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Celebrating events to get antiques and fine art lovers in the festive mood and a look ahead to 2023

Yule be there With a new King at the helm this year’s festive displays at Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh promise to be better than ever. Until January 2 visitors to both will be welcomed by resplendent displays, including a 20ft tree in St George’s Hall, grown in nearby Windsor Great Park. Meanwhile, Holyroodhouse will showcase trees in the Throne Room and Great Gallery. Visitors to Windsor Castle on December 8, 9 and 12 can enjoy carols from local choirs in St George’s Hall, while, in Scotland, families visiting the palace on December 17, 22 and 23 can take part in festive arts and crafts activities.

Above The Crimson Drawing Room at Windsor Castle will be decorated in its festive best

Top right Unidentified woman, attributed to Hans Holbein the Elder (c. 1460/65–1524), oil on panel, before 1522. Schroder Collection

Right A watercolour by the Welsh-based artist Ken Hayes – one of the artists taking part in Direct from the Artist

Below Lowry’s Going to the Match has gone on show in Salford

MATCH READY A painting by LS Lowry loved by football fans and art enthusiasts has been bought by The Lowry arts centre in Salford, saving it from going into a private collection.

The centre paid £7.8m for Going to the Match, painted in 1953, at Christie’s at which it had been expected to fetch £5m-£8m.

The Lowry’s chief executive, Julie Fawcett, said: “We believe this iconic artwork must remain on public view, so it can continue to be seen by the broadest possible audiences, for free.”

The painting had been on public view at The Lowry for 22 years, after it was bought in 1999 by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) for some £1.9m.

6 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Married love A Bath museum has unveiled plans for a major exhibition considering the role of marriage in European Renaissance art.

Painted Love: Renaissance Marriage Portraits, takes place at the Holburne Museum from May 26 to October 1, will capture the broader impact of the union from the intimate to the legal joining of two families.

In addition to paintings, the exhibition will include objects associated with marriage, including love tokens, rings, gifts, and commemorative tableware, as well as written documents and love letters.

DIRECT SALE Art lovers looking for an original work without breaking the bank this Christmas can bag a bargain with a new scheme from eBay. Its ‘direct from the artist’ scheme allows shoppers to buy artworks without paying expensive gallery commissions or artists’ resale rights.

EBay’s art and antiques manager, Amy Kent, said: “There is something special about buying a piece of original art directly from the artist. Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a real shift towards consumers wanting to shop from smaller, local businesses through our marketplace and art and antiques are no exception to this.”

With prices stretching from £10 and £50, artists taking part in the scheme range from talented hobbyists to graduates from established schools including the University of the Arts London and the Glasgow Art School. As well as benefitting buyers, artists applaud the scheme. Caerphilly-based watercolourist Ken Hayes, said: “I now only sell exclusively on eBay as I’ve had my fill of the greedy high street and online galleries commission rates.” Work by artists taking part in the scheme are distinguished by a blue tick.