Picture specialist dealer Simon Lamb.
1 How did you get your start?
History fascinates me and I have a strong innate nostalgia for the pre-motor car farmed countryside and its ways. Having first worked in finance in London, by the late 1970s I decided to head for the hills. In a total change of direction I bought a remote cottage in north Wales. My wife was recovering from an operation at my in-laws’ on the Isle of Wight, so I joined her to work on their farm.
At a loose end one day I came across an antique print, map and art shop in Newport. It was an Aladdin’s Cave of fascinating art, and I was quickly smitten. I decided then and there that this was my new career. I bought a pile of maps and prints and some paintings, opened a gallery in Bala, and never looked back.
It’s great to have our son Chris now as a partner and co-worker.
2 What is something you couldn’t do without?
My wife, Kristina: not only a wonderful companion but also a brilliant restorer of our works on paper.
3 Do you have a collection in your home?
Yes: displayed on the walls until they’re full, then propped on the floor also. We only buy what we love, so space is the only thing that restricts how much we keep, apart from the bank balance.
4 What is one great discovery you’ve made?
A vignette watercolour design by Turner (pictured below), intended - but not used - as a frontispiece for Horner’s book on the ancient sites of the Holy Land. Turner never went there but he and others were invited to submit illustrations, several of which were based on drawings by the (later) co-designer of the Houses of Parliament, Charles Barry.
A vignette watercolour design by Turner intended as a frontispiece for Horner’s book on the ancient sites of the Holy Land.
It depicts a scene near Jerusalem incorporating biblical allegories, but Turner had misunderstood the remit, which was for contemporary remains. It found its way to Ruskin, who often dealt in Turner drawings.
5 Real ale or espresso martini?
Real ale.
