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The design of the fireplace suggests manufacture in England in the Victorian period and the weight and quality of the brass used conforms with this. The composition is appealing, so much so that modern reproductions exist which can be clearly distinguished from the original by the brass work used and a hollowed out construction at the back where our example is solid (see image 2).

Bertel Thorvaldsen (born Nov. 19, 1770, or Nov. 13, 1768, Copenhagen, Den.—died March 24, 1844, Copenhagen), sculptor, prominent in the Neoclassical period, who was the first internationally acclaimed Danish artist. Prominent in Roman intellectual and artistic circles, he influenced many emerging artists from Europe and the United States. Most of Thorvaldsen’s most characteristic sculptures are reinterpretations of the figures or themes of classical antiquity. The Alexander frieze of 1812 in the Palazzo del Quirinale, Rome, modeled in only three months in anticipation of a visit by Napoleon, is an example of the feverish energy with which he could at times work. Religious sculptures include the colossal series of statues of Christ and the Twelve Apostles (1821–27) in the Vor Frue Kirke in Copenhagen. He also made numerous portrait busts of distinguished contemporaries.

The West German ceramics produced after the second world war are characterised by their distinctive and colourful designs. The Jasba factory was founded in 1926 by Jakob Schwaderlapp in Ransbach-Baumbach. The name is derived from his name and the town his factory was located. Production of decorative ceramics ceased in 1975 and the firm concentrated on industrial items and tiles which they still make today. This vase probably dates to the 1960s and the form and glaze effects are quite striking.

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Print 1: This print depicts the weddings of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and on the bottom depicts the marriage of Mary of Teck to the then Duke of York. The portraits surrounding these images are of the two brides and other royal family members. (numbered Plate 17)

Print 2: This print depicts the development in the modes of transportation during her reign. Clipper ship to steamer, carriage to train, walking and carriages to bicycles and automobiles. The portraits will be the inventors and visionaries of these developments. (numbered Plate XI)

Print 3: This print depicts the House of Commons with Prime Minister Salisbury and the House of Lords. The surrounding portraits are politicians of the day. The bottom centre is of Gladstone. (numbered Plate A)

Print 4: This print depicts the development of the Royal Navy during her reign. it starts with tall mast sailing ships (1836 fleet) and proceeds to steam ships (1853 fleet) and then finally to the most modern ships and even submarines (1897 fleet). The portraits are a bit random - but probably are naval officers and Royal family members. (numbered Plate IX)

Print 5: This print depicts three important battles during her reign. The portraits depict military officers and other influencers during these wars. (numbered Plate VIII)The portraits depict military officers and other influencers during these wars. (numbered Plate VIII)

Print 6: This print depicts the christenings of Victoria's first two children, Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise, Princess Royal and Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. The large portrait on the upper left is the Arch Bishop of Canterbury. (numbered Plate V)

Print 7: This print depicts the Queen's marriage to Prince Albert and the image below is a well known family portrait. The portraits are members of the Royal Family such as parents and possibly siblings. (numbered Plate IV)

Print 8: This print depicts Victoria's accession council, the opening of parliament and a royal procession. The portraits are very difficult to pinpoint but they would be politicians and influencers of the day. (numbered Plate III)

Print 9: This print depicts Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838. The top image is the ceremony followed by the procession with Buckingham Palace in the background. The portraits depict monarchs that came before here. Edward the IV is the large central top portrait. (numbered Plate II)

Print 10: This print depicts a later family portrait and three of her residences, Windsor, Balmoral and Osborne. The larger portraits are Edward Prince of Wales, George Duke of York and probably Prince Edward Albert.

The Noritake compnay was set up by the Morimura family at Noritake near Nagoya in the early twentieth century. Called at first 'Nippon Toki Kaisha Ltd' on its founding in 1904, the business soon changed its name to 'Noritake' and began the manufacture of porcelains for the domestic and export markets. The mark seen here is interesting. It comprises a 'Komaru' symbol, crowned with "Noritake" and with the mark 'Made In Japan'. The centre symbol said to be taken from the Japanese character "Komaru", meaning "overcoming difficulties". According to the Noritake company tradition this mark was designed when contact with the different culture of the west early in the 20th century caused problems of adaptation. It is also known as the 'tree crest mark' which is the clan crest of the Morimura family. This mark is said to have been registered in London for the UK market by 1908. The curled up ends of the Komaru symbol seen here distinguish this mark from later versions and allow a dating of this piece to the early twentieth century.

Noritake porcelain became synonymous with finely potted tea and breakfast services made in great quantities for export. These vases are a rather more unusual production and show the factory capable of producing high quality pieces with decorative potential.

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.

The Doulton pottery originally had its first factory in Lambeth, London. Set up in 1815 by John Doulton, who is rumoured to have spent his life savings of £100 in starting the business, the firm concentrated on making pipes and utilitarian works. But in the 1880s the Company moved to Staffordshire and began making fine bone china tableware and decorative items. The pottery was located in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent and has manufactured high quality ceramics and porcelains ever since, receiving a Royal Warrant in 1901.

This piece is typical of the glazed pottery pieces made in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A muted palette of colours was used and a variety of forms created with many artists taking a hand in the decoration. Most of the pieces are signed, as here. The pattern number indicates a date after 1894, but the Royal Warrant mark means a dating in the early 1900s. Perhaps a timing in the Edwardian era (1901-1910) is the most likely.

This vase is an excellent example of the creative designs which Doulton produced. As often, there is a slight Oriental influence but the style and design are unmistakeable.

Each of the ten characters are described in a double page spread, the right hand containing texts in both Chinese and English and the left hand with hand coloured illustrations on silk , delicately rendered. The book 'works' from right to left and the reverses of the pages are left blank. At each end are fabric covered boards, the front board with a pasted paper inscription in Chinese with a small red seal mark. Other examples are finished with boards in wood, but these are, perhaps, not original or a more deluxe version of the volume.

The illustrations are in excellent condition with the colours still bright. The yellow finish to the paper is original and perhaps intended to give an 'antique' effect. Each of the end boards are very slightly scuffed at the borders. The pages, including the title page and the two end papers, suffer from varying degrees of 'worm hole' perforation. There are also various tears. A selection of illustrations can be seen above and further images (and a more detailed condition report) are, of course, available on request. But these condition issues should not necessarily detract from the charm of the item which is an Englishman's attempt to capture some of the folk lore of China, a land which attracted such popular interest during the Victorian period.

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Shelley Potteries, situated in Staffordshire, was originally known as Wileman & Co. which had also traded under the name ‘The Foley Potteries’. The first Shelley to join the company was Joseph Ball Shelley in 1862, and it remained a Shelley family business until 1966, when it was taken over by Allied English Potteries. Joseph’s son Percy employed first the designer Frederick Rhead then Walter Slater who had worked with Doulton. It was Walter Slater’s son, Eric, who initiated the ‘Harmony’ range in 1932, at first with a series of banded designs as here and then with drip ware patterns which became enormously popular. Harmony ware was produced in a wide variety of colours and shapes, the plain ovoid form being typical and reflecting the Art Deco styles of the period, but this example is exceptionally large with a more unusual range of colourings.

The stamped mark to the base reads ‘Zhongguo Jingdezhen Zhi (China Jingdezhen Made)’ with the letter ‘V’ between two lines. In the early 1950s almost all the factories in Jiangxi, the province where the kiln town Jingdezhen is situated, were merged into larger units, each made up of ten to fifteen previously independent factories. From this time factory numbers such as we have here (=V=) came to be used and many pieces are found with a wide variety of letters and numbers indicating the various cooperatives. The quality of the productions varied and it is a reasonable assumption that increasing years witnessed a decline. While other examples of this type of jar exist, some with their original domed covers, this piece is of the very best quality, indeed the work matches earlier pieces in the style very closely, and a dating to the mid 1950s seems quite plausible. It shows that the Chinese potters continued to produce to a high standard when they chose to do so and provides a pleasing memento of the closing era of a tradition of porcelain production stretching back long into the past.

Although not marked with their name (few pieces were until the later years of production) this vase has all the hallmarks of the Scheurich factory founded in 1954 by Alois Scheurich who had been a partner 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. This piece is rather more austere than many of their productions and the clean lines of the form combined with the rather stark decoration perhaps make it particularly suitable for a contemporary interior.