For Jennifer BristowSmith, an antique textiles dealer who originally studied sculpture and textiles, it is the history of printed wares that intrigues her the most. 'I'm a hunter-gatherer, not a collector. I like finding things and then researching their story. Textiles offer a tangible link with past lives. We all live with fabric - be it a rug, or bed cover - so we can all relate to it.' Jennifer's provenanced wares are not cheap.
Although some dealers buy from me, my main clients are collectors, historians and designers, who know their stuff.' Some buy the rarer pieces to reproduce the designs; others to make cushions or for upcycling. A set of 18th-century panels blockprinted in Coromandel, a former Dutch colony in southern India, recently found its way to an Indian historian who is writing about the subject. But I'll often buy things just because they look interesting.
Sometimes they're valuable, sometimes not.' The hub of her enterprise is the handsome Victorian house in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, where she lives with her husband, Laurence, a diplomat turned historian. They bought it 15 years ago, while posted in Milan. Built for a prosperous local solicitor in 1890, the house was in reasonably good shape. Inside, all it needed were cosmetic tweaks, as well as the luxury of five new bathrooms and a great deal of bookshelves. Outside, gardens tumble down to a wide, tidal river.
Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av Homes & Antiques.
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Denne historien er fra September 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.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
48 hours in FUNCHAL
Jenny Oldaker discovers Madeira's capital to be an elegant, artistic place with wide open spaces, verdant beauty spots and a picture-perfect sea-facing location...
LUKE HONEY'S Enthusiasms
On an autumn day in 1783, a sheep, a duck, and a rooster became the first living creatures to fly in a hot air balloon.
Collecting NUTCRACKERS
Not just for Christmas, these nostalgic keepsakes come in an abundance of novelty shapes and styles, offering character and affordability for budding collectors
WHY I COLLECT Medals
Oliver Miller, managing director of Bishop & Miller Auctioneers and Valuers, is fascinated by medals - for him it's all about the preservation of stories for future generations...
Fashionably CURATED
Roni Lang's home in Deal, situated above her clothing store, is every bit as creative and stylish as you'd expect from a fashion designer
Work life balance
Lucy and Guy Rutter - a ceramicist and artist respectively - have found the ideal place to live and work: a Victorian property in Faversham attached to a once-neglected studio...
Farm FUSION
A farmhouse near Cape Town has been given a rustic-meets-industrial makeover, using found materials and objects, as well as treasures brought back from afar
SAVVY Sophistication
Affordable and intriguing charity shop and eBay finds are teamed with statement pieces in this impressive Victorian home in West Yorkshire
DARREN APPIAGYEI
The wood artist talks to Dominique Corlett about seed pods, creative reinvention and the life-enhancing feeling of turning a lathe
Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place