Kirker Holidays Partnership

Kirker Holidays

The British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA) is delighted to announce a new partnership with leading cultural tour operator, Kirker Holidays.

The exciting collaboration will see Kirker support established BADA events such as the BADA Art Prize, which enters its fourth year in 2024. Kirker will also lend their support to a series of exclusive BADA Friends events including Tea and Tiaras, a celebration of couture jewellery presented by Andrew Prince, whose glamourous creations were used in the popular hit drama Downton Abbey.

BADA Art Prize 2024

BADA Art Prize  -  Call for submissions

Founded in 1918, the British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA) is the leading UK trade association for the fine art and antiques community. Many members are internationally recognised for their expertise and unparalleled knowledge in their chosen field of speciality, having contributed to many of the world’s leading museums and private collections.  

The Makers Series: Garrard

World renowned silversmiths and jewellery makers, the London firm of Garrard & Co have enjoyed nearly 300 years at the heart of the British luxury goods trade.

The company was founded by George Wickes (1698-1761), an enterprising young silversmith and son of an upholsterer from Bury St Edmunds. Wickes served a seven-year apprenticeship with Samuel Wastell before registering his own mark with Goldsmith’s Hall in 1722.

Terms of the Trade: Bocage

In antique British pottery and porcelain, the term bocage is used to describe a decorative floral motif popularised first by Chelsea porcelain and later Staffordshire pottery from the mid 18th century onwards.

The term derives from the Old Norman word ‘boscage’, which was used to refer to shrubs, dense undergrowth, hedgerows or a small thicket of trees.

Meet Our Dealers: Patrick Duffy & Cheska Hill-Wood from David Messum Fine Art

Get to know the people and personalities that make the BADA, as we delve into their businesses, passions, and insights on buying and collecting. Through a series of interviews, we uncover their stories and discover what drives them in the world of art and antiques. 

 

Patrick Duffy (left) & Cheska Hill-Wood (right)

From David Messum Fine Art

Terms of the Trade: Snuff Box

One of the most frequently searched items on the BADA website, the humble snuff box has been a mainstay of English society since the mid-17th century.

Manufactured from ground tobacco leaves, snuff is a fine powder that is inhaled into the nasal cavity and was first imported to Europe by Spanish traders in South America, quickly became a luxury commodity.

Terms of the Trade: Toby Jug

A Toby Jug is the name given to a popular British pottery vessel modelled in the form of a stout seated gentleman, usually dressed in 18th century style frock coat and tricorn hat. The jovial character is often depicted with a mug of beer in one hand and a pipe in the other.

The tricorn hat acts as the jug’s spout while a handle is attached to the characters back for the purpose of pouring. It is thought that the British design evolved from a similar pattern of Delft jugs, popular at the time in the Netherlands.

The Makers Series: William Kent

The foremost architect of the early Georgian era, through his country houses, furniture design and landscape architecture, William Kent determined the design aesthetic that would define the Hanoverian period.

Born in 1685, Kent was actually christened William Cant, to William and Esther Cant of the town of Bridlington in Yorkshire’s East Riding. Having shown an early enthusiasm for painting and the arts, William’s professional career began in humble circumstances as apprentice to a signwriter and coach painter.