FINDERS KEEPERS | ART & CULTURE | CABANA MAGAZINE
London-based antique dealer Christopher Butterworth, proprietor of one of Pimlico Road's most cherished antique emporiums, shares with Sara Pierdona the memorable stories behind two extraordinary objects: his greatest find and the piece he’ll keep forever.
INTERVIEW BY SARA PIERDONA | ART & CULTURE | 20 SEPTEMBER 2024
Happily situated on London's famous Pimlico Road, Christopher Butterworth's antique shop is a veritable Aladdin's cave, specializing in two categories: vases and lamps. Piled high in both quantity and variety, the objects seem to be teeming with secrets and stories, which only the owner is able to navigate.
“For me, antiques were an early vocation. Even as a kid I was interested in old things. At first I traded in everything, but slowly realized that the interest of decorators pushed me to specialize,” says Christopher. Behind each of his objects is an intriguing story of discovery and acquisition, often involving anecdotes about insidious Italian counterfeiters or the poetry of French flea markets.
My Greatest Find: A Neoclassical glass chandelier
"How to decide on best? An obvious candidate with a pleasing story is this large George III cut lead ‘crystal’ glass chandelier of Neoclassical period and probably by William Parker, in Fleet Street, London c.1780s.
"A respected Dutch dealer in the South of France mentioned he had bought a large English chandelier in need of care that had come from the Riviera. It was still on the truck that he had bought it from, but had been fully wrapped, with barely 20cm showing (the top shackle and a small element of glass). From this, I knew exactly what it was and that I had to buy it. He was amenable.
"It hung for some time in my storage collecting dust, before being offered to Jasper Conran, through the good offices of Edward Hurst. The image here shows this chandelier hanging in a favorite room of mine at Ven (a house I would later assist in another grand decoration of). Other items visible in this gorgeous room also came from me. Jasper relocated this chandelier to Wardour Castle, an even grander setting, before selling it at Christie's when he moved on to his current happy home."
The piece I'll keep forever: A Giallo Antico marble lion sculpture
"This is a question that no antiquarian should be forced to answer, because there is always the risk that he will lie. In any case, the piece that I, theoretically, should never sell is a rare, tiny, and exquisitely carved Giallo Antico marble lion. It was [inspired by] one by Antonio Canova on the tomb of Clement XIII in St Peter’s, Vatican, carved between 1783 and 1792.
"It came with a group of small early 19th century Roman grand tour souvenirs that I bought at Christie's South Kensington in the first month of my dealing career in 1984. I was charmed and kept it. I have had larger pairs of Canova lions of the same early period, including a pair in Rosso Antico that I bought in Cape Town, but I have never seen another as gem-like. When [fellow antiquarian] Christopher Hodsoll came to visit, he made to slip it into his pocket.
"I have always loved lions and this first one led me to assemble a small collection of special examples in different media from 1560 to 1840. I am fascinated by physiognomy and the changes in the way animals and even human faces were portrayed over these centuries. In the image here, one can see the development from cartoonish to completely lifelike study."
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