Antique Dealers: the British Antique Trade in the 20th Century

John Sparks was established, according to their own publicity, in 1888 by John Sparks (1854-1914), a captain in the merchant navy and who spent most of his life in the Far East.  The business was expanded by his son Ernest Peter Sparks (1896-1970) who joined the firm in 1910 when it was located at 37 Duke Street, Manchester Square, London. The Company was granted the Royal Warrant in 1926, and in 1928 the firm moved to premises at 128 Mount Street, which remained its address until the company closed in 1990. By the mid 1920s, Sparks established premises in Shanghai, at 103 Chiao Tung Road, which allowed it to source objects directly from China. Along with Bluetts, Sparks were among the longest established and most respected dealers in Chinese Works of Art.