armorial (“Cause caused it”) against the results we can (hey presto!) firmly attribute the crest to the Elphinstone family as shown here:

Now the dealer has a whole new way of promoting and adding value to his item (and the Elphinstones can buy back the family silver). Pretty cool, isn’t it?

Soon: Another crest challenge from Miami….

I’m writing this from the departure lounge at Miami airport after an exhausting but hugely enjoyable couple of days at the Miami Beach Antiques Show introducing My Family Silver to the American trade. It’s hard to describe just how vast this show is so here’s an image..

A thousand dealers from around the world congregate in the cavernous arena, and distracting muzak, of the city’s convention center to furiously trade and barter (most business is done before the event is even open to the public!). As I pounded up and down the aisles I spotted many friends from the London trade who even in these trying times (and with the dollar stuck firmly against them) reported good sales. Elegant and sophisticated it is not – but as a means of doing business it’s second to none.

I met and spoke with about fifty silver dealers from the US representing states across the country and none of whom I’d met before. Without exception, they listened with great interest and patience as I introduced our business. Like the London trade, they instantly saw the huge benefit of being able to identify, and then promote, silver engraved with a family crest. Several challenged me (and crestfinder) to identify the crests on some items on their stands! Unpertubed, I will post my results in a follow up post – illustrated with some photos of the mystery crests, of course.

In fact, in conversation with the dealers, I was struck once again by the wide ranging application of crestfinder. For example, during the show I was shown several pieces of armorial porcelain and glass – the identification of which by family name would add huge value and interest. Most importantly it will give the dealers another valuable route to explore when selling their stock.

OK – there’s my call (BA on time!) so I’m off. More on Miami next time – but with a few more weeks to go before My Family Silver goes live it does feel that it is already international!