Your favourite antiques…

A special thanks also to our Guest Writer John, who for the second time has written a fabulous piece we can all connect with. If you feel inspired to write a little article for us we would love to feature it in our newsletter. Whether it’s on your favourite piece, a collection or just why you love antiques. Do share your passion with us and we will spread the love.

1. Absent from the many different types of antique box sold by MG is the traditional music box (what about it, Mark?). This example by Nicole Freres dates from around 1880 and plays six different airs. It’s a thing of beauty, both visual and aural – a past birthday present from my brother (yes, rather a significant birthday) – and I treasure it greatly.
2. I have a slightly macabre interest in heroic exploits with unhappy endings. Following a ten-month siege of Khartoum, General Charles Gordon was beheaded by Mahdist forces. The Liberal government in London had despatched a relief force but, much to the fury of Queen Victoria and a large section of the British people, it arrived too late to save him. This commemorative pitcher refers to the ‘Hero of heroes’ being ‘Betrayed’ on 26 January 1885 – the date of Gordon’s death.
3. Being an old-car buff, I have quite a library of early motoring books, but a favourite is The Devil’s Motor (1910), a baroque fantasy by Marie Corelli. Lavishly bound, and luridly illustrated by her sometime lover Arthur Severn, it tells of the devil’s descent ‘in a fiery motor car to wreak havoc on the denizens of the earth.’ The publisher even impregnated the pages with smoke, to evoke in readers the sulphurous torments of the underworld. A true period piece.
4. The silver cocktail shaker is one of the defining symbols of the roaring Twenties but this set, bought from Mark G a few years back, combining shaker, measure, stirrer, taster and openers, is rather special. Cocktails concocted using these implements may look no better than those made with a modern jug and spoon, but they certainly taste better.
5. The art deco era ushered in sweeping changes in design, from buildings to tableware and jewellery to motor-cars. It also coincided with a fashion for topping car radiators off with a nickel-plated mascot. This bright young thing from France perfectly captures the carefree mood of the late Twenties.

1. The tantalus was devised as a way of discouraging bibulous butlers from helping themselves to their employers’ antique cognac or vintage port. My wife bought me this three-decanter set from Mark as a Christmas present, perhaps in the forlorn hope it would curb my own consumption. It’s a fine example of Thirties style, and a talking-point for dinner-party guests – especially when I remember to hide the key.
2. Sadly, I don’t have either the physique or the bank balance to play polo, but my wife and I have always enjoyed watching matches in the sylvan surroundings of Cowdrey Park or Smith’s Lawn. Our son and daughter-in-law presented us with this delightful pen-and-ink depiction of a precarious pre-war tackle, by renowned Jersey artist Edmund Blampied.
3. In the mid-1970s I used to walk past a jewellery shop which displayed watches by the legendary Swiss firm Patek Philippe. At that stage in my life party invitations often stipulated ‘black tie’ and I yearned for an ultra-slim Calatrava dress-watch to wear on such occasions. Sadly it was miles outside my price range, so I compromised and bought from the same shop an equivalent model by the excellent, though less well-known, maker Baume et Mercier. In an era not renowned for its design flair (with the honourable exceptions of Bang & Olufsen and Terence Conran) this watch has stood the test of time in both respects, being extremely accurate and also a thing of beauty – at least in the eye of this beholder.
4. A passion for motoring – and in particular, motoring in old cars – is a legacy of my late father, Bentley being his (and now my) favourite marque. From sculptor Chris Davis came this wonderful bronze casting which depicts the 4 ½ Litre Bentley which raced, and frequently won, at Brooklands and Le Mans in the late 1920s. It’s all the more special as it was another present from my wife.
5. The last piece on my list is also the most poignant. Not long after my father’s death, my mother received a letter addressed to him from the great London jewellers Garrard saying that the gift he had commissioned for their golden wedding anniversary (and had thoughtfully paid for) was ready for delivery. This turned out to be an exquisite fairy-tale castle by master goldsmith William Tolliday, which now graces our dining-room – and reminds me of both my parents whenever it catches my eye.

Previous articles can be found on our catalogue page .

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