Welcome

At the time of writing, two days after the great liberation, things appear to be returning to normal (ish). (Who would ever have thought a trip to the pub would count as a civic duty?) I no longer have to queue to get onto the Ocado website, albeit the flour is still out of stock when I get there.

Most auction houses are up and running and galleries and museums are starting to reopen their doors.

So, how has it been for you? With a husband on the critically vulnerable list, other than dog walking and trips to the lockdown-acquired allotment, I am so far resisting the urge to head to the capital for the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ Titian at the National Gallery and staying put. But it doesn’t stop me from a) singlehandedly restarting the economy with my online shopping habit, with recent essentials including a doggy agility course and portable camping loo, and b) compiling a list of places to visit when fully released into the wild.

Topping that list is the Cotswolds. Other than vicariously, via the Agatha Raisin novels of MC Beaton, I am ashamed to say I have never been. Articles in this month’s magazine: on the work of the Gloucester arts and crafts designer Edward Barnsle y, Marc Allum’s childhood reminiscences of Snowshill Mano r, not to mention Witney dealer David Harvey’s column, have all made me crave a visit to its honey-coloured villages.

In this month’s issue we’re also heading off to the French riviera and the modernist villa E-1027 created by the Irish designer Eileen Gra y, whose incredible life history is described on page 16, then visiting Copenhagen to walk in the footsteps of the silversmith Georg Jensen (whose designs feature on page 38). We may be encouraged to stay at home but can at least let our imaginations roam.

Talking of lockdown, if you’ve spent the last few weeks bidding for lots online you will know that deciphering your sales receipt is on a par with understanding advanced algebra. Help is at hand. On page 42, Mark Gilding presents his guide to the joys and perils of armchair collecting. Elsewhere, we explore antique garden statuary on page 48 and the collection of the British sculptor Dame Elisabeth Frink is unveiled on page 36. Enjoy the issue.

GeorginaGeorgina Wroe, Editor

KEEP IN TOUCH Write to us at Antique Collecting, Sandy Lane, Old Martlesham, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 4SD, or email magazine@accartbooks. com. Visit the website at www.antique-collecting.co.uk and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @AntiqueMag

We love

This set of late 19th-century German tole bookends, which has an estimate of £200-£300

at Woolley and Wallis’

sale on August 11

Antique Collecting subscription £38 for 10 issues annually, no refund is available.

ISSN: 0003-584X

FIRST WORD

IN THIS ISSUE

HOLLY JOHNSON on why Edward Barnsley is a 20th-century great, page 30

VICTOR FAUVELLE unveils Dame Elisabeth Frink’s collection, page 36

MARK LITTLER on the silversmith Georg Jensen’s appeal, page 38

BILL FORREST reveals easy ways to value Chinese porcelain, page 52

The Team

Editor: Georgina Wroe, georgina.

wroe@accartbooks.com Online Editor: Richard Ginger, richard.ginger@accartbooks.com

Design: Philp Design, james@philpdesign.co.uk

Advertising: Jo Lord

01394 389950, jo.lord@accartbooks.com Subscriptions: Sue Slee

01394 389957, sue.slee@accartbooks.com

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 3