EXTENDING A WELCOME AT OLYMPIA
The organisers of Summer Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair, www.olympia-art-antiques.com from Thursday 6 (Preview Day) to Sunday 16 June, 2013, now in its 41st 
year, have devised some enticing ideas to appeal to a wider audience this year. A late night opening on Thursday 13 aimed at first time buyers of antiques when visitors will be welcomed with a festive jazz band, a glass of wine and the offer of a personal shopper to guide them round the fair.
Art Advisor and personal shopper Tim Corfield said, ‘We realise that buying art and antiques can be intimidating 
initially but we want people to visit after work and discover the thrill of collecting with a little hand holding by an expert who can guide them around the phenomenal choice of pieces for sale.’
The Antiques are Green www.antiquesaregreen.org movement has been instrumental in increasing the appeal of ethical and green purchases and encouraged new buyers to the antiques marketplace and Fair Director Mary Claire Boyd says of buying art and antiques, ‘in an age of thoughtful spending, you have to ask yourself would you rather spend £2000 on a fabulous piece of Art Deco design that is very likely to appreciate over time, provide immense pleasure while it is doing so and can be handed down to your children or buy a console table for the same money on the high street that is almost worthless as it leaves the shop’.
The famous 19th c glass domed halls of Olympia will offer pieces from £100 to £1million 
with big names and unknown treasures for a new market to enjoy and learn about – works such as Miro prints, Picasso ceramics, a pair of imperial dragon roundels from the Yongchen dynasty or some 19th century faux onyx covered chairs. Glass from fine Georgian to the desirable 20th c pieces, jewellery, paintings from contemporary back to 16th century, antique and Mid C furniture, textiles, lighting, mirrors, tribal art and kitchenalia from around two hundred exhibitors from across the UK.
The variety of exhibitors this year shows something of a return to the original identity of 
Summer Olympia, an event which offered the trade from around the country the opportunity to exhibit at an exciting high profile venue during the London Season to show their best stock to clients new and existing.
The series of talks and lectures this year are among the most broadly appealing so far and likely to draw significant numbers to the fair. Guy Oliver, well known for his interior design work at Claridge’s over the years, will talk about his latest project – restoring The Connaught Hotel.
Other topics include The Art of Fine Dining, an introduction to elegant eating from the late Middle Ages to the early Nineteenth Century, examining silver, glass and porcelain as 
illustrated in paintings, Modern Design and Decorative Arts (1920-1980) and French design and its influence in England 1600-1900.
With a series of bespoke tours lead by Independent art consultant, Vanessa Curry, looking at buying art and antiques in the current market; the attraction of well made things and the beautiful world of jewellery among others, the fair offers an exceptional one-stop antiques honey pot for collectors and connoisseurs of all ages!
Images:
Viennese rock crystal, silver and enamel Fantasy Bird by Karl Rossler John Jaffa, The Antique Enamel Company
Joan Gilchrest – Church with Chickens
(1918-2008) Oil on panel, signed with initials lower right
Provenance: – Gift from the Artist to the Artist’s Nephew.
Clerkenwell Fine Art
Bombay shaped 1950s diamond ring
Central stone 18.85 carat diamond, set in platinum
Anthea A G Antiques Ltd
Late 19thC French Hessian Horse
Fontaine Decorative
Set of SIX olive green wine glasses in Arts & crafts style. James Powell, London. English c.1900
Mark West
For full exhibitor list, times and details of talks see Summer Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair web site via TRADE INDEX www.antiquesnewsandfairs.co.uk
MASTERPIECE 2013 REVEALS THE MARY TUDOR PEARL
Masterpiece London www.masterpiecefair.com returns for the fourth edition of aesthetic 
excellence from 27 June to 3 July 2013 in the spectacular purpose-built pavilion on the South Grounds of The Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3 with over one hundred and fifty distinguished dealers in art and antiques on the international stage vying for the most talked about exhibit – a prize likely to be carried off by jewellers Symbolic & Chase who will be showcasing an extraordinary jewel from European Royal history – The Mary Tudor Pearl.
The Renaissance pearl surfaced in 2004 when it was acquired, having been lost since the late 16th century, and can be dated back to 1526. It measures 258.12 grains (64.5 carats, 69.8 carats with its diamond cap) making it the third largest well-formed natural pearl documented today.
Between 1526 and 1539 the pearl entered into the outstanding jewellery collection of the Empress Isabella of Portugal (1503-1539). When the Empress died in 1539 the pearl was inherited by her daughter, Juana of Austria (1535-1573) and ultimately became part of the dowry for Mary Tudor (1516-1558), after whom the pearl has been christened, when she married Felipe II of Spain.
The outstanding asymmetrical drop-shaped pearl was much admired by the Tudor courts and is featured in Royal portraiture of Mary Tudor, namely ‘Mary Tudor, Queen of England, second wife of Felipe II’ by Anthonis Mor at the Museo del Prado and ‘Queen Mary I’ by Hans Eworth, (image courtesy of The Bridgeman Art Library). A similar painting by Hans Eworth of Queen Mary I also hangs at the National Portrait Gallery.
Martin Travis, Director at Symbolic & Chase, says, “Coming across one of the most astonishing natural pearls to date is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am delighted to be showcasing this recent Royal discovery at Masterpiece London this June and July”.
Following its debut at Masterpiece London the pearl will be exhibited at the V&A Museum Pearls Exhibition which will run from 21 September 2013 to 19 January 2014.
Masterpiece London 2013 welcomes more than twenty new exhibitors to the fair this year. These include Ariadne Galleries (New York), Martin du Louvre (Paris), Veronique Bamps (Paris), Galerie Willy Huybrechts (Paris), Galerie Vauclair (Paris), Mayoral Galeria D’Arte (Barcelona), Stockspring (London), Montblanc UK Ltd (London) and Rolleston (London) amongst many others. These exhibitors join Masterpiece London’s returning exhibitors to present an international spectrum drawn from eleven different countries, from the west coast of United States to Europe.
Images:
The Mary Tudor Pearl -Symbolic & Chase
Queen Mary I, 1554, oil on oak by Hans Eworth.
Courtesy of Society of Antiquaries of London/ The Bridgman Art Library.
For full exhibitor list and times see Masterpiece London web site via TRADE INDEX www.antiquesnewsandfairs.co.uk
