The Chelsea Antiques & Fine Art Fair is the longest established event of its kind, having run consecutively since 1951 at the same venue. The Chelsea Fair takes place twice a year at Chelsea Old Town Hall, a Grade II listed building in the renowned King’s Road in London’s Chelsea. The next fair opens from Wednesday 2 to Sunday 6 November 2022 with a ticketed private collectors’ preview on Tuesday 1 November. Recently, under new ownership with 2Covet, the Fair has an enthusiastic team taking it forward, still appealing to both established collectors, interiors experts and those who enjoy surrounding themselves with the finer things in life.

Sophie Wood, Fair Director said: “For collectors and interior designers, this is a key time to visit London, as The Chelsea Antiques & Fine Art Fair coincides with other large fine art and antiques events, specifically Olympia and Asian Art in London this November.” Following on from the success of Steve Sly Japanese Art’s Summer exhibition at Masterpiece, where Steve sold over 50% of his exhibits, he is showcasing many new fresh items at The Chelsea Antiques & Fine Art Fair this November, including an outstanding Japanese Satsuma vase by Kinkozan and two mixed metal Dragon mounted tanto. Both tanto, priced at over £50,000 each, were manufactured during the mid-Meiji period by former sword fitting makers who, following the Meiji restoration of 1868 and the banning of Samurai swords being worn in public, were now having to refine their skills towards works of art destined for wealthy visiting dignitaries and overseas expositions. Whilst the tanto appear strikingly similar at first glance, the size disparity is most unusual with the larger of the two more befitting the scale of a Wakizashi (mid-sized samurai sword), the larger O-Tanto Wakizashi having arrived market fresh from a USA collector amongst a group of items that Steve recently purchased.

Japanese and Asian items are for sale from several exhibitors. Wick Antiques has a large and impressive Meiji period bronze bison by Sano Takachika for the Kakuha Company, Japanese, stamped Sano Takachika 佐野隆親 and Kakuha 角羽, c.1900, £18,500. Although English, Wick Antiques’ Chinese Chippendale fretwork display cabinet by Morant has Oriental figures and a central pagoda, circa 1895, £22,500. Dr Shanshan Wang, dealer in early Asian art, is giving a series of talks on Wick Antiques’ stand where some of her pieces will also be for sale: Tuesday 1st November at 15h00 (private preview day) - Chinese Neolithic pottery vs. European antique furniture Thursday 3rd November at 13h00 - From Persia to China, blue in ancient ceramics Saturday 5th November at 13h00 - Japanese ceramics and bronze sculptures to create a wabi-sabi European home.

Jacksons Antique brings a fine pair of Japanese cloisonné vases decorated to the highest quality with tapered scenes depicting kacho-ga (flowers and birds) including cherry, lilies, chrysanthemums, daffodils and wisteria, Meiji period, possibly the work of Ota Hyozo a renowned Japanese cloisonné artist, £18,150. Also coming to the stand is an exceptionally rare 19th century Black Forest carved mirror featuring four bears climbing around the frame, £12,000. A sizeable piece, it is the perfect item to add to any Black Forest collection or to decorate a room with a serious statement piece.

After a summer of heatwaves and reports of continued global warming, maybe it would be a good idea to invest in Carolyn Stoddart-Scott’s attractive Job Ridgeway & Sons porcelain ice pail and lid with named birds and orange decoration, £1,550. With Christmas on the horizon and the opportunity to buy unique gifts, Carolyn has a Spode porcelain pattern 944 Imari part tea and coffee set (25 pieces) in the perfect colours for the festive season, c.1815, priced at £1,275 or a rare Masons Ironstone Japan pattern Unmerapoora tea extractor, £155 – not many were made. Christmas is coming and some of the items for sale may have been commissioned for that special someone, like the silver filigree and tortoiseshell inlaid miniature piano music box with gold and mother-of-pearl, made by Mappin & Webb, London, £2,850 from jewellery and objets d’art specialist T. Robert. This tiny item only measures an inch, is fully hallmarked and has movable parts – the piano lid lifts to reveal the mother-of-pearl keys, the candleholders on the front move, as do the pedals and the wheels and it winds up to play a tune. For those who have been enjoying ‘The Great’ on UK television, T. Robert also has an important 1768 ten rouble gold coin brooch, enamelled and mounted with diamonds by workmaster Henrik Wigstrom for Fabergé and featuring Catherine The Great, St. Petersburg, c.1903-1917, £14,500. Unusual in that it is made with a ten rouble gold coin, Henrik Wigstrom was the head workmaster at Fabergé in St. Petersburg. Along with Michael Perchin, from whom he took over after his death, Wigstrom was responsible for most of the Imperial eggs and his jewellery is rare and sought after. These gold coin brooches (usually using a five rouble gold coin) were worn to show off wealth. Timewise Vintage Watches returns with an impressive selection for men and women, including a rare lady’s Rolex in 18ct white gold case with diamond set bezel, timeless design and classic elegance from 1927, £8,900 and a gent’s Rolex Explorer with superb black gloss finish and original dial with gilt numerals, dated 1966, £21,900. An iconic Rolex sports watch, which will forever be a reminder of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb the summit of Mount Everest.

An eclectic mix of oil and watercolour paintings, drawings and illustrations are for sale from Kaye Michie Fine Art amongst which are ‘Pansies and a Lighthouse’ a gouache by Mary Fedden RA OBE (1915-2012), £6,200 and ‘Sunflowers by a Window’ oil on canvas by Freddie Gore RA CBE (1913-2006), £16,000. John Robertson’s stand was popular in the Spring. This November, he is showing ‘Dolce Far Niente’ oil on canvas signed by Pierre George Jeanniot (1848-1934), £7,500. Jeanniot was a Swiss born painter and illustrator who recorded life in Paris during the Belle Epoque at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries. Other works on the stand include ‘The Children’s Bedtime’ oil on canvas by Edward Charles Barnes (British, active 1856-1882), £8,500 and ‘The Departure of the Fishing Fleet, Rye Harbour’ a watercolour by Frederick James Aldridge (British, 1850-1933), £1,800.