During the Edwardian period wealth fluorished, the movie and motor industries excelled and it was a time of new ideas, refinement and elegance. The era lasted from 1901 to 1915 and is often referred to as La Belle Epoque and/or The Gilded Age. Queen Victoria died in 1901 and her son was crowned King Edward VII and his bride Alexandra, Princess of Wales, became a trendsetter and influenced fashion with her wearing of lace, silks and diamonds.
Edwardian jewellery was feminine, delicate and light, and less ornate than in Victorian times. Platinum became the most popular metal during this time and Cartier pioneered its' use by designing delicate fragile looking jewellery. Baguette cut stones, in the millegrain settings, were popular as they reflected maximum light and colour. This flash of colour and brightness suited the fashion of low necklines in evening dresses. Pendants became popular with diamonds and pearls set in platinum for their white on white colour scheme. Another typical design of the Edwardian era was the simple circular brooch, often stone set. It could represent a garland of flowers or a wreath of laurel or ivy leaves, and sometimes it would have a central flower design or an offset diamond or coloured stone.
A pair of platinum Edwardian diamond drop earrings offered by Pari’s Jewellery
"Plique a Jour Pendant" - this beautiful silver & moonstone pendant is attributed to Liberty and is a fine example of the quality craftsmanship at the beginning of the 20th Century, offered by Gareth Brooks
A selection of various Edwardian and Victorian pieces of paste jewellery by Peter and NaneenBrooks
Rings were popular during this era and women tended to wear several on each hand, such as this Edwardian diamond ring in 18ct gold, offered by Pari’s Jewellery.
Pearls became very fashionable during the Edwardian era, and were sourced from the Persian Gulf, Australia, Ceylon, the MississippiValley and even Scotland. Pearls were arranged to enhance the edges of brooches such as in these two lovely designs:
Victorian/Edwardian memorial brooch with enamel and pearls offered by Connie Speight
Natural pearl brooch with agate in the centre, 1915, offered by Sheila Cameron
Edwardian homes were furnished and decorated with refined pattering and designs and home utensils were beautifully made to fit the tastes of this era, such as this Royal Worchester enamelled plate, dated 1913 offered by W & L Antiques and Minton cup and saucer, also offered by W & L Antiques.
The Edwardian era also birthed writers, artists and composers that we consider modern. Pablo Picasso ignited Cubism with his move to Paris and in LondonThe Bloomsbury Group, which included E.M. Forster were founded. Authors such as Galsworthy and playwrights like Shaw, Ibsen and Pinero, introduced new themes of fallen women and class differences to challenge the Victorian ideals of society.
Theatre programme from London Coliseum, Sarah Bernhardt season including Le Proces de JeanneD'Arc, dated 08.09.1913. Offered by Castaside.
Many more Edwardian objects of style are to be found in Alfies!
Alfies first Treasure Hunt was a fun event! We had many returning customers as well as new faces participating in the hunt. The prizes went out like hot cakes towards lunch time, with the first prize of a £50 Alfies Gift Certificate tempting the winners to return to Alfies to spend their winnings! There was a real buzz about the place as everyone searched for clues and discovered parts of Alfies they never knew existed.
The Treasure Hunt was a great way to help raise money for St. John's Hospice and it was fun to see employees from the hospice taking part too. Thanks goes out to The Girl Can't Help It of the ground floor, who very kindly donated 10% of their profits for the day - bumping up the total money raised. Thanks also to Wesley & Lynda Payne, another of our dealers at Alfies, who donated second, third and fourth prizes of an unusual ceramic teapot and two trios.
Last but not least a BIG thank you to everyone who came down, took part and helped raise money for a very good cause. We hope you had lots of fun!
Click here to see some more photos from the Treasure Hunt!
Continuing our exploration of the first floor, we are moving onto some more very interesting dealers. Firstly is Bent Ply (F040-45), Bruna buys and sells avant garde furniture from the 20th Century by architects and designers such as Alvar Aalto, Gerald Summers, Marcel Breuer, Betty Joel, Gio Ponti and Hans Wegner.
Beside Bent Ply is Dimech (F046-49) with a vast range of collectables and a big emphasis on fine art, there are some great paintings here. There is also a range of other items from sets of Babycham glasses to a Mickey Mouse alarm clock.
Then we come along to the horse-shoe section of the floor that houses four dealers, the first being Louise Verber Antiques(F070). Louise has a very attractive stand with an amazing collection of Art Deco picture frames (see picture below).
Next is Travers Antiques (F080-82). Paula and Ken started their business in nearby Bell Street the same year that Alfies opened. In 1989 they opened Travers Antiques here at Alfies. Their stock includes mainly 19th and 20th Century decorative furniture, mirrors and lighting including Art Deco and industrial metal pieces.
Dodo,(F071-72) is one of the most unique and interesting stalls in Alfies is a visual delight. Liz Farrow deals in posters, advertising signs, labels, tins and show cards. Her stock includes mainly British, French, Italian and Spanish posters from 1920s to 1930s on food and drink, travel, sport, entertainment, smoking products, cigar, crate and cracker bolt labels, tins and some packaging.
Lastly is Christopher Hall (F077-78), who sells furniture and decorative objects, mostly French, from the 19th and 20th Centuries.
Silver and carrera marble Portuguese lawyers inkwell
Keep following Alfies Blog for Part Three of the in-depth look at the first floor!
This week's blog is the first of three parts on the first floor in Alfies. The first floor, in my opinion is the most varied in terms of different types of dealers and antiques found here. With items ranging from Art Deco furniture to African textiles, there really is something for everyone!
Starting in the corridor we find Castaside which specialises in theatre ephemera; posters, programmes, brochures, leaflets and flyers, all late Victorian to current and mainly West End. This is a real treasure trove and a must see for any theatre fanatic.
1983 'Marilyn' musical based on the life of Norma Jean/Marilyn Monroe.
Next to Castaside is Tycho Andrews, specialising in collectable Antiques and Modern Design. Tycho has exhibited on numerous occasions at the Olympia Antiques Fair and also this year at the Grand Designs exhibition at Excel and Circa at the Truman Brewery. He also hires to the film and television industry.
Very unusual 1950s Danish armchair in cow hide, with back in black leather. Solid teak legs and arms.
Stephen Lazarus deals in 20th Century decorative objects and furniture incorporating Art Deco, industrial, painted furniture and a whole range of lighting. I love Stephen's stand, it's got some truely unique and interesting items
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Gloria Sinclair, has been in Alfies since 1978 dealing in English and continental porcelain, objects and jewellery.
Duncan Clarke specialises in the hand woven textile traditions of West Africa and supplies distinctive vintage fabrics to major museums, decorators and private collectors. This stand is really special and well worth a visit!
Asafo flag, Fante peoples, Ghana
Peran Dachinger's Fine Art, beside Duncan Clarke's stand. Previously trading at Portobello Market, Robert came to Alfies in 1995. His stock includes 18th, 19th and 20th Century oil paintings and watercolours. Robert has an international client base comprised of interior decorators and notable private clients. He is now joined by Peran Dachinger.
Cuzco school, 20th century oil on board.
Lastly is Manley J Black, Manley specialises in unusual and decorative objects and has been in Alfies since the 1980's. His stock ranges from French Armoires to Battersea snuff boxes.
Stay tuned for the next two entries about the first floor as there are lots more dealers to follow!
The exhibition Telling Tales at the V&A is just brilliant and is definitely worth a visit. A selection of furniture and product designers are let loose with the theme of the dark and rather eerie side of fairytales and story telling. What results is a combination of furniture and objects that you would only dream of existing in real life - the question is, is it art or is it just amazing furniture?
The whole exhibition seems to revolve around blending the boundaries between art and design. It is an issue that is almost impossible to resolve and that seems to throw up more questions than answers. Here are a few pieces from the exhibition:
'Heatwave' Radiator by Joris Laarman. This radiator was playfully based on a Roccoco fireplace from Winchester House in London from about 1750.
This chair and ceiling lamp named 'The Divine Comedy' by Niels van Eijk has been etched with the story of the same named poem by Dante, with thieves suffering in hell depicted on the chair and angels from heaven on the lamp.
The 'Rubber Baron Table' by Studio Job was my favourite piece of the exhibition (aside from the slippers made out of moles!) It is based on the 19th Century industrialists whose affluence and power was unequalled.
Wandering though Alfies there are always objects that make me think of storytelling and whisk my imagination away to distant lands.
Colin Thompson on the second floor at Alfies is the perfect place to start the search for fairytales. He has a large range of storybooks for both children and adults. Stuwwelpeter is one of my favourite books, by German author Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann.
This re-upholstered chair from The Upholstery Workshop is fit for a princess. As is this gorgeous 18th Century Swedish sofa (with pull-out bed and the original horse hair cushions) from Christopher Hall. It would make anyone feel like a real life sleeping beauty.
Have you ever visited the second floor mezzanine? It feels like you are stepping into a glass wonderland. The impressive chandeliers by Vincenzo Caffarella with their incredible shapes and forms would easily transform any room into a magical place.
Francesca Martire on the first floor also has some stunning chandeliers like this one below made from hundreds of white glass flowers.
Something that really caught my eye this week was this very unusual Danish cow hide chair from Tycho Andrews.
I'm not sure what sort of history could be attached to this but in my opinion it would make an incredible story telling chair. Imagine on a dark winter's evening in front of a crackling fire, the children gather round ready to be scared stiff and delighted by the old tales their grandfather tells them... or is that just me?!
Join Alfies Antique Market on Saturday 5th September and take up the challenge to navigate its labyrinth of dealers and be part of Alfies’ Great Treasure Hunt to raise money for St John’s Hospice.
We will ask you to make a voluntary donation of £1 to enter the hunt, while Alfies dealers will also make donations. All proceeds raised will go to St John’s Hospice, which provides invaluable support and care to anyone in Central and North West London suffering from a terminal illness.
Taking part in the treasure hunt will give you the chance to win a myriad of prizes from Alfies. There will be something for everyone who enters as a thank you for their donation, as well as the opportunity to win a mystery gift.
Alfies Great Treasure Hunt is a wonderful chance to explore Alfies from head to toe, you may chance upon such wonderful items as:
a 1930s hand-painted Burleigh pottery egg-cruet set
Art Noveau is one of my most favoured art styles, the free-flowing shapes and beautifully designed items from this era have an elegant and light quality. Artists from the Art Noveau period are famed for breaking free from the repeated rigidity of earlier eras and they were highly inspired by organic forms, which spurred exciting intertwined designs. These liberated flowing shapes of Art Noveau were a bridge between the old and the new, and lead design into the 20th century. Staircase, Emile Tassel House, Brussels, Belgium and Art Nouveau female by Alphonse Mucha
The name Art Noveau itself was taken from a gallery called Maison de l'Art Noveau opened in 1895 by Samuel Bing in Paris.
Entrance to Samuel Bing's gallery in Paris
Bing was an experimental art collector and he wanted to defend the applied and decorative arts and started exhibiting the avant-garde work of contemporary artists, such as Camille Claudel, Fernand Khnopff, William Degouves de Nuncques, Edward Munch, Auguste Rodin, Victor Rousseau, Paul Signac, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, amongst others.As Art Noveau spread throughout Europe, the style took on country specific names: Jugend in Germany, Arte joven in Spain, Arte nuova in Italy and Nieuwe kunst in the Netherlands. Other noted artists and designers of this era are Gustav Klimt, Charles Rennie Macintosh. Alphonse Mucha and Rene Lalique. In the UK, the style of Art Noveau was spurred by the Arts and Crafts Movement. Artists such as Aubrey Beardsley commanded the form of Art Noveau in excellence and his delicate patterned drawings contain many of the characteristics of this era.
Images from 'La Morte D’Arthur and Venus from 'The Yellow Book'
Beardsley's stunning cover to 'Salome - a tragedy in one act'
The free flowing organic shapes of Art Noveau can be found in objects at Alfies such as this beautiful mirror with silver mounted frame, Birmingham 1906, and the magnifying glasses, all from Goldsmith & Perris
From left to right: Ivory handle and silver bands, Sheffield 1897 Silver handle, Sheffield 1905 Mother of pearl and silver plated, ca 1900
This ornate silver card case, made in Birmingham 1900, shows the organic shapes of Art Noveau, also from Goldsmith & Perris
Floral patterned glass inkwell with silver overlay, ca 1900, from Magna Carta Antiques
A slightly more stylistic interpretation of the organic design can be seen in this Liberty pewter fruit bowl with new liner. Designed by Archibald Knox, ca 1905 from Robinson Antiques
Women’s accessories took on new shapes and designs when the organic forms of Art Noveau were coupled with jewellery, like this French Art Nouveau 18 ct gold heart locket with rose cut diamonds, from Pari’s jewellery.
Other exciting new shapes were these six silver buttons with Art Nouveau ladies, complete with box, hallmarked 1908, from Connie Speight, they show the beauty, elegance and flowing forms of the era.
Or this English evening clasp bag made with painted mesh and nouveau frame, from Sheila Cameron
In its heyday, Art Noveau became more than the aesthetics of art and design, it became a life style where freedom and elegance was incorporated into daily life. Live by this motto and find exquisite items at Alfies to enrich you!
