To enjoy in Belgium
clock by Laurent Moonens (19111991). Almost as tall as her, it will hang in her studio and although she declined to say what it had cost, she did say she had bartered with dealer who had reduced the price by €100.
Sadly, few of the thousands of things on sale had prices attached.
A simple “Combien?” (How much?) sufficed and if all those numbers spoken quickly confused, “En Anglais?” (In English?) helped.
Many of the sellers also had pen and paper to hand, so a scribbled answer was usually forthcoming.
My eye was quickly taken by what I thought was a Lalique glass car mascot called “Victoire”, the screaming female bust with hair swept back to imitate speed.
I was reaching for my cash when the stallholder said €120, but I declined when he explained it was a later Czech copy. I was also tempted by 18th-century Dutch Delft blue and white tiles that had obviously been removed in countless house renovations and now lay in boxes on the ground on several stands.
The most affordable I found, decorated with different views of children playing games, were priced at €15 apiece. I saw identical ones inside Expo for €40.
Europe is a happy hunting ground for mechanical music machines. One dealer was offering ubiquitous black-cased portable wind-ups at €100 apiece, but on the same stall was a remarkable Parlophone red and chrome creation, the like of which we’d never seen before. It was priced at €1,575.
There was plenty we would have liked to take home, not least that barrel organ that M. Pierre Champion from the quaint village of Redu, an hour south of Namur, was playing to serenade visitors. He wanted €4,000 and it seemed cheap, but how could we get it on the Eurostar?
Inside the Expo was another mechanical music treasure, a superb 1946 AMI jukebox, which its owner, Freddy Lambert, was asking €7,300 for. Freddie restores pinball machines and jukeboxes in his workshop in Arlon, close to the border with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. His website is arlonflippers.be
The glowing neon jukebox did not seem out of place among the upmarket offerings surrounding it, but it most definitely would have been at the Salon des Antiquaires at the Château de Deulin, our destination on the Sunday.
If the Expo was upmarket, this was museum quality stuff. I’ll tell you about that another time
The next Ciney Expo antiques fair is on April 10-13, 2020.
Christopher Proudlove was a guest of Wallonia Belgian Tourism. For more information contact info@ walloniabelgiumtourism.co.uk