Rhinos to Stampede Chester Racecourse in Charity Auction next Tuesday!
Life Size Rhinos take to the Racecourse at Chester's Historic Roodee
After a truly incredible summer, the Rhinos of this year’s public art extravaganza ‘Rhino Mania’ have finally left the historic streets of Chester and are in need of new permanent homes!. Just as Liverpool sold 33 of their iconic SuperLambBananas at a charity auction in September, the Rhinos are now preparing to take to take their place in the limelight for their own special auction taking place on Tuesday October 5th. 53 of the most beautiful rhino works of art will go under the hammer of Liverpool Auctioneer (Cato Crane) and Bargain Hunt regular John Crane at Chester Racecourse to raise invaluable funds for charity. 75% of the proceeds will go to Chester Zoo’s Black Rhino Field Conservation Project in Kenya and Tanzania, the Hospice of the Good Shepherd and a small number of other selected charities. So if you’ve loved the Rhinos as much as they have loved meeting you, why not snap one up at the auction? The catalogue is available to view on UKauctioneers now, but we are not accepting commission bids. Please visit the Rhinomania auction page in order to buy a ticket to bid in person or use the telephone or proxy bidding forms. Please contact Emmeline Goulden from Giraffe Marketing emmelineg@giraffeprmarketing.co.uk or Drew Olin from Wild In Art drewolin@yahoo.com with any enquiries.
Fancy French names for antique furniture translated!
A Chiffonier, aka a sideboard
As expected, there have been some major French influences on English antique furniture. Much of it originated with Charles II when he returned to England in 1660 after being exiled in the Baroque influenced court of Louis XIV; this coupled with the arrival in England of refugee French Huguenot craftsmen fleeing French persecution also around that time. Other strong influences followed from the French Rococo of Louis XV to the Neo-classical forms of Louis XVI which were continued by Napoleon well into19th century. It is hardly surprising therefore that many pieces of English antique furniture have French names. However, to clarify a little: a buffet is really just a sideboard, although perhaps the French example was somewhat smaller. A chiffonier is also technically a sideboard but has central cupboards to differentiate it from the pedestal sideboard. An armoire is essentially a wardrobe. Originally it was used to store armour as the name suggests, then clothing which tended to be laid flat, but now can be used to store more or less anything. The fauteuil is an armchair, the encoignures a corner cupboard, the bureau plat or escritoire writing tables, the table de toilette a dressing table, the commode a fancy chest of drawers and various bureaux or desks. Source: Christian Davies Antiques
To sell or not to sell family heirlooms?
With uncertainties over pensions, investments and the cost of living generally, it is often comforting to know that you have pieces of antique furniture that if necessary can be sold to release much needed cash. However with owning antiques that have been passed down from generation to generation comes a sense of responsibility and by selling your antiques are you somehow letting your family down? Dr Lori writing in Mainline Media News recently suggested that if younger members of families want family antiques then they should ask for or even offer to buy these pieces from older relatives in order that pieces should stay in the family. She says that many older people live on a fixed income and any extra money comes in useful. Living with antique furniture is like having money in the bank. Obviously some pieces are worth more than others, however sitting around a priceless antique table when you can’t afford to keep warm is ludicrous, so Dr Lori suggests that families should perhaps take the bull or table by the horns and offer a good purchase price in order that the antique stays within the family and the older relative can benefit from an infusion of cash. However, the number of family pieces brought to programmes like Flog It! for valuation and sale seems to suggest that children are less and less keen to inherit family heirlooms and are happy for their parents to sell on pieces and release cash for themselves. Certainly with owning a family antique comes an amount of responsibility and perhaps our younger generations no longer want to be saddled with these family legacies. When considering the value of a family antique or wishing to sell it on, take your antique dining table to a local dealer who will be able to appraise the item and suggest a fair price. Looking to buy, sell or value? If you are not already a member of our ever growing website, just register a few details for free, do an auction house search by region and then use the 'contact saleroom' or 'request a valuation' buttons to get in touch with your local saleroom.
Bid Live on UKauctioneers.com
You can now bid live via UKauctioneers.com Bidding live means bidding online while the auction is actually taking place. All you have to do is register with Easy Live Auction You will not be charged to create your account for live bidding with Easyliveauction. However there is a charge if you successfully bid on a lot; either a fixed £2.50 per sale, or 3% of the hammer price. The Auction House will also charge their own buyer's premium/commission - to establish what this is click on the name of the auction house in the listing on UKauctioneers.com or on sale details in Easyliveauction.com How to register with Easy Live Auction To create your Easy Live Auction account go to Easy Live Auction please click register in the top right of the navigation bar. Then complete the registration form. Be assured that all information you provide to Easy Live Auction is transmitted using safe, private Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. After your account has been created you can manage your user information, or change your subscription options by going to your My Account page. To get to this page, login then click on My Account in the dashboard. Please keep your username and password stored in a secure and confidential place since they are necessary to log in and access the live auctions or manage your account. If you ever forget your username or password, click Login in the main navigation bar, and then click the Forgot Password button. Your username and password will be emailed to you. See the Easy Live Auction terms and conditions for more information. How to use the Autobid function As well as using the live bidding function, you can specify in advance a maximum amount that you wish to 'bid up-to'. Your computer will then automatically place bids on your behalf up to the amount you specify without the auctioneer seeing the top bid as in a standard commission bid. You can use autobid to bid on future lots in the sale without having to wait for the lot to come live. The Live Bidding Console
Click to have the next bid at £520
OR put an amount in the box click on Autobid and watch the computer bid up to that amount for you
You don't have to wait for your lot to become live to enter an autobid amount.
Just double click on the lot number in the catalogue listing put your amount in and click set Autobid (you can cancel it if you change your mind)
You can also set an alarm to ring when your lot comes up for sale.
click here to see video footage of a sale in action
Antiques are Green – It’s Official!
Report confirms antiques have low carbon footprint Forget recycled hemp and a sack-cloth and ashes approach, antiques are the original green option. Recent research has revealed that an antique chest of drawers has a carbon footprint 16 times lower than that of its modern high-street twin, even allowing for it to have been sold, moved and restored twice in its lifetime. The report, commissioned by dealers and antiques organisations, compared one constructed in 1830 with an assumed lifespan of 195 years and a new piece available from a reputable high street retailer with a lifespan of 15 years. Mark Hill, presenter of BBC Two’s Cracking Antiques, who is leading the campaign, said, ‘Antiques are beautiful pieces that reflect your true personality and memories, and make a house a home. Why not strike out on your own and create something unique to you? The most glamorous way to do your bit for the environment, and they’re also friendly to your wallet as they’re much more likely to hold their value than modern high street designs.’ Nigel Worboys, founder of the Antiques are Green Campaign, says: 'The research demonstrates the importance of buying antiques over new furniture for economic and environmental reasons. Buying antiques reduces landfill, reduces carbon emissions and reduces consumption of new goods from abroad. The antiques trade is the oldest recycling business in the world and the ultimate in terms of preserving our heritage for future generations.' See full report here Source: BBC Homes and Antiques
Chinese bowl estimated at £600, sold for £38,000 at UK auction
This antique Chinese bowl, which had a guide price of £600, sold for more than £38,000 at auction yesterday. The blue and white porcelain pot, which is believed to be a 19th century copy of one made in the Kangxi dynasty of 1662 to 1722, was bought by a Chinese man who lives in Britain. Unassuming lot 379, which is eight inches wide and depicts a man ploughing a paddy field with water buffalo, attracted a surge of interest from its homeland after the auction catalogue was put on the internet. Auctioneer Steven Moore, of Anderson & Garland, Newcastle, said: 'I wasn't surprised by the price, as I knew the amount of interest it had generated. 'Chinese people are trying to find and collect their heritage. 'There were four collectors from China and a London dealer bidding as well.' The bowl belonged to the vendor's aunt, who lived in Middlesbrough and worked as a doctor. She became interested in Chinese art after visiting the country and bought the bowl in the 1960s or 1970s in Britain. Auction house Anderson & Garland put a guide price of £400- £600 on the item, but after pictures of the item were posted on the internet, strong interest emerged from bidders in China. Pottery from the Kangxi dynasty is extremely valuable, but is this piece worth the astounding price paid? Pottery from the Kangxi dynasty is extremely valuable, but is this piece worth the astounding price paid? The surge of interest pushed the price up sixty-fold, as the Chinese sought to reclaim part of their lost heritage which bears the mark of Emperor Kangxi, who reigned from 1662 to 1722 in China. Mr Moore said: 'Because the Chinese had this tradition of making things in an earlier style and putting the earlier marks on it's very difficult to know exactly what it is. 'If they made a piece in 1850, they would then put the Emperor's mark on it, not as a fake, but because it was a tribute to him.' 'Myself and others at a very high level in the ceramics community believed it to be a 19th century copy. 'However, because of the way auctions work, it was circulated worldwide and it made the right price for what it's actually worth. 'The Chinese were the first people and only people to make porcelain until the 18th Century. 'The wealthy in England and France began to acquire things like Chinese porcelain. 'Now China is developing and having their own Industrial Revolution, they wish to buy it back.' A Chinese man living in the UK bid the highest price at this week's auction. Mr Moore added: 'There is the possibilty that people have these things or things similar to this sat in their house and it is very possible that they are also worth this amount of money. 'This is definitely the best time to sell Chinese porcelain.' Source: Daily Mail