 |
Geoffrey Munn | |
|---|---|
 Munn in 2013 | |
| Born | 11 April 1953 Hastings, East Sussex, United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Antiques expert, television presenter, author. |
| Employer | Wartski |
| Television | Antiques Roadshow |
| Spouse | Caroline (m. 1983) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | OBE, MVO |
Geoffrey Charles Munn, OBE, MVO, FSA, FLS (born 11 April 1953, in Hastings, East Sussex) [1] is a British jewellery specialist, television presenter and writer. He is best known as one of the experts on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow .
Munn's first television appearance was in 1963 when he, and his brother, Roger Munn, featured with their pet fox cubs on Johnny Morris's Animal Magic . He was brought up in Henfield in Sussex and educated at Shoreham College and Steyning Grammar School.
Munn became the managing director of London jewellers Wartski, where he had worked since the age of 19; his specialisation is jewellery, especially that of Fortunato Pio Castellani, Carlo Giuliano and Peter Carl Fabergé. Wartski are jewellers by appointment to HM the Queen and HRH Prince of Wales. The firm made the Welsh gold wedding rings for the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles, and Catherine Middleton when she married Prince William in 2011.
Munn has a keen interest in every aspect of history and has a collection of ancient flint tools he has found in the Southwold area of Suffolk. He has appeared in several television sequences of "mudlarking" in the Thames at Westminster. Munn is fascinated by both literature and art and has written a number of books, including Southwold, an Earthly Paradise, a pictorial history of his home town. (Antique Collectors' Club [2] 2006, revised and republished 2017). He has written on the work of D G Rossetti, Edward Lear, J. M. W. Turner and Richard Dadd. Geoffrey Munn is a trustee of the Bethlem Museum of the Mind. In July 2015, he conducted the first in a series called Tate Britain BP Walks Through British Art in which there was an emphasis on jewellery and botanical decoration from the Renaissance to the present day.
Munn has curated many exhibitions, including Tiaras at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2002. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, the Linnean Society of London and The Royal Society of Arts. Munn is a Freeman of the City of London and was Fourth Warden of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. He is also a member of the Garrick Club, The Arts Club, the Academy Club and the Sailor's Reading Room, Southwold.[ citation needed ]
Munn is the author of four books about jewellery: Castellani and Giuliano: revivalist jewellers of the nineteenth century (Office du Livre 1984), Artist's Jewellery; Pre-Raphaelite to Arts and Crafts with Charlotte Gere (Antique Collectors' Club 1989), The Triumph of Love: jewellery 1530–1930 (Thames and Hudson 1993), Tiaras: a history of splendour (Antique Collectors' Club, 2003). Geoffrey Munn has also written a history of his firm called "Wartski- The First One Hundred and Fifty Years" (Antique Collectors' Club 2015). In 2023 Geoffrey Munn published a memoir under the title 'A Touch of Gold - The reminiscences of Geoffrey Munn' (ACC Art Books 2023). He has also made a survey of the work of the contemporary Italian jeweller and goldsmith Giovanni Corvaja.
Munn was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 New Years Honours list for services to charity in the United Kingdom. [3] In 2016 Geoffrey Munn was appointed Chairman of the Friends of The British Antique Dealers' Association Trust.[ citation needed ] In 2018 he was made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen.[ citation needed ]
Munn was born in Hastings, East Sussex [4] in April 1953. [5] He married Caroline in 1983 and the couple have two sons. The couple live near Southwold in Suffolk. [6]
In Who's Who he lists his recreations as "mudlarking", metal detecting, Bonsai, cooking, museums and art galleries. [1] He played himself in Joe's Palace , a film by Stephen Poliakoff.[ citation needed ] Munn is also an Ambassador for the Samaritans and patron of the Lowestoft branch; he ran the Flora London Marathon for the charity raising £80,000 in sponsorship. He is also an Ambassador for the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK [7] and patron of The Brain Tumour Charity, the Royal Osteoporosis Society and Sotterley Chapel Preservation Trust.[ citation needed ]
Southwold is a seaside town on the North Sea in Suffolk, England. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 11 miles (18 km) south of Lowestoft, 29 miles (47 km) north-east of Ipswich and 97 miles (156 km) north-east of London, within the parliamentary constituency of Suffolk Coastal. At the 2021 Census, the population was 950.
A tiara is a jeweled head ornament. Its origins date back to ancient Iran, which was then adapted by Greco-Romans. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women at formal occasions. The basic shape of the modern tiara is a (semi-)circle, usually made of silver, gold or platinum, and richly decorated with precious stones, pearls or cameos.
Yoxford is a village in East Suffolk, England, close to the Heritage Coast, Minsmere Reserve (RSPB), Aldeburgh and Southwold. It is known for its antique shops and for providing the setting for a Britten opera.
Halesworth is a market town, civil parish and electoral ward in north-eastern Suffolk, England. The population stood at 4,726 in the 2011 Census. It lies 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Lowestoft, on a tributary of the River Blyth, nine miles upstream from Southwold. The town is served by Halesworth railway station on the Ipswich–Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. It is twinned with Bouchain in France and Eitorf in Germany. Nearby villages include Cratfield, Wissett, Chediston, Walpole, Blyford, Linstead Parva, Wenhaston, Thorington, Spexhall, Bramfield, Huntingfield, Cookley and Holton.
Steyning Grammar School is a coeducational day and boarding, senior school and sixth form, located in Steyning, West Sussex, England.
William Hinds, stage name Will Hammer, was one of the founders of Hammer Film Productions.
Garrard & Co. Limited, formerly Asprey & Garrard Limited, designs and manufactures luxury jewellery and silver. George Wickes founded Garrard in London in 1735 and the brand is headquartered at Albemarle Street in Mayfair, London. Garrard also has a presence in a number of other locations globally. Garrard was the first official and most notably important Crown Jeweller of the United Kingdom having supplied jewels for Queen Victoria herself, and was charged with the upkeep of the British Crown Jewels, from 1843 to 2007, and was responsible for the creation of many tiaras and jewels still worn by the British royal family today. As well as jewellery, Garrard is known for having created some of the world's most illustrious sporting trophies, including the Americas Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy and a number of trophies for Royal Ascot in its role as Official Trophies and Silverware Supplier, which originally dates back to the first Gold Cup in 1842.
Wartski is a British family firm of antique dealers specialising in Russian works of art; particularly those by Carl Fabergé, fine jewellery and silver. Founded in North Wales in 1865, the business is located at 60 St James's Street, London, SW1. The company holds royal appointments as jewellers to Charles III and before her death, Elizabeth II.
Shoreham College is a private day school for boys and girls aged 3 to 16, which is located in Shoreham-by-Sea on the Sussex coast between Brighton and Worthing.
Queen Elizabeth II owned a historic collection of jewels – some as monarch and others as a private individual. They are separate from the gems and jewels of the Royal Collection, and from the coronation and state regalia that make up the Crown Jewels.
The House of Bolin is one of the oldest firms specialising in jewellery and silverware that remains in the hands of its founding family. The firm exists today as Jewellers and Silversmiths to HM the King of Sweden.
Carlo Giuliano (1831–1895) was a goldsmith and jeweller operating in London from 1860. He started work in Naples for Alessandro Castellani and was sent to London to establish a branch of the Casa Castellani. He left Castellani's employ in the early 1860s and in turn worked for Robert Phillips, Harry Emanuel, Hunt & Roskell, and Hancocks & Co - all leading London jewellers. In 1875, he set out on his own, starting a retail outlet at 115 Piccadilly, and specialising in Renaissance-style design.
Fortunato Pio Castellani was a 19th-century Italian jeweller and founder of Castellani, an Italian jewellery company.
Jacob Snowman M.D., M.R.C.S. was a British doctor and mohel, notable for having reportedly circumcised King Charles in December 1948, and possibly other members of the British nobility and Royal Family.
Shaun Leane is a British jewellery designer best known for his sculptural pieces created for Alexander McQueen. His eponymous jewellery brand is a four-time winner of the UK Jewellery Designer of the Year award.
The Crown Jeweller is responsible for the maintenance of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, and is appointed by the British monarch. The current Crown Jeweller is Mark Appleby, who was appointed in 2017.
Edith Brearey Dawson was an English artist, jeweller and member of the Arts and Crafts movement.
The Portland Tiara was a diamond-encrusted gold and silver tiara made by Cartier for Winifred, Duchess of Portland to wear at the coronation of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1902. It was exhibited at the Harley Gallery and Foundation's Portland Collection from 2016 until it was stolen and broken up in November 2018. The tiara was estimated to be worth £3.75 million.
Diana, Princess of Wales, owned a collection of jewels both as a member of the British royal family and as a private individual. These were separate from the coronation and state regalia of the crown jewels. Most of her jewels were either presents from foreign royalty, on loan from Queen Elizabeth II, wedding presents, purchased by Diana herself, or heirlooms belonging to the Spencer family.
Gilbert Leigh Marks was an English silversmith, who worked in the Arts and Crafts style, during a career of little over ten years.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of February 2024 (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
