Homes Antiques

1

MARTIN MILLARD CHEFFINS

MID-CENTURY

FURNITURE

What’s hot? ‘Chairs in a word’ says Martin

Millard. ‘Single chairs be they occasional

chairs armchairs or loungers of the ‘50s

‘60s and ‘70s. It’s relatively easy to find a

home for a statement chair and there are

so many iconic designs to pick from.’ The

most popular designers are all Danish.

Hans Wegner leads the pack with a prolific

range of chairs including the seminal

‘Wishbone’ chair of 1949 to the Getama

‘GE 375’ of 1969 – prices from around

£500. Designs by Arne Jacobsen and

Finn Juhl have cachet too. A tip for Danish

design lovers: browse Barnebys website

for Wegner et al and you’ll find Bruun

Rasmussen auctions in Copenhagen where

such furniture sells by the cartload.

Brit design is on the rise

too with buyers looking for

mid-century pieces such as the

‘Antelope’ chair created for

the Festival of Britain by Ernest

Race and available for around

£150. Ercol oak and elm wood

furniture from this period is

always snapped up – expect to

pay from £100 upwards.

2

TIMOTHY MEDHURST

DUKE’S

ANTIQUE CERAMICS

‘People either want rare things or

colourful things’ says Timothy Medhurst.

Sought-after 18th-century porcelain

figures are fetching plump four-figure

prices but more typically buyers are

looking for items that bring a touch of joy

to their homes. ‘We are seeing the return

of decorative and ornamental pottery such

as 18th-century Italian maiolica – drug

bottles albarelli jars pill jars tazzas –

which is hand-decorated in vibrant reds

blues and yellows’ says Medhurst. Prices

start from £200 depending on quality.

Equally affordable are the polychrome

wares of the late 18th and early 19th

centuries – highly patterned Spode

Coalport and Worcester plates cups jugs

and teapots often gilded for extra gleam.

‘You could pick up a nice Spode plate

ABOVE A Coalport sauce tureen c1810 fetched

£200 at Woolley & Wallis ABOVE LEFT A 1970s teak

sideboard by Danish furniture company Bramin Mbler

sold for £550 at Chefns LEFT ‘GE 375’ lounge chair

designed by Hans Wegner sold for £600 at Chefns

With their

curving shapes

mid-century

modern pieces

are still rm

favourites and

pleasingly

affordable

H&A SUMMER 2017 121

H&A GUIDE: Auction focus