by listed North American artists have been repatriated to Bermuda. And now that the National Gallery and Masterworks Foundation are in place, he says that an increasing number of these repatriated works are being periodically placed on loan or bequeathed to these organisations by private buyers.

As the housemaster moved through the dormitory, the unusual sight of a First World War tobacco jar caught his eye.

"What are you going to do with that?'' he enquired of its 13-year-old owner.

"Sell it,'' came the prompt reply.

"How much?'' "Thirty five pounds.'' "Don't be silly, no boy would pay that,'' said the sceptical master. Maybe not, but even as a teenager, Nicky Lusher knew who would. His school, Sherborne, situated in the ancient and beautiful town of the same name in Dorset, boasts more antique shops than almost any other town in England. The tobacco jar was duly sold to one of the antique dealers and Nicky Lusher had taken the first step in what was to become his career.

Although he is a former under-21 Bermuda squash champion, Mr. Lusher would be the first to admit that, apart from his wife Jamie and their 17-month-old son, Benjamin, his life is totally dedicated to his profession in the arts world.

Today, he is one of those fortunate few whose favourite recreation became his vocation. As a private art dealer, he is also able to specialise in his own favourite corner of that rarefied field -- Bermudiana. Although this is the main thrust of his business, he also deals in general antiques. Two important pieces that came his way this year, for example, include a rare, 17th century book, and some 19th century Russian jewellery.

In the last year alone, Mr. Lusher estimates that at least 25 important pieces by listed North American artists have been repatriated to Bermuda. And now that the National Gallery and Masterworks Foundation are in place, he says that an increasing number of these repatriated works are being periodically placed on loan or bequeathed to these organisations by private buyers.

After 13 years in the business, he has built up an impressive network of contacts. "A lot of time is spent on the phone to Europe and America tracking down pieces,'' he explains. "And there's a fair amount of travelling as almost all of my buying is done off the Island, through fairs, auctions and other dealers in the trade.'' This year, Mr. Lusher has also shown off some of his art wares in public, at the Mount Langton charity showcase and at this month's Christmas Expo '93 at No. 1 Shed in Hamilton.

Asked which acquisition had so far excited him most, Mr. Lusher's reply is perhaps rather surprising. He has, after all, just sold a set of rare, and valuable Hallewell prints and has unearthed some of the earliest maps of Bermuda.

"I discovered an 1876 oil painting of St. George's by Miss M.P. West, who is a listed Victorian artist. I found this at a time when very early, good quality oil paintings of Bermuda were not common in private collections. It typifies Bermuda historically and culturally -- a window into the Bermuda of the 19th century is extremely rare and it really fired my imagination.'' The main focus of his business centres around paintings, early prints, and old photographs. As the great grandson of Bermuda's first commercial photographer, Nicholas E. Lusher, he admits that it is these artefacts which he personally collects. Temptation in that direction has certainly loomed recently with the acquisition of a collector's dream -- a huge, leather-bound, hand-written Journal of a Trip to Bermuda, dated 1887, complete with 76 albumen photographs, many of them by Bermuda's pioneering photographer.

His knowledge of, and turnover in, antique maps of Bermuda is also impressive -- so much so, that he has been invited to curate The Fine Art of Bermuda Maps (1511-1861) which will open at the Bermuda National Gallery next May. He is particularly excited that the exhibition will include a manuscript map borrowed from the New York Public Library and, with a date of 1511, is believed to be the earliest known map which shows the islands of Bermuda.

Mr. Lusher says that he has never seriously considered any other career although, as he points out, art market fluctuations and world-wide recessions can certainly cause sleepless nights.

"But if economics were my motive, I suppose I could have joined the family real estate firm!'' As it was, he believes his initial interest in fine arts and antiques was fuelled by growing up in the English town whose history dates back to the time of Alfred the Great and which houses the bones of the pre-Norman king, Aethelred II.

He would spend weekends and holidays with two friends whose parents owned large country estates.

"Perhaps you can't help developing an eye for beautiful objects when you're surrounded by them -- even the hunting guns were beautifully engraved!'' In order to survive in the art dealing business, Mr. Lusher says the first thing a novice has to do is to sharpen that eye and develop at least a modicum of business acumen. "There's no sense in looking at a piece of silver, for instance, and failing to notice that the base has been re-moulded.'' He helped develop his own eye by pursuing two separate courses at Sotheby's, the world-famous auction house in London, where he studied European fine and decorative arts. In between, he concluded that a degree in History at King's College at the University of London, would be an appropriate choice for a future fine arts dealer.

Since then, Nicholas Lusher has proved himself to be a leading expert on the art and artefacts which "give a human dimension'' to the Island's past.

Stepping into the room where much of his stock-in-trade is housed, the aura of old Bermuda is pervasive. It is easy to see why Mr. Lusher likens his profession to that of a consuming passion. Holding pride of place (for this week, at any rate) is a panoramic coastal view of the cliffs at Spittal Pond, painted by William Chadwick, a well-known impressionist painter from the Old Lyme art colony, who visited and painted in Bermuda. Mr. Lusher proudly shows off the artist's label on the reverse, the exhibition stamp from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and "Lyme Art Association'' written in the artist's own hand. These niceties of provenance are, he points out, all-important in the professional art world.

There are also two oils and an exquisite watercolour on view by the American artist, Prosper Senat. A view of Salt Kettle by another American, Isabelle Ferry looks familiar -- yes, it is the same, now celebrated, view as that painted by Winslow Homer and then by Senat. Another Isabelle Ferry shows Gibbett's Island, signed and inscribed on the back.

One of the most unusual paintings in Mr. Lusher's possession at the moment is a charming watercolour showing Admiralty House, still in its heyday, in the 1930s. Painted by an important English marine artist, Frank Watson Wood, it shows a British admiral strolling down the driveway. He is not sure, he says, whether the artist had heard of the legend that Admiralty House is said to be haunted by an admiral who, every so often, is reputed to take a walk down the driveway! There is a painting of St. Paul's church by late 19th century artist Caroll Nichols, showing the extant Paget cottages opposite, and one of Harbour Road by Providence, Rhode Island painter, C. Gordon Harris.

Amid this treasure-trove of paintings are early Bermuda travel posters and 18th and 19th century botanical prints -- to say nothing of a fascinating collection of early photographs of the Island. And, for those whose artistic sensibilities are stronger than their purses, there are modestly priced, but exquisite Vanity Fair "spy'' prints.

"I think perhaps some people thought that it wouldn't be possible to make a living, dealing in Bermudiana, but I was quite certain that I could do it, and I was determined to try!'' Now, with interest in Bermuda-related art and artefacts at an all-time high, Mr. Lusher believes that his success still represents only "the tip of the iceberg''.

Says he: "There is so much out there, waiting to be found, and waiting to be brought back to Bermuda.'' DEALING IN FINE ART -- Mr. Nicky Lusher pictured with some of his latest acquisitions. At left is Isabelle Ferry's oil painting of Salt Kettle and, over his shoulder, a 19th century watercolour by an unknown artist of St.

George's.