{"id":9954,"date":"2022-04-05T12:00:39","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T10:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=28508"},"modified":"2022-04-05T12:18:22","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T10:18:22","slug":"6-antiques-collectors-share-their-favourite-pieces","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/6-antiques-collectors-share-their-favourite-pieces\/","title":{"rendered":"6 antiques collectors share their favourite pieces"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Ellie Tennant\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 05 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Willa Latham, porcelain dealer<\/h2>\n
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\u00a0<\/p>\n

English porcelain<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018My grandmother had a house full of antiques<\/a>, so I sort of inhaled them subconsciously while I was growing up, absorbing the sense of quality and beauty they embodied. I trained as a classical violinist then worked as an accountant in the charity sector.<\/p>\n

But, one morning about three and a half years ago, I woke up and announced to my husband: \u201cI\u2019m going to collect antique porcelain\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2018Although I buy and sell porcelain professionally now too, personally, I only collect tableware by Stoke-on-Trent manufacturer Henry Daniel (1765\u20131841). It\u2019s always wonderful to find a dusty and unloved piece in an auction<\/a>, then wash it and reveal its beauty. I have a whole cabinet full of his work and, if I had more space, I\u2019d buy more, but I live in a small flat!<\/p>\n

\u2018He was a genius when it came to colours and painted designs. He came from a family of colour makers who made enamels<\/a> for the porcelain and china industries. He came up with hues that nobody else was making, such as a stunning jade that you can\u2019t even really describe in words.<\/p>\n

He employed really talented painters and the flower decorations<\/a> on his pieces have a freedom to them that\u2019s very rare to find. He made fine shapes too \u2013 his teacup handles perfectly suit my hands.<\/p>\n

\u2018Henry Daniel only made porcelain for 24 years. He worked for Spode as head of decoration before he set up his own factory with his son, Richard, taking most of his painters with him in agreement with Spode, an unusually amicable parting!<\/p>\n

It shows how much he was respected and also how large the market was. Richard worked with him (the factory became H&R Daniel) until Henry died. Sadly, the business didn\u2019t last long under Richard\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

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Green teacup, made by Henry Daniel c1825 \u2013 one of the pretty teacups from Willa\u2019s amazing collection.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u2018My favourite service is kept on the top shelf. It was painted for H&R Daniel by William Pollard \u2013 the \u2018Van Gogh\u2019 of porcelain painting. He painted flowers with such elegance and his use of colour is so delicate. He didn\u2019t go for big impressive blooms, instead, he chose humble flowers such as dog roses and cornflowers.<\/p>\n

\u2018I love the stories behind each piece. I have a library here. A lot of factories copied each other, accomplished artists often got poached by other firms and most items are not marked, so you need a lot of books if you want to know your stuff.<\/p>\n

I use the cups sometimes, but the one thing Daniel wasn\u2019t very good at was the components of porcelain, so it\u2019s very fragile. Luckily, my experience as a musician means I\u2019m used to handling expensive violins, so I\u2019m very careful.\u2019<\/p>\n

Visit Willa\u2019s website Gentle Rattle of China<\/a> where she provides bespoke antique porcelain of the finest quality.<\/p>\n

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Willa\u2019s cabinet is filled with her favourite Henry Daniel pieces.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Martin Rowson, cartoonist<\/h2>\n
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Taxidermy<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Natural history has fascinated me from an early age. I\u2019ve been a member and a fellow of the Zoological Society of London since I was 18 and I\u2019ve been a trustee since I was 33 (I\u2019m now almost 62.)<\/p>\n

If I had my way, I\u2019d fill the house with exotic fauna \u2013 alive \u2013 but it would be rather dangerous, and illegal. So, instead, I like the idea of living in something that looks a bit like a museum.<\/p>\n

\u2018It all started in my late 20s when I bought a mongoose and a cobra (quite a common pose for taxidermists) for \u00a35. I got it as a gag to give to a couple I knew as a visual metaphor for their marriage. But I kept it, then slowly acquired more.<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> Luke Honey discusses collecting piscatorial taxidermy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018I went to the sale of the stock of Eton College Natural History Museum in 1996 and bought a stuffed vulture by mistake because I forgot to take my hand down.<\/p>\n

I also bought a piece of basking shark skin, which was given to the museum by Gavin Maxwell, author of Ring of Bright Water. It\u2019s a genuine literary icon \u2013 a part of the basking shark that he and his pet otter ate.<\/p>\n

\u2018A friend of mine went to an auction of surplus stock from the Passmore Edwards Museum (which had been closed down) and he got me a wolf for \u00a3240. I picked her up in our Volvo Estate and, every time we overtook somebody on the motorway, they nearly crashed.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s very useful at Halloween and puts the wind up people who come to read the gas meter. My family says she\u2019s tatty and probably full of beetles, but I could never get rid of her. I love her very much.<\/p>\n

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Coyote on the wall of the studio where Martin draws his satirical cartoons.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u2018My collection is not completist. It\u2019s just made up of things I like. I have a one-eared fox (a cleaner dropped it), a wild boar\u2019s head I found in a junk shop in Normandy for about \u00a35, a mammoth\u2019s tooth and a whale vertebrae, which was given to me by a friend of mine who was a curator at London Zoo.<\/p>\n

He also gave me a hyena head that he found in a skip there. I\u2019m a public atheist, so I\u2019ve turned it into a blasphemous tableau \u2013 a surrealist installation with the hyena and my school confirmation crucifix. A gull roosts on top of my archive and I have a model of a human skeleton on a deckchair<\/a> in the back garden.<\/p>\n

I have to control myself otherwise I get over-excited. I got close to buying a stuffed American bison on one occasion \u2013 he was about 7.5ft tall and 9ft long \u2013 but I realised I had nowhere to put him. I was tempted by a rearing African lion once, too, but my wife said: \u201cIt\u2019s him or me\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2018I recognise that it\u2019s slightly creepy having dead creatures around but I didn\u2019t kill them and it\u2019s more insulting to do what people with taxidermy collections were advised to do in the 1990s and burn everything. These creatures have been memorialised and it is respectful to preserve them I think, because they bring joy and they\u2019re educational, too.\u2019<\/p>\n

Visit the website of Martin Rowson<\/a>, multi-award winning cartoonist, illustrator, writer, graphic novelist, broadcaster, ranter and poet.<\/p>\n

Louise Allen and Piers Newth, antiques dealers<\/h2>\n
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Garden tools & gardening ephemera<\/strong><\/p>\n

Louise: \u2018We\u2019re horticulturalists. I used to work at Oxford Botanic Garden and Piers worked at Harcourt Arboretum, but we both trained at Wisley and that was where we first encountered garden tools that had been used since the 1930s.<\/p>\n

They were incredibly well made and that instilled in us a deep appreciation for older tools. As gardeners, we know what a good tool feels like.<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> the top arboretums to visit in the UK<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018We always say that old garden tools have had the corners worn off by somebody for you. You can look at a fork or a spade and tell if it was used by a left-handed or a right-handed person by the way that the blade or the tines have worn.<\/p>\n

They tell you a story. I often admire a tool and wonder: who used this? Garden tools carry their history with them \u2013 they\u2019re very personal.<\/p>\n

\u2018The first item we ever bought was a collection of 1950s French seed packets in a little shop in The Lanes in Brighton. The colours were exquisite \u2013 they were so beautiful and it seemed incredible that they had survived.<\/p>\n

I love ephemera. It always excites me. In the past, things were made to last. Suttons seed tins from 1910 in our collection were sometimes sent out to India, then found their way back to Britain.<\/p>\n

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Vintage French seed packets.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u2018Over the years, we\u2019ve gradually accumulated more and more ephemera and tools. Our collection is always evolving, but there are some core things that we will never part with. Piers has a spade, which I once dared to pick up \u2013 that was a mistake. You can\u2019t use Piers\u2019 spade!<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> where to buy garden antiques<\/a><\/p>\n

Similarly, I have a Victorian fern trowel that I love. It has a beautiful long, thin blade. It\u2019s incredibly collectable because not many of them were made and it\u2019s formidable in the garden for getting weeds out. We have inherited Piers\u2019 grandfather\u2019s garden line, which we will always treasure as it has sentimental value but, also, it\u2019s the perfect tool for the job.\u2019<\/p>\n

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A selection of well-loved vintage tools.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Piers: \u2018Wherever we go, we\u2019re always on the lookout for something. We never stop. Auctions and antiques fairs<\/a> are the best places to source tools. The internet is amazing, but nothing beats the thrill of the chase and actually holding items in your own hands.<\/p>\n

\u2018The exciting part is not knowing what a tool is, then working out what it\u2019s for. We recently acquired a Victorian ebony-handled pot rake but we had no idea what it was when we got it. It embodies the art of gardening \u2013 the idea of utter perfection.<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> decorating with garden antiques<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018The real joy of collecting is the enormous diversity. The world of gardening is huge and Britain made some of the best gardening tools in the world, so there\u2019s a sense of pride that many of the best tools started life here.\u2019<\/p>\n

Visit Louise Allen and Piers Newth website Garden and Wood<\/a> where they specialize in antique garden tools, furniture and ephemera.<\/p>\n

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Antique metal plant labels<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Elizabeth Reese, microbiologist<\/h2>\n
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Typewriters<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve always been a collector. As a child, I gathered seashells and fossilised sharks\u2019 teeth in jars. My parents took me to antiques markets<\/a>, so I grew up around old things and I\u2019ve always been into analogue stuff \u2013 I\u2019m a girl out of time.<\/p>\n

I still shoot film photography and have a stash of old cameras because I like to feel what I\u2019m doing. It\u2019s the same with typewriters<\/a>. Typing is very tactile and the sounds are great. You watch your words come to life with the action of the keys.<\/p>\n

\u2018My first typewriter was a gift from my father in 2010 \u2013 he bought it on eBay for me. It\u2019s a 1928 Corona 4 typewriter in fire-engine red. Most early ones are black, so this is a rare early example of a coloured model.<\/p>\n

Between the 1940s and 1960s, lots of manufacturers brought in vibrant, pretty models as a marketing gimmick to attract new customers. Once I realised that there were typewriters out there in a rainbow of colours I was hooked.<\/p>\n

\u2018I have 15 now, mostly portable ones. I\u2019m quite selective. My husband and I live in a small house, so that\u2019s another reason to go for portables \u2013 they\u2019re slim, they have cases with handles and they stack well.<\/p>\n

I have a few on display in a cabinet and the rest are tucked away inside a bookcase. I have one big non-portable model, a giant Royal desk model. It\u2019s so heavy, but I had to have it because it\u2019s pink!<\/p>\n

\u2018In 2015, typewriters were really popular and prices shot up briefly, but they\u2019re more affordable again now. Today, a good machine in working condition can cost anything from a few hundred pounds up to \u00a31,000 depending on how rare it is and the colour.<\/p>\n

I can live with a few dents or scratches, so I get some bargains, but some collectors want everything to be perfect. Impeccable models are the most expensive.<\/p>\n

\u2018I was lucky enough to be given a Groma Kolibri typewriter from a relative of my husband. It\u2019s a hard one to find. They\u2019re made in Germany and it\u2019s very sleek \u2013 if Apple made a typewriter, it would be this one! It\u2019s so streamlined.<\/p>\n

There are a few models still on my wishlist. I\u2019m always on the hunt for a Royal Quiet De Luxe in \u2018Aqua\u2019. There are boring grey and black versions that are more common than the coloured ones. They come in a distinctive houndstooth patterned case, so I\u2019m always on the lookout in charity shops.<\/p>\n

Until you open the case, you can\u2019t tell whether it\u2019s coloured or not. They fetch huge sums on eBay. I\u2019d also love a Vogue typeface typewriter. They\u2019re difficult to find because not many were made.<\/p>\n

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A selection of vintage typewriters.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u2018My typewriters aren\u2019t just for decoration, I use them to write letters and postcards. When I started my vintage Etsy shop I typed out labels and business cards on them, too.<\/p>\n

I have an Olympia model that has a pretty cursive typeface on it \u2013 it\u2019s one of my favourites to type on. I named my Etsy shop (The Rusty Typewriter<\/a>) after a rusty blue Smith Corona typewriter that I bought for next to nothing at a flea market.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m a compulsive collector. I have a lot of vintage cameras<\/a>, a huge stash of McCoy pottery and lots of old books, too. I like to give new life to old things instead of buying something new.\u2019<\/p>\n

Caroline Tremlett, business development consultant<\/h2>\n
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Jelly moulds<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve been collecting jelly moulds<\/a> for 15 years and I\u2019ve got about 60 now. I just can\u2019t resist them. Look at them \u2013 what\u2019s not to love?<\/p>\n

My ceramic ones live on a shelf in the living room and my copper ones are displayed in the kitchen. I\u2019ve also got quite a few hidden away in cupboards \u2013 I don\u2019t think my husband quite knows how many I\u2019ve got!<\/p>\n

\u2018The first mould I bought was an Ironstone 1920s Shelley \u2018Star\u2019 one. Shelley was one of the first firms to be able to show the pattern on the outside as well as the interior of the mould.<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> how to decorate with antique jelly moulds<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Older moulds tend to have plain exteriors with no definition. I\u2019ve got the Shelley \u2018Queen\u2019 mould, too and I was given the Shelley \u2018Swan\u2019 for Christmas.<\/p>\n

\u2018My favourite shop is Appleby Antiques \u2013 it\u2019s a treasure trove. I bought one of my favourite ceramic moulds from there: a fish with scales which leave a beautiful pattern on the jelly.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s hard to choose favourites but I have a Wedgwood one that has a gorgeous lily and morning glory design. The Copeland \u2018Lion\u2019 mould is a recent acquisition and I\u2019ve got a lovely Grimwades \u2018Bunny\u2019 mould, too, which is beautiful.<\/p>\n

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Some of Caroline\u2019s collection of 60 jelly moulds, including shiny copper and ceramic examples. One of her favourites is the Wedgwood lily and morning glory mould.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u2018Lots of moulds weren\u2019t marked, so you don\u2019t always know who the maker was, which is very annoying. I have a Benham & Froud one which has the brand\u2019s trademark cross on it and a marked Trottier one from Paris, but the rest don\u2019t have makers\u2019 marks.<\/p>\n

Some have model numbers and initials though \u2013 the initials are of the original owner, so that when jelly moulds were taken to be re-tinned, they were returned to the right household afterwards. Initials can add a lot of value to a mould if it\u2019s a recognisable name. For example, \u2018D.W.L\u2019 stands for \u2018Duke of Wellington, London\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018Jelly moulds with liners (which create amazing jelly-within-jelly effects) such as the 1864 Brunswick Star or the 1863 Alexandra Cross are a thing of wonder, but they\u2019re very rare and very expensive. If you do find one, it\u2019s often missing the liner. People are making versions using 3D-printers today, which is exciting.<\/p>\n

\u2018I didn\u2019t actually use any of my moulds until recently but, last year,I decided to set myself the challenge of making a jelly every day using my antique moulds and post all my creations on Instagram.<\/p>\n

There are lots of people who want to see the \u2018wobble\u2019 so \u2018slo-mo\u2019 videos of my jellies have really taken off! I went on the most amazing jelly-making course back in 2008 with food historian Ivan Day, which really inspired me and I\u2019m working on a book called The Jelly Diaries to chronicle my journey.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve used milk, wine<\/a>, hot chocolate, fruit juice and shop-bought jelly cubes. I would love to time-travel and eat at an elegant banquet. Inspired by the Georgians\u2019 ornamental jellies, I\u2019ve experimented with putting cockle and whelk shells, holly berries, ivy and even flowers inside my jellies recently.\u2019<\/p><\/body><\/html>\n

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By Ellie Tennant Published: Tuesday, 05 April 2022 at 12:00 am Willa Latham, porcelain dealer \u00a0 English porcelain \u2018My grandmother had a house full of antiques, so I sort of inhaled them subconsciously while I was growing up, absorbing the sense of quality and beauty they embodied. I trained as a classical violinist then worked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":9956,"template":"","categories":[1,23],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"14"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/6-antiques-collectors-share-their-favourite-pieces.jpg",1600,1066,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/6-antiques-collectors-share-their-favourite-pieces-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/6-antiques-collectors-share-their-favourite-pieces-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/6-antiques-collectors-share-their-favourite-pieces-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/6-antiques-collectors-share-their-favourite-pieces-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/6-antiques-collectors-share-their-favourite-pieces-1536x1023.jpg",1536,1023,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/6-antiques-collectors-share-their-favourite-pieces.jpg",1600,1066,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Ellie Tennant Published: Tuesday, 05 April 2022 at 12:00 am Willa Latham, porcelain dealer \u00a0 English porcelain \u2018My grandmother had a house full of antiques, so I sort of inhaled them subconsciously while I was growing up, absorbing the sense of quality and beauty they embodied. I trained as a classical violinist then worked…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/9954"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}