
Set of Three Empire Porcelain Company Biscuit Jars circa 1900
Price: £120The 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.

Mexican Silver Bolo Tie with Aztec mask Head, Taxco, c1950
Price: £125
Strand of large Peking glass beads c1920
Price: £25
Pair of silver fobs adapted as earrings, Birmingham 1904 & 1905
Price: £75
Silver cuff bracelet set with Scottish banded carnelian stone, Birmingham 1975
Price: £85
Group of Three Chinese carved bone Horses with wood stands, probably mid C20th
Price: £30
French Orientalist etching aquatint - Paris La Rue Saint Rustique
Price: £35
Cruet set in the form of three Friar Tuck Monks on a Tray, Hummel, West Germany, 1960s
Price: £55
Minton Indian Tree Pattern Pitcher and Basin circa 1900
Price: £350………………………………………………………………………………………………….................................................................................
The celebrated firm of Mintons was founded by in 1793 by Thomas Minton (1765–1836) at Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England as ‘Thomas Minton and Sons’, producing earthenware. The initial ranges were standard tablewares in blue transfer-printed or painted earthenware, including the ever-popular Willow pattern. By the mid nineteenth century and in partnership with Michael Hollins, Mintons began the production of decorative finishes for the interior and in particular floor tiles which enjoyed enormous demand and were the subject of numerous prestigious commissions including a contract for the flooring of the American Capitol. This was followed by the introduction of the plain white glazed ‘Parian’ wares and then the Italian inspired ‘majolica’ pieces with their richly coloured lead glazes. Mintons continued to follow popular trends, working with Christopher Dresser, recruiting Louis Solon from Sevres who had developed pâte-sur-pâte wares and finally contributing to Art Nouveau ceramics with a speciality in secessionist wares.
But the manufacture of tableware continued alongside all these other developments and Mintons adopted and adapted the popular ‘Indian Tree’ pattern which was first produced by Coalport in 1801. This design fused elements from Indian textiles and Chinese ceramics into an amalgam with immediate appeal. The pattern includes the crooked branch of a tree and a partial landscape including exotic flowers and leaves with a palette of colours emphasising green, blue, pink, and orange, resembling quite closely the Chinese export wares decorated in ‘Famille Rose’ enamels which had been exported to Europe in great quantities in the eighteenth century. Many of Coalport’s rivals, including Spode, Wedgwood and Royal Worcester produced their own versions of the design, but Mintons’ interpretation was held to be one of the most successful.
It was used by Mintons to decorate a variety of shapes, mainly dinner and tea wares, but the toilet pitcher and matching basin are seldom found in this pattern. Both the forms are extremely elegant, the pitcher with light fluting, a scalloped rim and a complementary handle, while the basin, also lightly fluted, employs simple lines with a turnover rim which follow the shape of a Chinese original. All the standard elements of the pattern can be seen, in particular the twisted tree, and the diaper work borders again reflect Chinese originals.
Both pieces are marked with the pattern number ‘T 216’ and a Minton stamp, the form of which allows fairly accurate dating. The globe topped by a crown with the banner ‘Mintons’ was used from 1873-1912 but ‘England’ was only added after 1891, giving a circa date in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, probably around 1900. The original toilet set, which would have included the pitcher and basin along with, probably, a chamber pot, a soap dish, candlesticks and other accessories, was clearly a ‘deluxe’ item at the time and its quality is still apparent today when it can be enjoyed simply for its decorative appeal and as a reminder of a past era of grandeur.

Indian wooden toy model of a Horse with metal fitments, early C20th
Price: £25
Blackpool souvenir teapot c1920
Price: £35
Japanese satsuma style match stick holder c1940
Price: £45
Indian tribal necklace, 19th century
Price: £175
Pair of Chelsea style Figures of a Country Couple, probably Samson late C19th
Price: £55
Japanese Awata ware Teapot and Cover, signed, circa 1900
Price: £25
Cruet set in the form of three Friar Tuck Monks on a Tray, Hummel, West Germany, 1960s
Price: £55
Pair of Lovatt and Lovatt Langley Mill Vases, early C20th
Price: £110The Langley Mill Pottery was located in Langley Mill, Derbyshire on the Derbyshire – Nottinghamshire border. From its establishment in 1865 to its final closure in 1982, it went through five distinct periods of ownership, producing a wide range of stoneware ranging from utilitarian items and to high quality art pottery. This pair of vases dates from the third company that traded there, Lovatt and Lovatt. The Lovatt family had entered into partnership with the owner of the founding business at Langley Mill, James Calvert. From 1895 the business was in sole control of the Lovatt family and traded as ‘Lovatt and Lovatt’ until 1935. The early years of the twentieth century proved to be something of a zenith for them and a wide range of art pottery pieces were made which enjoyed great popularity. Production techniques were streamlined without a reduction in quality and in 1905, leadless glazes were introduced. These are proudly announced on the base of this pair of vases which are an excellent example of the Lovatt and Lovatt style and probably date to 1912, indicated by the impressed numbers for that year.

Art Deco Coffee Pot, Crownford Burslem, Staffordshire 1930s
Price: £35Burslem in Staffordshire was one of the famous six ‘pottery towns’ and immortalised in the novels of Arnold Bennett as ‘Bursley’. The firm Thomas Ford and Sons began its production there in the late nineteenth century, continuing until 1938 when the business was purchased by Oswald Shufflebottom who renamed it Ford & Sons (Crownford) Ltd. The trade name ‘Crownford’ had been adopted quite early on by the Ford family and was kept by the Shufflebottom family until the late 1980s. The ‘Crownford Burslem’ wares were mostly produced in the fashionable Art Deco style during the late 1920s and 1930s and this coffee pot is a fine and representative example of their work.

Mint Coronet Rapid camera with case 1950s
Price: £45
Chinese Cantonese style Vase decorated butterflies, late C20th
Price: £150
Chinese Crackleware Ginger Jar decorated with Warriors circa 1900
Price: £25'Crackleware' glazed pieces, usually with 'bronzed’ bands, were a staple output of the Chinese potteries from the mid nineteenth century onwards and were produced in a wide variety of mainly vase shape forms, both in polychrome and blue and white and intended as decorative pieces for the Victorian rooms of the West. As with other ceramic types, the quality deteriorated and this piece is typical of the late productions with a more modest level of craftsmanship but still retaining a naif charm. As with many ginger jars, this one lacks its original domed cover which would have been decorated to match.

Chinese Blue and White Box and Cover with pierced lid, late C20th
Price: £25The Charles Sadek Import Company was founded in 1936 by the father and son Charles and Norman Sadek and began by importing decorative items from Japan later broadening their range to a wider variety of suppliers including China. These pieces were sold under the ‘Andrea by Sadek’ brand, named after Norman's daughter Andrea. The business continued to a third generation until it was taken over by Fitz & Floyd in 2015.
This box, then, is a typical example of their range of wares, good quality decorative items marketed at an affordable price. The quality of these boxes can vary and this piece seems to be an above average example.

Japanese Celadon Dish decorated basket of flowers, circa 1900
Price: £45Celadon glazed wares with enamel decoration in fairly muted colours are a familiar product amongst the ceramics produced by Japanese potters at the end of the nineteenth century but examples of this type of dish are rather less commonly found. The basket of flowers is a regular decorative feature of Chinese ceramics, but given here a slightly different interpretation with the depiction of lotus, the emblem of summer. The mark probably imitates Chinese ‘commendation’ marks inscribed within the foot rim, another nod on the part of the Japanese potters towards their Chinese counterparts.

Wood Mask, Borneo late C20th
Price: £25
Leaded Slag Glass Bowl, C20th
Price: £45
Long lapis lazuli bead necklace c1980
Price: £30
Outstanding Art Deco necklace with French jet and rock crystal beads c1920
Price: £175
Reproduction Toulouse Lautrec poster, Jane Avril, probably mid C20th in later frame
Price: £95Reproductions were soon produced, one of the earliest being a bookplate, number 110, in the 1898 publication ‘Les Maîtres de l'affiche’ edited by Jules Chéret, which played a considerable part in promoting the poster as a work of art. Most of the copies produced are smaller and of variable print quality but this version is very true to the original and is not a current reprint. It employs a printing technique known as ‘giclée’, a French term meaning ‘sprayed’, referring to the operation of a printer which uses small spraying devices that can match colours and apply ink with precision, producing high quality reproductions of original art (see images 4 and 6). When viewed out of the frame, which is doubtless later, its age and the accuracy of the colours can be clearly seen suggesting a much earlier dating than most of the versions on offer (few of which are full size) probably to the mid twentieth century. One of Lautrec’s most famous images can be enjoyed, then, to the full in a contemporary domestic setting.
[The telephone number on the address label at the reverse, employing the exchange code for Cowes, Isle of Wight (0983) implies that the frame was made around the time of or before ‘PhONEday’ in April 1995.]

Victorian Black Watch iron doorstop c1890
Price: £25
Pair of Beige Opaline Glass Vases, enamelled decoration, probably French late C19th
Price: £75
Novelty ceramic Wall Vase in the form of a Gretsch Guitar, English, 1950s
Price: £25
Art Deco Style brown lustre glaze triangular form Vase, signed, C20th
Price: £35
Triple strand of amber Bakelite beads, British 1930s
Price: £750
Bone parquetry box decorated in the manner of Fornasetti, Venetian, mid C20th
Price: £85
Fine quality pair of Brass Cobra Candlesticks, Indian first half C20th
Price: £95
Necklace with massive Agate Disc strung set with facetted ruby beads, India, c1940
Price: £325
Diamond cut millegrain silver bracelet, 20th century
Price: £45
Two small metal perfume Flasks and Stoppers, 1920s
Price: £35
Kiralpo ware Dressing Table Set, marked, 1930s
Price: £35Kiralpo ware was one of the trade names used by Kirkland and Co, earthenware and ceramic manufacturers based at the Albion Pottery, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England who traded from 1891 to 1938 when the business was bought and renamed by Mr A.E.Gray. The format of the mark gives a dating between 1928 and 1938 with ‘E’ standing for Etruria. Kirkland and Co made various modest but colourful decorative items to furnish the home. In a 1907 guide they are described as ‘general earthenware, fancy goods, and majolica manufacturers’. Their designs were not sophisticated but obviously had a popular appeal and this set with its bold transfer decoration of birds set within a rather vivid pink border is typical of their work.

Large Hubei turquoise silver pendant Necklace, c1960
Price: £225
Monochrome tubular bead necklace, Modern
Price: £95
Pair of Chinese Ceramic Shoes, seal mark and with fitted box, C20th
Price: £55
Pair of Bohemian Harrach Glass Vases, Morocco pattern, second half C19th
Price: £95The Harrach glassworks is named after Alois Raimund von Harrach (Count Harrach), on whose estate it was founded in Bohemia, in the early eighteenth century. Managed at first by one Elias Muller, the firm traded under a variety of names becoming known as Harrach in the nineteenth century and Harrachov, the name eventually given to the town where the factory was situated, in the twentieth. These opulent vases were a popular part of its range in the nineteenth century, the pattern being produced in a variety of similar shapes and always as shelf ornament pieces. The decoration here is particularly lavish with an attractive use of colour and has survived in excellent condition making these a desirable addition for collectors of Bohemian glass or admirers of nineteenth century glass style generally.

An unusual Pair of Chinese carved Soapstone Vases, circa 1900
Price: £110
Pair of Ceramic Wall Hanging Plaques, Butterflies, probably continental 1960s
Price: £40
Framed poster for Victor Bicycles, Overman Wheel Company, C20th
Price: £55Will H. Bradley (1868-1962) was an American artist and illustrator whose work enjoyed enormous popularity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, indeed he became America’s highest paid artist. Some of his most elaborate and original poster and advertisement designs were produced in the last years of the nineteenth century and he was an apt choice for Albert Overman’s then thriving business. His style was quintessentially Art Nouveau and is often compared to that of the English artist, Aubrey Beardsley, indeed he was sometimes dubbed as the ‘American Beardsley'. This poster design for Overman has been much copied and reproduced over the years with original examples residing in museum collections. The dating of this particular printing is not wholly certain; the reproduction is certainly way superior to that of more modern versions and the accompanying frame also indicates some age, perhaps to the 1960s or through to the 1980s. We have, then, both an elegant decorative item and an excellent addition to a collection important poster art.

A pair of stamp collage Postcards, Alsace and Nice, framed, early C20th
Price: £45
Large amber cabochon cuff Bracelet, c1970
Price: £95
Japanese Arita Brushwasher, C20th
Price: £25
Bombay Japan pattern deep Dish, Minton or Samuel Alcock, English mid C19th
Price: £25
Compagnie des Indes style reticulated edge Armorial Plate, Chinese C20th
Price: £45
Chinese Scroll Painting of a Merchant and his Client, C20th
Price: £45
Two Corgi Silver Jubilee Toys Boxed, (41) State Landau, (417) London Bus, 1977
Price: £45
Framed Chinese Silk Embroidered Runner Panel, garden scenes, C20th
Price: £15
Pair of Staffordshire style Vintage Busts of Children, C20th
Price: £75
Egyptian silver cuff bangle with portait plaques of Pharoahs
Price: £85
Vintage Needlepoint Picture of a lady dressed in a crinoline, framed, probably 1930s
Price: £25
Maud Frizon Handbag c2000
Price: £150
Japanese Seto Ware Blue and White Vase, late C19th
Price: £450A fine quality Japanese porcelain vase, the ovoid body with a curved flaring foot and rising to a tall concave neck with a well defined shoulder, applied elephant and ring handles to the sides and a galleried rim, decorated in bright underglaze blue with two bands of stylised flowering chrysanthemum at the top and bottom between a continuous scene of flowering peony and chrysanthemum, the top rim with repeating whorl design on the exterior and stylised leaf design inside, the stepped base glazed white.
The kilns at Seto in the Aichi prefecture of Japan and situated close to Nagoya form one of the traditional ‘Nihon Rokkoyo’, the six old kilns of medieval Japan. The location of Seto was ideal for the production of ceramics with an abundance nearby of both porcelain clay and forests to provide firewood for the kilns. Production began as early as the Heian period (794-1185) and continued without a break thereafter, the earlier pieces being more pottery forms copying Chinese wares. It was in the early nineteenth century that the kilns turned to producing porcelains decorated in underglaze blue and white, a development initiated by the potter Tamikichi Kato who went to Arita to learn the techniques of its production there, returning to Seto in 1807. Production grew and developed and was directed towards the export market in the Meiji period (1868-1912) with Seto wares being displayed at the European and North American exhibitions and fairs. Their delicately painted designs of birds and flowers proved to be immensely popular and were, in their time, to influence Art Nouveau and Art Deco designs. Some of the forms produced were truly virtuoso creations including, besides vases, screens, jardinieres and even ceramic tables.
Signed pieces are known and besides Tamikichi Kato the distinguished potters included the Kichiemon brothers, Kato Chuji and Kawamoto Jihyoe, and Kawamoto Hansuke. But not all the best pieces carried an artist’s signature as this vase well demonstrates. Formed from fine quality clay, as can be seen from the foot rim (image 10), the complex shape with its spreading base, angled shoulder and galleried rim would have been difficult to create. The handles show remarkable skill with the rings somehow formed so as to hang loose (presumably some form of kiln waster technique was used). The detail and artistry of the painting speaks for itself. Note in particular the shading effects on the peony flowers. While not perhaps an exhibition piece, this vase is definitely of exhibition quality and would be a worthy addition to a collection of nineteenth century Japanese ceramic art.

Murano Style Calla Lily Trumpet Shape Vase, second half C20th
Price: £75
Continental Figure of a Cellist, Conta and Bohme, Germany late C19th
Price: £55
West German Pottery Lava Glaze Vase, Scheurich, 1960s
Price: £45
Mdina Glass Vase, signed and with maker’s label, late C20th
Price: £95
Chinese Shoushan Soapstone Seal with the characters A.H., C20th
Price: £45
Vintage Needlepoint Picture of a Garden Scene, framed, second half C20th
Price: £25
Framed Chinese Embroidery Silk Textile, signed, second half C20th
Price: £25
Framed Chinese Embroidery Silk Textile, signed, second half C20th
Price: £25
Framed Chinese Embroidery Silk Textile, signed, second half C20th
Price: £45
Swirl design Cranberry glass Decanter and Stopper, probably Italian mid C20th
Price: £45
Japanese Celadon Ground Tazza with Chinese Nanking decoration, late C19th
Price: £25
Wall Vase, designed by Noomi Backhausen, Søholm Stentøj, Denmark, late C20th
Estimate: £80 – 120
Desktop Model of a Typhoon Bomber Plane, Modern
Price: £25
Pair cast iron Doorstops, Basket of Fruit, probably American mid C20th
Price: £45
Silver prayer beads with seventeen Beads, 20th century
Price: £75
Vulcanite long necklace with Maltese cross and fob c1880
Price: £195
Victorian vulcanite anchor chain necklace with carved jet pendant c1880
Price: £195
Suite of Taxco - necklace, bracelet and earrings c1960
Price: £475
Sold silver and enamel Panda pendant necklace c1980
Price: £55
Silver Butterfly form Pendant set with Abalone, Bali, C20th
Price: £95
Art Deco black leather bag c1930
Price: £95
Four Papier-mâché Trinket Boxes, Kashmir, mid C20th
Price: £35
Art Deco Vase, Springtime, Price Brothers, Staffordshire, 1930s
Estimate: £20 – 30
Studio Pottery Vase signed Kamini, Greece, 1970s
Price: £45Although ‘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.

West German Studio Pottery Vase, Scheurich, 1960s
Price: £35
Pair of Brass Wall Plaques of Jousting Knights, Peerage Brass, mid C20th
Price: £45
Two Victorian Cranberry Glass Bowls, late C19th
Price: £75
Victorian style Bracelet in Mother of Pearl and Silver, modern
Price: £95
Edwardian silver fleur-de-lis collar necklace circa 1910
Price: £85Please note that the necklace is not marked for silver and has not been tested.

Indian Brass and Copper Inkwell, C20th
Price: £55
Green Murano Millefiori Latticino Glass Bowl, 1960s
Price: £150
Mods at Clacton 1964, Photograph by Terry Disney for the Daily Express
Price: £45It was, though, a newsworthy confrontation and press photographers were sent in to record events. The most notable of these was Terry Disney who worked for the Daily Express newspaper. Disney was a distinguished and prolific photographer from the 1960s onwards and many of his striking images survive, not least those capturing the major personalities of the entertainment world at the time, including the Beatles themselves. His images of the ‘mods’ (he seemed less interested in the ‘rockers’) capture the atmosphere of the scenes vividly and this photograph is an excellent example of his work on that Easter weekend (for another see image 5). Often only obtainable under licence, this print is an ideal opportunity for a collector to acquire a near iconic image. It is offered with a very basic frame which might well be replaced with something which would enhance the photograph more sympathetically.

Two Japanese Woodblock Prints by Toyohara Kunichika, second half C19th
Price: £75Toyohara Kunichika achieved great fame and distinction a Japanese print artist. Born in 1835 he studied under Toyohara Chikanobu and then Utagawa Kunisada (also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III) eventually using a combination of both his teacher’s names to create his own professional one. At first he worked within Kunisada’s studio and when his teacher died in 1865 was asked to design two memorial portraits of him. The beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912) saw Kunichika issuing his own prints, often in themed series and he became known in particular for his portrayals of kabuki actors, indeed he regarded the theatre as almost his second home. A contemporary once wrote ‘"Print designing, theatre and drinking were his life and for him that was enough.’ He achieved great fame and was rated as one of the masters of woodblock printing. Contemporary observers noted Kunichika's skilful use of colour in his actor prints, but he was also criticized for some of his choices for unlike most artists of the period, he made use of strong reds and dark purples rather than the softer colours used previously, exploiting the recent import of new dyes from Germany. Red, for the Japanese, meant progress and enlightenment so there was probably hidden meaning here. Eventually Kunichika’s lifestyle took its toll and he died in poor health, aged 65. It had been a Japanese custom for people of high cultural standing to write a poem before death. Kunichika's own, inscribed on his grave, reads ‘Since I am tired of painting portraits of people of this world, I will paint portraits of the King of hell and the devils.’ For many years his prints fell out of favour but interest has now revived and Kunichika is regarded as one of the eminently collectible Japanese artists in the field and these two prints are an excellent example of his work.
Each print is accompanied by a printed text on fine paper which presumably describes the character represented. The second of them is accompanied by two sheets one of which has become attached in one small place to the print itself but could probably fairly easily be detached by a restorer. In general there are some typical signs of age with minor losses (illustrated), tears and folding but the colours remain bright and fresh.

Framed Oil Painting on Board of a Winter Landscape Scene, C20th
Price: £55
Double sided minaudiere wrist bag 1920
Price: £20
Zuni turquoise silver pendant Necklace, modern
Price: £35
Victorian rolled gold and black and white agate Brooch, English c1920
Price: £50
Green Chalcedony silver mounted brooch with marcasite stones, 1940s
Price: £45