Buying Art at Regional Auctions and Fairs

A Friendlier Market Than You Might Expect

There is a particular pleasure in stepping into a county saleroom on a damp Tuesday morning. The chairs are a little mismatched, the auctioneer knows half the room by name, and the lots on view are arranged on trestle tables rather than under museum lighting. For anyone curious about fine art but wary of the grand London salerooms, these regional rooms and the fairs that cluster around them are one of the most rewarding places to begin.

The appeal is not simply price, though you will often find it. It is the chance to stand in front of a painting for twenty minutes, turn it over, examine the back of a canvas, and make up your own mind without a queue forming behind you. Regional auctions and fairs can offer accessible opportunities to view works in person, compare condition and bid without the pressure of major salerooms. That unhurried quality is worth a great deal, especially when you are still learning your own eye.

Doing Your Homework Before You Go

Auction catalogues are usually online a fortnight or so in advance, and they are free to browse. Read the entries closely, because the language is precise and deliberate. "Attributed to", "circle of", "manner of" and "after" all signal different degrees of distance from the artist's own hand, and none of them means the work is by that artist. Where a name is given without qualification, the house is stating its opinion with more confidence, though it remains an opinion rather than a guarantee.

Before you travel, it is worth doing three things:

• Request a condition report by email. Most houses will provide one gladly, and it costs nothing.
• Check the buyer's premium and any additional charges, such as an online bidding fee or Artist's Resale Right.
• Look up the artist's recent results at other regional sales, not just headline prices in national newspapers, which can be wildly unrepresentative.

Note also that unless the catalogue says otherwise, lots are sold as seen. The viewing is your inspection, not a formality.

Viewing Day: Looking Closely and Asking Well

Take your time at the preview and take a small torch and a magnifier. For oils, look across the surface at a low angle rather than straight on; this reveals raised areas, old retouching and the dull, flat patches where varnish has broken down. Check for craquelure that is lifting rather than sitting flat, and ask to see the reverse, where you can spot a lining, a patched canvas or an old exhibition label that might help with provenance.

Works on paper deserve particular care. Foxing, fading and mount burn along the edges are common and not always obvious in a small online photograph. Ask whether the mount board is acidic and whether the sheet is laid down, which affects both value and future conservation. Sculpture should be examined for restoration, and casts checked for a foundry mark and edition number.

Staff and volunteers at regional sales are generally generous with their knowledge. Ask about the vendor, how the piece came to the saleroom, and whether there is a reserve. A polite, specific question usually gets a useful answer.

The Mechanics of Bidding

Register before the sale and collect a paddle. If you cannot attend, most houses accept commission bids, telephone bids and live online bidding, though the latter two often carry a surcharge. Set your limit before the day and write it down, including the premium. A hammer price of £400 with a 22 per cent premium plus VAT on that premium quickly becomes closer to £530.

In the room, the auctioneer works to increments, so a bid of £100 may jump to £110, then £120. Do not be flustered by the speed. A raised hand or a clear nod is enough, and you may drop out at any point without explanation. If a lot is bought in, meaning it fails to reach its reserve, it may reappear at a later sale or be available privately afterwards.

At the Fairs: Talking to Dealers

Regional art and antiques fairs, whether in a hotel ballroom, a county showground or a converted mill, offer a different rhythm. Prices are usually marked, but a courteous enquiry about a piece you genuinely like is rarely resented, particularly on the final afternoon. Ask about provenance, restoration history and whether the frame is original. Pictures that have never been reframed often carry lovely old labels, inscriptions and dealer stamps on the back, and these add both charm and evidential value.

If a work is beyond your budget, say so and ask whether the dealer has anything similar. Good stallholders enjoy matching a buyer to a picture.

Living With What You Buy

Allow for practicalities once the hammer falls. Regional houses often have limited storage, so collect promptly or arrange a carrier. Budget for reframing if a mount is acidic or a frame is falling apart; a decent bespoke frame in a modest profile may cost several hundred pounds. Hang oils away from direct sunlight and radiators, keep works on paper out of damp rooms, and note your purchases with the receipt, catalogue entry and any condition notes, which will serve you well if you ever sell.

Above all, buy what you want to look at every day. A modest watercolour from a local sale, understood and enjoyed, will give more lasting pleasure than a fashionable name bought on a whim.