WHEN Jan Finch died last year after a stoic and heroic fight against cancer, Finch & Co’s 37th catalogue was in the works and it was possible to include a fitting tribute from Ted Few, a fellow antiquarian dealer in collector’s cabinet items. ‘Whilst Finch & Co will continue to flourish,’ he wrote, ‘it is difficult to contemplate it without Jan’s quiet, unassuming yet ever-present persona. Bold, instinctive, compassionate, tough if necessary, thoughtful, loyal, fiercely protective of those whom she held dear, and empirically wise… her absence will leave a gaping hole in the industry, but her influence and the firm’s presence will thankfully be felt for decades to come.’
He expressed it perfectly. I shall particularly miss arriving at Finch’s stand at BRAFA or Masterpiece to find Craig, her husband and business partner for 33 years, happily selling and Jan standing ready to steer one to some wonderfully quirky treasure that she knew would appeal. In the grandest fairs and exhibition spaces, she retained the enthusiasm and charm of her early days stall-holding with her mother in Portobello Road. Her grandfather had also been an influence,
introducing her to the Egyptian rooms at the British Museum, to such effect that, as a young teenager in the 1960s, she donated her pocket money to a school initiative supporting the relocation of Abu Simbel and a lifelong fascination followed.
Denne historien er fra November 30, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra November 30, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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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Happiness in small things
Putting life into perspective and forces of nature in farming
Colour vision
In an eye-baffling arrangement of geometric shapes, a sinister-looking clown and a little girl, Test Card F is one of television’s most enduring images, says Rob Crossan
'Without fever there is no creation'
Three of the top 10 operas performed worldwide are by the emotionally volatile Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, who died a century ago. Henrietta Bredin explains how his colourful life influenced his melodramatic plot lines
The colour revolution
Toxic, dull or fast-fading pigments had long made it tricky for artists to paint verdant scenes, but the 19th century ushered in a viridescent explosion of waterlili
Bullace for you
The distinction between plums, damsons and bullaces is sweetly subtle, boiling down to flavour and aesthetics, but don’t eat the stones, warns John Wright
Lights, camera, action!
Three remarkable country houses, two of which have links to the film industry, the other the setting for a top-class croquet tournament, are anything but ordinary
I was on fire for you, where did you go?
In Iceland, a land with no monks or monkeys, our correspondent attempts to master the art of fishing light’ for Salmo salar, by stroking the creases and dimples of the Midfjardara river like the features of a loved one
Bravery bevond belief
A teenager on his gap year who saved a boy and his father from being savaged by a crocodile is one of a host of heroic acts celebrated in a book to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Humane Society, says its author Rupert Uloth
Let's get to the bottom of this
Discovering a well on your property can be viewed as a blessing or a curse, but all's well that ends well, says Deborah Nicholls-Lee, as she examines the benefits of a personal water supply
Sing on, sweet bird
An essential component of our emotional relationship with the landscape, the mellifluous song of a thrush shapes the very foundation of human happiness, notes Mark Cocker, as he takes a closer look at this diverse family of birds
