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In 1954, Alois Scheurich founded the Scheurich Keramik factory, having been in partnership before then in the firm ‘Scheurich and Greulich’ (S&G) since 1927. While founded later than many of its competitors, Scheurich grew to become the principal exporter of West German ceramics through until the 1980s and beyond, making vases in a wide variety of shapes and designs. Made in the 1970s, this vase has a retrospective feel recalling Soviet designs from the 1920s and 1930s. The figures seem to be grouped in a stylised market scene with various pitchers containing perhaps wine or oil. The symbolism is unclear unless it refers to the vase itself which could be regarded as recalling the form of the Greek amphora. But whatever the ‘meaning’ we have an imposing and unusual decorative item here which stands rather apart from many of the other pieces produced by its manufacturer.

Wade Ceramics Ltd was a manufacturer of porcelain and earthenware, headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Founded in 1867, it was run by various members of the Wade family until the death of George Anthony Wade in 1987 after which there was a succession of management buyouts. Despite substantial investment in 2009, the firm eventually went into administration in 2022. Wade produced a wide variety of ceramics, including the well known Wade Whimsies animal figurines.

This pair of salts is rather different to many of their productions and have a distinctly ‘Art Nouveau’ feel but, in fact, date to the 1950s when this particular format of the factory mark was used. It seems to be one of the rarer forms and pairs are even rarer still, so definitely one for Wade collectors!

Dolls such as these were made for display, sometimes at the special ‘Doll’s Day’ or ‘Girls Day’ festival held annually on the third of March and termed ‘Hinamatsuri’. The elaborate dress is sometimes known as ‘Hagoromo’ (‘feathered’) and the mask with its fixed expression derives from the well known ‘Noh theatre’, a major form of Japanese musical drama created in the fourteenth century which combines dance, music and song and is still performed today. The actors are all male and play the female roles wearing a lady’s mask.

The craftsmanship of this piece is self evident and it was most likely made in the second half of the C20th. It can stand equally well on its own or as part of a wider collection and would be a desirable acquisition either way.

George Davidson founded the Teams Flint Glass Works in 1867, which later became known as George Davidson & Co. In the 1880s the company began producing pressed glass tableware in a variety of shapes and by the 1920s their designs began to reflect the new Art Deco trends. The firm continued production until the 1980s, closing in 1987. Some of their catalogues still exist and one from the early 1930s shows a piece very similar to this one (see image 11). The colour is known as ‘Topaz Briar’ and the swirling effects resemble other pieces in their ‘cloud glass’ range, a pattern for which the firm was famous.

The colourings and small size of this piece make it an unusual find amongst the Davidson wares which can be seen today and the presence of all three elements (perfect and complete) make it a desirable addition to a collection of twentieth century pressed glass.

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Richard Akerman was born in London in 1942. He attended the Hornsey College of Arts and Crafts in the early 1960s, studying a general fine art course which incorporated printmaking and sculpture. His first exhibition was at the Obelisk Gallery in Crawford Street, London, where his work was displayed alongside works by famous surrealists such as Man Ray and Salvador Dali, implying that the style of his early work matched that of his more famous contemporaries. Years of travel followed in both Europe and the Far East and this seems to have turned him to painting in a more coventional style. A succession of watercolours was to follow with subjects ranging from still life and flowers to garden and architectural subjects. His work became immensely popular through the prints made from his original paintings, indeed such was the demand for them that he rivalled Monet as a subject for reproduction in this medium becoming, in a sense, quite a household name with exhibitions of his work internationally.

The path to success, however, was not straightforward and one account of him, written by his son Marcus, mentions running a hot dog stand alongside joining the artists with their weekend displays of works for sale on the railings at Kensington Gardens. Convivial and outgoing (a self portrait captures him well : see image 9), Akerman was married with three children and spent the latter years of his life in Spain where he sadly died after an accident in 2005.

But his work survives him and the prints produced in his lifetime can still be obtained today, giving an accesible overview of his output. The style is approachable with an attractive use of colour and often slightly impressionistic brushwork. But there are works executed in a more precise style, for example a signed watercolour ‘Hot House Flowers’, exhibited by the Edinburgh Gallery in 1994 (see image 10) and this is seen in the work we have on offer. The location of this group of farm buildings is uncertain but Akerman painted similar scenes which appear to be located in Kent and this may well be the case here. Original watercolours by Akerman are not so easily found but what increases the rarity and interest of our picture is that the artist’s signature, done in a slightly more precise hand than the signatures found in the reproduction prints, has the date in addition (’81). We have been unable to find any other example of this and it leads to the possibility that this is a work which the artist painted for himself. Certainly there are no reproductions of it. If so, then it is of particular interest and more than worthy of inclusion in a collection C20th British watercolourists with the addition of being an original creation by an artist who enjoyed such great popularity with the general public.

Although ‘Kamini’ is both the Greek word for a kiln and the name of a village on the Greek island of Hydra, it actually stands here for the Greek firm of that name whose registered office was at Kallithea, a suburb of Athens. The Kamini pottery produced a wide range of appealing but often slightly rustic wares in the 1970s, many with the splash glaze effects we see here and all stamped with the firm’s name. This vase stands out somewhat for the simple lines of its form and the variety of effects in its decoration with a particularly pleasing palette of colours and demonstrates that this Mediterranean pottery could well rival at times the work of some of its European competitors.

While a close relation to the traditional Victorian ‘Staffordshire Dog’, these figures were actually made by the English firm Beswick in the twentieth century. Founded in 1894 by James Beswick and his sons, the company became known for its output of figurines, eventually securing the rights to producing characters from the novels of Beatrix Potter and the films of Walt Disney. It was sold to Royal Doulton in 1969 who continued production until 2002, selling the pottery premises in 2003 and the rights to the name in 2004 when they were bought by Dartington Crystal who still manufacture pieces carrying the Beswick name. These spaniel figures appear to date from the 1960s and were made in at least two sizes. Most have painted decoration but the plain white finish here is really the most pleasing of all producing a pair of decorative items with timeless appeal.

Price Bros was an earthenware manufacturer established at the Crown Works, Burslem, Staffordshire, England, in 1896 by the Price brothers. They specialised in tabletop accessories and teapots and success was rapid such that in 1934 they moved to larger premises at the Top Bridge Works in Longport, where they became known as Price Bros Ltd. A close association with another firm, Kensington Potteries, was finally cemented when the two firms merged in 1962 taking on the name ‘Price and Kensington’ and continuing to manufacture their popular wares to the present day. This vase is typical of the decorative pieces which Price Bros produced during the 1930s and, as with so much of the pottery produced at that time, it reflects the Art Deco styles, particularly in the semi abstract shape. This vase was mould made as can be seen from the joins at each side (see image 7) but there is nothing mechanical about the finished result with its pleasing combination of colour and decoration.

Bay Ceramics was founded by Eduard Bay in the 1930s and based in Ransbach Baumbach, the heart of the main West German pottery producing region. Their productions included vases in a wide variety of shapes and designs which continued in production until the 1980s. Bodo Mans was amongst their most famous designers working in the 1950s and 1960s. He seems to have concentrated on organic semi abstract designs and ewers in this form, with the same pattern number but in a variety of different glazes, are attributed to him. This monochrome mustard glaze seems particularly attractive and complements the design very successfully producing a striking and decorative item which might enhance a wide variety of interior settings.

Shagreen is a natural hide, typically from shark, stingray or dogfish, worked through special processes to produce a granular surface effect. Known in China and Japan from the earliest times and popular in Europe in the eighteenth century Shagreen enjoyed its greatest popularity in the Art Deco period where it was used as a covering for writing desks and well-dressed cabinetry and smaller items such as the picture frame we have here. The clean lines of this piece and the palette of colours employed fit exactly with the ethos of the Art Deco period and a dating to the 1930s is extremely likely. A luxury item at the time it could be used now to provide enhanced presentation of a favourite image adding to it a hint of true elegance.

Although not marked as such, this vase has all the hallmarks of the firm Scheurich Keramik which started production in 1954, rather later than most of its competitors, but soon became the largest producer of commercial art pottery in Germany. Their pieces rarely carried the factory name but usually the model number followed by the height in centimetres with ‘W-Germany’ below, as here. Model ‘517’ can be found in a variety of different glazes but the colourings here with the contrast between browns and cream are particularly successful. Dating is to the 1960s.

The Empire Porcelain Company was established in 1896 at the Empire Works in Stoke Road, Hanley, Stoke on Trent. A wide range of pottery and porcelain was subsequently produced until the factory’s closure in 1967. The various marks include the initials EPC, EP or the word Empire. The form of the mark seen here occurs on the earliest pieces made between 1896 and 1912. Blue ground pieces with mythological scenes were produced in a variety of forms during this period, some decorative, such as ornamental vases, and some more practical, as here : modest but graceful accessories for the Edwardian drawing room.

These pieces represent something of a puzzle. Seen the right way round (with the handle on the right) they are plain and the decoration only reveals itself on the reverse. This suggests a playful intent to conceal which, when combined with the subject matter, suggests something a bit ‘naughty’ which could confirm the second interpretation of what the seated man is holding! The paste, and general style of the pieces, looks continental and a German origin might be a good guess, but no more than that. The blue glazed jug has an impressed mark to the base ‘186 [plus an unidentifiable number]’ which might be the date but is more likely the pattern number; a dating of around 1900 for both seems reasonable - certainly there is an ‘old’ look to the pieces. There are one or two similar examples but little in the way of firm information. One for a collector to puzzle out!

Wade Ceramics Ltd was a manufacturer of porcelain and earthenware, headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Founded in 1867, it was run by various members of the Wade family until the death of George Anthony Wade in 1987 after which there was a succession of management buyouts. Despite substantial investment in 2009, the firm eventually went into administration in 2022. Wade produced a wide variety of ceramics, including the well known Wade Whimsies animal figurines. A pair of Art Deco green glazed ‘salts’ are also included in this sale. The ‘Bramble’ design was created in the 1950s and a wide variety of tea service shapes were produced in the pattern. Collectors today can attempt to assemble examples from the whole of the range, towards which these three pieces might provide some assistance.

This is a typical example of the ‘Mandarin’ pattern produced by the Chinese in the late eighteenth century for export to the West where it enjoyed great popularity. The name derives from the male court figures, mandarins, who form such an important component of the designs. The scenes are carefully composed with much charm and rendered in a wide variety of coloured enamels with much emphasis on deep pink (‘Famille Rose’) and iron red. A wide variety of wares were produced in the pattern including vases, bowls, dinner services and tea sets, as here, where there would have been a set of bowls and saucers along with matching serving items. The charm and quality of this piece speaks for itself and presents an excellent and collectible example of this opulent pattern from the eighteenth century.

This is a French interpretation of the ‘Majolica’ style which became so popular, particularly in England in the second half of the nineteenth century. A very distant relation of the tin glazed Italian and Spanish wares which share the name, nineteenth century majolica employed a wide variety of brightly coloured glazes applied to elaborate forms some of which had a slightly ‘classical’ feel and some a reflection of ‘rococo’ designs. The paste and glazes here suggest France, which produced various pieces in the ‘majolica’ style and dating is probably to the end of the nineteenth century.

The Maruku factory seems to have operated in Japan after the second world war producing modest but good quality wares for export, rather in the style of Noritake pieces. Usually their pieces are marked in addition ‘Made in Japan’ but for some reason not here. The forms, colourings and designs here are quite unusual and while modest, these are good quality decorative items suitable for a contemporary interior.

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While not stamped with a maker's mark, vases of this type are attributed to the West German Ceramics factory Marei which produced pieces from 1949 to 2016. Marei was the commonly used abbreviation for the firm's name which was Majolikafabrik Rheinbach Jean Fuss and Sohn. The pieces are distinguished by the use of a reddish clay but this was sometimes more brown or dark brown depending on the suppliers used. Marks are usually impressed into the base although these are often just pattern numbers, as here. Many pieces are unmarked and some are stamped 'MADE IN GERMANY' or 'W.GERMANY'. The pattern number here is '7104'and is found on similar pieces with the same shape but different decoration. This vase was probably made in the 1970s and is typical of the striking designs the firm produced.

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While close to the Chinese originals, many features indicate European and indeed English manufacture, in particular the drawing of the ladies’ heads, the palette of colours used, the borders employed and, most importantly, the glaze and paste of the reverse. The most likely producer here was the Worcester factory whose ‘Mandarin’ pieces were well known and a circa date in the second half of the eighteenth century is reasonable. The saucers would have come from a small tea service with matching bowls and various serving items, including, of course, a teapot. Not so likely to be used now, they provide an elegant example of the vogue for Chinoiserie in England at the time.

Lancaster & Sons Ltd were manufacturers of earthenware at the Dresden works, Tinkersclough, in the Shelton area of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England. The firm was founded in 1899 under the name ‘Lancaster and Barker’ was renamed ‘Lancaster & Sons Ltd’ in the early 1900s and continued production until 1944. In the 1920s they produced various pieces with rural landscape scenes of which this is an example. Some see reminiscences of the ‘Arts and Crafts’ movement here but the mark found on the bottom clearly dates the piece to the 1920s. The yellow lustre glaze is interesting and free from the crazing sometimes found.