John Spink

The most wonderful middle period Turner watercolour that hasn't been on the market since 1945. Here I am with Mark Griffiths Jones of Sotheby' looking at colour proofs of Turners 'Sun rise whiting fishing at Margate. This picture is one of the most important middle period Turners ever , It was painted when Turner was lodging with Mrs Booth in Margate in 1822. More about this wonderful picture and its history in the coming months. John Spink Feb 2020

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This years BADA Fair has been and gone the tent is down and the grass on square is greening up again in the spring sunshine . The dealers however are not at ease yet they are chasing leads and are still ever hopeful for that elusive and much talked about follow up. Under new Madeleine the event this year looked as good as ever and the official attendance figures were higher than ever before approaching nearly twenty five thousand which makes BADA one of the busiest fairs in London. The flight into quality over the last the years continues the best things on the dealers stands attracted the sales. I sold six of my best watercolours in the first two days including a wonderful early William Callow of Venice for over £50,000 that my family had sold some fifty years ago at Spink and Son. I am delighted it has gone to another English collector who I hope will enjoy the next fifty years. Some of you might have seen the Samuel Prout loan exhibition which was very well attended. At times it go so crowded it was difficult to get on the stand.

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The BADA fair is in full swing. Only a few days left so please come and see the show . Samuel Prout (1783-1852) 'A Grand Tour in Watercolour' Samuel Prout was an artist who, in his day, was considered to be amongst the greatest of the English Watercolour School. Ruskin became a champion, praising Prout's drawings for "their magnificent certainty and ease and their firmness of line." Ruskin was referring to the drawings on which, in Victorian times, Prout's fame depended - his rendering of Continental Gothic architecture, gabled buildings, town squares and, above all, cathedrals, enlivened by numerous figures.  Such drawings, reaching a wider audience through Prout's publication of books of lithographs, also enhanced and informed the travels of Prout's wealthier fellow-countrymen as they journeyed throughout a Europe that was once again open, after Napoleon's defeat, to the successors of the eighteenth century Grand Tour, in search of the Picturesque.                    Prout's origins were provincial and humble.  He was lucky in his schooling in Plymouth, for his artist headmaster, the Rev Dr Bidlake, encouraged him, and Benjamin Robert Haydon   was a fellow pupil.  Through Haydon's father, Prout met John Britton and was commissioned to provide drawings for Britton and Brayley's  "The...

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The coming BADA Fair runs from Wednesday 15 to Tuesday 21st March 2017 It is the second year under new management and is shaping up to be a very good show indeed. I hope as usual to be exhibiting about thirty to forty high quality English watercolours, at my usual stand B32. In addition this year I have been asked to organise the BADA loan exhibition. Some of you may remember four years ago I help showcase William Payne at the fair . I also published a book on William Payne with David Japes. This coming March I hope to publish another book but this time on Prout, to coincide with show. The Prout watercolours have been kindly loaned from private collections across Europe . The title of the exhibition will be 'Samuel Prout- A Grand Tour in Watercolour. A master of watercolour, Prout was born in Plymouth and developed his eye for architectural detail whilst sketching the cottages, watermills and bridges of rural Devon. However, it was not until his first visit to the continent in 1818 that Prout truly discovered his forte. Captivated by the quaint streets and market-places of Europe’s major cities and ports, Prout was able to capture their architectural...

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The British Antique Dealers Fair under new management opened on Wednesday March 9th 11am with a new look together with the return of some distinguished dealers. The gate appeared to be up and I am pleased to report some very good sales for many of the dealers on the first day. I sold my wonderful William Callow of Wallansee Switzerland that I highlighted in my blog before the fair. The remaining six days were surprisingly busy and produced sales for me every day. After the week end I sold the wonderful Turner of Oxford of Scotland together with the outstanding view of Verona by William Callow both of which in time I am sure I will regret selling. In the words of my father who was one of the greatest dealers of his time. He told me 'Sell and repent but sell'. John Spink

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The Art on Paper Fair is in full swing . We have had a good attendance in the new location of the RGS (Royal Geographical Society). I am pleased to report I have made a promising start selling a very fine early view of Conway by John Varley . This watercolour is the earliest I have ever handled and was from his first visit to Wales in 1799 when he was accompanied by George Arnold. However even at this early date there is clearly an influence of Girtin in his work. It was not until the following year 1800 that he worked with Dr Munro and the group of artists including the young Turner that meet in the evenings at Adelphi Terrace. John Spink.

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There was a surprisingly strong demand for watercolours in the major sale rooms at the close of 2015. A group of Watercolours that did not attract any bids from me, were strongly contested. An unsigned David Cox making over ten thousand pounds and a group of very late and loose William Payne's together with a late Callow of Venice all selling for very strong prices. Whether this renewed appetite for English Watercolours is reserved just for the large Auction houses is unknown. That question will, I expect be answered for us all next week at The Art on Paper Fair. The fair is opening on Wednesday 10th of February at the Royal Geographical Society and runs until close of play on Sunday the 14th (Valentines Day) . I will be showing some thirty five selected watercolours with a range of prices from nine hundred to nine thousand pounds. Please email me if you would like an e ticket. Come along and see what I think will be an interesting show this year in its new venue. Royal Geographical Society is at 1 Kensington Gore not far from the Albert Hall. Good transport links to Knightsbridge and South Kensington. Bus routes nine and ten...

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The British watercolour market in fact the whole antiques business is is fast approaching a twenty five year low in respect of demand and prices if you take in real rises in the cost of living in the general economy. This market like all markets go in cycles and we must be nearing the bottom of this one. The British picture market is not alone in this dilemma, beautiful Georgian brown furniture is often worth less than equivalent modern mass produced pieces. The value investors are waiting in the wings waiting to strike on our market. The big question everybody is asking is when is the market going to turn up . The answer is quite simply 'I don't know'. The irony is when the change is clear for all to see it will already be too late for the investor and also in some ways the collector as the market rise will be strong and swift. Supply is the main problem these beautiful paintings are not being made any more and good quality is getting harder to come by. My advice is when you see something you think is a wonderful image and great quality buy it at todays discounted...

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My two Exhibitions this year at Art on Paper at the beginning of February and the British Antique Dealers Fair in March created a surprisingly large amount of interest in my watercolours . Perhaps due to my strict policy of quality and condition. It is clear from the comments I received at both shows that more and more people are searching this website to see what I have. I will be adding many more items of my existing stock and New Stock over the next few months leading up the Summer. I will be including prices where I feel it is sensible and appropriate. Please be patient with my uploads but feel free to contact me if you are looking for anything in particular as I might well be able to help. Thank you for you patience. Yours John Spink

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BADA Art and Antiques Fair is opening soon? Wednesday 18th of March to Tuesday 24th March I will be showing a special selection of full exhibition watercolours in wonderful condition from the Newcastle artists Thomas Miles Richardson Snr and Jnr.

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I will be exhibiting about fourty British watercolours. I do hope you will find the time to come and visit

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My introduction to Paolo Veronese was at the beginning of the 1970's when my late father Marshall Spink purchased in London a painting long thought to be just a copy. He had a great eye for pictures and thought it could be by the master concealed under centuries old varnish and over paint . I was just out of School so my knowledge of pictures was very limited but I remember this particular picture was huge and had a wonderful ornate carved frame. I must have been right about the frame because shortly afterwards somebody tried to buy the frame but strangely didn't want the picture. My father fortunately didn’t sell the frame as he felt it was part of the provenance. The picture was sent away to be cleaned and for some reason it was not returned to the gallery for almost ten years. I never did find out why it took so long!! There was a lot of excitement when it finally arrived back in the gallery . I remember my father had little doubt it was genuine and was very excited. Proffesor Pignatti the great expert eventually came over from Venice to see it . He confirmed it was...

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Art Antiques London exhibition is opening very soon. June 11th to the 18th. This show is proving very popular as although its only on for a week its size makes it a real pleasure to attend. Its big enough to see a good selection of different Art but its small enough to go right round it without feeling exhausted. This is a lovely month to be in London as its the start of our summer. This setting in a large marquee in the park complete with a restaurant if you want to have lunch with a friend makes it very special day out. I will be showing some beautiful pictures across a compete price range so please contact me and I will send you a complementary ticket . Please supply me your name and email address. I look forward to meeting you and showing some beautiful British works of Art. John Spink

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'VISIONS OF VENICE ' is about to open at BADA British Antique Dealers Association Fair Wednesday 19th - Tuesday 25th 2014 Duke of York Square (Sloane Square) Connoisseurs, with a knowledge of history and achievements of our National School, will see, in the views of Venice on display here, the best of a process which extends from Canaletto, and the inspiration he provided to the English artists, via Girtin and Turner, to the 20th century.  In addition to examples from the tradition established by Bonington and Callow, a remarkable group of watercolours by Brabazon has been included, encompassing both pure watercolour, and, in views of the Salute and of the market at Venice, works that emulate Turner's views on toned paper.  Brabazon, however remains his own man.  Inventing new techniques - placing both Chinese White and transparent washes on the same brush was one such device - Brabazon, like Turner before him, made Venice his own domain. Aficionados will know of the artists represented here already.  For those who come afresh to the world of watercolours, all they have to do, once they have seen through the banality of much of the contemporary art scene, is to wonder at the skill...

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Sir Robert Walpole Masterpieces return to Houghton Hall after over two hundred years. This is certainly an exhibition I enjoyed visiting and I strongly recommend you book up to see it before it closes on the 29th of September. Catherine the Great was very interested in introducing European portraiture to Russia and as a large part of Walpole's collection was made up of portraits this suited her plans perfectly. Catherine purchased the whole of Sir Roberts Walpole's Collection in 1779 for over £400,000 ( a fortune in todays money) while the English collectors were perhaps a little hesitant. She concluded her purchase and promptly shipped all the pictures back to her newly created Hermitage Museum. She had her own portrait painted many time by Russian artists of the day and it is believed that she persuaded a number of budding young portrait artists to leave Moscow for her academy of Art that she had set up in St Petersburg. Catharine was a avid collector and was also quite keen to purchase fine art objects from Europe including some wonderful Clocks which are now in the Kremlin .

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