John Bly has a special place in the world of antiques. He’s been deeply charmed by fine furniture and decorative arts since he was a boy in the 1940s, and at 82 has endless stories to tell about his life in this curious, fascinating industry. Born in 1939, months before the outbreak of the Second World War, John’s earliest memories are of his wartime childhood; growing up in his family’s antiques shop in Tring, Hertfordshire, where his grandfather started the business in 1891.
‘My father took over the business and, when he went offto fight in the war, my mother and grandmother ran the shop. They would buy and sell pieces people would bring to them from London during the Blitz. Every night they would move stock into the cellar. While they wrapped and unwrapped paperweights, tea caddies, porcelain and china, they would talk about each item. I would sit and listen to them chatting. That was my education – listening to them while I sat on my grandmother’s knee.’
John left school at 17 and his father found him a job in the basements of Sotheby’s on New Bond Street. ‘I was absolutely captivated by Sotheby’s,’ he says. ‘I was a numberer in the silver department. I ended up working on all sales – jewellery, silver, enamels, ephemera, musical instruments, ceramics, Japanese works of art. It was 1957 and I earned £4.10 a week. You could buy a box of netsukes for a fiver then. The amount of goods was amazing. I didn’t have to study anything; it all just floated into you.’
Denne historien er fra February 2022-utgaven av Homes & Antiques.
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Denne historien er fra February 2022-utgaven av Homes & Antiques.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place
Pride of place LEEDS CREAMWARE
In its heyday the pre-eminent rival to Wedgwood's Queens ware, Leeds creamware is still much revered by collectors for its understated elegance
Bohemian Rhapsody
An exuberant approach to decor, with rooms enveloped in colour and pattern, has brought this historic home merrily into the 21st century...
THE ANTIQUES THAT SHAPED ME Rory Hutton
The accessories designer on his love of silver spoons and Sévres porcelain
European HERITAGE B&Bs
Is there anything more inspiring than staying somewhere that's both beautifully stylish and imbued with history? Rhiannon Batten explores five gems across Europe, from Sweden to Spain...
STAR SALES
A Hitchens painting, a museum-quality teapot and a Parisian chocolate box are all top of the lots
Textile designs by artists
Influential 20th-century fine artists and sculptors, from Picasso to Barbara Hepworth, gained additional status as textile designers until decline set in during the 1970s
Period DRAMA
A painstaking renovation has brought this 1725 former Huguenot silk weaver's house in London's Spitalfields back to life
An artist's RESIDENCE
Rustic details and a restrained palette lend a sense of simplicity to this lovingly restored Friesian bakery
Carefully Curated LIVING
This lovingly restored Gustavian manor has become both home and showroom for its owners, Maria & Jan Åke, who deal in European antiques