The Treasure House Fair returned for its fourth edition at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The event, a flagship event for the British art and antiques trade in the tradition of Masterpiece and Grosvenor House, began with a VIP preview reception held on the evening of June 23 and ran until June 30.
At the time of going to press, some of the 60 dealers had enjoyed a promising start with business reported across the collecting disciplines.
One of several first day sales for Thomas Coulborn & Son was a pair of 16in (40cm) oak heraldic supporters priced at £95,000. They date to c.1605, shortly after the accession of James VI of Scotland to the English throne as James I. The new arms chosen at the time featured a lion rampant, symbol of England, to the left and a Scottish unicorn to the right. Careful conservation had removed multiple layers of later decoration to reveal the original polychrome and parcel gilt decoration beneath.