Philip Smith
We peek into the busy working life of Philip Smith, Associate Director at Lyon & Turnbull
My family always had an interest in history, travelling in Europe to visit Florence and Rome. At university I took a combined studies degree, including Italian and history of art, followed by a Master’s in History of Art at The Courtauld. I’m a very visual person and love communicating with people and wanted to work in the faster- paced commercial world, so I joined Mallams in 2007 as a valuer. I specialised in artist’s studio sales and contemporary ceramics by potters such as Bernard Leach, Michael Cardew, Lucie Rie, Hans Coper and Jennifer Lee, a field in which prices have risen dramatically over the last 10 years.
I became an associate director at Lyon & Turnbull’s London office in 2018. My baby is the twice-yearly Modern Made sale, which covers everything from St Ives pottery and paintings to ceramics by Edmund de Waal via Scandinavian silver jewellery by Georg Jensen, with estimates from £500 up to £250,000. We hold the sale at the Mall Galleries in London and I always auction a section. I love auctioneering, you can feel people are enjoying it and it’s important to pick up on body language and facial expression.
There’s no average week at L&T, but in normal, non- pandemic times I would be on the road a lot, sometimes going as far as America or the South of France to visit clients and unravel stories. I regularly travel up to Edinburgh to head office to liaise and plan with my colleagues. The auction world is a unique one – you’re not in it for the money but the interest factor is huge and it’s the places and people you meet that make it.
Philip’s next Modern Made: Modern British & Post-War Art, Design & Studio Ceramics sale is on 30th April. Go to lyon lyonandturnbull.com to brows browse a range of lots.
Heirlooms & Costumes Stefano (Stef) Stella, who grew up with his parents running a stall on Portobello Road, sells everything from antique collectors’ lace to costume embellishment through his Instagram account on Tuesday evenings. ‘I inherited my mum’s passion and extensive knowledge of antique lace and textiles,’ he says. etsy.com/uk/shop/ HeirloomsandCostumes; @heirloomsandcostumes
Jenny Sargeant
Fashion and textiles designer Jenny has been dealing in antique lace and textiles from France and England for over 10 years. Her inventory usually includes 19th- century lace borders among other delights. She also sells directly through Instagram at @velvetbrowntextiles; jennysargeant.com; @jennysargeant_textiles
The Linen Garden
Vicky Trainor runs The Linen Garden, an online department store selling old paintings, prints, haberdashery and
Dudley,vintageWestlinens,Midlands,aswellasDY3beautiful4DF. 9am-samples4pm.of£2.antique 07976 embroidered 643174 lace. 20th thelinengarden.co.uk; Malvern Flea & Collectors Fair, @thelinengarden Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcs, WR13 6NW. 7.30am3.30pm. Swift Antique £5. 01636 Lace 676531; b2bevents.info Based in London’s Portobello Antiques 26th-27th Market for over Bingley 30 years, Hall this Antiques family Fair, businessStaffordspecialisesShowground,inantiqueWestonlace Road,ofall Stafford,types,bothST18handmade0BD. and 8.30am-machine,5pmfromSaturday,the17th10am-tothe 5pmearly Sunday.20thcenturies.£5(£10 @swift_antique_lace before 10am Sat). 01584 873634; continuityfairs.co.uk 28th Raven Runway House Monday Studios at
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5th Sallie Wanstead Ead Vintage, Wanstead UnitedSetupReformednotificationsChurch,orregularlyNightingalecheck Lane,inwithWanstead,textiledealerE11 2HD.Sallie’s10.30am-Instagram 4.30pm.account £as2.50.she often lovevintage.co.uk lists well- priced 5th collections & 19th of Vintage lace, as well & Very as lace Nice Market clothing Bazaar, among herThefinds.Assembly Rooms, @sallieead North Street, Chichester, PO19
30th Sandown Antiques Home & Interiors Fair, Sandown Park Racecourse, Portsmouth Road, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9AJ. 10am– 3pm. Free. 01932 230946; sunburyantiques.com 30th Bath Vintage & Antiques Market, Green Park Station, Green Park Road, Bath, BA1 1JB. 8am– 4pm. Free. 07711 900095; vintageandantiques.co.uk 30th The Giant Shepton Flea
Market, Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 6QN. 9.30am– 4pm. £5.
01278 784912; sheptonflea.com 31st Malvern Flea & Collectors Fair, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcs, WR13 6NW. 7.30am– 3.30pm. £5.
01636 676531; b2bevents.info
MAY AUCTIONS
4th The Georgian Auction 1714–1830, Hansons, Bishton Hall, Wolseley Bridge, Stafford, ST17 0XN. 01889 882397; hansonsauctioneers.co.uk 5th Antiques & Interiors Auction,
Halls, Bowmen Way, Battlefield, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 3DR. 01743 450700; fineart.hallsgb.com
5th Design, Sworders, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, CM24 8GE. 01279 817778; sworder.co.uk 5th Antique Furniture, Clocks, Eastern Carpets & Traditional Paintings, Capes Dunn, 40 Station Road, Heaton Mersey, Stockport, SK4 3QT. 0161 432 1911; capesdunn.com 6th Wormington Grange:
Auction on the Premises, Duke’s, Wormington Grange, Broadway, Worcestershire, WR12 7NJ.
01305 265080; dukes- auctions.com
6th The Library Sale, Cheffins Fine Art, Clifton House, 1& 2 Clifton Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 7EA. 01223 213343; cheffins.co.uk 8th Costume, Accessories & Textiles, Tennants, The Auction Centre, Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5SG. 01969 623780; tennants.co.uk 8th Traditional & Modern Home,
Roseberys, 70/76 Knights Hill, London, SE27 0JD. 020 8761 2522; roseberys.co.uk 11th Shells & Minerals Auction,
Special Auction Services, Plenty Close,
off Hambridge Road, Newbury, RG14 5RL. 01635 580595; specialauctionservices.com 11th & 25th Homes & Interiors,
Sworders, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, CM24 8GE. 01279 817778; sworder.co.uk
13th Scottish Art, Bonhams, 22 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JX. 0131 225 2266; bonhams.com 18th–19th Home, Garden & Natural History, Summers Place Auctions, The Walled Garden, Stane Street, Billingshurst, West Sussex, RH14 9AB. 01403 331331; summersplaceauctions.com 19th Fine Art & Antique Auction,
Trevanion & Dean Auctioneers & Valuers, The Joyce Building, Station Road, Whitchurch, Shropshire, SY13 1RE. 01948 800202; trevanionanddean.com 19th 19th & 20th Century Photography, Cameras and Accessories, Dominic Winter Auctioneers, Mallard House, Broadway Lane, South Cerney, Cirencester, GL7 5UQ. 01285 860006; dominicwinter.co.uk 19th Five Centuries: Furniture, Paintings & Works of Art,
Lyon & Turnbull, 33 Broughton Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3RR. 0131 557 8844; lyonandturnbull.com 20th–21st The May Sale, Fieldings, Mill Race Lane, Stourbridge, DY8 1JN. 01384 444140; fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk 22nd Country House Sale,
Tennants, The Auction Centre, Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5SG. 01969 623780; tennants.co.uk 22nd Fine Art, Antiques and Collectables Sale, Henry Aldridge & Son, Unit 1 Bath Road Business Centre, Bath Road, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1XA. 01380 729199; henry-aldridge.co.uk
24th The Home Sale, Mallams Auctioneers, Dunmore Court, Wootton Road, Abingdon, OX13 6BH.
01235 462840; mallams.co.uk
25th Design, Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1SR.
020 7447 7447; bonhams.com
25th British Art Pottery, Woolley & Wallis, 51– 61 Castle Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3SU. 01722 424500; woolleyandwallis.co.uk 25th–27th Interiors, including Old Master, British & European Paintings, Clocks, Silver, Coins and Asian Ceramics, Bellmans, Newpound, Wisborough Green,
West Sussex, RH14 0AZ. 01403 700858; bellmans.co.uk 26th European & Asian Works of Art, Olympia Auctions, 25 Blythe Road, London,
W14 0PD. 020 7806 5541; olympiaauctions.com 26th Clarice Cliff, Art Deco and Design, Woolley & Wallis, 51– 61 Castle Street, Salisbury, SP1 3SU. 01722 424500; woolleyandwallis.co.uk 27th The Art & Design Sale,
Cheffins Fine Art, Clifton House, 1& 2 Clifton Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 7EA. 01223 213343; cheffins.co.uk 28th Collectors, Sporting & Textiles, Lawrences, The Linen Yard, South Street, Crewkerne, Somerset, TA18 8AB. 01460 73041; lawrences.co.uk