Last night I attended an uber-posh antiques fair to support a charity called JDRF (Junior Diabetes Research Fund).
Lots of celebs in attendance and even Royalty for people to gawp at – or not depending on how cool people are?
Anyway, mooching through the stalls of paintings, clocks, porcelains and other such nick nacks, two things occurred to me;
That we humans are all sheep and have a need to fit in and look like one another.
On last night’s evidence, it is apparent that antique dealers hail from the higher echelons of society and practically wear a uniform to display their lineage. Floppy hair on the youth, ruddy face on the older types to match their trousers. Certain schools of course and it seems that they all know each other and belong to one great big club.
And that antiques are all about money. Sure there is an aesthetic involved. There are pieces we like more than others but our tastes are secondary to value and we cannot process an item until we know its value. It’s price is the key.
Which is why antiques are so desirable. For their value. The value that they hold and hopefully accrue.
Nothing new here you might say. Der. Antiques are an investment just like a share or a bond or a house…
And if not unseemly then it is at least very odd that items which have such little practical use like a figurine and yet are so valuable should be aligned last night with something completely invaluable like a research scientist finding a cure that will save peoples lives.
Nothing new here either I suppose.
And as I get older I realise that I am becoming good at spotting such moral conundrums but much less good at offering any solutions.
