Like a character in a novel by C.P. Snow, Ian Smart held countless high-ranking positions in his life, ranging from the Advisory Panel on Disarmament to board advisor to Rio Tinto Oil and gas and chairman of the British Institute of Energy Economics and, throughout his professional life, he developed an important antiques’ collection.
Now, a sale of carefully selected pieces from his collection is planned at Leominster later this month and it has already aroused the interest of specialist dealers and collectors as well as the many people who have rubbed shoulders with Ian Smart through his various interests.
He belonged to a generation of intellectuals who went on to explore many interests and he moved to Herefordshire in the 1990s.
At this time he was still working in a range of different fields and he remained dedicated to the Imperial War Museum where he held a record as the longest-serving trustee – an impressive 25 years.
He retired in 2000 but he continued to buy silver and Sheffield plate and also he began to learn the techniques of silversmithing himself.
He was involved in many local charities and a percentage of the proceeds of the sale will be donated to some of the causes that were dear to him.
Through his research into antiques he developed an important collection of bottle tickets and Georgian silver.
However, his insurers’ advice was that his three cats could not live with the necessary security system, so he decided to keep the cats and sell the collection through a London saleroom.
He then turned his attention to Sheffield plate and made this his new field of research.
Many items from the ‘Smart Collection’ will be sold on March 31 at Brightwells in Leominster, the town where Ian and Janet have spent their retirement years.
From groups of medallions to shoe buckles, Georgian table silver to miniatures, Sheffield plate to measuring sticks, maps and drawing sets, the pieces reflect the taste of a sophisticated intellectual from a generation which appreciated the history and aesthetic delights of the work of master craftsmen, particularly those of the Georgian period.
*The March 31 sale starts at 11am. Catalogues are available from Brightwells, Easters Court, Leominster, or by calling 01568 611122.