A life in antiques - A rare find...
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It was a wild morning, with unruly winds, hurtling raindrops and seemingly possessed conkers that flew at us from every direction. It was one of those days when I wished I had not battled with the elements at the crack of dawn but instead stayed inside in my cosy Victorian haven. Having left home at 4am, to travel all the way to a wet and windy fair in Newark, and searched endless dealers’ stock since 6am, it felt that it was going to be one of those days when simply nothing special was going to unearth itself. Then, just as I was wiping back more rain soaked hair from my face and feeling more like Guy Fawkes than the one we made last week to go on top of our bonfire, the most exquisite examples of Swedish furniture came into focus.
This was a rare occurrence for me. Having been doing the antique circuit for so long now, I know many dealers personally and where to look for things when I arrive at fairs. To stumble on a new dealer, and one with hard to find Swedish furniture, was so exciting it made the hideous weather conditions pale into insignificance.
It turned out it was Lena’s first visit to a UK showground, and tucked away in a usually quiet corner, her stall proved for us an extremely lucky find. Swedish antiques have been a particular favourite of mine for years. I always keep an eye out for them on trips to fairs, auctions and buying trips abroad.
Original Swedish antiques from the mid 1700s to mid 1800s are difficult to find in good condition. Their popularity and, therefore, rarity has increased even more since the ‘Gustavian’ and ‘Shabby Chic’ look has become so in vogue.
The population of Sweden during this period was about the same as London today! Good quality furniture was only made for the very wealthy reducing the market for it even more. Pieces were traditionally made from indigenous pitch pine, a dense, hard and heavy wood from old trees, which creates the dark mellow colour and tight grain formation, unlike modern pine, which is forced to grow, giving a soft, white and open grained appearance.
I came away with a new contact and three stunning benches all dating from between 1780 and 1790. All had the original paint and have been scraped back by hand to give a beautiful finish showing the pitch pine underneath. One of them even had front legs that slid forwards to give access to storage space and to allow couples to recline together. All really rather charming, practical and elegant finds that would grace any home.
It proved to be a good day; I also found a great collection of vintage linens that once made into cushions and bench seats would look fantastic on these heirloom pieces.
I hope that you have a fun bonfire night and if you happen to spot one bedraggled antiques dealer with a huge grin on her face, please don’t mistake me for your Guy Fawkes.
Alison Hougham lives in a renovated Victorian ground floor apartment near Farnham. When not at home or at
The Packhouse, which is also in Farnham, you will often see her over the Surrey Hills piloting her hot air balloon.
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