I have been dealing in antiques for the past twenty-five years at London’s Portobello Road Antique Market on Saturdays. I have also sold at various major antique fairs around the country, including Battersea Decorative Antiques Fair at Battersea Park, Antiques For Everyone at The NEC and at June and November Olympia antique fairs.
My father was a physician, Dr Jonathan Levi, who over the last twenty years of his life, together with my mother Mary, was an avid collector of Treen. His passion and love of Treen culminated in his book “Treen for the Table”, which was published by The Antique Collectors’ Club in 1998. His book remains the only book on Treen ever published with colour photos. This single owner collection was sold at Christies South Kensington in November 2006.
Treen means “of the tree” in old English. It an object made of wood which is turned on a lathe and/or carved by hand. It is when Treen acquires patination that it becomes highly prized. Treen is broadly speaking Northern European, yet it is the United Kingdom pieces which are the most sought after. Treen items range from drinking vessels, plates, bowls, nutcrackers, snuff boxes, mortars grinders and graters , coffee mills, love tokens, scientific items, medical tools, artists models, costume accessories, cleaning devices, fishermen’s devices, textile workers’ devices, ships’ figureheads, watch stands – as you can see, the list is practically endless!
I also believe that i have the largest stock of English Royal Armorials and Coats of Arms available for sale in the world.
It is through my passion for Treen that i fell in Love with Folk Art, and all mediums of Naive and Primitive Antiques, particularly Paintings, Trade Signs, pottery, metalware, Wooden Carvings, Trophy Salmon, Weather vanes, Naive Cats , Dogs ,Owls , Pigeons, Decoys, Textiles , Antique Kitchenalia and Antique Gardening items, all of which i continue to buy and sell.