OVERLAPPING with Maastricht is a very different
fair, but one which over its 21 years has also built up a loyal following. So
in case you want to adjust your schedule to take in both events (and some people
do) here is early notice that the BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair will be
held in its smart marquee off Sloane Square, Chelsea from March 13 to 19.
This is an unashamedly British affair, hardly
surprising since it is the annual showcase of some 100 members of the venerable
British Antique Dealers’ Association.
Not all the stock reflects the marked BADA
influence but the appeal of this elegantly turned out event is that it does
have a traditional English feel and the best sellers are in the areas associated
with the top end of the UK antiques trade, such as clocks and good quality brown
furniture.
But not boring brown furniture as can be seen
from the c.1580 oak overmantel we illustrate for which Devon dealer Shaw
Edwards will ask £15,000. It was probably made in the Leeds area and
interesting are the masks below the top which appear to depict Native Americans
– a link perhaps with the return of Sir Walter Raleigh from the New World?
Regular
customers come to town to shop at BADA and it is also popular with the wealthy
locals, especially the increasingly large contingent of overseas residents of
Kensington and Chelsea.