Have you Been to an Auction Loaded with Bargains?
27th January 2015
Excitement, anticipation, anxiety and an impossibility to restrain the imagination. How will the real things look like took me over on the way to Bishop Stortford, Sworder’s Auction House.
Gloomy Monday morning. Up at nine, late once again and immediately on the computer to see how the world fared since 11:00pm, when I went to bed and checked news last. Nothing seismic except, Greece has a New Government of the Left that will take NO, NO for an answer and compromise against the interests of Greece. Is that a rough ride for Europe and Greece? Who knows? Nothing will be easy!!
Traffic sparse, rainy weather in London but the further North I drove the less the rain became in order to stop completely once on the M 11 and well on my way to Sworders. North London passes me by and it’s better I forgot it. Gloomier than gloomy, depressing to be honest but really nobody can afford the house/flat prices one is asked to pay for the worst areas, the worst houses and flats in London. I despair and feel terrible when thinking about how young people will get their foot on the housing ladder!
How would I get on the Art ladder was my question in 1984 and yet I managed against all the odds. That is exactly how I feel young people will manage today. It all works out when one believes there is No hope and only doom and gloom. My Blog of 1984-85 is a bright example of gloom that gradually turned brighter and brighter.
The drive to Sworders was much shorter than any other time in spite of my driving withing speed limits. It was just a slow Monday with traffic refusing to appear on the roads of UK. Less than forty minutes drive and I am outside the Sworders premises. A new building just outside Bishop Stortford and well within drive of Stansted, Cambridge and of course North London and Essex. Car park pretty busy and people in and out the main entrance. That is normally a good sign of a successful operation.
The auction has just over 800 lots from jewellery to crockery, small and big pieces of Art Deco and Art Nuveau furniture and then all the fine art plus other bits and pieces. Can I really see and enjoy so much interesting art and designs in one viewing? You bet I can!!
I am lost the moment I open the door of the auction. Yes, just at the entrance I see the tall lamp stand and shade that impressed me the catalogue and the whole entrance are full of fantastic pieces of furniture surrounded by paintings on all the available wall space. What an interesting abstract painting is that? The artist Sean McSweeny from Ireland. Lovely painting of some size with exceptionally bright colours.
McSweeny, Sold for 1150 plus commissions
Renos Loizou, sold for 960 pounds plus commissions on an estimate of 200-300 pounds
No escaping the Art Deco staff that is prevalent in the entrance space, the next room, and all adjoining five rooms of the auction. Pieces of furniture I would have loved to invest in but NO space to buy even a lovely table with eight chairs that I liked and my wife liked even more. Display cabinets, chairs, book cases and how many drinks cabinets of exquisite designs and taste. I cannot make up my mind which pieces I like most. What a choice!!
Vases of various makes but I am in love with Moorcroft and they do have a few very good examples. Clarice Cliff never absent from such sales but nothing outstanding in that area really. Loved the big Moorcroft vase but also the experimental one of 1900s. Which one should make the money, I am not sure!
Enough about the various decorative pieces that really take the eye and arrest the viewer. A good thing I am a poor man, no cash. otherwise I would have bought so many items just for love of real art!
Art is my area and I have plenty of faith in many art pieces which are worth a lot more than the auctioneers estimated them to be worth. Two very unique oil/gouache pieces by Renos Loizou attract me considerably. They are cleverly painted, they are full of details and the work in them must have taken the artist more than a few days to paint.
I looked and wondered at such good Fine art at mostly ridiculously low estimates!! That’s what my Blog’s all about. Have I spotted the bargains? Have I identified a few bargains for all the readers of my Blog?
Plenty more but how many can I mention here and how many I really liked? I loved the Ganne painting with exquisite colouration that made it stand out of the rest of the paintings and at a very low 200-300 pounds estimate. Different and French Colouration of some quality!! How about Marjorie Hawkey and Maurice Mann? I love both paintings and the estimates at 100.00 pounds each is really very low. Will they sell for more?
Hawke, remained unsold
Finally, I am stopping at the Eduardo Paolozzi creation and cover illustration of the auction catalogue. A very, very interesting, unique and inimitable piece of art by an equally great artist!
Peter Constant
