Unique Bloomsbury Keepsake Box - Charleston farmhouse ! Duncan Grant / Bloomsbury Group / Woolf / Vanessa Bell Start Price USD 99.99 Current Price USD 99.99 Time Left - Bid Count 1 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, July 19, 2008 End Time Saturday, July 26, 2008 Location LANCING, West Sussex See more about 'Unique Bloomsbury Keepsake Box - Charleston farmhouse !' Description FOR SALE ! An UNIQUE wooden box purchased at Charleston farmhouse in Firle, Near Lewes, Sussex. Charleston Farmhouse is acknowledged as being the "Heart of Bloomsbury" and almost every "Bloomsberry" (member of the Bloomsbury Group) such as vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Clive Bell, Maynard Keynes and many others stayed there. It was the Bloomsbury Group's focal meeting point in the country and both Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, the renowned Bloomsbury artists, lived there untilthey died. After that, the property was renovated and restored to its original working state - every surface of the walls, furniture, fireplaces, doors &c. that COULD be painted WERE painted !!! The Farmhouse enjoys a charitable status and relies on admission fees, membership subscriptions and sales from the Shop there to provide income - along with throughout-the-year "Events" (the most famous being the annual "Charleston Festival" where for 7-10 days a year, various lectures, talks and other events are given in a huge marquee tent in the Farmhouse Gardens. These events are sponsored by local firms &c. (In fact, for the last two years I have myself, sponsored events (I am an independent Bookseller in the UK and have dealt in Vita's works and more specifically Virginia Woolf's works for 18 years +. I deal in NOTHING ELSE outside of these and other "Bloomsbury" Authors. 4,000+ books and periodicals are in stock and can be seen at www.paulevansbooks.com (well - about 40% of my stock can !). Also Art by Bloomsberries such as Duncan Grant and ephemeral items.). With sponsorship and ticket entry fees, the Charity does great work but never really have enough cash to keep up with the endless repairs and renovations !!! The Shop at Charleston farmhouse sells many different items from new books to Bloomsbury-inspired ceramics (I have another Ceramic piece yet to list in the next day or so). Unfortunately, the COST of some items is absolutely prohibitive to all but the richest cats - silk scarves for £ 100, ceramic bowls regularly selling at £ 200+, jewellery at enormous sums - alongside cheaper items such as new books and the usual postcards and small keepsakes. MANY of the more expensive items are by descendants of vanessa Bell - Vanessa's son Quentin was a renowned ceramics expert and his daughter Cressida Bell's designs for 'various' things - from cards to ceramics and a lot more, also fetch the hefty prices ! I have a wooden box bought FROM the Shop - don't ask me what I paid because it is such a beautiful piece that I would've ignored the cost as I usually DO !!!! The box - see photos - is very much in the 'Bloomsbury Style' with the "Swimmer" on the top particularly reminiscent of Duncan Grant's style. I can't confirm how OLD the piece is - but it's almost old enough to be by Grant himself... The Overall dimensions are about 9.75" x 5.5" x 6" (depth), and the box is hinged. The wood is around a centimetre to half an inch in depth, so the internal measurements are easy enough o work out. The Inside of the book is painted a deep green. In many way, the photos do NOT do the box justice - it's a very vibrantly-coloured box that could be used for all manner of things !!! (I kept my 'important documents' (Passport &c.) in the box for absolutely years. I can see no damage to the box anywhere - no loss of paintwork, &c. I have JUST noticed that the box is SIGNED "Liz, '98" - which would mean it's a decade or so old and probably painted by Liz Cook, a young lady who lived at Charleston as a "night watchman" and factotum whilst (I think) completing an Arts Degree. Liz I met but once but is or was very closely associated with Bloomsbury and Charleston Farmhouse. She has managed to almost replicate Duncan Grant's style and I can't believe the box is only 10 years old !!!! Regardless of its age, one thing CAN be said with absolute authority - even in 1998, the Shop would have charged well over £ 100 for the box - a dead cert !!!! Values of almost anything "Unique" such as this soar in no time and I would KEEP the box but for the fact I'm trying to create room by eBaying anything worth anything, such as this and the ceramic mug I mentioned earlier. It's from my PRIVATE collection of Bloomsbury material, along with the mug and a Clarice Cliff dessert bowl. The Clarice Clif bowl is in pristine condition, and was designed by Duncan Grant for Clarice Cliff's "Bizarre" range in an edition of only TWELVE - if you're interested, DO enquire, but it's so rare that you'd need to be prepared to pay £ 1,000+ !!! I charge Postage & Insurance at Cost, with no hidden extras. Paypal preferred, UK cheques are fine. I obtain Certificates of posting which at UK law 'proves' packages ARE sent. I would highly recommend anyone wanting to buy this box pays a few dollars more (about $ 8-9) for International Signed For postage, for peace of mind. Although a Return Address is always marked on the packages I send out, the number of packages "not received" or "lost" or "damaged" is phenomenal !!! I am begining to get rather cynical about it all so TRY to get people to insure their purchases. IF on the tiny chance it DOES get damaged, I'll need not only the item bback but the PACKAGING I SENT IT IN !!!! But having sold books for 20 years+ - often priced at £ 20,000-40,000 - I DO know how to package almost anything ! I have in the past sent an 18 piece bone china tea set to America without a single piece being broken or even chipped ! So a sturdy wooden box should present little problem ! I will ship this item anywhere in the world. WORLDWIDE SHIPPING !!! Good packaging assured ! Payment ppreferred by PAYPAL - although well-concealed and/or "Signed For" packages containing USA or UK Banknotes is acceptable. Cheques drawn on British Banks are also OK but if from overseas, I often get whacked for exchange rates and Fees, which WILL be requested after payment has cleared. Bidding starts at a fairly arbitrary price - less than the Shop price. I'll accept any DECENT offer and end the auction early though, if need be. Remember ! his is an UNIQUE piece - NOT stencilled or mass-produced. Respected artists are employed by the Charleston Trust and they DON'T accept 'any old crap' !!! A VERY SUND INVESTMENT and a piece of British Culture as well !!! Feel free to ask questions and - happy Bidding ! Paul           Place a Bid!