In the latest of our series of videos showcasing the broad membership of the BADA, Lewis Smith shows us around Koopman Rare Art’s London gallery. Lewis Smith and Timo Koopman, directors of Koopman Rare Art share a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Together they are able to source the highest quality objects by some of the leading master craftsmen in silver, such as Paul Storr, Paul de Lamerie and Benjamin Smith. You can browse a selection of items from Koopman Rare Art here.

We spoke to Kelli Ellis about her Instagram takeover, sustainability and upcoming trends in the antique trade.

Originally, the term teapoy was used to describe a small flat topped three-legged table and derives from the Hindi word tīn, meaning three, and the Persian word pāi, meaning foot. In the 17th century the term was usually spelt “tepoy” a name which bore no relation to the drink it at all and early examples are often mistaken for candle stands. However, the evolution of the term is intrinsically linked with the British passion for tea.

Established in 1814, Dent London quickly earned an unparalleled reputation for the accuracy of their clocks and marine chronometers, earning them the patronage of monarchs, and famed explorers, as well as some very famous public commissions.

Born in 1790, Edward John Dent was just three years old when his mother passed away and was apprenticed to his grandfather, a candle merchant, at the age of 14, finding lodgings with his cousin Richard Rippon.

Based in the beautiful city of Nancy in North-eastern France, Daum Frères is famed for producing some of the finest and most innovative art glass of the Art Nouveau period and remains one of the world’s leading master glass and crystal makers to this day.

For International Women's Day 2022, we interviewed our first female Chairman of BADA: Louise Phillips. Louise is a second-generation dealer, carrying on the business founded by her mother, Elaine Phillips Antiques.

How did you first discover a love for fine art and antiques?

My parents were collectors. As a baby I was taken to sales at the weekend in my carry cot and it went from there.  As I grew up, I loved sourcing items of stock and still do.

One of the most celebrated ébéniste or cabinetmakers of the 19th century, Paul Sormani is famed for his magnificent luxury furniture reproduced in the styles of the Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI periods and frequently surpassing the quality and craftsmanship of the originals.

Born in Venice, Italy in 1817, Sormani trained as a cabinetmaker, but it was in France that he established his reputation, opening his first workshop in the Saint-Nicolas district of Paris at the age of 30.

A Case Study of Talented 19th Century Amateur Women Artists

BADA Member Karen Taylor wrote this article for London Art Week 2021. Of the article, she says, "Female artists are an area of current collecting interest, and a field in which I specialise. I am currently working on another catalogue of the work of British women artists."

The BADA is publishing this article courtesy of London Art Week.

Marriage chests, also known as cassoni, hope chests or wedding chests, were historically used to store the linens and dowries of women before they were married.

Common to several European cultures, a loving cup is a drinking vessel commonly used at weddings to celebrate the happy couple’s union and to symbolise the pledge they have made to one another. They are also frequently used at livery companies and City of London banquets as a toast to friendship and fraternity.

Despite her humble origins, Hester Bateman is widely revered as one of England’s finest silversmiths and the founder of a dynasty that lasted for nearly a century. Her exceptional flatware and ornamental silver remain much in demand today.

She was born Hester Nedem (or Needham) and was baptised in London on October 7, 1708. Little is known about her formative years, other than her parents Elizabeth and John Needham were poor and that consequently she received no formal education.

In the latest of our series of videos showcasing the broad membership of the BADA, John Howard shows us around his Woodstock gallery. John and Linda Howard founded the business in 1976 where they specialised in antique English, Welsh and Scottish pottery from the 18th and 19th centuries. Browse a selection of objects from John Howard here.