NEW YORK, NY.- Bonhams announced the Bonhams New York 2013/2014 Season Lecture Series. Timed to coincide with most major auctions held in the New York Galleries, Bonhams will be hosting relevant lectures presented by well-known and highly regarded authors and specialists in specific fields.

To kick off the Fall season of lectures, we are pleased to announce the inaugural talk entitled Lockwood de Forest and a Tale of Two Chairs, presented by Roberta Mayer, author of the definitive work: Lockwood de Forest : Furnishing the Gilded Age with a Passion for India (2008). Roberta will speak of de Forest's life and career, and will be also discussing the fascinating history of a recent Bonhams discovery- a pair of rare and important brass-sheathed chairs designed by the American artist, that will be presented at auction in the following days. This lecture will take place on Sunday, September 22, at 2pm.

Quickly following will be a fascinating lecture entitled Hallmarking: The Oldest Form of Consumer Protection, presented by Mr. Jonathan Stone. Mr. Stone will discuss how the form and function of English hallmarks have evolved from roughly 1300 AD to the present day. He will also discuss fakes and forgeries and alterations, and will provide insight in to how to readily discover them.

Jonathan Stone has collected English, Irish, and Scottish silver for sixty years; and, as a lawyer by profession, during that period he has studied in some depth the fascinating story of hallmarking, and the legislation behind it. He has lectured extensively and has written for, amongst other publications, The Times, Sunday Times, Apollo, The Conoissseur, Antiques (USA), and Goya (Spain); his talks on the BBC Third Programme were published in The Listener. At a very early age, Jonathan Stone became a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, and subsequently a Liveryman of the Company. He has served on the Modern Plate Committee, and for four years on the Antique Plate Committee which is charged with advising the Court of the Goldsmiths Company on items of plate which are suspected to contravene the Hallmarking Acts.

This lecture will be presented at Bonhams New York galleries on Tuesday, September 24, at 7pm. A brief reception will be held prior to the lecture.

These lectures are free and open to the public, however, space is limited. Please RSVP for these lectures as soon as possible at 212 644 9143 or by email at events.us@bonhams.com.