How to Survive Mothers Day

This sunday, for those of you who are not aware, is Mothering Sunday in the UK. (Sunday 3rd April 2011) Since we have a great range of antique items to impress your mother with, we thought it would only be fair to prepare you for the event in every possible way with a comprehensive survival guide.

Tip One - BE PREPARED! We all know that there's nothing worse than an angry mother so make sure you have put in the ground work for the big day.

Tip Two -  AN OUTING. Going on a mothers day outing is expected so anything short of a relaxing lunch, civilised afternoon tea or walk in a national park WILL be frowned upon. Don't let her con you into thinking she "really doesn't want any fuss" - she does!

Tip Three - FAMILY GATHERING. Chances are that gathering all members of the family, grandparents, siblings etc is not possible, although some effort towards inviting a group of close family members may be appreciated (unless there are ongoing family feuds - in which case don't bother!)

 Tip Four - FLOWERS. Traditionally, flowers are a nice gesture to make to your mother and will certainly put you in her 'good books' for the day!

Tip Five - THE GIFT. This is without doubt, the most important part and can make the difference between a year of  friendly exchanges and feeling the 'mothers wrath'! Here are some ideas that we have thrown together to inspire you and ensure you win your mothers affection on the day....

 A pair of early 20th century Japanese Cloisonne enamel vases will be perfect for displaying the flowers you've bought as well as being an elegant and decorative present. VIEW ONLINE

A small George III mahogany dressing mirror would be a practical and thoughtful present, ideal for on top of her chest of drawers or dainty enough to add some class to her ensuite bathroom. 

VIEW ONLINE

 This mid 19th century miniature Mahogany Continental three drawer jewel chest could be an attractive yet practical addition to her dressing table, with elegant turned legs and a useful purpose. VIEW ONLINE

 This 19th century Victorian oblong stool would be ideal for using at a dressing table or as a piano stool. It's multiple uses make it an excellent choice for the discerning lady. VIEW ONLINE

A fun pair of 20th century oak and mahogany bookends could be the right choice for the mother who's a keen reader or fan of interesting objects. VIEW ONLINE

 This mid 19th century mahogany brass bound jewellery box is in excellent condition and is the perfect size for storing jewellery or trinkets. VIEW ONLINE

 This large 19th century Victorian Sunderland glass "Dump" or paperweight has groups of flowers inside it, cleverly made and pretty to look at. VIEW ONLINE

 

This Victorian ruby glass dish has a clear glass handle and crimped feet, a pretty and very feminine item, ideal for serving snacks, nuts etc in whilst entertaining. Also useful for pot pourri!  

VIEW ONLINE

A late 19th century print of a Birkett Miles Foster watercolour, depicting a bright country scene of children playing in a stream. An excellent choice for the art enthusiast or the mother with wall space to fill. VIEW ONLINE

If you're still not sure what to go for, then a gift voucher might be the way forward. Our vouchers are redeemable online, in our shop or even at the warehouse. They are available in £50 and £100 denominations and can be sent electronically, for you to print out if you are little last minute with your present buying! VIEW ONLINE

Thank you for reading our Mothers Day survival guide, we hope you are able to not only survive the day but enjoy it and do convey our best wishes on Mothers Day to all of your mothers!

Graham Smith Antiques

83 Fern Avenue
Jesmond
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE2 2RA
0044 (0)191 281 5065

Tantalised by a Tantalus!

This week we are looking at a Tantalus as well as the fascinating history behind the term 'Tantalus'.


A quick definition, courtesy of Wikipedia...
"The name "Tantalus" is the origin of the English verb "to tantalize". The underlying idea is that when someone is tantalized, that person goes through the same experience as Tantalus*: something desirable is always just out of that person's reach"


*Tantalus in Greek mythology, is a ruler of an ancient city called 'Tantalis' and perhaps most notably a son of Zeus, father of the gods. Tantalus was said to have sacrificed his son and served his boiled body to a banquet of the God's, after which his punishment was to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches. Whenever he reached for a piece of fruit, the branches raised the fruit from his grasp. Whenever he bent down to take a drink, the water disappeared before he could get any. This fate cursed him with eternal deprivation of nourishment, hence the term 'Tantalus' becoming proverbial for temptation without satisfaction.


The concept of being tantalised is quite an accurate analogy for the item we have just added to our stock today - it is desirable and tempting, although unless you have the key there is no way to derive pleasure from the liquids within the decanters!

This is a 19th century Victorian Betjemanns patent coromandel wood and Birdseye maple three bottle Tantalus. The tantalus is unusual in that it's a smaller model designed to hold liqueurs. The three square shaped decanters sit in compartments lined with beautiful birds eye maple and are locked in place with the rotating handle. The stand is coromandel wood veneered and has gilt metal mounts, an elegant handle and strong feature lock, signed 'Betjemanns patent'. This tantalus is in very good condition and has been sympathetically

restored. The only damage we have found is a very small chip to one of the decanters. The lock does come complete with its key - Thank goodness!

The gilt metal mounted initials read J S C most likely the original owners. £1,200 (Circa 1870)

We have a good selection of Tantalus's in stock at the moment and they do make very impressive gifts due to their weight, appearance and practical purpose.

Graham Smith Antiques Decanter Tantalus Category

Fair's Fair!

Last weekend's Linden Hall Antiques Fair was a great success, with more visitors and increased interest in antiques than we could have hoped for!

It is lovely to see people that travel, quite often from far afield, browse through all of the exhibitors stands and take home a purchase or two. Especially nice when they are customers who have been invited through our mail outs or local distribution, so a big thank you to everyone who supported the fair again this year!

This is a quick snap of our stand, with some fresh flowers to complete the homely look!(The vase, bookshelves, candlesticks and overmantle mirror in the background are now sold, along with the card table in the foreground.)

Many of the items that we took to the fair did not return to the shop after being purchased, although one item that we are especially fond of did return; an Edwardian Games Compendium with a rather interesting mixture of games and in excellent condition. You can still browse through the images and description of this lovely box on our website by clicking the picture below.

Thank you for reading the Graham Smith Antiques blog, if you would like to see regular updates of what's going on in our shop, warehouse, online or at exhibitions, follow our twitter feed or find us on facebook

www.grahamsmithantiques.com

Playing our cards close to our chest, so to speak!

This weekend Linden Hall Hotel in Longhorsley, Northumberland, again plays host to the Antique Dealers Fair Ltd, ‘Luxury Antiques Weekend’. We regularly exhibit at this annual event and have some beautiful pieces to show visitors this year, as usual we hideaway many of the items we take to the fair to add some mystery and excitement to proceedings! This year, we have a very interesting games box, a fine walnut chest of drawers and a regency kingwood card table, to name but a few!

We’ve selected the Regency Kingwood Card Table to give you a sneak preview today; although once the fair is open tomorrow it will also be available to buy on our website if you aren’t local enough to attend the Linden Hall fair.

This Unusual early 19^th century Regency kingwood veneered, turn over top card table, stands on four short sabre legs with gilded brass toes and casters. The legs support an oblong platform with concave sides, adorned with brass stars that are inlaid into the corners.

The platform in turn supports four serpentine shaped legs that hold the table top and the turn over side of the top has an old baize playing surface. On the centre of the frieze below the table top is a decorative brass inlaid panel.

The table is in very good condition and has had the polish sympathetically restored. The table dates from circa 1810 and is a fine example of an antique card table from the regency period. The table stands 73.5cm tall, is 91cm wide and 45.7cm deep in dimension.

We look forward to welcoming you to our stand at Linden Hall this weekend, the details are shown below and should you require more information, the image links directly to the Antique Dealers Fairs Ltd website. There are several restaurants and bistros on site at Linden Hall, with a selection ranging from tea and scones to á la Carte to suit every taste.

Thank you for reading the Graham Smith Antiques blog and if we could interest you in following news of our events, new stock, special offers or antiques advice, you can follow us on twitter or facebook.

www.grahamsmithantiques.com

83 Fern Avenue, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, NE2 2RA

Telephone - 0044 (0)191 281 5065

Email - info@grahamsmithantiques.com

The Wonderful Warehouse!

We are pleased to announce that our new warehouse is now open for business. Here’s how it looks...

There's a great selection of antique desks in our 'office' / 'study' room setting at the moment, with some ideas for chairs to match them too.

The warehouse is packed to the rafters with a great selection of antique furniture for customers to browse through, with four room settings decorated with a range of dining, bedroom, study and living room furniture to inspire the imagination.

This dining room setting is our favourite, with a beautiful circular oak breakfast table in the centre. Come and visit the warehouse Tuesday – Sunday,

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am – 5pm

Wednesday 10am – 5pm

Thursday 10am – 5pm

Friday 10am – 5pm

Saturday 10am – 4pm

Sunday 11am – 4pm

Simon and Brian will welcome you to the warehouse and help you find the item you are looking for, if you have spotted an item on our website, then perhaps call us prior to visiting to check its location. The telephone number for the warehouse is 0191 218 9563. Now we have two sites, it is worth checking if you have a specific item you are interested in.

Here's a little map to the warehouse, as well as the address! Map to New Warehouse

Please note: Our old warehouse, which was partially open to the public at Brunswick Industrial Estate is now closed permenantly.