From an unexpected antique ceramic find to sculpture at Godinton and painting Leeds Castle
Antique of the Month
By Tony Pratt of The Canterbury Auction Galleries
When valuation specialists like me are asked to make a house visit, we often leave with instructions to sell something entirely different to what it was we were called in to see.
So it was with a family living near Ashford, who asked me to value a group of paintings they owned with a view to including them in one of our auctions. While I was there, I spotted this pair of porcelain figures.
While not claiming to know exactly who they were by, I knew instinctively they were English, very early and worth more than any of the paintings the family wanted me to sell for them.
Our ceramics specialist, Justin Ball, was terribly excited when he saw them and it was he who made the tentative attribution to the Bow porcelain factory, dating them to 1755. His theory proved correct; they sold to a London collector for £4,200, twice the pre-sale guide price.
It has been suggested that the recumbent sphinxes with female heads wearing mob caps were modelled after the well known 18th century actress Margaret ‘Peg’ Woffington. The Bow factory, in what is now the London Borough of Newham, was a short-lived affair, being active from 1747-1764, making surviving pieces of this type rare and valuable.
? Do call us in if you own something similar that you might consider selling. We can also offer advice on paintings as well as other antiques and collectors’ items. Our telephone number is 01227 763337.
Sculpture in the Gardens
Godinton House is showcasing the work of 18 artists for its annual sculpture show, which runs until 16 August.
Head Gardener, Viv Hunt, has positioned some 70 pieces of work around the 12 acres of gardens, including Sarah Bourne’s mosaic kettle which you might expect a dormouse to pop out of (see above), Leigh Dyers’ series of spectral boat skeletons and Janine Creaye’s enigmatic Medicine Man.
All the work is for sale and there are styles (and prices) to suit all gardens, whether they are rural stately homes or town courtyards.
? The gardens are open every day from 1pm, The house is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, first house tour 1.30pm. Admission garden £5 adults, £9 house and garden, children under 16 free.
Round the Clock
Cobham Hall photographic art student Dilara Sasmaz is one of only 38 A-Level and International Baccalaureate art students nationally to have artwork displayed in the Royal Academy’s A-level Summer Exhibition Online.
More than 2,000 pieces were submitted by more than 1,200 artists, and the piece by Dilara, Year 13, is entitled Tutu and was inspired by Horst P. Horst’s Round the Clock.
Dilara explains: “What I liked about Round the Clock is that it reflects more than simply fashion, the aesthetics are aligned with the eternal ideas of beauty. When I saw the photo in an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, I was amazed by the texture of the tutu.”
? The exhibition can be seen at: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/a-level-exhibition-online-2015.
Culture in Kings Hill
The Kings Hill Art initiative, now in its sixth year, provides a professionally curated rolling art exhibition in office buildings across the Kings Hill business park, curated by artist June Frickleton and supported by Arts & Business.
To celebrate the 20th exhibition, the new Cultural Centre in the recently refurbished Control Tower, Liberty Square, is the venue for an exhibition of past and present artists who have loaned their artworks to the Kings Hill Art initiative.
A former Kings Hill Art exhibitor, Alan Rankle, is showing a selection of paintings including the stunning centrepiece, ‘Untitled painting XII (Herne)’, pictured, which features a resplendent stag in a threatening landscape.
Showing alongside are textile pieces by Anne Kelly, sculptures by Clive Soord, Krystina Lowicz and Lorraine Kelly and paintings by Barbara Burns, David Armitage and June Frickleton, who curated the exhibition.
For more information visit: www.kings-hill.com and if you are interested in buying a painting, please contact curator, June Frickleton on 07946 457285 or info@frickletonfineart.co.uk.
Painting the castle
Could you be the 21st-century J.M.W. Turner or David Hockney that Leeds Castle is looking for?
This summer, you are invited to enter its competition to paint the majestic 900-year-old castle in watercolour.
The winning masterpiece will be transformed into a range of new merchandise to be sold in the Leeds Castle shops for visitors from all over the world to purchase. All money raised from the sale of these items will go towards preserving the castle for future generations to enjoy.
Paint from memory, from a photograph or use your annual ticket to visit the castle as many times as you like to create your entry.
The best entries will be selected by the Leeds Castle art panel and put on display at the Castle during September 2015. Thousands of visitors will be able to cast their vote to choose their favourite painting.
The three most popular entries will then be assessed by a special guest judge who will choose the winner. Winners will also receive two tickets to the Leeds Castle Fireworks Spectacular in November.
? If you are planning on entering, please complete the form at www.leeds-castle.com or email gemmawright@leeds-castle.co.uk to let us know. All entries should be sent to: Marketing Department, Leeds Castle, Maidstone ME17 1PL.
