For four days last January, a new and prestigious boutique fine art and antiques fair burst onto the London scene to great acclaim. Organised by The Antiques Dealers Fair Limited, The Mayfair Antiques & Fine Art Fair takes place again at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, London W1K 6JP, in association with Mayfair property experts Wetherell, from Thursday 9 until Sunday 12 January 2014. 

Director of The Antiques Fair Limited, Ingrid Nilson said, “Visitors travelled from various parts of the world and from around the UK to attend our first London fair.  We were proud when they remarked that is was a totally unique event, full of interesting works, informal with a lovely relaxed atmosphere. We aim to build on this reputation and feel we have a great mix of dealers, who can help us achieve an even better offering for visitors in January.”

The 44 specialist dealers, taking part in the fair are all members of the UK’s two main associations, the British Antique Dealers’ Association and LAPADA The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers. The majority, who exhibited at the first event, are returning to show off their finest new acquisitions in the New Year, including furniture, sculpture, antiquities, silver, watercolours, illustrations and oil paintings, jewellery, ceramics and art pottery, maps and prints, glass, clocks and watches, oriental carpets, textiles, Asian works of art, boxes for all occasions, books, calling card cases and many other decorative and rare objects spanning the centuries.  New exhibitors include Mayfair Gallery and Wimpole Antiques, as well as Mayflower Antiques from Worcestershire, ceramics expert Philip Carrol from North Yorkshire, The Blackbrook Gallery from Leicestershire and Smith & Robinson from west London. 

The fair is a feast for enthusiasts with many historic pieces combining time honoured traditions and expertise, often with fascinating provenance.  WR Harvey & Co (Antiques) Ltd from Oxfordshire is bringing an impressive William and Mary period oyster veneered kingwood kneehole desk by Thomas Pistor of Ludgate Hill, c1690, priced at £50,000, and a Chippendale period mahogany ‘spider-leg’ table, c1760, for £3,500.  This table was part of the collection of JS Sykes of Grosvenor Square, who was one of a close circle of British and American collectors of Georgian furniture.  Mayfair Antiques has a carved gilt-wood and tapestry salon suite, comprising a canapé and four fauteuils in Louis XVI style by Gustave-Frédéric Quignon, Paris, c1880, priced at £45,000 for the complete suite.  This elegant suite is typical of the high quality of work produced by the firm Quignon, which was awarded a Grand Prix at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1900.

Other pieces of important furniture can be found from Wakelin & Linfield, WR Harvey & Co (Antiques) Ltd, Peter Bunting, Walton House Antiques and S&S Timms Antiques.  Art Deco specialist Jeroen Markies has cocktail cabinets, lighting and smaller items, as well as an Art Deco Cloud Suite by Harry & Lou Epstein, comprising a sofa and two armchairs with burr walnut surround backs and reupholstered in finest quality Italian ivory leather, c1935, selling for £13,850 for the suite.

Haynes Fine Art of Broadway is bringing three sketches by LS Lowry (1887 – 1976), two of which were created in collaboration with Harold Riley (b.1934).  These two illustrations Three Figures with a Ball, pencil, £24,750 and pencil and crayon Street Scene with Clock Tower, £47,500, belonged to the late Dave Sexton, former football manager to clubs such as Queens Park Rangers, Manchester United and Chelsea.  Sexton acquired these two directly from talented young footballer Riley, who eschewed pursuing the sport to concentrate on his art.  An 18th century Russian School gouache, watercolour, pen and ink drawing for an Imperial coach for Catherine The Great, possibly by Scottish architect Charles Cameron, can be found on Charles Plante Fine Art’s stand priced at £9,500. Other picture dealers include Cambridge Fine Art, Atelier from Jersey, Paul Mayhew Fine Art and Ashleigh House Fine Art.  19th century sculpture specialists Garret & Hurst Sculpture are also returning to the fair with a magnificent selection of bronzes.

Traditional oak furniture dealer Peter Bunting has a remarkable example of a 17th century complete full bordered figurative French tapestry, c1680, priced at £14,500.  International dealers include Galerie Arabesque from Stuttgart bringing antique textiles, Asian works of art and other artefacts. Amongst their impressive collection is a pair of early 18th century Portuguese carved wood pillars, c1700, £7,800 the pair; a 16th century fragment of an English embroidered carpet border featuring the House of Lancaster rose, £1,500; an 18th century English needlepoint depicting an oriental style scene, 81 x 61 cm, £2,500; a selection of Chinese porcelain and an early 19th century bust of a Burmese Shan tribe Buddha, £3,000.  Piergabriele Vangelli Gallery recently opened in London and is bringing a fine eclectic mix of paintings, watercolours, antiquities, Chinese works of art and objets d’art from around the world. 

Mayflower Antiques is bringing a fascinating collection of 16th and 17th century silver, glass and metalwork. Highlights on this stand include a Portuguese or Spanish parcel gilt footed silver salver, approx 7” diameter by 2” high and weighing 12 oz, from the second half of the 16th century, priced at £35,000.  Vintage watch dealer, Anthony Green Antiques is bringing rare timepieces by Patek Philippe, Omega, Cartier and other well sought after brands.  A high grade minute repeating hunting cased pocket watch in 18ct gold with chronograph, made in Switzerland, c1890, has a case enamelled with the Russian Imperial crest and is signed H Moser & Cie, £34,000.  Swiss born Heinrich Moser came from a line of watchmakers and set up H Moser & Cie in St Petersburg at the age of 23 years.  The company supplied movements for Fabergé clocks and his pocket and wristwatches soon became popular with Russian princes and members of the Imperial Court.

Contemporary art and sculpture can also be found at the fair from Art of the Imagination and AD Antiques.  Heidi Warr has produced a new Celtic design Love Birds for her dramatic vases, made especially for AD Antiques to bring to The Mayfair Antiques & Fine Art Fair.  In a special limited edition of 9 of the small 9¼” size and just 5 of the miniature 4½” vase, they are priced at £720 and £280 respectively. AD Antiques is also bringing a large selection of antique British art pottery including late 19th century William de Morgan tile panels, a Martin Brothers’ Wally Bird tobacco jar, £24,500 and a Doulton Lambeth lidded jar modelled as an owl, c1890.  Designed by Mark Marshall and executed by Bessie Newbury, it is 8” high and priced at £1,550.

Jewellery is always in demand and the fair has five jewellery dealers bringing a glittering array to suit all tastes from antique to designer jewellery.  Find quirky pieces from Sue Brown; an elegant emerald bead and 18ct gold necklace, c1900, £15,000 and a cute Cartier gold clip of a terrier with one ruby eye and the other eye being a diamond surrounded by a black enamel patch, 1960s, £6,800 from Anthea AG Antiques.  Mayfair jeweller Wimpole Antiques has an Art Deco diamond and ruby bracelet by the famous American jeweller Oscar Heyman.  T Robert’s selection of antique jewellery and objets d’art includes a scarce 18ct yellow gold Etruscan revival micro-mosaic locket by the important French maker Eugène Fontenay (1823-1887), c1870, priced at £10,000.

One of London’s most stylish hotels, The London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square is situated in the heart of Mayfair, just minutes from the West End’s shopping streets and Park Lane. Light refreshments can be found in the fair’s foyer and upstairs Gordon Ramsay’s two restaurants maze and maze Grill offer fine dining and New York grill inspired food. The hotel’s twenties inspired Luggage Room recently won an award for best bar in Mayfair.