My interest in the art world started around four decades ago when, as a boy, I would spend my school holidays working at Sotheby Mak van Waay in Amsterdam. I had the chance to handle thousands of antiques and foster, from an early and impressionable age, my appreciation for a wide range of objects and genres.

From this experience my future was set, my ‘apprenticeship’ did its job, instilling within me a passion which has lasted. I embarked upon an undergraduate degree at The Courtauld Institute of Art and subsequently undertook postgraduate Art History at Trinity College, Oxford. Learning about culture in a lecture hall compelled me to travel extensively throughout Europe to discover for myself each country’s art, architecture and notable interiors. It is so important to build a visual memory, it educates, builds and evolves your taste into something which can be trusted and hugely enjoyable.

In 2000, after dealing for almost two decades in antiques for my own enjoyment and collection, I formalised my interest by setting up my antiques and interior decorating business in London, choosing Kensington Church Street as our base.

The period I am most interested in ranges from the mid-17th century to the late 18th century, with a focus on period ceramics, particularly Japanese Imari and Arita, Chinese made for the European export market and Dutch Delft. This interest led to a strong emphasis on lighting, using source materials from this period and repurposing them for modern use in classic interiors. Another focal point of mine is early Georgian antiques and decorative art.

Over the years I have enormously enjoyed exhibiting at Olympia Art and Antiques Fair as well as the Battersea Decorative Antiques Fair and the LAPADA Fair in London - it is these fairs that are the life blood of the art market and a great opportunity to trade with a captive audience. Notable sales that I made throughout this time include those to the British Museum, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, as well as major private collections across the globe.

I loved having the gallery in Kensington Church Street, but times have changed, and I will now deal privately and online only. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to Federico Canepa who, for the last 11 years, added his own flair and style to the gallery and helped run the business for which I will always be very thankful.

I hope this sale affords collectors the opportunity to collect as I have - with enthusiasm and a vision for creating beauty.

Collection Highlights

Auction Details

Thursday 10 October, 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

All lots offered with no reserve.

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VIEWING:

• Viewing in Newbury:
  • Sunday 6 October: 10am-3pm
  • Monday 7 October: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 8 October: 10am-4pm
  • Wednesday 9 October: 9am-4pm
  • Thursday 10 October: 9am-12 noon
• Remote Viewing Service | Available from Sunday 6 October