“It is the triumph of the individual over art – the zenith of an original voice”. Miles Patrick Yohnke Authenticity in art is the different ways in which a work of art or an artistic performance may be considered authentic: the correct identification of the author of a work of art or to how closely…
Category: painting
Probate Training
Throughout my training in probate valuations I have gained a breadth of experience working in a professional environment, I have been surprised by the sheer variety of contents belonging to estates from war medals and Royal Mint Jubilee coins to tractors and rotavators. I started my training through shadowing Jeremy and Ellie, both enhancing and…
Probates: Where do you Start?
Organising the deceased estate of a loved one is often a stressful and distressing time. The probate process can seem quite a daunting prospect; where do you start, how do you effectively administer an estate and its contents? As a probate and asset valuer I am used to visiting households across the midlands, assisting executors…
My New Role
This story starts in November of last year. I had just completed my MA in Art History and Curating from the University of Birmingham. I had been looking at a job application for a part time receptionist position at a firm of Auctioneers in Birmingham. I really wanted to work in Birmingham, as in the…
Christmas Picks
Stuck for gift ideas, or feel like treating yourself? Biddle & Webb’s 9th December Interiors auction has a fantastic array of jewellery, fine art, antiques and collectibles that would make the perfect gift to yourself or a loved one this festive season. Here are our top ten prezzie ideas: Lot: 1 How about this elegant…
My Childhood Memories
I was born in 1962 four years after Biddle and Webb was started by my Dad Ernie Biddle and his business partner the mysterious Mr Webb. Mum used to say I was their lucky charm. Up until 1962 life was tough but following the thaw of that biblical winter the business started to leap forward….
A History of Harborne
Biddle & Webb Auctioneers are proud of our Brummie heritage; based in the heart of the city for the past 60 years, we are keen advocates of the area – as well as the accent. We regularly enjoy hosting a number of free valuation events across the West Midlands – meeting local people, valuing local…
Do we need The History of Art?
As a History of Art graduate I have always had an interest in art’s relationship with social history. It is easy to mistake the History of Art as a discipline which favours the academic study of painting above and beyond other modes of artistic output, but this is simply not the case. The knick-knacks in…
Auction Intrigue at Biddle & Webb
Biddle and Webb’s Interiors auction is nothing short of eclectic. As auctioneers we are used to seeing and selling a vast array of desirable items ranging from Moorcroft jugs to mahogany cheese coasters, witches’ balls to Rolex watches. Unusual, unconventional and at times – frankly bizarre, the ever expanding antiques industry never fails to surprise…
ERNIE BIDDLE (1919-1996)
I was born in 1919 in back to back house in Winson Green half way between the prison and Dudley Rd Hospital. One of my earliest memories is the euphoria of the community when water was piped into the house having previously used communal stand pipe in the yard. There was a wonderful community spirit…