Fairy tales, Christmas gifts and antiques
Posted by Iain Brunt on 19/12/2022
When I think of antiques, I always imagine there’s a story behind them. The more dramatic the better. There are some stories though that capture the imagination before you’ve even spotted a particular item, and if you can match the story to the item, well you can believe the story if you want to, right?
Ring of Gyges
Plato provides us with a thought provoking story about the ring of Gyges, in order to test human nature. When a ring is able to give the wearer the power to become invisible at will, it tests man’s ability to be fair, and whether he is vulnerable to cruelty and injustice. Magic corrupts and the ring of Gyges has formidable power over the wearer. Shielded from the consequences of our actions, a antique ring is always pictures as either a signet ring or a simple gold wedding band. Personally, I’d prefer the ring to have an antique stone, just to add drama to the story of course. I believe the emerald cabochon ring or the Oscar Heymann sapphire and diamond ring would suffice quite nicely….and make a more than acceptable Christmas gift.
The Wishing Chair
The Wishing Chair is based on a fairy tale by Enid Blyton, the famous author behind The Secret Seven and The Famous Five. The premise of the tale is that the chair sprouts wings and takes you wherever you want to go, a dream come true you might think, and a definite improvement on waiting at terminal one at Heathrow Airport.
The chair is always pictured as a simple high backed brown wooden chair with four bars to the back of it, and usually with handles (which is just as well if you were flying at break neck speed).
These are some beautiful chairs around, and there are plenty of examples on www.antiques.co.uk. From Queen Anne style to William IV style antique library chairs, we’re talking classy pieces that look good as a set, or as single pieces. One simple wooden chair is a great corner feature and draped with a sofa throw, it really fills up the space beautifully. Of course, they won’t sprout wings, but they will complement your furnishings.
Fireplace – portal, to go or arrive
There are lots of stories about antique fireplaces, the first one we think of is of course, Santa Claus, coming through the chimney. Then of course, there’s JK Rowling and Harry Potter, using the antique fireplace as a portal by means of ‘floo powder.’ Then we have the Girl in the Fireplace from Dr Who.
The antique fireplace then, can have quite magical and mysterious connotations, for in fairy tales and myths, we can travel to wherever we want with the aid of a magic fireplace.
Of course it does help if your fireplace is big enough to accommodate travel, and is an attractive option to a horse and carriage or a train. There are some beautiful fireplaces on www.antiques.co.uk, some with tiling some without, and of course there’s the antique companion sets. You must equip your fireplace with proper cleaning utensils. Although we really know they’re there for decorative purposes. There’s a rather exquisite pair of brass Victorian ladies boot ornaments that would really add a certain something to your fireside this winter.
If you’re looking for a Christmas fireplace or some small items, either as a gift or to liven up an existing fireplace, then take a look what we have on www.antiques.co.uk. There’s plenty to choose from, from small items to large. There’s no floo powder supplied, although we do advise you keep your fireplace clean in time for the arrival of a certain someone in a red suit…..