How did objects come to be in the V&A’s collection? And what role have antiques dealers had to play in that process, and in shaping the collection?
These questions lie at the heart of the Year of the Dealer project, which the V&A has been part of for the past three years. Led by Mark Westgarth, Professor of History of the Art Market at the University of Leeds, and funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council, the project has sought to reveal lesser-known histories of museum objects as ‘antiques’, increasing understanding of the history of the antique trade in British cultural life and drawing renewed attention to the relationship between the art market and public museums.
In addition to the V&A, the project has involved four other public museums: The Bowes Museum; Lady Lever Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool; Preston Park – Preston Park; and Temple Newsam, Leeds Museums and Galleries. The Year of the Dealer forms part of a much larger ongoing research project focused on the history of antique dealing in Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries, based at the University of Leeds.
At the V&A, recent years have seen a significant rise in interest and research into the provenance of museum objects: the ways in which objects came to be in the museum. You can read more about some of our provenance research projects here: Provenance Research at the V&A and Provenance Research: How have objects come to be in the V&A? The Year of the Dealer project has shone a light on one aspect of collection histories: the varied roles of antique dealers, and their close connection with the museum’s activities, since its foundation in 1852.
The early decades of the V&A’s collecting were rooted in relationships with the antique trade. Perhaps most famous was the dealer John Webb (1799 – 1880), whose relationship with the museum was multifaceted. Webb acted as dealer, agent and advisor to Henry Cole, the first Director of the Museum. He negotiated with lenders to exhibitions and accompanied Cole to visit collections. He even loaned the museum cash for purchases and placed his own large collection of ivories on loan to the museum until purchase funds could be found. When he died in 1880, he left the museum money with which to set up a purchase fund which is still in operation today.
It is these relationships, and stories about the objects in our collections, that are placed front and centre in the Year of the Dealer project.
To tell some of these stories, the Year of the Dealer project has produced a series of 10 short films for each museum involved in the project. Each film focuses on a single object, revealing its lesser-known history as an ‘antique’ and telling the story of the dealers involved in its acquisition by the museum.
The V&A films focus on a range of antique dealers and their involvement with the museum, from the very earliest ‘antique dealers’ up to the 1980s.
Portrait miniature of Anne of Cleves sold by Dean Tuck in 1826
Through Hans Holbein’s portrait miniature of Anne of Cleves, we explore the story of Dean Tuck, who traded as a ‘curiosity dealer’ in London from the 1820s and who represents the start of the antique trade as we now understand it. Tuck bought this piece, together with a miniature portrait of Henry VIII, from the collection of Thomas Barrett of Lee Priory, Kent in 1826; he sold them to the collector Francis Douce for 50 guineas. The miniature was later acquired by the collector George Salting, who bequeathed it to the V&A in 1910.
Watch film: Dean Tuck at the V&A
Henry VIII writing box sold by Durlacher Brothers in 1932
Durlacher Brothers, established in the 1840s, were major suppliers of antiques to the museum from its earliest period of history. More than 50 objects now in the V&A were acquired through or are associated with Durlacher Brothers, including Henry VIII’s writing box, which was sold to the V&A in 1932 for £462 by George Augustus Durlacher ( about 1859 – 1942), the son of the firm’s founder. As the film highlights, some of the V&A’s most prized objects were also gifts from Durlachers.
Watch film: Durlacher Brothers at the V&A
Women Antique Dealers at the V&A
The role of women antique dealers is a core theme in the Year of the Dealer project, explored in three of the films, at the V&A, The Bowes Museum and at Preston Park Museum. The V&A holds an 18th-century shopfront which was formerly the antique shop of Mrs Amelia Hardingham, a well-known women antique dealer in the period around 1900.
Watch film: Women Antique Dealers at the V&A
Antique 18th century giltwood side table sold by Phillips of Hitchin in 1947
Dealers associated with the V&A in the 20th century include Phillips of Hitchin and Frank Partridge and Co. A giltwood side table formerly from Stowe House was sold to the V&A in 1947 for £250 by Phillips of Hitchin, which was established in 1884 by Frederick Phillips, a celebrated antiquary. The firm was a pioneer in the display of antiques in ‘period room’ settings, which they developed from the 1910s.
Watch film: Phillips of Hitchin at the V&A
The Great Bed of Ware sold by Frank Partridge in 1931
And one of the most famous objects in the British Galleries was sold to the V&A in 1931 by the antique dealer, Frank Partridge. The Great Bed of Ware, mentioned in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, was purchased from Frank Patridge for £4,000 (plus £60 in expenses): four times the Furniture Department’s annual budget for acquisitions at the time.
Watch film: Frank Partridge & Sons at the V&A
You can watch all ten films on the Year of the Dealer project website, where you can also find the films featuring objects from the project’s other four partner museums, and other materials from the Year of the Dealer project.
