Eastbourne Bandstand 2 Antiques Roadshow


Eastbourne Bandstand 2

Similar Content

Browse content similar to Eastbourne Bandstand 2. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

When I was told we were filming at a bandstand, I was surprised,

0:00:020:00:05

as thousands of people come along to a Roadshow,

0:00:050:00:08

and there aren't many places

0:00:080:00:09

that can accommodate that number of people.

0:00:090:00:11

But today's venue is unique.

0:00:110:00:13

Welcome back to Eastbourne's seaside bandstand,

0:00:130:00:16

perched right here on the beach.

0:00:160:00:18

We're in a beautiful county here today - East Sussex,

0:01:010:01:03

a part of Britain that's been lovingly portrayed

0:01:030:01:06

by many artists.

0:01:060:01:07

And our experts are hoping they may find the work of one in particular -

0:01:070:01:10

a man whose paintings we've seen before on the Roadshow -

0:01:100:01:14

the 20th century artist and designer Eric Ravilious.

0:01:140:01:18

Today, we're in his home town.

0:01:180:01:20

Born in 1903, he may not be a household name,

0:01:230:01:26

but he's one of the most important English artists

0:01:260:01:28

of the inter-war years.

0:01:280:01:30

And in the Towner Gallery,

0:01:310:01:32

just a stone's throw from Eastbourne bandstand,

0:01:320:01:35

is the biggest collection of his works.

0:01:350:01:37

And this is what he's most famous for -

0:01:420:01:44

watercolours.

0:01:440:01:46

He wanted to reclaim the British tradition of watercolour landscapes,

0:01:460:01:49

which, by the 1930s,

0:01:490:01:50

had become rather old-fashioned and chocolate-boxy.

0:01:500:01:53

Look at this, for example - this rusted old horse-drawn bus.

0:01:530:01:58

Nothing chocolate-boxy about that.

0:01:580:02:00

And this is my particular favourite -

0:02:000:02:02

it's just about ten minutes from here.

0:02:020:02:04

It's a combination of graphic design

0:02:040:02:07

and art.

0:02:070:02:08

You can still see the pencil lines

0:02:080:02:10

where he's drawn this wonderfully sinuous river

0:02:100:02:12

snaking through the landscape.

0:02:120:02:14

And this kind of cross-hatching here.

0:02:140:02:16

That had never been done before in watercolour.

0:02:160:02:19

He was a real innovator.

0:02:190:02:20

It wasn't just in watercolours that Ravilious made his mark.

0:02:200:02:23

His beautiful, finely detailed wood engravings

0:02:230:02:26

helped revive block printing as an art form.

0:02:260:02:29

With the increasing use of photography,

0:02:290:02:31

it had more or less died out.

0:02:310:02:33

In fact, Ravilious was a great all-rounder.

0:02:360:02:39

He went on to design Wedgwood pottery, like this.

0:02:390:02:42

He also created murals,

0:02:430:02:45

glass and furniture,

0:02:450:02:46

advertising posters,

0:02:460:02:48

as well as lithographs for books.

0:02:480:02:50

His was a prolific career, but sadly cut short at the age of 39.

0:02:500:02:54

As a war artist, Ravilious was flying with the RAF in 1942,

0:02:540:02:58

when his plane was lost without trace

0:02:580:03:00

during a rescue mission in Iceland.

0:03:000:03:02

It makes you wonder -

0:03:040:03:05

what else could he have gone on to create if he'd survived?

0:03:050:03:08

Back in the bandstand, the crowds are gathering,

0:03:120:03:14

as our experts prepare for another busy day.

0:03:140:03:16

Remember, if you want to test your antiques knowledge,

0:03:160:03:19

why not play along with our valuation game?

0:03:190:03:21

You can do this via the red button on your remote control

0:03:210:03:24

or our app. Good luck!

0:03:240:03:27

Pots of all sizes - small and large - and an array of colours.

0:03:280:03:32

So, are you a collector?

0:03:320:03:34

No, not really.

0:03:340:03:35

It was an auntie of mine that died.

0:03:350:03:37

And she, I believe, got them from an uncle of her husband's.

0:03:370:03:43

-So he was the collector?

-Yes.

0:03:430:03:45

He collected antiques.

0:03:450:03:47

And when would he have been buying these and putting these together?

0:03:470:03:50

I was thinking it was...

0:03:500:03:52

Well, he was really, really old when I knew him.

0:03:520:03:55

And that was back in the '60s, '70s, so...

0:03:550:03:57

You know, would have been sort of...

0:03:570:04:01

-I don't know.

-Middle of the last century, maybe?

0:04:010:04:03

-Maybe, yeah.

-It's interesting,

0:04:030:04:05

because what he was actually putting together at that time

0:04:050:04:08

was a collection of art pottery, studio pottery,

0:04:080:04:12

by various makers.

0:04:120:04:14

But the interesting thing is, he will have been buying them at a time

0:04:140:04:17

when they were terribly unfashionable,

0:04:170:04:19

when people didn't want this kind of item.

0:04:190:04:21

And it's a little bit of a visionary thought to start buying this.

0:04:210:04:25

I've got to ask you - do you have a favourite amongst them?

0:04:250:04:27

-That one there.

-You like that one?

0:04:270:04:29

With the incised birds and the floral decoration.

0:04:290:04:32

Well, it's an interesting vase,

0:04:320:04:34

but, for me, out of the table,

0:04:340:04:36

there's one that stands out.

0:04:360:04:38

And it's that one.

0:04:390:04:40

-The dark blue vase.

-That's my least one!

-Your least favourite?

-Yes!

0:04:400:04:44

Why is it your least favourite?

0:04:440:04:46

Because...I'd imagine sort of...

0:04:460:04:49

ashes, people's ashes, in it!

0:04:490:04:52

-On the mantelpiece.

-We're thinking funereal!

0:04:520:04:55

-Yes!

-OK.

0:04:550:04:56

Well, what we have got, really if you look from all of this array,

0:04:560:05:00

this one stands out because, for me, who made it.

0:05:000:05:03

And if we turn it upside down,

0:05:030:05:06

underneath, we have one tell-tale little mark

0:05:060:05:10

impressed in there,

0:05:100:05:11

which is the initials WHT,

0:05:110:05:15

which stand for a gentleman called William Howson Taylor.

0:05:150:05:20

And William Howson Taylor was owner-operator

0:05:200:05:23

of one of the greatest Arts & Crafts manufacturers of pottery

0:05:230:05:27

at the beginning of the 20th century.

0:05:270:05:30

And that was the Ruskin Pottery Works.

0:05:300:05:32

He established the factory in 1898,

0:05:320:05:35

and ran it right through to about 1936.

0:05:350:05:39

But this piece is so early.

0:05:390:05:42

I actually think this piece dates from around 1898 to 1899,

0:05:420:05:47

when the factory was first up and running.

0:05:470:05:49

And that's what makes it important.

0:05:490:05:51

And that is what will set the collectors' pulses racing.

0:05:510:05:55

It's in a decorative glaze that we would call a souffle.

0:05:550:06:00

He was incredibly experimental with his glazes,

0:06:000:06:03

creating all kinds of different effects.

0:06:030:06:05

But this is a dark blue souffle glaze.

0:06:050:06:09

And do you know what, it's a great vase, it's a great shape

0:06:090:06:12

and it stands out from the rest.

0:06:120:06:14

The other vases here on the table range in price

0:06:140:06:18

from £20, £30

0:06:180:06:20

up to maybe £80 or £100.

0:06:200:06:23

But that, as an early piece

0:06:240:06:26

of Ruskin pottery from William Howson Taylor,

0:06:260:06:29

is going to realise with a collector

0:06:290:06:32

-somewhere in the region of £500 or £600.

-You're joking!

0:06:320:06:35

I don't joke about these things.

0:06:350:06:38

Crikey! I wasn't going to bring that - thought I'd just sling it in!

0:06:380:06:41

Well, I'm really glad that you did.

0:06:430:06:46

So, Beachy Head, quite local to here.

0:06:480:06:51

I used to walk over this

0:06:510:06:52

when my daughter was first born,

0:06:520:06:54

so about 34 years ago, I used to walk over this virtually every day.

0:06:540:06:59

What drew you to this poster?

0:06:590:07:00

Well, I'd seen a print in a shop,

0:07:000:07:03

and loved it,

0:07:030:07:04

and was talking about it with my parents

0:07:040:07:07

and they said, "I think we've actually got the original poster."

0:07:070:07:11

And it had been folded up in a bag

0:07:110:07:13

and was in a really bad condition.

0:07:130:07:16

It was all torn and holes,

0:07:160:07:18

and so I literally just had it restored.

0:07:180:07:21

Do you have any idea how your parents got the poster?

0:07:210:07:23

No, it's just sort of been in the family.

0:07:230:07:26

It goes back to my grandparents, possibly my great-grandparents,

0:07:260:07:30

but we don't really know who had it or why.

0:07:300:07:32

It was just, as I say, folded up in a bag of things,

0:07:320:07:35

so we don't really know.

0:07:350:07:37

It's by Allinson,

0:07:370:07:40

a very famous artist.

0:07:400:07:42

Very distinctive style.

0:07:420:07:43

And obviously "frequent electric trains",

0:07:430:07:46

-so it's going to be post-1948.

-Yes.

0:07:460:07:48

And he died in '59, so we can date it quite precisely.

0:07:480:07:52

But really interesting style. Great colours, and...

0:07:520:07:56

I mean, most people that collect posters

0:07:560:07:59

want earlier posters.

0:07:590:08:01

They want the Art Deco ones - they're the most popular.

0:08:010:08:04

But railway posters, of course, they've got their followers.

0:08:040:08:08

I just think the colours in this

0:08:080:08:10

-are magical.

-Yes.

0:08:100:08:12

-And you said, obviously you've had it restored.

-Yes.

0:08:120:08:16

Would you mind telling me how much that cost you?

0:08:160:08:20

-Around £300.

-Yes.

0:08:200:08:22

It's very well done. That's the good thing.

0:08:220:08:25

But we've got a restored poster.

0:08:250:08:27

It's not from the golden era of posters.

0:08:270:08:30

But it's by a very good artist.

0:08:300:08:33

And I think if this came up to auction,

0:08:330:08:36

-you would certainly get £800 for it.

-Gosh! Really?

0:08:360:08:41

That's lovely!

0:08:420:08:44

So, well done, parents, and well done, you!

0:08:440:08:45

Yeah, for keeping it, and doing something with it. So that's lovely.

0:08:450:08:50

When you came to my table,

0:08:510:08:52

you brought out a tissue. I thought you were going to blow your nose!

0:08:520:08:56

Instead, you unravelled the tissue

0:08:580:09:00

to bring out this beautiful brooch.

0:09:000:09:03

I was amazed!

0:09:030:09:05

So, tell me, how did you acquire this?

0:09:050:09:08

I was given it last year by my mother's cousin.

0:09:080:09:12

And I just wanted to know something about it, really.

0:09:120:09:17

-And have you worn it?

-No.

0:09:170:09:20

I'm very pleased to have it, but it's not really my taste.

0:09:200:09:23

Right. So, this is English, I would say.

0:09:230:09:27

Made in about 1905, 1910, that sort of period.

0:09:270:09:30

And what really catches my eye

0:09:300:09:33

is the rubies and diamonds.

0:09:330:09:36

And so often today,

0:09:360:09:39

we have rubies and sapphires in modern jewellery

0:09:390:09:44

that are heat-treated, that have all been heated,

0:09:440:09:47

and they all look quite uniform in colour. It's to enhance the colour,

0:09:470:09:51

which is permanent.

0:09:510:09:52

But back in the 1900s,

0:09:520:09:55

1910s,

0:09:550:09:56

they were the original colour,

0:09:560:09:59

and that is what I love about it,

0:09:590:10:02

is that you've got these rubies that are not uniformed in colour -

0:10:020:10:05

they've got character.

0:10:050:10:07

And I think, with coloured gemstones,

0:10:070:10:09

it's all about the character as well.

0:10:090:10:11

It's about the colour, it's about the intensity of the colour.

0:10:110:10:14

And these rubies, I would say,

0:10:140:10:17

have come from Burma.

0:10:170:10:19

That's where I think they've come from.

0:10:190:10:21

That's quite amazing, isn't it? All that way, 1900,

0:10:210:10:25

-how they got over here.

-Yes.

0:10:250:10:26

And they're all in this milgrain setting,

0:10:260:10:30

which is very typical of this period.

0:10:300:10:33

Milgrain setting is when you've got these tiny little, like, balls,

0:10:330:10:37

reeded balls, around each setting.

0:10:370:10:40

-And as it's in platinum...

-Oh?

0:10:400:10:42

-Yes, platinum.

-Oh, OK.

0:10:420:10:44

You're starting to like it a little more, I can see!

0:10:440:10:49

The piercing out of the designs here is so intricate.

0:10:500:10:55

One missed saw blade,

0:10:550:10:58

suddenly, you've ruined the piece.

0:10:580:11:00

And I'm going to turn it over,

0:11:000:11:02

because I think the back really does reveal...

0:11:020:11:05

I'll just take this pin out of the way here.

0:11:050:11:08

I mean, the back is stunning.

0:11:100:11:13

-Have you actually looked at the back?

-No.

0:11:130:11:15

-The back... You see how beautifully pierced out it is?

-Yes.

0:11:160:11:19

And that, to me, is just telling me that the craftsman

0:11:190:11:22

has really taken pride in making this piece,

0:11:220:11:26

and is also trying to make the diamonds and the rubies

0:11:260:11:31

sort of really suspend and have as little metal

0:11:310:11:35

around them as possible.

0:11:350:11:37

I think it's fabulous.

0:11:370:11:39

I think it really is fabulous. It's lovely.

0:11:390:11:41

Yes, I think it's fabulous too. I just might not wear it!

0:11:410:11:44

I definitely think you should.

0:11:440:11:47

But I think, at auction,

0:11:470:11:49

you'd be looking at around about

0:11:490:11:50

£7,000 to £9,000.

0:11:500:11:53

What?!

0:11:530:11:54

Really?!

0:11:540:11:56

Oh, my goodness! Really?

0:11:560:11:59

-That's amazing. Thank you.

-It's a beautiful piece.

0:11:590:12:02

Well, um...is this flotsam or is it jetsam?

0:12:030:12:06

This is my first ship!

0:12:060:12:08

Is it really?

0:12:080:12:09

Yea, and I'm bearing down on you now.

0:12:090:12:12

So tell me, where did you come by such a fantastic object?

0:12:140:12:17

On the south coast,

0:12:170:12:19

people love to put bits of shipwreck in their front gardens,

0:12:190:12:22

and this one was in the reject pile, so someone gave it to me.

0:12:220:12:25

But I had to have it. Look at that beautiful bronze fin.

0:12:250:12:28

I just had to have it.

0:12:280:12:29

It's a wonderful, wonderful bit of bow

0:12:290:12:32

of a vessel made perhaps 100 or 150 years ago.

0:12:320:12:36

And where you're standing is the front of the bow

0:12:360:12:39

and here we have the planks...

0:12:390:12:41

coming right to the front there, to form a V shape.

0:12:410:12:44

And this must have been at least 100ft long, this vessel.

0:12:440:12:47

Well, yes, it's certainly 19th century, if not older.

0:12:470:12:51

It's got the handmade bronze nails in it.

0:12:510:12:53

You know, it's a fantastic thing,

0:12:530:12:56

but really, to be honest, it's not the fact that it's part of a ship,

0:12:560:13:00

is what makes it so magnificent.

0:13:000:13:02

What we're looking at here is just a beautiful sculptural object.

0:13:020:13:06

-It is.

-Look what nature has made here.

0:13:060:13:08

You couldn't actually make something as fantastic as this.

0:13:080:13:11

-That's right.

-It's so sculptural

0:13:110:13:13

and, you know, the colours,

0:13:130:13:15

the way the bronze has gone into the wood on it,

0:13:150:13:17

it's just a superb, superb item.

0:13:170:13:19

So I take it you're a keen beachcomber?

0:13:190:13:22

Do you have many pieces of this stature?

0:13:220:13:25

I have a fleet of ships now.

0:13:250:13:26

Not as big as this!

0:13:260:13:28

OK!

0:13:280:13:29

But the beauty of this one is

0:13:290:13:31

that we know it was landed locally.

0:13:310:13:34

We think it comes from Newhaven,

0:13:340:13:36

maybe 30 or 40 years ago.

0:13:360:13:38

Well, I think certainly

0:13:380:13:39

people are generally missing a trick with these things.

0:13:390:13:43

You could see this in a lovely warehouse apartment

0:13:430:13:46

or in a gallery, beautifully lit,

0:13:460:13:48

on a lovely white wall.

0:13:480:13:50

I think...you know, what would somebody pay for this?

0:13:500:13:53

Personally, I could see it selling in a gallery for

0:13:530:13:56

£500 to £800, perhaps.

0:13:560:13:58

Something in that region.

0:13:580:14:00

Good grief! My wife said

0:14:000:14:02

it's only worth one bicycle parking space in the shed!

0:14:020:14:05

Well, I would disagree with her there.

0:14:050:14:08

HE CHUCKLES

0:14:080:14:09

I think I bought my first digital watch

0:14:110:14:14

in probably about 1972.

0:14:140:14:16

It was a Seiko and it was

0:14:160:14:19

a liquid crystal display.

0:14:190:14:20

Now, of course, this one pre-dates that.

0:14:200:14:23

Talk me through it.

0:14:230:14:24

Well, this particular watch I purchased with my first week's wages,

0:14:240:14:28

back in 1969.

0:14:280:14:30

At the time, I was earning £7,

0:14:300:14:34

and this was £3.

0:14:340:14:35

So it was half a week's wage back then.

0:14:350:14:38

So, I thought this was so amazing

0:14:380:14:41

that this first non-mechanical watch was available.

0:14:410:14:46

And I purchased it, because I was so... It was space-age!

0:14:460:14:50

You've had it from new in the original box,

0:14:500:14:53

-which is fantastic.

-Oh, yes.

0:14:530:14:55

-But is this still running?

-Oh, yes.

0:14:550:14:57

It's very simple.

0:14:570:14:59

There's just one button.

0:14:590:15:02

You push the button, and it just gave the time for a fraction of a second

0:15:020:15:05

and then went off.

0:15:050:15:07

They did that because they couldn't show it full-time,

0:15:070:15:09

because the battery wear was so great,

0:15:090:15:11

if you used it once a day for two weeks,

0:15:110:15:13

you'd flatten the battery.

0:15:130:15:16

So, you tended to...after the initial showing somebody,

0:15:160:15:18

you didn't want to use it.

0:15:180:15:20

So, Clive Sinclair, obviously quite an innovator.

0:15:200:15:22

I have a calculator of his at home

0:15:220:15:24

that was made for the Queen's Jubilee in 1977.

0:15:240:15:27

Lovely silver-fronted thing.

0:15:270:15:29

Again, that ran out of battery very, very quickly.

0:15:290:15:31

And I see you've got something else here as well.

0:15:310:15:33

This is his original product.

0:15:330:15:35

This is what he brought to the market when he first started.

0:15:350:15:38

This was an amazing micro-radio,

0:15:380:15:41

in kit form, that he produced.

0:15:410:15:44

And this was '67.

0:15:440:15:46

And he produced this.

0:15:460:15:48

And so I've never seen one originally in this condition,

0:15:480:15:53

because it came from my father-in-law,

0:15:530:15:56

and it was an electrical shop in Sydenham

0:15:560:15:58

and he used to sell these things in his shop.

0:15:580:16:01

It was old stock.

0:16:010:16:02

Wonderful - the original price, still in its packaging.

0:16:020:16:05

-What more could you ask?

-That's right.

0:16:050:16:07

And you managed to get a battery,

0:16:070:16:09

-you managed to get that back working.

-Yeah.

0:16:090:16:11

Gosh! I don't think it would equate to half your week's wages now.

0:16:110:16:15

Sadly, no.

0:16:150:16:16

But I'd still happily say that in its original box,

0:16:160:16:20

this is probably going to do,

0:16:200:16:22

I should think, £250 to a collector.

0:16:220:16:25

And there would be many people like yourself

0:16:250:16:27

who are very interested in early electronic things.

0:16:270:16:30

Now, I have to ask you,

0:16:300:16:32

do you have one of his C5s as well at home?

0:16:320:16:34

Well, quick story with that.

0:16:340:16:36

My wife's the only person who has actually had an accident with a C5.

0:16:360:16:41

The C5 ran into the back of our car.

0:16:410:16:43

So that's the only part that we've got with the C5!

0:16:430:16:47

But I nearly purchased one, because towards the end of it,

0:16:470:16:51

-they were selling them very cheaply.

-They were.

0:16:510:16:53

You could pick one up for £100 or something. I was tempted,

0:16:530:16:56

but after seeing these other products,

0:16:560:16:58

I thought, "No. It's a step too far."

0:16:580:17:00

Let him stick to the small stuff.

0:17:000:17:02

Anyway, it's great to see it

0:17:020:17:03

-and I love the condition.

-Thank you very much.

0:17:030:17:06

We have a most unusual circular-top, tripod-based table.

0:17:070:17:12

Now, what's your story behind this table?

0:17:120:17:16

We don't know very much about it at all.

0:17:160:17:17

It's certainly been in the family for over 100 years.

0:17:170:17:21

It came through my husband's family.

0:17:210:17:23

We don't know much about it.

0:17:230:17:25

It's a beautiful, decorative table,

0:17:250:17:27

but practically, it's not a great deal of use,

0:17:270:17:30

because if you try to put things on it, they wobble and spill.

0:17:300:17:33

Do they?

0:17:330:17:34

Well, you look at the surfaces.

0:17:340:17:36

Just dip it down...

0:17:360:17:38

Unless you're very careful

0:17:380:17:40

and make sure that things only go in the centre...

0:17:400:17:43

If you move something slightly,

0:17:430:17:46

-over it goes.

-Right.

0:17:460:17:48

OK, well,

0:17:480:17:50

there's a reason for these what we call compartments.

0:17:500:17:55

Yes.

0:17:550:17:56

And the reason is, it's called a supper table.

0:17:560:17:58

Right.

0:17:580:18:00

The big plates...the dish would go in the centre.

0:18:000:18:03

And the little plates would go around the edge.

0:18:030:18:05

-Right!

-So it's a supper table.

0:18:050:18:08

-And people come and collect their...

-They'll collect a plate,

0:18:080:18:12

take something from the bowl, and off they go.

0:18:120:18:14

Well, that's very interesting.

0:18:140:18:17

Once you know, it becomes quite obvious.

0:18:170:18:19

And then suddenly, it's fit for purpose. It works.

0:18:190:18:21

-Yes.

-But if you're trying to dine off it,

0:18:210:18:24

it doesn't work, does it?

0:18:240:18:26

No.

0:18:260:18:27

Made around about 1760.

0:18:270:18:29

Unfortunately, it has been re-carved

0:18:300:18:34

to imitate a Chippendale piece of furniture.

0:18:340:18:37

Originally, this table was just a plain circular table

0:18:370:18:41

and someone's thought,

0:18:410:18:42

"We'll make it into a more important piece of furniture,

0:18:420:18:46

"into a supper table."

0:18:460:18:47

So all this carving has been done later.

0:18:470:18:49

-Added later? Well, how amazing.

-It's clever.

0:18:490:18:52

Very clever.

0:18:520:18:54

But it hasn't enhanced the piece of furniture.

0:18:540:18:56

Has it detracted from it?

0:18:560:18:58

Well, to a certain market, it has.

0:18:580:19:00

To the collector, it's undermined it.

0:19:000:19:03

The American market,

0:19:040:19:06

they love this type of furniture.

0:19:060:19:08

-Because it's very ornate.

-It's very decorative.

-Yes.

0:19:080:19:10

When we look at the base,

0:19:100:19:12

and we look at the carving,

0:19:120:19:14

we can see that's a little bit flat as well.

0:19:140:19:17

If it was 18th-century carving,

0:19:170:19:19

it would be much more crisp

0:19:190:19:21

and the fluidity would be marvellous.

0:19:210:19:24

Would it indeed?

0:19:240:19:26

But nevertheless, it's a decorative piece of furniture,

0:19:260:19:29

it's 18th century, re-carved...

0:19:290:19:31

When do you suppose it was re-carved?

0:19:310:19:33

It could have been done in the Victorian times.

0:19:330:19:35

That would be totally acceptable to be done in Victorian times.

0:19:350:19:40

-But it's clever, because that's one piece of wood.

-Yes.

0:19:400:19:43

-It's amazing it's come out of a tree that size.

-Yes.

0:19:430:19:46

It's mahogany.

0:19:460:19:48

And because of what's happened to it,

0:19:480:19:51

it just has a decorative value

0:19:510:19:53

between £800 to £1,000.

0:19:530:19:56

Yes. Oh, well, that's a lot of money, isn't it?

0:19:560:19:58

But it will stay with the family,

0:19:580:20:00

because it's been with the family for such a very long time.

0:20:000:20:03

-Right.

-There it will remain, I hope.

0:20:030:20:05

I had a fairy godmother.

0:20:070:20:09

I was a florist at the time and she became a customer.

0:20:090:20:13

And I was the only one that had the patience to serve her!

0:20:130:20:16

And eventually we became very friendly

0:20:160:20:19

and she had told me about her past.

0:20:190:20:22

She was the daughter of a ship-owner

0:20:220:20:25

and she launched a ship.

0:20:250:20:27

I think it was the Cunard line.

0:20:270:20:29

And she was given, because of that,

0:20:290:20:32

a casket,

0:20:320:20:34

biggish casket, of silver.

0:20:340:20:37

And she kept it some years and hated it

0:20:370:20:40

so she sold it and she bought this.

0:20:400:20:42

And then she gave it to me later on.

0:20:420:20:44

It's a very nice item she bought with all of that chestful of silver.

0:20:440:20:48

If we turn it over, we see it is marked rather faintly

0:20:480:20:51

on the underside.

0:20:510:20:53

Atelier Hagenauer was the manufacturer of bronze,

0:20:530:20:56

so Austrian, Austrian bronze.

0:20:560:20:59

Beautifully hammered,

0:20:590:21:01

very realistically done.

0:21:010:21:03

I think this was inspired by an American-born actress and dancer,

0:21:030:21:08

and her name was Josephine Baker,

0:21:080:21:12

who took Paris by storm

0:21:120:21:15

in the 1920s and 1930s.

0:21:150:21:17

And famously, she did the banana dance

0:21:170:21:20

with the banana skirts.

0:21:200:21:22

And she was an African American dancer

0:21:220:21:25

and I think she is the inspiration behind the creation of this bronze,

0:21:250:21:30

which would date from around that time, around 1930s.

0:21:300:21:34

Yes, and that fits, actually,

0:21:340:21:36

because this fairy godmother, she did dance

0:21:360:21:41

-but she was a passionate devotee of Covent Garden.

-Was she?

0:21:410:21:46

-That would all actually tie in rather nicely.

-It fits.

0:21:460:21:50

It's a desirable item today.

0:21:500:21:52

I'm going to say that I think, if this came up for auction,

0:21:520:21:56

we would estimate it at between £2,000 to £3,000.

0:21:560:22:02

I did consult some colleagues,

0:22:030:22:05

and they actually think I'm being a bit conservative,

0:22:050:22:07

and it might make a little bit more.

0:22:070:22:09

-Yes. Oh, I'm pleased for her!

-Good.

0:22:090:22:12

So her silver loot was well spent.

0:22:120:22:15

Well spent, and nice to know she knows about her too.

0:22:150:22:19

-What a lovely, lovely thing, it really is.

-Thank you very much.

0:22:190:22:22

-My pleasure.

-Nice to have had it identified properly.

0:22:220:22:26

And which is your favourite?

0:22:270:22:29

-I've always liked this one.

-This one.

0:22:290:22:33

-It's very good, isn't it?

-Yes.

0:22:330:22:35

I think it's... Do you know what these two dots mean?

0:22:350:22:39

No idea.

0:22:390:22:40

Those on a Japanese object indicate that she's very beautiful.

0:22:400:22:44

Eyebrows which are miles too high!

0:22:460:22:49

I think she's probably supposed to be a character

0:22:490:22:53

called Okame, who is chubby-cheeked

0:22:530:22:57

and cheerful.

0:22:570:22:59

And although she's only got a single lid,

0:22:590:23:03

like the rest, she's an inro -

0:23:030:23:06

a little box or series of boxes

0:23:060:23:08

made over 300 years,

0:23:080:23:12

which the Japanese wore at the waistband

0:23:120:23:15

to contain medicines,

0:23:150:23:18

herbs, and in some cases, tobacco.

0:23:180:23:21

And probably this one was used for tobacco.

0:23:210:23:25

The Japanese smoked tobacco in very small quantities, tiny quantities,

0:23:250:23:30

which they put in a tiny bowl like that

0:23:300:23:34

with a long stem.

0:23:340:23:35

And they took one puff

0:23:350:23:37

and knocked it out, and then did another one.

0:23:370:23:40

-Oh!

-It dates from the mid-19th century.

0:23:400:23:45

Unusually, it's been carved on the back

0:23:450:23:49

with tassels on...

0:23:490:23:51

I think it's probably supposed to be a fan, actually.

0:23:510:23:54

And the netsuke

0:23:550:23:58

is of manju form,

0:23:580:24:00

which is rice cake.

0:24:000:24:03

And again, very nicely carved,

0:24:030:24:05

particularly nicely carved, this one.

0:24:050:24:07

That's going to be worth around

0:24:070:24:10

-£700 to £900.

-Oh, gosh!

0:24:100:24:13

Did you buy them?

0:24:150:24:16

No, they belonged to my uncle.

0:24:160:24:19

He gave me this one some years ago,

0:24:190:24:22

but these all arrived very badly packaged from Africa

0:24:220:24:26

just recently, because he lived over there

0:24:260:24:30

and he has recently died and left me these.

0:24:300:24:34

-Do you like them?

-Yes, I love them.

0:24:340:24:36

I've always liked them. I saw them as a child.

0:24:360:24:40

Now, we quite like this, don't we?

0:24:400:24:43

Yes, that's an interesting one because of the...

0:24:430:24:46

It's a two-case inro.

0:24:490:24:51

That is to say, one there, one there

0:24:510:24:54

and the lid.

0:24:540:24:56

That makes it a two-case.

0:24:560:24:58

Carved with a dragon on one side...

0:24:580:25:02

..and seal characters on the other.

0:25:030:25:07

It's actually great fun.

0:25:070:25:09

And I particularly like the netsuke, because we've got

0:25:090:25:13

the pod of a lotus...

0:25:130:25:16

..which has got the seeds

0:25:180:25:20

-popping out.

-Perfect, but they've no purpose.

0:25:200:25:23

They've no purpose - just a bit of amusement.

0:25:230:25:26

And if you think of the skill

0:25:260:25:29

of cutting that round

0:25:290:25:31

so that you've carved it all the way round

0:25:310:25:34

to let the seed pop out,

0:25:340:25:36

but NOT pop out...

0:25:360:25:38

-It's incredible. I didn't realise it was all made in one piece.

-Oh, yes.

0:25:380:25:44

That dates from around...

0:25:440:25:46

..1850, somewhere around there.

0:25:490:25:51

And that's worth

0:25:510:25:53

-£700 to £900.

-Oh, right!

0:25:530:25:56

This is the one that intrigues me.

0:25:560:25:58

Because it is not a material that is much used

0:26:000:26:03

for making inro.

0:26:030:26:06

-And that's ivory.

-Yes.

0:26:060:26:08

I thought it might be.

0:26:080:26:10

And this is a one...two...three...three-case inro,

0:26:100:26:14

which has been very finely

0:26:140:26:18

gilt and painted

0:26:180:26:21

with landscapes.

0:26:210:26:23

And they're really sort of in the Chinese style of painting

0:26:230:26:27

rather than the Japanese style of painting,

0:26:270:26:29

although it's Japanese.

0:26:290:26:31

That's, I think, slightly later.

0:26:330:26:34

We're probably looking at the early 20th century there.

0:26:340:26:37

But it's a nice thing.

0:26:380:26:40

Yes, it is.

0:26:400:26:42

-What's that?

-What's that, yes?

0:26:440:26:46

Well, you wouldn't know from that. It's apparently just a black blob.

0:26:460:26:51

But actually what it is is silver,

0:26:510:26:55

which has tarnished.

0:26:550:26:58

And that's the moon.

0:26:580:26:59

-Oh, I was going to say, is it the sun?

-Silvery moon.

0:26:590:27:03

That would make...

0:27:030:27:06

£3,000 to £5,000.

0:27:060:27:08

What?!

0:27:080:27:10

Oh, my God!

0:27:100:27:12

What's it worth overall?

0:27:150:27:17

I would have thought

0:27:170:27:19

that you are probably looking at

0:27:190:27:21

around £10,000 to £15,000 worth here.

0:27:210:27:24

Good heavens!

0:27:240:27:27

I had no idea!

0:27:270:27:29

-Good!

-No idea.

0:27:290:27:31

Well, it was an inheritance, actually.

0:27:310:27:34

-Yeah.

-So, wonderful.

0:27:340:27:37

We meet some remarkable characters

0:27:390:27:41

while recording the Antiques Roadshow.

0:27:410:27:43

Few have left such an impression as this man -

0:27:430:27:45

Colonel Oliver Keith.

0:27:450:27:47

We discovered he was here on a family outing

0:27:470:27:49

in rather moving circumstances.

0:27:490:27:51

I met his wife Gillian and daughter Serena to discover more.

0:27:510:27:55

We'll be talking to your father and your husband a little bit later on.

0:27:560:27:59

He's brought along, amongst other things, some lead soldiers

0:27:590:28:02

that I know Graham Lay wants to look at.

0:28:020:28:04

It's an unusual set of circumstances that have brought you here

0:28:040:28:08

to the Roadshow, isn't it?

0:28:080:28:09

It is. My father was diagnosed with cancer

0:28:090:28:12

and they decided to stop the chemotherapy

0:28:120:28:15

back in December.

0:28:150:28:17

Since then, we have taken a decision to go through his house

0:28:170:28:20

and start filming him ourselves

0:28:200:28:23

with some of his items,

0:28:230:28:24

to get a potted history,

0:28:240:28:27

not only for ourselves but also for his grandchildren,

0:28:270:28:30

so that as they grow up,

0:28:300:28:31

they can get to know their grandfather.

0:28:310:28:33

From that, we discovered some lead soldiers

0:28:330:28:35

and we discovered the history behind them.

0:28:350:28:38

We saw the Antiques Roadshow was coming to Eastbourne,

0:28:380:28:42

so we gave the researchers a call

0:28:420:28:44

and just asked them if they'd be interested

0:28:440:28:46

and to our shock, huge shock,

0:28:460:28:48

they said yes, they'd love to come and see them.

0:28:480:28:51

Well, honestly, we feel rather honoured

0:28:510:28:53

that this precious time you have left together,

0:28:530:28:55

that you've chosen to come and spend a day with us.

0:28:550:28:58

I was talking to you earlier on and you're wonderfully upbeat and jolly

0:28:580:29:02

and he's a great character. We've been having some laughs together.

0:29:020:29:05

How is he dealing with it all?

0:29:050:29:06

I think he's gone on for another day because he's meeting you!

0:29:060:29:09

It gave us another day to...

0:29:090:29:11

He's fine. He's a soldier.

0:29:110:29:14

He comes from a long military background

0:29:140:29:16

and that's how you do deal with it.

0:29:160:29:18

And he's just enjoying

0:29:180:29:21

whatever we do now. We're all very lucky.

0:29:210:29:24

Well, we're very lucky to have you here.

0:29:240:29:26

And we're so looking forward to meeting him later on.

0:29:260:29:28

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

0:29:280:29:29

Now, I really love these things.

0:29:290:29:32

Where did you get it?

0:29:320:29:34

It belonged to my late mother.

0:29:340:29:36

I don't know where she actually got it from,

0:29:360:29:39

-but I know it's been in the family for such a long time.

-How long?

0:29:390:29:42

I don't know. I just remember it from when I was very young.

0:29:420:29:45

Yes, well, obviously not since the 1920s, when I think it was done.

0:29:450:29:48

No, I don't think so!

0:29:480:29:50

-But you don't know who it's by, I suspect?

-No.

0:29:500:29:53

I don't know anything about it, really, at all.

0:29:530:29:55

The minute I saw it, I knew who it was by. He's such a cool chap.

0:29:550:29:58

He's called William Barribal,

0:29:580:30:00

and he's the inventor of the Barribal Girl,

0:30:000:30:02

as it became known, because he used to do posters

0:30:020:30:05

for the railways.

0:30:050:30:07

And in fact, recruitment posters for World War I at first.

0:30:070:30:10

He was classically trained as an artist,

0:30:100:30:13

went to the Academie Julian in Paris,

0:30:130:30:15

but came back and became one of Britain's

0:30:150:30:17

best commercial artists in the 1920s and between the wars.

0:30:170:30:20

He worked for Waddingtons

0:30:200:30:22

and produced a series of playing cards

0:30:220:30:25

with beautiful flapper girls on them.

0:30:250:30:27

With a very distinct style,

0:30:270:30:29

hence the Barribal Girl.

0:30:290:30:31

And she is a Barribal Girl.

0:30:310:30:33

Oh, right!

0:30:330:30:34

And I was wondering...because this picture has got a dedication -

0:30:340:30:37

"To Rene, from his pal Barrie".

0:30:370:30:40

That's William Barribal, and that's his signature underneath.

0:30:400:30:43

"Barribal", you can just see it.

0:30:430:30:44

I don't know. We don't have a Rene in the family.

0:30:440:30:47

Oh, I see.

0:30:470:30:49

So, William Barribal, fantastic artist.

0:30:490:30:52

Except it's not entirely the whole story.

0:30:520:30:55

You see, it is a William Barribal, no question of that,

0:30:550:30:58

but it's over a print.

0:30:580:30:59

It's over a print of his own picture.

0:30:590:31:02

So what he's done is he's picked out the figure

0:31:020:31:04

in body colour, in this white heightening

0:31:040:31:07

and this streak of light forming a gap in the curtains behind her,

0:31:070:31:12

and little dabs of red, here and here,

0:31:120:31:15

just focusing on the girl

0:31:150:31:17

in a very dramatic way.

0:31:170:31:19

Done by him, over a print of his own picture.

0:31:190:31:23

Why would he have done that?

0:31:230:31:24

Well, because I think perhaps

0:31:240:31:26

he might have wanted to give Rene a gift,

0:31:260:31:29

but didn't want to give Rene an original.

0:31:290:31:32

Something like that,

0:31:320:31:33

or perhaps was in a hurry, couldn't do it.

0:31:330:31:36

Something like that. You often do get that. Artists will do that.

0:31:360:31:39

They'll give them a print they've gone over, then dedicate it.

0:31:390:31:42

But I don't care. It's a Barribal.

0:31:420:31:45

And the fact that it's over a print,

0:31:450:31:46

well, it's still a Barribal

0:31:460:31:48

and it's one of the very nicest, funnest ones I've ever seen.

0:31:480:31:51

Don't you agree?

0:31:510:31:52

I love it. I love the dramatic background,

0:31:520:31:54

but also, it's very, very delicate

0:31:540:31:57

and I love the red that just brings it all together.

0:31:570:32:00

It's lovely.

0:32:000:32:01

These little sort of dabs of red give a real mystery to it,

0:32:010:32:04

and the fact that she's picked out in that white

0:32:040:32:07

means that she really stands out against this background.

0:32:070:32:10

-I think it's really dramatic and fun.

-Yes, it is.

0:32:100:32:13

I think it's worth between £800 and £1,200. About £1,000.

0:32:130:32:16

-Lovely!

-Worth every penny.

-Yes.

0:32:160:32:19

Do you know, I absolutely love pieces like this!

0:32:200:32:23

-OK.

-But where did you get it from?

0:32:230:32:25

It actually belongs to my wife's family.

0:32:250:32:28

Way back, I think it belongs to the great-grand-uncle

0:32:280:32:33

and then pass it on to the great-uncle

0:32:330:32:37

then to my wife's mum,

0:32:370:32:38

who is here,

0:32:380:32:40

and then to my wife, so we have it with us in the house.

0:32:400:32:43

Absolutely fascinating as a piece. Do you know how old it is?

0:32:430:32:47

Um, no clue. That is why we are here.

0:32:470:32:50

-We want to know the history of it.

-OK.

0:32:500:32:53

Well, actually, history is important here.

0:32:530:32:56

And I think social history is important,

0:32:560:32:59

because today, we're in the throwaway society.

0:32:590:33:03

Something's damaged, it gets thrown away.

0:33:030:33:06

But this is actually quite early.

0:33:060:33:10

The date of the ceramic part

0:33:100:33:13

is late 15th, early 16th century.

0:33:130:33:17

So...

0:33:170:33:20

when you think that is about 500 years old...

0:33:200:33:23

Not bad.

0:33:250:33:26

But when it was new,

0:33:260:33:29

which it was 500 years ago,

0:33:290:33:31

it was taller than this.

0:33:310:33:33

Ah!

0:33:330:33:34

And then, somebody's managed to drop it...

0:33:340:33:38

-OK.

-..damaged the top.

0:33:380:33:40

Of course, they wanted to keep it going.

0:33:400:33:42

So they trimmed it back

0:33:420:33:43

and put a silver mount on,

0:33:430:33:45

just to keep it going.

0:33:450:33:47

No marks on the silver mount, but that's quite usual.

0:33:470:33:49

It could be 16th, 17th century.

0:33:490:33:52

I love them.

0:33:540:33:55

But...despite the fact that the pot itself is about 500 years old,

0:33:550:34:01

it's actually worth very little money.

0:34:010:34:04

-Wow!

-Sorry about that!

0:34:040:34:06

That's...that's not the big issue.

0:34:060:34:10

The thing in there is the story

0:34:100:34:13

and the history behind it.

0:34:130:34:15

I'm so pleased you said that!

0:34:150:34:17

So...

0:34:170:34:19

What is it worth?

0:34:190:34:20

Well, if it was just the pot on its own,

0:34:200:34:22

er...£50.

0:34:220:34:25

But because it's got the silver mount,

0:34:260:34:28

this has actually come off better

0:34:280:34:31

than had it been in its original state.

0:34:310:34:33

It's now worth more.

0:34:330:34:35

And...we're looking probably £200, £250.

0:34:350:34:39

That's nice.

0:34:390:34:41

That's good, yeah.

0:34:410:34:42

That's good.

0:34:420:34:43

At least we know it is 500 years.

0:34:430:34:46

It's lived to that age

0:34:460:34:49

and we've got it with us.

0:34:490:34:52

When you think, they've just dug up the bones of Richard III.

0:34:520:34:55

And that's the sort of date we're looking at here.

0:34:550:34:58

Wow!

0:34:580:34:59

This is a lovely little collection of lead soldiers, lead figures.

0:35:040:35:09

Why have you brought them along?

0:35:090:35:10

I've brought them along because they've been in the family

0:35:100:35:13

since my grandfather collected them

0:35:130:35:16

in the early 1870s.

0:35:160:35:18

He was born in 1858

0:35:180:35:20

and he was the youngest of three brothers.

0:35:200:35:23

They were a Liverpool family

0:35:230:35:25

and he was the odd one out

0:35:250:35:28

in that he was mad keen about the Army.

0:35:280:35:31

Ever since he could sort of get off his mother's knee.

0:35:310:35:34

And he was obviously too young to join the Army.

0:35:340:35:37

He had an army of his own - lead soldiers.

0:35:370:35:40

-And this is the army - his army?

-Yes.

0:35:400:35:43

-What was his name?

-George.

0:35:430:35:45

This photograph here - this isn't him, is it?

0:35:450:35:47

That's George up there.

0:35:470:35:49

-Good grief!

-When he was in fact serving in South Africa.

0:35:490:35:54

Did he travel all over the world with his service?

0:35:540:35:57

Yes. He started his service in Burma.

0:35:570:35:59

He had two tours there.

0:35:590:36:02

A lot of the rest of the time he was in India,

0:36:020:36:06

up on the Northwest Frontier.

0:36:060:36:08

Did he take his army with him?

0:36:080:36:10

This is his personal army, isn't it?

0:36:100:36:13

He took the army with him, but what we don't know is how much,

0:36:130:36:16

because certain parts were left in Liverpool with his two brothers.

0:36:160:36:21

Would they send instructions to each other, the brothers?

0:36:210:36:24

Did they ever!

0:36:240:36:26

By letters.

0:36:260:36:27

Were they fighting any particular battles or any particular countries?

0:36:270:36:30

They were not fighting any particular battle in real life.

0:36:300:36:34

It was all on this make-believe land

0:36:340:36:36

of which he, George - Emperor George - ruled with a rod of iron.

0:36:360:36:41

And his two brothers were only ever promoted to be generals.

0:36:410:36:46

Bearing in mind he was the youngest of three sons.

0:36:460:36:49

As far as we know, they obeyed his instructions,

0:36:490:36:53

such as firing a 21-gun salute on their mother's birthday.

0:36:530:36:58

-What, with one of these cannons?

-Oh, yes.

0:36:580:37:00

I have to say, it looks like... If you look at this one, for example,

0:37:000:37:03

it looks like it's actually been fired.

0:37:030:37:06

Certainly that one has.

0:37:060:37:08

And I can tell you from experience, I have fired them.

0:37:080:37:12

That will disappear over there.

0:37:120:37:14

That will disappear in two bits.

0:37:140:37:16

And they are rather lethal.

0:37:160:37:19

Yes, I can imagine!

0:37:190:37:20

But how long ago was he playing with these?

0:37:220:37:24

Well, he would have started, I think, when he was about 14, 15.

0:37:240:37:28

So that would have been 18...

0:37:280:37:31

-1875, something like that?

-Yes, a bit before that.

0:37:310:37:34

Because in fact he got a competitive commission

0:37:340:37:38

in the Army, in the Royal Scots Fusiliers, in 1878.

0:37:380:37:43

You see, the thing that puzzles me

0:37:430:37:45

is that it's understood, as far as I'm aware,

0:37:450:37:48

that war gaming as a pastime

0:37:480:37:52

actually started at the beginning of the 20th century.

0:37:520:37:56

Now, here we have possible proof

0:37:560:38:00

that actually war gaming started,

0:38:000:38:02

maybe even with your grandfather,

0:38:020:38:05

25 years earlier than that.

0:38:050:38:09

You're correct,

0:38:090:38:11

because in his letters home,

0:38:110:38:14

he does mention

0:38:140:38:16

he took the bulk of the army out

0:38:160:38:18

on his first posting to Burma, to Rangoon,

0:38:180:38:21

where he shared a bungalow with the regimental surgeon

0:38:210:38:26

who was a bachelor

0:38:260:38:28

and indeed, they war-gamed.

0:38:280:38:30

They laid out on the floor of their living room

0:38:300:38:34

an enormous sort of canvas mat

0:38:340:38:36

and that was it.

0:38:360:38:38

Well, I think what is wonderful

0:38:380:38:40

is not just having your grandfather George's

0:38:400:38:44

model soldiers,

0:38:440:38:46

with which he played war games with his brothers

0:38:460:38:51

and other friends.

0:38:510:38:52

You've got the fascinating book

0:38:520:38:55

which describes how the war games took place.

0:38:550:39:00

You've also got - and this is what amazes me -

0:39:000:39:03

these fantastic photographs

0:39:030:39:05

of your grandfather.

0:39:050:39:07

So we can see the man himself

0:39:070:39:10

who actually played with these, I think,

0:39:100:39:14

wonderful little objects.

0:39:140:39:16

And you've got how many hundreds?

0:39:160:39:18

I would think altogether we've got about 1,000.

0:39:180:39:20

I've never actually counted them!

0:39:200:39:22

OK. Of actually very early figures.

0:39:220:39:25

Together with the book, together with the photograph

0:39:250:39:27

-and presumably a lot of other ephemera...

-Yes.

0:39:270:39:30

I would think we'd be looking in terms of

0:39:300:39:34

£3,000 to £5,000.

0:39:340:39:36

Yes.

0:39:360:39:38

It's a great little collection.

0:39:380:39:40

Thank you so much for bringing them along. It's been a pleasure.

0:39:400:39:44

So it's got everything you want from a miniature carriage clock

0:39:460:39:49

and I'm going to ask you first -

0:39:490:39:50

do you like it or do you think it's a bit twee?

0:39:500:39:52

It's very nice. I appreciate the artwork.

0:39:520:39:55

I think it's very well made.

0:39:550:39:57

But I know nothing about it at all.

0:39:570:39:59

-Do you have it working at home?

-No, I don't.

0:39:590:40:02

I don't know how to wind it up, and there's two ends to that key.

0:40:020:40:05

I'll explain it all later, but in the meantime,

0:40:050:40:07

I'll start by saying it's a lovely size. It's a miniature size.

0:40:070:40:13

It's got a very pretty dial,

0:40:130:40:15

it's got a beautifully cast case

0:40:150:40:17

and the obviously lovely thing about it

0:40:170:40:21

are the miniature panels on the sides of the clock.

0:40:210:40:26

-Now, they're actually painted on ivory.

-Wow!

0:40:260:40:29

She's in perfect condition.

0:40:290:40:31

And this one, she has a little crack,

0:40:310:40:34

but bar that, they've very, very pretty.

0:40:340:40:36

The dial is very typically circa 1900

0:40:360:40:40

with these beautiful floral reserves there.

0:40:400:40:44

And the mask is also engraved with foliage.

0:40:440:40:49

Super.

0:40:490:40:50

The case is cast

0:40:500:40:54

with little caryatid figures, that sort of half-human figures,

0:40:540:40:58

and then just going away to the bottom of the case

0:40:580:41:00

and looking lovely.

0:41:000:41:02

And the whole thing of course is cast in brass

0:41:020:41:05

and it's been gilded, so it's gilt brass.

0:41:050:41:08

And...

0:41:080:41:09

a lovely little clock like this SHOULD

0:41:090:41:12

have a maker's name. Have you ever looked inside?

0:41:120:41:15

I can't find a name. I can find a number, but no name.

0:41:150:41:18

A number but no name.

0:41:180:41:20

In there, about a quarter of the size of my little fingernail,

0:41:200:41:24

is a stamp which has a beehive on it.

0:41:240:41:27

And on the top it says "A and M"

0:41:270:41:30

and that is the factory stamp of Margaine,

0:41:300:41:33

who is a very fine maker of carriage clocks.

0:41:330:41:36

You mentioned it had a number and it does.

0:41:360:41:39

Underneath that little impressed mark is a number

0:41:390:41:42

and that number

0:41:420:41:43

is exactly the same as the number on the key.

0:41:430:41:46

So that's the original key to the clock.

0:41:460:41:49

-Have you the carrying case?

-I'm afraid I don't, no.

0:41:500:41:53

Because that lovely little case

0:41:530:41:55

probably would have been numbered as well,

0:41:550:41:57

so the whole thing would have been en suite.

0:41:570:41:59

-Yes.

-But it's gorgeous.

0:41:590:42:01

And you really don't know how to wind it up?

0:42:010:42:03

No, and I'm also worried about over-winding it.

0:42:030:42:06

Difficult to over-wind,

0:42:060:42:08

because you're not going to put too much vigour into the winding of it.

0:42:080:42:12

So the fat end of the key goes on that square there

0:42:120:42:15

to wind the clock up.

0:42:150:42:18

And then the thin end of the key

0:42:180:42:20

goes on this hand-setting bit here,

0:42:200:42:23

which says "aiguilles", which is the French for hand-set,

0:42:230:42:26

-but only ever turn the hand in the direction of the arrow.

-OK.

0:42:260:42:30

So that's the point of the double-ended key.

0:42:300:42:32

So...well, let me tell you

0:42:330:42:35

that it is, of its type, it's top of the range.

0:42:350:42:38

It's a beautiful little clock

0:42:380:42:40

by a very good maker.

0:42:400:42:42

Numbered key.

0:42:420:42:44

The sort of thing collectors love.

0:42:440:42:46

Price at auction

0:42:470:42:48

is going to be in the region of

0:42:480:42:50

£3,000 to £4,000.

0:42:500:42:53

Good heavens!

0:42:530:42:54

-Gosh!

-And by the time it's done up,

0:42:540:42:57

in other words, cleaned and overhauled,

0:42:570:42:59

maybe have that little crack in the ivory sorted out,

0:42:590:43:02

-it certainly would be retailing for about £6,000.

-Good heavens!

0:43:020:43:05

Thank you.

0:43:050:43:07

It's difficult to imagine how revolutionary

0:43:090:43:12

this vase must have looked to the eyes of people in late 1930,

0:43:120:43:15

early 1931,

0:43:150:43:17

when this Clarice Cliff piece was made.

0:43:170:43:21

Can you tell me what you know about it?

0:43:210:43:23

Well, it was my grandmother's.

0:43:230:43:25

She lived in Bethnal Green in East London,

0:43:250:43:27

and a friend had given it to her.

0:43:270:43:30

Someone who lived there as well.

0:43:300:43:32

And so it's just always been in the family.

0:43:320:43:35

But she never really valued it - she just put her sweet papers in it!

0:43:350:43:38

So it was never really anything of importance.

0:43:380:43:42

-It was just something we all liked.

-Something you lived with.

0:43:420:43:44

Yeah, and we've all bid for through the generations.

0:43:440:43:48

Have you ever been tempted to find how much it might be worth?

0:43:480:43:50

I did, actually. Last year, I took it to a local valuation.

0:43:500:43:54

And they would have offered me £1,000 for it.

0:43:540:43:58

So that just gave me the inclination that perhaps it was worth something.

0:43:580:44:03

So we've put it high up on the bookcase, behind the books,

0:44:030:44:06

just so it's safe!

0:44:060:44:08

OK. Well, it's a Clarice Cliff vase.

0:44:080:44:11

The factory name for the shape

0:44:110:44:14

is a twin-handled lotus jug.

0:44:140:44:18

And it's decorated with the Lugano pattern.

0:44:180:44:21

I'll just turn it round.

0:44:210:44:23

Really, really wonderful bright colours.

0:44:240:44:26

It's from a range called the Applique range.

0:44:280:44:30

And the Applique range

0:44:300:44:32

is called that because of the technique

0:44:320:44:35

that was used to decorate the piece.

0:44:350:44:37

And that was done using Indian ink.

0:44:370:44:39

They outlined the design in Indian ink.

0:44:390:44:42

They then applied the colour,

0:44:420:44:45

and then in the heat of the kiln, the Indian ink burnt away

0:44:450:44:47

and that gave them a really nice clean, sharp edge.

0:44:470:44:51

And it's a difficult technique

0:44:510:44:54

and it meant that the vase was really quite an expensive vase.

0:44:540:44:58

And as a result, not many of them sold.

0:44:580:45:00

It is actually a very, very rare

0:45:000:45:03

-Clarice Cliff vase.

-Oh, right.

0:45:030:45:06

This is only the fourth example

0:45:060:45:08

that's been recorded with a blue sky like this.

0:45:080:45:11

They come with a blue sky, sometimes an orange sky.

0:45:110:45:14

This is only the fourth example with a blue sky.

0:45:140:45:17

Right.

0:45:170:45:19

I have just noticed,

0:45:200:45:22

rather unfortunately, there's a fine hair crack.

0:45:220:45:24

And it makes me wonder

0:45:240:45:26

if you ought to have accepted that offer of £1,000.

0:45:260:45:29

I don't think so, because it's part of our family now.

0:45:290:45:32

We're used to seeing it and used to just telling everyone to be careful,

0:45:320:45:36

you know, don't jump on the floorboards,

0:45:360:45:38

because it makes things rattle and it could fall off.

0:45:380:45:40

I don't think so. I don't think I regret that.

0:45:400:45:44

No, OK.

0:45:440:45:45

Well, I don't think you should regret it.

0:45:460:45:48

Because I think it's worth five...

0:45:480:45:51

£5,000?!

0:45:520:45:53

..to £7,000.

0:45:530:45:55

Oh, my God!

0:45:550:45:57

Oh!

0:45:570:45:58

I've got to get it home!

0:45:580:45:59

Well, the first thing I notice about this

0:46:020:46:04

is this enormous crack across the front.

0:46:040:46:06

-Have you been rather careless with your antiques?

-No.

0:46:060:46:09

He came into our house in 1943, apparently.

0:46:090:46:11

And he was found on the back seat of my father's car

0:46:110:46:14

from when he was in London.

0:46:140:46:17

Apparently had a huge air raid on

0:46:170:46:19

and this little man arrived through the back window of the car.

0:46:190:46:23

-Catapulted out of someone's house?

-Out of a building.

0:46:230:46:26

Catapulted out of a building and into Father's car,

0:46:260:46:29

so he said, "You've broken the window. I'm taking you home."

0:46:290:46:32

And he's lived with us ever since.

0:46:320:46:34

But it wasn't until the other day we looked at the back of it

0:46:340:46:37

and we found it was...

0:46:370:46:39

-A little bit older.

-A little bit older than I thought it was.

0:46:390:46:41

I can tell you that it is made out of wax.

0:46:410:46:44

It's a wax relief,

0:46:440:46:45

rather like a wax silhouette,

0:46:450:46:48

although it's a little bit more three-dimensional

0:46:480:46:51

than the wax silhouettes that we see.

0:46:510:46:53

The unusual thing about it

0:46:530:46:55

is that it isn't George III or a member of royalty.

0:46:550:46:59

He's not a politician.

0:46:590:47:00

And of course you could commission a wax relief like this

0:47:000:47:04

of yourself, but you'd have to have a bit of money.

0:47:040:47:07

You'd have to be reasonably rich.

0:47:070:47:09

And he, to me, looks like a working man.

0:47:090:47:11

Yes, I agree.

0:47:110:47:13

Shirt sleeves rolled up, pipe in hand.

0:47:130:47:15

Let's look at the back.

0:47:150:47:17

-This is what you were talking about.

-This is what I'm interested in.

0:47:170:47:20

Well, it tells us a bit about him.

0:47:200:47:22

He is Mr William Hoyle.

0:47:220:47:25

Born March the 20th, 17...something.

0:47:250:47:29

"Monday morning, about half past 11 o'clock."

0:47:290:47:34

Pretty old English!

0:47:340:47:37

It's not much of a claim to fame, is it?

0:47:370:47:39

So we're still really none the wiser.

0:47:390:47:41

"He worked at the Brown's factory

0:47:410:47:45

"from the year 1787."

0:47:450:47:48

One way and another,

0:47:480:47:50

I think I've raised more questions than answering them.

0:47:500:47:53

But perhaps one thing I can tell you

0:47:530:47:56

is what I think it's worth.

0:47:560:47:58

Oh, yes!

0:47:580:48:00

That'd be nice.

0:48:000:48:01

Well, I think it's worth around £300 to £400.

0:48:030:48:05

That's very nice indeed. Thank you.

0:48:050:48:08

Now, when it comes to half-dolls,

0:48:100:48:11

there are half-dolls and there are half-dolls.

0:48:110:48:14

And there are a number of factors that we have to consider,

0:48:140:48:17

-and I'm pleased to say that yours are ticking all the boxes.

-Yes.

0:48:170:48:19

Number one, first and foremost,

0:48:190:48:21

their arms are free from their body,

0:48:210:48:24

meaning that they are more complicated to manufacture.

0:48:240:48:28

Number two, they are the epitome of their fashion,

0:48:280:48:32

with wonderful smoky-eyed make-up,

0:48:320:48:35

beautiful fashionable cloche hats and bonnets.

0:48:350:48:38

And number three, they are all holding things in their hands,

0:48:380:48:42

from a powder box to a little bouquet of flowers

0:48:420:48:45

-to a hand mirror.

-Yes.

0:48:450:48:47

All of these factors add up

0:48:470:48:49

to make your half-dolls really right up there in the best that there are.

0:48:490:48:53

So, where did you acquire these?

0:48:530:48:56

-Where were these bought?

-I bought them in Amsterdam in about the 1970s.

0:48:560:49:00

-Do you remember what you paid for them at the time?

-Yes.

0:49:000:49:03

In guilders, the equivalent, about £45 each.

0:49:030:49:06

There are many makers. All kinds of factories made these,

0:49:080:49:11

from Heubach to Schneider to Ernst Bohne & Sohne.

0:49:110:49:15

So in terms of the factories,

0:49:150:49:17

they're sometimes difficult to identify.

0:49:170:49:19

Are these all different makers?

0:49:190:49:21

These are certainly all German.

0:49:210:49:22

I think the two on the outside are probably the same factory,

0:49:220:49:25

with a separate factory in the centre.

0:49:250:49:27

But they are all so much of their period,

0:49:270:49:30

so much of their style.

0:49:300:49:32

And I think you've got to look in terms of value

0:49:320:49:36

that they're going to have increased quite considerably

0:49:360:49:39

from your £45.

0:49:390:49:41

If you think they were £45 each originally,

0:49:410:49:44

you are now looking at your half-dolls being worth

0:49:440:49:47

£500 to £600.

0:49:470:49:50

For the three of them? That's amazing.

0:49:500:49:52

No, not for the three - each.

0:49:520:49:54

That's nice to know.

0:49:570:49:58

-You're looking at the best part of £1,500 to £2,000.

-Really?!

0:49:580:50:03

Gosh, fantastic. I'm pleased to hear that. Thank you.

0:50:030:50:07

I came to Eastbourne today to the Roadshow

0:50:080:50:10

really hoping to see an Eric Ravilious.

0:50:100:50:13

The big local artist who lived in Eastbourne.

0:50:130:50:16

But here

0:50:160:50:18

we've got two woodblocks

0:50:180:50:21

by another Eric - Eric Slater,

0:50:210:50:24

who I know is a local artist.

0:50:240:50:26

-He lived in Seaford, didn't he?

-He did indeed.

0:50:260:50:28

-Studied at Hastings.

-Yes.

0:50:280:50:30

And produced these wonderful woodblocks.

0:50:300:50:33

Got a lovely 1920s, 1930s feel to them.

0:50:330:50:36

And local views.

0:50:360:50:38

Have you always been interested in him?

0:50:380:50:40

My interest started when I was left a painting by my uncle,

0:50:400:50:44

which is this one here.

0:50:440:50:46

Um, and...

0:50:460:50:47

I didn't know about Eric Slater, and I didn't even know

0:50:470:50:50

about woodblocks,

0:50:500:50:52

but I was moving to Seaford some years ago.

0:50:520:50:55

I've now found out the way the pictures were put together

0:50:550:50:59

and I'm just absolutely fascinated by it -

0:50:590:51:01

the clouds, the colours and the perspective.

0:51:010:51:04

With all these different colours,

0:51:040:51:06

of course this represents a different colour for each woodblock,

0:51:060:51:10

so he'd have to carve out each block

0:51:100:51:11

and with the definition on the sky and the boat,

0:51:110:51:15

and then have to place the block on the paper

0:51:150:51:18

at different times to get the colours.

0:51:180:51:20

And to get that all lined up is just extraordinary.

0:51:200:51:23

-Absolutely amazing.

-And a lot of work.

0:51:230:51:25

And what I like - here we have a view of the entrance,

0:51:250:51:29

which I'm pretty sure is Newhaven harbour.

0:51:290:51:32

I think it must be.

0:51:320:51:33

And called Morning Calm.

0:51:330:51:35

And this to me is so evocative of the 1920s,

0:51:350:51:38

'30s print-making.

0:51:380:51:40

And today, this is very much in vogue.

0:51:410:51:43

The top one here, which is the coastguard station,

0:51:430:51:46

-that's Cuckmere Haven on the top, isn't it?

-It is.

0:51:460:51:49

I think that's lovely. Absolutely lovely.

0:51:490:51:52

-And the two figures there.

-Yes.

0:51:520:51:54

And he's basically signed them here, Eric Slater,

0:51:540:51:58

and you've got the title.

0:51:580:51:59

And they would have been done in an edition,

0:51:590:52:02

-and I think the edition is about 50 each, isn't it?

-I believe so.

0:52:020:52:06

Well, do you know, this is the sort of thing

0:52:060:52:09

if I was collecting today

0:52:090:52:11

would be collecting for the future.

0:52:110:52:13

Because he doesn't make a huge amount of money,

0:52:130:52:16

but that doesn't matter.

0:52:160:52:18

-There's a lot of work that's gone into these.

-Indeed so.

0:52:180:52:20

And you'd probably pick these up for

0:52:200:52:23

-I would think maximum £300 or £400 each.

-Yes.

0:52:230:52:26

-So, really lovely.

-Yes.

0:52:260:52:28

And it's just wonderful to have two great local scenes

0:52:280:52:32

of the entrance to Newhaven and Cuckmere Haven

0:52:320:52:35

-in this fantastic backdrop.

-Yes.

0:52:350:52:38

-With the sun shining.

-And the sun shining as well.

0:52:380:52:42

So, beside the seaside, beside the sea,

0:52:440:52:46

with three jewels, or is it two?

0:52:460:52:49

I think they're two.

0:52:490:52:50

Tell me about it.

0:52:500:52:52

Because this diamond

0:52:520:52:53

used to be in this ring.

0:52:530:52:56

And it was left to my daughter

0:52:560:52:58

by my mother-in-law.

0:52:580:53:00

And she's got very narrow, very small, beautiful fingers

0:53:000:53:04

and she couldn't wear that one.

0:53:040:53:06

-No.

-So we thought it's better to use it

0:53:060:53:09

so she can wear it.

0:53:090:53:12

-We haven't damaged anything.

-No.

0:53:120:53:13

We've just taken out, very carefully,

0:53:130:53:16

and made it into a ring to fit her.

0:53:160:53:18

-And then I put that one in.

-Yes.

0:53:180:53:21

Just to have something, and I kept the original box.

0:53:210:53:25

-Very, very sensible.

-So it's actually two.

0:53:250:53:28

Two jewels. That's what I suspected.

0:53:280:53:30

Yes, it is, absolutely.

0:53:300:53:32

But they both have got very, very interesting histories.

0:53:320:53:34

-I think I want to deal with this one first.

-That one belonged

0:53:340:53:37

to my other daughter, from my mother-in-law again.

0:53:370:53:39

Yes, and it's perfectly obvious it's by Boucheron.

0:53:390:53:42

So who bought it at Boucheron?

0:53:420:53:45

I don't know. My mother-in-law was born and brought up in France,

0:53:450:53:48

by Greek origin,

0:53:480:53:50

and then she married my father-in-law in 1925, 1924

0:53:500:53:57

and she came to England.

0:53:570:53:59

So they often went to Paris,

0:53:590:54:02

so it could have been my father-in-law or her father.

0:54:020:54:06

Well, I think it probably dates from her time in Paris

0:54:060:54:10

and she was clearly a very discriminating buyer,

0:54:100:54:13

because Boucheron is one of the most famous firms in the world

0:54:130:54:16

for making jewellery, in tandem with Cartier and Faberge.

0:54:160:54:19

And so it's the highest possible level of craftsmanship

0:54:190:54:22

and here we see it.

0:54:220:54:23

This is a plaque of jade,

0:54:230:54:25

mounted in platinum,

0:54:250:54:27

with a sort of stylised ribbon behind in sapphires and diamonds.

0:54:270:54:30

But this is superbly tight work,

0:54:300:54:33

very meticulous, very shrill pitch of perfection indeed.

0:54:330:54:37

And the disc of jade

0:54:370:54:40

actually anticipates the Art Deco period,

0:54:400:54:43

where there was a sort of whiff of the orient

0:54:430:54:46

brought in to a rather geometric style.

0:54:460:54:48

And I suspect this is just a hint before that breaks out, really.

0:54:480:54:53

Maybe 1920 that this was made.

0:54:530:54:56

And then, by 1925, 1927,

0:54:560:54:59

things had got much more sort of geometric and robust.

0:54:590:55:02

And that brings us on to this ring,

0:55:020:55:05

which is actually a really beautiful expression of the Art Deco period,

0:55:050:55:09

and in fact, it's a pulse-making object, really.

0:55:090:55:13

It looks so modest.

0:55:130:55:14

It is made of rock crystal, which is nothing to do with glass at all.

0:55:140:55:17

-I didn't know that.

-And it's a stone.

0:55:170:55:20

And it's lapidary work,

0:55:200:55:22

and it's cut... It looks almost a machine-age object, doesn't it?

0:55:220:55:26

Yes, it does. I thought it was plastic!

0:55:260:55:29

Well, that's good.

0:55:290:55:31

Well, it most certainly isn't. It's ice-cold, water-white rock crystal.

0:55:310:55:35

And it looks like sort of Fernand Leger,

0:55:350:55:38

the painter Fernand Leger,

0:55:380:55:40

the sort of machine age of jewellery.

0:55:400:55:42

And that's all terribly relevant,

0:55:420:55:44

because it's retailed by Rene Boivin,

0:55:440:55:46

who is another very famous French jeweller,

0:55:460:55:49

but famous also because they had a designer there

0:55:490:55:53

who is becoming the absolute focus of interest in jewellery,

0:55:530:55:57

called Suzanne Belperron

0:55:570:55:58

and she was a manufacturer and a designer for Boivin

0:55:580:56:02

and then went out and made her own reputation on her own,

0:56:020:56:06

and I don't think there's a shadow of doubt

0:56:060:56:09

that this is actually designed for Boivin by Belperron

0:56:090:56:12

to accommodate this not insubstantial diamond.

0:56:120:56:15

-Yes.

-So you'd have a water-white rock crystal Art Deco ring

0:56:150:56:20

with a water-white diamond in the middle,

0:56:200:56:22

an older-cut diamond,

0:56:220:56:24

-and it's sort of an essay in colourless-ness, isn't it?

-Yes.

0:56:240:56:28

And the return of light and scintillation...

0:56:280:56:30

Two stones - one valuable,

0:56:300:56:32

one perhaps not valuable, but decorative.

0:56:320:56:34

And these are astonishing evocations

0:56:340:56:38

of Parisian glamour, aren't they?

0:56:380:56:40

-Yes.

-They are.

0:56:400:56:41

And it's exactly what people want today.

0:56:410:56:44

And with want comes dizzy value.

0:56:440:56:46

-Yes.

-And I think that this Boucheron brooch here,

0:56:460:56:49

made of actually tiny, tiny sapphires and diamonds,

0:56:490:56:53

and jade of no particular value,

0:56:530:56:56

is nudging

0:56:560:56:58

-£18,000.

-What?!

0:56:580:57:01

Ooh!

0:57:020:57:03

Yes.

0:57:030:57:04

But that's not the end of it.

0:57:040:57:07

Oh!

0:57:070:57:08

-Because the diamond here...

-Yes?

0:57:080:57:11

..intrinsically is worth

0:57:110:57:13

another dazzling £15,000.

0:57:130:57:17

Ooh!

0:57:170:57:18

And it was jolly fortunate that you kept the original context of it.

0:57:180:57:22

You were very careful to have done that.

0:57:220:57:24

And I'm going to sigh a breath of relief,

0:57:240:57:27

because this is a very, very exciting moment indeed.

0:57:270:57:30

You do have something

0:57:300:57:31

that is the centre of jewellery collecting at the moment.

0:57:310:57:35

People want this jewellery,

0:57:350:57:36

this colourless Art Deco statement, more than you can ever imagine.

0:57:360:57:40

And so I think,

0:57:400:57:42

if you were to put that diamond back in there,

0:57:420:57:45

that a value of something like

0:57:450:57:48

£55,000 to £60,000 would be appropriate.

0:57:480:57:51

Yes.

0:57:550:57:57

Ah!

0:57:570:57:58

Hmm. Ouch!

0:57:580:57:59

BOTH LAUGH

0:57:590:58:01

After over 30 years in the world of jewellery,

0:58:030:58:05

it takes a lot to get Geoffrey Munn excited,

0:58:050:58:07

but that proved a real pulse-raising moment for him

0:58:070:58:10

and for us.

0:58:100:58:12

We were rather hoping today

0:58:120:58:13

that we might see some work by the local artist Eric Ravilious.

0:58:130:58:17

Remember we saw his paintings at the top of the programme.

0:58:170:58:20

Well, we nearly got there.

0:58:200:58:21

What about those lovely images by another local artist,

0:58:210:58:24

another Eric - Eric Slater.

0:58:240:58:26

And how fitting to see them here in Eastbourne.

0:58:260:58:28

From the bandstand and the whole Roadshow team,

0:58:280:58:31

until next time, goodbye.

0:58:310:58:34

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:58:420:58:45

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS