Dear Friends
Welcome to our August newsletter.
July, wow!!! Where do we even begin to summarize the month of July. At home in the UK it came as no surprise that the Conservative government of 14 years standing were almost wiped out at the general election, a very powerful message sent by a seemingly fed up electorate, we will now wait and see which of the many positive changes are actually delivered as promised by the new government, I won’t hold my breath just yet. Meanwhile across the pond we witnessed the shocking scenes of some crank on a rooftop attempting to assassinate Donald Trump, followed hours later by the standing down of the current president from the looming presidential race, it takes some believing it really does. We can only hope for some much-needed worldwide stability, regardless of who sits in the Presidential or Ministerial hot seats.
In sport the much-anticipated Wimbledon fortnight opened its doors, which guaranteed one thing, yes you guessed it, rain. In fact, in the first two weeks of July my home county of Dorset recorded 120% of average monthly rainfall. Not exactly boating weather but great for the gardens, particularly Mrs Slys hanging baskets, what a great job she has done once again this year.
Meanwhile over In Germany we looked forward to the Euro 2024 football tournament, this also guaranteed one thing, yes you guessed it, huge disappointment once again for an over expectant England fanbase. Quite how we managed to stifle the attacking prowess of possibly the most talented England squad of the last 20 years is beyond belief. What a tedious run of fixtures to the final. With that said Ted and I settled in to watch the final, at 1-0 to Spain Ted had the right idea, the writing was already on the wall.
Sincere congratulations to Spain who were outstanding throughout and thoroughly deserved to win the competition. Football can be over complicated if you allow it to be, conversely it can be very simple. What I, and likely many others witnessed, was the Spanish manager utilising his young flying wingers correctly, with an aim to outpace the opposition and deliver the ball into the danger areas, boy did he reap the rewards for his positivity.
Now over to Paris where the Olympics will be played out over the coming days, hopefully as a nation we will pick up a good few medals and witness a new generation of rising stars, there is little doubt that the success of the Olympians reverberates through the respective nations providing a real feel good factor. Good luck to team GB.
With all that was going on in the world coupled with the start of summer holidays, July was understandably quieter on a business front. I was however very pleased to hear from a UK based lady who had taken a shine to our gold lacquer bamboo form display cabinet, an item that had featured in my 2022 Masterpiece catalogue. This charming cabinet had been in my home prior to going on display at Masterpiece, yet it was still to find its final resting place.
Following a very pleasant exchange on WhatsApp messenger, a deal was agreed and “white glove” delivery was arranged for mid-July. The resulting feedback and photograph of the piece in situ at the lady’s home was very much appreciated. “Hi Steve, thanks for the beautiful cabinet, it works very well in the space as I envisaged.”
Many thanks to this client for her valuable business, also for placing her trust in our descriptions and images on such a meaningful purchase.
Another item to fly away last month was the fine quality hawk on stand manufactured by the Maruki company, this diminutive bird of prey was finely cast and fully artist signed, thank you to that long standing friend and client for his continuing patronage.
The large Kutani jardiniere was also well received by a lady looking to place a large yucca plant into a more decorative container for her orangery display, I think the outcome was perfect.
For this month’s exclusive featured item I am delighted to offer this most unusual Edo period 1603-1868, gold lacquer Kobako (incense container). This quite remarkable little box has a sliding window in the lid that opens to reveal characters beneath a curtain. Once again, a totally market fresh opportunity from the private USA collection.
Simply click the image for further details.
And finally, the last weekend of July eventually bought glorious sunshine and the opportunity for a weekends boating in the Solent, together with breakfast aboard for the lucky few, and as we know you simply cannot have a breakfast bap without HP sauce, (although other sauces may be available).
Best Wishes
Steve