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Authors: Jacqueline Yallop
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unexpected discovery âthat I put it down again, hardly believing my eyes at so great a findâ. But looking around, she found that the dealer was paying little attention to her, and, when she tentatively asked him about the piece, she realized that he âhad no idea what it wasâ. Taking advantage of his ignorance, she struck a deal for the figure, along with two sauceboats which caught her eye, for £7. The shrewd speculation, Charlotte noted, âamply repays the trouble of a seven hour driveâ. 9
A few years later, in early 1880, she instructed one of her French contacts, a dealer named Fournier (possibly the son of the Fournier who had disappeared during the violence of the Paris Commune) to buy on her behalf a small figurine. Charlotte had glimpsed the piece only once, briefly, as it lay unregarded in a display window, but she was immediately sure it was sixteenth-century Spanish. Fournier disagreed. Since he was being paid for his trouble, he continued to act on Charlotteâs orders, but he maintained that the piece was nothing more than a modern reproduction. He wrote to her, warning her that she was likely to be disappointed, and finally he brought the figure to her rooms at the Hotel Drouot in Paris. The minute she saw it, Charlotte knew she was right. And her instincts were, once again, impeccable. After some straightforward research, she was able to show beyond doubt that the piece was special, and a bargain: âIt proved to be, as I anticipated, a very fine specimen of Spanish Cinquecento art, and we were wonderfully fortunate to obtain it for about £8. It was worth quite 3 times as much, but the ignorant French dealers did not know it.â 10
Charlotteâs journals are full of small incidents like these, where her scholarly approach to collecting bests even experienced dealers. And it was not just with ceramics that she could show off her skill. She was fascinated by the variety and history of board games and before long had acquired all kinds of counters and draughts and dice. Still cherishing the gift from her mother many years before, she also collected fans which had been a popular, and exclusive, fashion item across Europe since the sixteenth century, and which had the added advantage of folding easily for transport in the big red bag. Individual fan leaves in silk, linen or animal skin, supported on wooden, ivory or mother-of-pearl sticks, were printed with historical, political or social illustrations: Charlotteâs collection included a scene from the coronation banquet of George II in 1727, maps, landscapes and pastorals, biblical stories such asMoses in the wilderness and a spangled black gauze fan made to mourn the death of Louis XVI.
In September 1880, she was in Munich when something else caught her eye â her first set of playing cards. Hand-painted and early-printed playing cards featured all kinds of suits, from coins, cups and bells to acorns, sceptres and cudgels, as well as a variety of royal households that often extended beyond king, queen and knave to valets and maids. The Germans were the most imaginative and lively of early card-makers, and Charlotte was immediately captivated by the intricate designs. But the cards were expensive, even after some spirited negotiating, and Charlotte was strong enough to refuse them and return to her lodgings for dinner. Her resistance did not last, however. After desert had been served and eaten, she set off back through the quiet streets to the shop and bought three complete packs and two fragmented sets, âfor which I am ashamed to say we paid £10â. 11
It seemed inexcusably extravagant. Charlotte was used to paying well for things that she knew were fine pieces and a sensible speculation, but with the cards she did not feel confident that her knowledge was strong enough to justify such expenditure. âI am so inexperienced as yet in this branch of collecting, that I do not know if they are
A few years later, in early 1880, she instructed one of her French contacts, a dealer named Fournier (possibly the son of the Fournier who had disappeared during the violence of the Paris Commune) to buy on her behalf a small figurine. Charlotte had glimpsed the piece only once, briefly, as it lay unregarded in a display window, but she was immediately sure it was sixteenth-century Spanish. Fournier disagreed. Since he was being paid for his trouble, he continued to act on Charlotteâs orders, but he maintained that the piece was nothing more than a modern reproduction. He wrote to her, warning her that she was likely to be disappointed, and finally he brought the figure to her rooms at the Hotel Drouot in Paris. The minute she saw it, Charlotte knew she was right. And her instincts were, once again, impeccable. After some straightforward research, she was able to show beyond doubt that the piece was special, and a bargain: âIt proved to be, as I anticipated, a very fine specimen of Spanish Cinquecento art, and we were wonderfully fortunate to obtain it for about £8. It was worth quite 3 times as much, but the ignorant French dealers did not know it.â 10
Charlotteâs journals are full of small incidents like these, where her scholarly approach to collecting bests even experienced dealers. And it was not just with ceramics that she could show off her skill. She was fascinated by the variety and history of board games and before long had acquired all kinds of counters and draughts and dice. Still cherishing the gift from her mother many years before, she also collected fans which had been a popular, and exclusive, fashion item across Europe since the sixteenth century, and which had the added advantage of folding easily for transport in the big red bag. Individual fan leaves in silk, linen or animal skin, supported on wooden, ivory or mother-of-pearl sticks, were printed with historical, political or social illustrations: Charlotteâs collection included a scene from the coronation banquet of George II in 1727, maps, landscapes and pastorals, biblical stories such asMoses in the wilderness and a spangled black gauze fan made to mourn the death of Louis XVI.
In September 1880, she was in Munich when something else caught her eye â her first set of playing cards. Hand-painted and early-printed playing cards featured all kinds of suits, from coins, cups and bells to acorns, sceptres and cudgels, as well as a variety of royal households that often extended beyond king, queen and knave to valets and maids. The Germans were the most imaginative and lively of early card-makers, and Charlotte was immediately captivated by the intricate designs. But the cards were expensive, even after some spirited negotiating, and Charlotte was strong enough to refuse them and return to her lodgings for dinner. Her resistance did not last, however. After desert had been served and eaten, she set off back through the quiet streets to the shop and bought three complete packs and two fragmented sets, âfor which I am ashamed to say we paid £10â. 11
It seemed inexcusably extravagant. Charlotte was used to paying well for things that she knew were fine pieces and a sensible speculation, but with the cards she did not feel confident that her knowledge was strong enough to justify such expenditure. âI am so inexperienced as yet in this branch of collecting, that I do not know if they are
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