Peter Szuhay’s stunning silver collection

Today’s post is a bit delayed, as I am waiting for something quite exciting to come through!  I will however post about that tomorrow – a very rare Tuesday post, as usually I am here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – so watch this space dear!

As for today’s wonderful post: at the Art and Antiques London-fair I also popped by Peter Szuhay‘s stand, who is renowned for having one of the largest collections of antique silver, European works of art, intaglios and cameos in central London.  Some of the other traders at the fair also told me about Peter’s amazing collection of antique jewellery, which I didn’t have time to photograph this time around, but I will make sure to show it to you very soon.

 Peter Szuhay – a Victorian cast silver-gilt Table Bell – more detailed description in the photo below

 Peter Szuhay

Peter Szuhay – Silver Corpus ca. 1480, probably Italian

Peter Szuhay

 Peter Szuhay – Silver Teapot, probably North German, maker’s mark only, ca. 1720

The knowledge that these traders possess is just incredible, and I am so grateful that they are here to pass it on to us, so that we can also appreciate the beauty of history in such a tangible way.

If you want to see Peter’s collection do pop by Grays Antiques Market in Mayfair, London – and I will be doing a post on both Grays Antiques as well The London Silver Vaults very soon, so do stay tuned!

Peter Cameron at the Art Antiques London fair

I popped into Art Antiques London by the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens a few days ago, which really is the most glamorous antique fair here in London!

Entering the venue is just amazing, as such impressive and beautiful paintings are hanging on the walls, fascinating sculptures are propped up on stands everywhere and if you take the time to read the descriptions you realise what a wonderful part of history you are getting to take part of.

Both photos above are from Peter Cameron‘s collection…

My invitation came from a very skilled antiques dealer, Peter Cameron, whose collection you can see at Vault 57 in The London Silver Vaults.  Peter has been dealing in silver since 1974 and I have found that there is always a fascinating story behind these traders choosing this career path, and Peter is no exception.  You can read his story here.

I arrived quite late at the fair, but still managed to get some photos of this goregous collection before it closed for the day.

Peter Cameron

So here you can see my ideal dressing table… a girl can always dream, right?  A glorious gold mirror with such intricate detail, and I would of course use the tray and bowls for jewellery!

Peter Cameron

 

Peter Cameron – Newlyn Enamel Studio.  A napkin ring, London 1911, R.T. Dick 

I am so planning to one day buy some antique silver napkin rings by the way.  They add such an elegant touch to the table and make such an interesting table conversation topic!  In Cape Town a friend of mine has these small, antique silver place card holders, that always make me sigh deeply with love.  Imagine the dinner parties that they have seen through the years!

And just on another brief note: gosh how rewarding it is to photograph silver and gold pieces!  When you get the light right, they really do stand out and their full beauty almost almost comes through completely – obviously they will always be more breathtaking in real life!  Which is another reason I would encourage you to visit an antique fair this year.

The beauty and uniqueness of these pieces are impossible to replicate and I am hoping that you will be inspired to one day start buying antiques.  Remember that in most cases they will last you a lifetime, as the quality was just wonderful back in the days, and it is quite the investment, as you won’t have to buy a new wardrobe or dining table ever so often!