Tomorrow, January 21^st, the Winter Decorative Fair opens in London. It has long been one of our favorite shows because of the quality of the vintage pieces and antiques that are for sale, and for the creativity the dealers put into their displays. It is not only the first major antiques and interiors event of this year, it is London’s largest, longest-running design and arts fair that celebrates its 40^th year this year. If you happen to be in the British capital, it will be held at Evolution London in Battersea Park, a short hop from Sloane Square. There’s a shuttle coach service that has a new pickup location at Cliveden Place.

The Winter Decorative Fair

 

On the ground floor of the Winter Decorative Fair will be 130 exhibitors offering fine and formal antiques alongside 20th century design, and decorative and unusual pieces dating from the 1700s to the 1970s.  Art and sculpture of all periods, collectable ceramics and glassware, silver, architectural and garden antiques, textiles, curios, and jewelry will also be arrayed in abundance. This year, the Decorative Fair welcomes The London Antique Rug & Textile Art Fair with 15 specialist textile and carpet dealers showing upstairs on the mezzanine.

The Foyer Display is The Architect’s Study, inspired by the drawings of classical architect George Saumarez Smith, the three images illustrating this post representative of the vignettes. Here is a survey of the top nine eyecatchers the promoters list:

1. In Jay Arenski’s stand: Waiting for Master, a beautiful oil on canvas by Benno Rafael Adam. Adam has been described as ‘the German Landseer.’ Born into an artistic family, he was son of the horse painter Albrecht Friedrich Christopher Adam (1786-1862) and his brothers included the artists Franz Adam, Eugen Adam, and Julius Adam. Benno’s son, Emil Adam (1843-1924) was also an accomplished sporting artist; patronized across the continent, his English patrons including the Prince of Wales (Edward VII) and the Dukes of Westminster and Portland.

2. In Nick Jones’s stand at the Winter Decorative Fair: A rare four-door enfilade by Biosca, c. 1950. Constructed in solid beech wood this cabinet has a profuse arrangement of deep molded panels with reticulated panels that create its geometric, brutalist design theme. Biosco furniture design is based on historical Spanish vernacular design, reimagined with a 20th Century design approach. The result is an incredibly successful combination of proportional geometric design with soulful approach culminating in a future collectable classic.

3. In Gary MCA’s stand: An original fashion illustration by Bill Donovan, who is America’s leading contemporary fashion illustrator with an international following. For the past twelve years, Donovan has held the esteemed title of Artist-in-Residence for Christian Dior, a position that underlines his standing as a master of fashion illustration with a flowing style that perfectly reflects the elegance and history of the House of Dior.

4. In Galerie Arabesque’s stand at the Winter Decorative Fair: A set of Delft tiles, circa 1625, which promoters describe as “rare survivors at 400 years old.

5. New exhibitor John Bly Antiques is showing a Foo Dog and Tortoise Table from the early 19^thcentury. It is described as “A rare and captivating carved ebony center table with a base formed as a tortoise supporting four Foo Dogs. From the mouths of these spray a stylized foliate branch rising to hold the circular Verde Marinace marble top. Given the combination of these traditional and narrative elements, present in the mythology of both Ceylon and Burma since the 4th century and more particularly to the West in the later days of the Empire of The Great Moghal (1526 – 1857), we date this table to the early part of the 19th century prior to the Empire’s demise and give it Myanmar-Sri Lankan provenance.”

6. Also a new exhibitor, J C Gallery will have Thomas Hart Benton’s Discussion, 1969, on view. The lithograph, in an edition of 250, is an example of this gallery’s specialty: works by American Modernist artists.

7. Joshua Lumley will unfurl an Ushak carpet from Anatolia within his stand at the Winter Decorative Fair. “Ushak rugs have become highly desirable over the past four or five years,” the gallerist notes; “their unusual colors and glossy sheen from smooth sleek fibers make them a very attractive starting point for many interior schemes.”

8. In Holly Johnson’s stand, an Art Deco cabinet on a stand in the George I style, circa 1910, will be for sale. With an English provenance, it has shagreen veneer and sits atop a silver gilded oak base. The top with its ivory banding has two hinged doors set with engraved silver-plated fittings and escutcheons. They open to reveal a drinks cabinet with fitted maple interior. Raised on a burnished silver gilded oak stand with profuse carving—including bands of acanthus and foliage—there are swags and scrolling foliage on cabriole legs down to the paw feet.

9. With a commanding presence in the stand of William Cook Antiques will be a 13-Star US Naval Flag, New York, January 1911, from the USS New York. The antiquarian says about the treasure: “This flag is made from wool bunting and pieced together. The stars are arranged in a 3-2-3-2-3 pattern, which is known as a Francis Hopkins pattern and stitched using a zig-zag pattern, as was typical of this era. The zig-zag stitch was patented in 1892 and became the most common stitching pattern thereafter. Its advantage is that the stars can be rough cut, and then the rough cut is hidden by the stitches. The linen hoist has 5 brass grommets.”

If You Plan to Visit

The hours for the Winter Decorative Fair will be open are Tuesday, January 21, from noon until 8 p.m.; on Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m.; on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.; and on Sunday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. The coaches run approximately every 15 minutes and will begin 30 minutes prior to the opening times daily. You can purchase tickets on Eventbrite. There is a visitor information page on the fair’s website.