After many years of living and working in exotic and far-flung parts of the world, including New Guinea, Nigeria and Cairo, Alison and Angus Hill returned to their native Glasgow to make Scotland their permanent home. Spending time between the fashionable west end of Glasgow and the pretty Black Isle home in Cromarty, Alison now had plenty of time to indulge her passion for naive country antiques. These were not yet fully appreciated by native buyers when Alison first started to buy in the late 1960s. She had what is known amongst dealers and collectors as ‘a good eye’, following her instincts and buying with her heart. Much of what she bought was then sold, some to North America where there was and still is a greater admiration of painted and simple furnishings. One client she referred to as ‘Blue Chicken’. Some things would be bought by the famous Kensington Church Street emporium The Lacquer Chest who shared her taste and were, like Alison, ahead of their time. What we see in this sale is the collection of special objects which she could not bear to part with.
Is it too fanciful to believe that some of her pared-down aesthetic derived, in some part, from her early childhood home at Port Charlotte on the island of Islay, with its white-painted croft houses? She eschewed the popular mahogany and ‘smart’ antiques. Instead, her eye was drawn to the quiet and understated charm of objects often discarded - the painted post box, the child’s wooden alphabet, and the delicious collection of milk and cream cans, with the names of the original owner inscribed. The painted miniature portraits of Regency children were her companions on the walls, with some sailor’s sewn pictures and a painted pigeon portrait thrown in. The drawers in the lovely Cromarty home were stuffed with some of the many small wooden treen objects- a cornucopia of delights. These sat alongside art nouveau and Glasgow Style ceramics, glass and metalwares, a collecting habit had begun in Cairo and sold in our last Decorative Arts sale.
Visits to both the elegant Glasgow flat and home in Cromarty were always a delight, with intelligent and witty conversations and many tales of life overseas. Assam tea was served in breakfast cups. And our eyes were drawn to the many desirable objects which will now find new and appreciative homes. Here's a look at a few highlights...
