Globular art glass Vase with trailing swirls, signed and dated 1994
Price: £45
An art glass vase of compressed globular form with a short concave neck and a flaring flat rim, the base flat with a pontil mark to the centre and an etched signature, perhaps to be read as ‘St Cl’, with the date ‘1994’, the clear glass body decorated in greys, blues and browns with trailing swirls and dashes and dots, perhaps intended to represent stylised fish and pebbles in flowing water. There is clearly considerable skill in the manufacture of this piece which was hand blown as indicated by the pontil mark underneath but the signature is unclear and the work without an exact parallel.
Owl glass Vase, Italian probably Murano, second half C20th
Price: £45
An art glass vase of globular beaker form, the front face modelled as the face of an owl with raised ears at the side and the base flat, the amber coloured glass with diagonal flecks, presumably intended to represent fur and the base with layers of glass employing the ‘sommerso’ technique. Similar owl vases were made by the Cristalleria d’Arte glassworks at Murano, Venice but these are of a slightly different shape and the eyes are rendered in black and white. But the techniquese employed here, particularly the ‘sommerso’ layers at the base are typical of Murano work and this seems to be the most likely provenance. The chunky modelling suggests a dating to the 1960s for this amusing and skilfully made piece.
Abstract design studio pottery vase, signed E.E. Lewis 1954
Price: £35
An attractive studio pottery vase of broad ovoid form with a short stepped foot and a cylindrical rim, glazed overall in speckled brown with a slight craquelure, the pronounced potting rings showing through, and decorated with an incised design of abstract organic motifs, the base glazed, also with clear traces of the potting rings, and with an incised signature ‘E.E.Lewis 1954’. The maker cannot be otherwise identified but was clearly an accomplished amateur and the form and decoration combine to produce an elegant decorative piece.
Novelty ceramic celery Vase, Price Kensington, 1960s
Price: £25
A novelty ceramic vase with two mask heads, the eyebrows and moustache formed as leaves, with the wording ‘CELERY’ above, the base with transfer marks ‘PRICE KENSINGTON’ within a wreath above ‘MADE IN ENGLAND’ and the pattern number ‘3644’ written at the side.
Price & Kensington was the trademark for Price & Kensington Potteries Ltd which was formed in 1962 by the amalgamation of Price Bros. (Burslem) Ltd and Kensington Pottery Ltd which were both subsidiaries of Arthur Wood & Son (Longport) Ltd. From 1962 to 2003 Price & Kensington produced large quantities of domestic wares alongside novelties and souvenirs, but in 2003 their parent company went into administration and their brand name was eventually sold to Rayware Limited which continued to use it, eventually moving the manufacture abroad, mainly to China.
This celery vase was one of the most popular and distinctive pieces which Price & Kensington produced and examples are enthusiastically collected today.
Two art glass pedestal Bowls, Jozephina Glassworks, Krosno, Polish c1980
Price: £75
Two complementary glass pedestal bowls, the hemispherical bowl supported by three twisting tubes of glass set on a wide flat base slightly raised towards the centre, the bowls decorated with marble effect designs to the exterior and plain glass in two different shades of cream to the interior, the supports in clear glass encasing pale gold and black strands of glass respectively which continue into the base as spirals. Although not marked, the form of these glasses is quite reasonably attributed to the Jozephina glassworks at Krosno, Poland. Founded by Jozef Jankowski in 1980, the firm specialises in high quality pieces with innovative designs, many by Jozef’s daughter Ella Jankowska Fishman. Their repertoire today still includes both marble effect decoration and twisting spiral supports but this bowl or bonbonniere shape seems no longer to be produced and probably belongs to their earliest years in the 1980s. A truly virtuoso creation which probably deserves to be admired today rather than put to practical use!
Stoneware ceramic Wall Flagon, Simon Eeles, signed, late C20th
Price: £180
A stoneware ceramic wall flagon or vase, the body circular and glazed to the front and the top of the back in a mottled blue, the centre with a polychrome raised and modelled design of a tree, the base with a circular tap and cork spigot, the top with a circular screw thread cover and knob finial, the back unglazed with a textured effect, with two ridged loop handles for hanging (fitted with the original cord) and an impressed circular mark ‘SE’ along with the price tag (£110.00) and the address of the Shepherd’s Well Pottery.
Simon Eeles was one of the two sons of David and Patricia Eeles who started the studio Shepherd’s Well Pottery in Hampstead, London in 1955, moving to Mosterton, Beaminster, Dorset in 1962, see ‘British Studio Potters’ Marks’ by Eric Yates-Owen and Robert Fournier (2nd edition 2005 p152). Simon began working with his parents in 1979 and was to soon specialise in stoneware although in later years he took an interest in the Japanese ‘raku’ type glazes for which he gives demonstration classes today. His earlier stoneware pieces seem to have focused on decorative utility items and do not appear to be commonly available now. Priced in the 1980s/1990s at £110 this wall flagon was clearly something of a demonstration piece at the time and remains so today.
Etching of Pin Mill, Suffolk, C19th
Price: £25
The scene presented here is that of Pin Mill, a small village on the south bank of the River Orwell in southern Suffolk, England. The origin of the name is uncertain, since pin manufacturing is never known to have taken place there, but the location was regularly used as a landing point for ship-borne cargo, a centre for the repair of Thames sailing barges and the home to many small industries such as sail making. It is also held to have played a role in the smuggling activities which used to take place off the east Suffolk coast. Its picturesque views have often been the subject of artists and clearly caught the intention of the print maker here, whose initials ‘AxA’ can be seen at the bottom left corner but cannot, unfortunately, be identified. The view chosen looks over the estuary and the prominent building to the left is the ‘Butt and Oyster’ pub dating back to the seventeenth century and still in business today. The relatively uncluttered shore line suggests a nineteenth century dating if, as is reasonable to assume, it was a contemporary view which the artist tried to capture. The soft lines of the composition suggests the technique of etching rather than engraving where acid is used to create the image on the plate producing detailed and shallow designs and the unknown creator of this piece has produced an attractive image which fully exploits the potential of the technique.
Lapis and Lemon quartz torque necklace, modern
Price: £95
This is a very sleek necklace with a geometric pendant on a torque necklace. The pendant has a half moon shaped Lapis Lazuli stone and a fancy cut five sided lemon quartz stone. This is a very elegant and balanced piece. Both pendant and necklace are marked 925.
Chinese silk textile picture, Zhichun Pavilion, the Summer Palace, C20th
Price: £25
This is a Chinese silk textile picture depicting the Zhichun Pavilion within the Summer Palace, Beijing. Built by the Chinese Empress Cixi as a sanctuary for quiet retreat, the Summer Palace is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces. The Zhichun Pavilion is situated on the small island in front of the Hall of Jade Ripples, beside Kunming Lake’s east bank. It backs onto a hill and to the south it faces the sun allowing a view of spring’s arrival, it’s name translating as ‘knowing Spring’. Image (7) shows a contemporary view and this silk textile was, no doubt, made as a tourist souvenir, perhaps in the 1960s.
Morrocan safi ware Dish, silver metal bound, signed La Médina Paris, modern
Price: £45
An earthenware dish glazed blue to the front, with silver metal mounting, and orange to the reverse, with a narrow foot pierced for hanging and inscribed to the centre ‘La Médina Paris’. This is an example of Morrocan earthenware made at Safi, a city in western Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of Safi Province and known for the production of textiles and ceramics. Some plates in a similar style are marked with their city of origin (see image 10 for an example of this) and many are bound in metal as here. They seem to have been made from the late twentieth century onwards, perhaps as tourist souvenirs, but the inscription on the back indicates that this plate was made specially for the shop ‘Les Trésors De La Médina’ situated in the Boulevard du Montparnasse, Paris (see image 9). Their website states “Les Trésors De La Médina is a true specialist in Moroccan craftsmanship. For 15 years, our shop has been offering our customers various works of art produced by craftsmen.” which indicates that this piece offered to the market in fairly recent times. Nevertheless, it is an excellent example of the type and would make an interesting item of wall decoration.
Exceptionally large Sylvac Jar and Cover, Canton pattern, 1970s
Price: £75
An exceptionally large jar and cover of ovoid form with a short straight neck, the cover of flaring conical form with a complementary small flaring conical form finial, the decoration comprising moulded mustard glaze panels (birds and flowers/pine trees) with brown glaze borders, the lid similarly decorated with flowering peony, the base with impressed marks ‘5393’ (the pattern number) ‘SylvaC’ ‘Made in England’ and a foil label, partially rubbed.
The format of the label (the complete version can be seen in image 9) dates this piece to the 1970s The design here with its Oriental influence and often termed ‘Canton’ was one of the most successful produced by Sylvac in the post war years. It was made in a variety of colourings and a variety of sizes, this example being exceptionally and unusually large making it a striking decorative accessory for a modern interior.
‘SylvaC’ (the name was written with a capital ‘C’ after registration of the trademark in 1938) was a trade name of Shaw and Copestake, a company formed by Mr. William Shaw and a Mr. Copestake around 1900. Mr. Copestake sold his shares to a Mr. Richard Hull after about six months of business and this partnership continued until Mr. Hull’s death in 1935. He was succeeded by his son, Mr. Richard Hull junior. In the following year, the business became a limited company. Various mergers and acquisitions followed and in the 1950s new premises were built and production expanded considerably continuing until the early 1980s when changing markets and increased competition forced the company into liquidation.
Figure of a Bear with hoop, Konakovo Faience Factory, USSR, marked, mid C20th
Price: £45
A ceramic figure of a bear playing with a hoop on a sloping base, the bear realistically modelled with a glossy black glaze and the hoop and stand in mustard brown, the base unglazed with an irregular circular aperture and a stamped mark in dark grey (a sprig above the letters ‘3nK’) and red stamped lettering ‘Made In USSR’. The mark is for the Konakovo Faience factory which was originally situated near the town of Kuznetsovo in Tver Province when it was founded in 1809, making it one of the oldest producer of ceramics in the USSR. In 1937 at the Great World Exposition in Paris the company won the Grand Prix and several artists working it won gold medals for their work, but after the war production concentrated on mass production of earlier designs until eventually pieces were made with renewed artistic influence. This figure can be regarded as one of them and was probably made in the 1950s when the sprig mark was used for a brief period.
Egg cup holder, Royal Bonn Porcelain, Germany, marked, early C20th
Price: £55
A fine quality porcelain egg cup holder with four cups, the oval base with a large loop handle and four apertures, its foot with a band of modelled palmette leaves, the cups of goblet form with a broad flat foot, the polychrome transfer decoration with floral sprays. The underneath has elaborate marks including a stamped device ‘BONN’, ‘FRANZ ANT MEHLEM’ ‘GERMANY’ with a cipher ‘FM’ within a castle.
The firm Royal Bonn had its origins in the eighteenth century when by order of the Elector of Cologne, Clemens August of Cologne, the factory Kurfürstliche Fayencerie Poppelsdorf (Poppelsdorf Faience Fabrique) was founded in 1755 to discover the secret recipe of porcelain. Two years later, when no results had been achieved, Clemens August withdrew his support and there began a long period of multiple and varying ownerships of the business culminating in the involvement of the Mehlem brothers, Paul Joseph Mehlem and Everhard Joseph Mehlem, in 1836, who renamed the business after their own name, eventually using that of their Father, Franz Anton. After the death of the last remaining member of the family, Everhard, in 1865, the business was taken over yet again, still though retaining the family name, until it was sold to Villeroy and Boche in 1920. Shortly after this, the production of fine porcelain ceased and the factory closed in 1931.
The form of the mark here was used between 1885 and 1920 and this set was probably made in the early years of the twentieth century. The quality of the porcelain is easily appreciated and this is a highly decorative set which could also have a practical value today.
Scottish agate specimen bracelet c1970
Price: £95
This is rather interesting as it is a quite large bracelet comprising numerous stations of carved agate stones. It showcases all colours and types of agate from banded agate to chalcedony and makes a real statement. This bracelet definitely has star power. It is strung on elastic, as it typical for these types of bracelets, so it is very easy to get on and off and it is super sturdy in addition.
Ring by N.E From (1908-1982) Denmark, with amethyst, c1960
Price: £95
This is a very recognizable design by well known Danish silver maker Niels Erik From (1908-1982) who is was a main player in Danish jewellery between 1940 and 1970. This ring has is set with an amethyst cabachon and is surrounded with an oxidized finish. It is marked Sterling, Denmark N.E. From 925 S
Ewenny Pottery Beaker, signed, late C20th
Price: £25
A studio pottery beaker of broad flaring form with a stepped base, channelled at the top, the interior glazed with pronounced potting rings and the base also glazed with an incised script mark ‘Ewenny Pottery’, the main body coloured in mottled grey/green and the interior and base in mottled brown.
There has been a pottery at the small Welsh town of Ewenny since 1610, the area around being, at the time, a fertile source of clay. In the early 1800s Evan Jenkins married Mary, the daughter of then owner John Morgan, and this began a period of ownership by the Jenkins family which continues today, the studio and shop being run by Alun Jenkins and his daughter Caitlin, who is the eighth generation member of the business. Their mark can be seen at ‘British Studio Potters’ Marks’ by Eric Yates-Owen and Robert Fournier (2nd edition 2005 p157). Production has tended to concentrate on modest utilitarian items, hand potted and finished with the distinctive glazes for which the studio is known which involve dipping the pot in one glaze adding another with the splash technique and firing the item so that the two glazes fuse. The effects seen on this beaker are typical of their work as is also the clear evidence of hand throwing. Ewenny pieces are made and sold today, but the current catalogue does not list items exactly similar to this, so a late twentieth century dating is the most likely.
Primitive studio pottery Flask and Cover, signed, possibly Allison Weightman, C20th
Price: £45
This is a primitive, almost rustic, stoneware flask and cover the body of rounded flattened ovoid form with a short neck and the stopper of an ill defined shape with notching at the top, matt glazed in browns and mustard with scratch pattern decoration and three irregular bands of splash glaze at the shoulder centre and base in blues, greens and browns, the glaze at the bottom dripping over onto the unglazed base and with an impressed mark. The mark seems to resemble that of the potter Allison Weightman (born 1963; see image 11) who specialises in decorative wares in raku, stoneware and porcelain and also sculptural wall pieces, for which this might have been a test piece since nothing else like it seems to be on the market at the moment. The illustration of her mark, which apparently depicts impressed sheep vertebrae at ‘British Studio Potters’ Marks’ by Eric Yates-Owen and Robert Fournier (2nd edition 2005 p526) is very similar to what we have here (see image 10) and while apparently ‘one off’ this flask is consistent with other pieces by her which have been described as follows ‘Allison creates hand-built vessels and forms that relate to her love of the natural environment. The rich depths to her glazes are achieved through her development of multi-layering and multi-firing the work she produces.’ (Edinburgh Design School website).
Broadstairs Pottery Bowl and Cover, signed, 1968-1983
Price: £45
A stoneware round bowl and cover, possibly for sugar, the base ridged at the top with two bands of impressed geometric designs below (circles, diagonals) and pronounced potting rings to the interior, the lid also ridged with a short concave knob and potting rings to the underside, the bottom unglazed with an impressed mark ‘BROADSTAIRS POTTERY’, the incised designs glazed in brown and the remainder in cream speckled colourings with brown highlights.
Broadstairs Pottery was founded by David White in 1968 as a successor to an earlier firm Thanet Pottery. For the mark, see ‘British Studio Potters’ Marks’ by Eric Yates-Owen and Robert Fournier (2nd edition 2005 p534). White worked there with assistants, some of whose initials appear on the pieces produced, until 1983 when he closed to business to concentrate on his own work, an example of which can be seen elsewhere in this sale. Both the incised geometric bands and the pronounced ridging effects are hallmarks of the firm’s output and this bowl and cover, marked only with the factory name, is a classic example of its productions.
Pair of Indian brass Piano Sconces, early C20th
Price: £55
A pair of brass piano sconces, the elaborately cast arms attached to a circular hinged mounting fitment and supporting the candle holders and drip pans. Candle sconces were regularly fitted to upright pianos in the nineteenth and early twentieth century to assist the pianist and perhaps a singer accompanying him in reading the music at a time when rooms in general were not so brightly lit. With the advent of electric lighting, they gradually fell out of use and many pianos can be found now with the sets of holes into which they were once screwed. Most are European, but the work here is clearly Indian, in particular the engraved stylised floral design on the surface of the pans and the cast floral decoration on the candle holders. Doubtless they were made for European colonial settlers and this suggests an early twentieth century dating. Most piano sconces are swivelled, as here, and it is possible that some examples were, in fact, intended as gimble candlesticks to be used on a boat or a train.
Two brass bulldog paperweights, mid C20th
Price: £55
Two brass figures of bulldogs, one sitting erect and one crouching, each solid cast and expressively modelled. These small brass bulldogs are usually regarded as paperweights and appear to have been popular around the time of the second world war as an example of British stubbornness and tenacity. Some see reminiscences here of ‘John Bull’ and others the great ‘bulldog’ himself, Winston Churchill. Most likely, then, these two ‘mastiffs’ date to the 1940s and can carry out their function today just as well as they did all those years ago.
Egyptian Revival tooled leather Clutch Bag, mid C20th
Price: £35
A brown leather clutch bag with tooled decoration of typical form, the front flap, with a popper fastening, folding over to cover the concertina interior which has three sections, one zipped, two strap fastened pockets to the bottom and a mirror set into the upper section. In addition, there is light brown stitching at the top, visible inside. The designs are classic ‘Egyptian Revival’ with a bust of Queen Nefertiti (named, and accompanied by hieroglyphs) surrounded by stylised palm leaves at the front and another bust of her in a diamond frame shape inside. The back of the bag has a coloured design depicting a rocky lakeside scene with pyramids in the distance, rather an idealised composition. Similar bags in a variety of forms seem to have been made in the 1940s as tourist souvenirs and this example survives in excellent condition given its age.
Vesta case in the form of a fly, C20th
Price: £25
This is a vesta case in the form of a fly with a striker plate to the underside of one of its wings. Vesta was the Roman Goddess of the hearth, home and family and altars and temples dedicated to her commonly employed a live flame, which caused some manufacturers of matches in the nineteenth century to name their products 'Vestas', the most famous being the Swan Vesta match produced from around 1900. Early matches were highly combustible and cases to keep them safe were produced from around 1830 onwards. The peak of popularity of the 'Vesta Case' was around 1900 and their use declined in the 1920s when the first cigarette lighters were produced giving a probable dating here to the last years of their production. It is marked to the underside of the wings 'P&C' but this manufacturer cannot be identified.
Edwardian brooch with flowers and various stones c1910
Price: £125
This is a lovely brooch in a cartouche shape that is set with flowers and five stones. There is an amethyst, peridot, citrine and rose quartz stone. The flowers are set with small turquoise cabachons. It is marked for export Made In England, Silver.
Ewenny small vase
Price: £45
A studio pottery vase, stoutly potted, the ribbed body of broad globular form with a short foot below and a concave neck above rising to a stepped rim, the mottled splash glaze with patches of greens on a predominantly brown ground, the interior glazed brown and the base also with three spur marks and an incised script mark ‘Ewenny Pottery’.
There has been a pottery at the small Welsh town of Ewenny since 1610, the area around being, at the time, a fertile source of clay. In the early 1800s Evan Jenkins married Mary, the daughter of then owner John Morgan, and this began a period of ownership by the Jenkins family which continues today, the studio and shop being run by Alun Jenkins and his daughter Caitlin, who is the eighth generation member of the business. Their mark can be seen at ‘British Studio Potters’ Marks’ by Eric Yates-Owen and Robert Fournier (2nd edition 2005 p157). Production has tended to concentrate on modest utilitarian items, hand potted and finished with the distinctive glazes for which the studio is known which involve dipping the pot in one glaze adding another with the splash technique and firing the item so that the two glazes fuse. The effects seen on this vase are typical of their work as is also the clear evidence of hand throwing. Ewenny pieces are made and sold today, but the current catalogue does not list items exactly similar to this, so a late twentieth century dating is the most likely.
Studio Pottery Bowl with Yukishino style glaze, signed M Lazenbury, C20th
Price: £35
A studio pottery circular bowl, the walls incurving towards the top and base, the exterior glazed in cream with comb line markings with highlights in grisaille and brown splash glazes, the interior predominantly glazed in brown and the base unglazed, showing the stoneware body with pronounced potting rings within the foot and an incised signature ‘M.Lazenbury’. For the time being the potter of this piece can only be identified by the name inscribed but he or she was clearly an accomplished artist since the pleasing form combined with glaze effects which take after Japanese ‘Yukishino’ wares in which a natural, soft white or cream-colored glaze is combined with, earthy brown and green speckles and tones. The splash glaze effects are an addition to this but are fully in the tradition of the work of other rather better known artists making this bowl a pleasing addition to a collection of studio ceramics which reflect Japanese taste.
Studio Pottery Shallow Bowl with handles, signed MJ, possibly French C20th
Price: £55
An attractive shallow bowl with sharply incurving walls fitted with two elaborate loop handles on each side, the exterior glazed in deep pink and the interior and handles in shades of green the base unglazed with wavy combed lines and an impressed mark ‘MJ’. The form of this bowl appears to be French, but its maker cannot as yet be identified. It is, though, a striking piece in itself and while probably of fairly recent date looks back to earlier Art Deco designs.
Majolica Jug decorated with Frogs, probably Portuguese, C20th
Price: £45
A majolica jug of naturalistic form, the body modelled as lotus leaves with one pink bloom and the handle as a thorny curved branch on which sit three frogs, the glaze a mixture of greens, blues and brown and the frogs deep beige with their eyes picked out in black, the footrim of the base showing a coarse, near stoneware finish. The work here is almost certainly continental and the closest resemblances to this whimsical creation, not that there are any direct parallels, are to be found in Portugese pottery, which did have a tradition of naturalistic pieces, for example Mafra Palissy ware or pieces from Caldas da Rainha, which continues today. Dating is a matter of guesswork but probably, at least, most likely to be in the second half of the twentieth century.
Doulton Lambeth Ewer, marked, late C19th
Price: £55
A small ewer, the body of bulbous near globular form above a short ridged spreading foot below a flaring conical neck ridged at the shoulder with a small shaped spout opposite a loop handle, the modelled decoration with bead edged circular panels of stylised flower heads separated by bead edged bars on a geometric ground of small repeating triangular devices, the neck with repeating stylised leaves and fleur de lis, all glazed in shades of brown and blue, the base unglazed with an impressed mark for Doulton Lambeth above ‘ENGLAND’ and the pattern number ‘2866’. Ewers in this form and decoration were made by Doulton at various times. The mark here allows fairly precise dating since the word ‘England’ became mandatory in 1892 and after 1902, when the Royal Warrant was issued, Doulton became ‘Royal Doulton’. The Doulton Lambeth works specialised in the production of stoneware art pottery achieving great distinction for their work in the later years of the nineteenth century. This ewer is an excellent example of their work in miniature and would be a valuable addition to a collection Doulton wares specifically or nineteenth century British art pottery in general.
Sylvac sycamore leaf Vase, mid C20th
Price: £25
A ceramic vase of ovoid form with a broad spreading foot, the body decorated with a design of repeating sycamore leaves glazed in mustard brown, the base and the interior glazed in dark brown, the base with impressed marks ‘4206’ ‘SylvaC’ ‘Made in England’.
This is an example of the naturalistic designs produced by Sylvac in the 1950s and 1960s. While they often chose to imitate tree bark, here they take their inspiration from the leaves themselves. The model occurs in various sizes and glazes including green and dark brown but the mustard colourings are, perhaps, the most pleasing. The smaller versions seem to be marked ‘4215’ as opposed to the numbers seen here ‘4206’.
‘SylvaC’ (the name was written with a capital ‘C’ after registration of the trademark in 1938) was a trade name of Shaw and Copestake, a company formed by Mr. William Shaw and a Mr. Copestake around 1900. Mr. Copestake sold his shares to a Mr. Richard Hull after about six months of business and this partnership continued until Mr. Hull’s death in 1935. He was succeeded by his son, Mr. Richard Hull junior. In the following year, the business became a limited company. Various mergers and acquisitions followed and in the 1950s new premises were built and production expanded considerably continuing until the early 1980s when changing markets and increased competition forced the company into liquidation.
Pair of Tower of London Vases, New Hall Pottery, first half C20th
Price: £45
A pair of ceramic vases of tapering octagonal form with short concave necks and slightly flared bases, transfer decorated with colourful scenes of the Tower of London and attendant Beefeaters, the bases marked ‘NHP’ ‘MADE IN ENGLAND’.
The mark is for New Hall Pottery Co Ltd which traded in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, from 1899 to 1956. During the early years of the twentieth century, the firm was mainly known for the production of toilet sets and jugs, in 1908 producing and selling more than 50,000 toilet sets of the Waverley shape alone. After the First World War, demand for these pieces slackened and the firm turned towards producing dinner and hotel wares. Trading was difficult in the years before the Second World War but production was allowed to continue during it, mainly for supplying the armed forces, and was able to return to normal afterwards with an overseas trade nearly exceeding that of past years until the firm ceased trading in 1956.
A variety of marks were used of which the one seen here was the simplest version. Since it also appears on toilet sets, a similar date of production seems likely and perhaps these vases were a part of the attempt to diversify as the demand for the staple product of the business was beginning to decline. Certainly, while modest pieces in themselves, they do have something of an ‘Art Deco’ look and can be regarded as amusing decorative items today.
Pair of Staffordshire style figures, Boy and Girl, probably German, late C19th
Price: £75
A pair of ceramic figures of a boy and a girl modelled standing on a base resembling tree stumps, both dressed in country attire, the girl carrying a basket and a bag and the boy holding boots and a scarf, the white glaze with polychrome colourings and highlights in gilt, the bases hollow with markings ‘27’. While these look superficially to be English Staffordshire, the paste of the foot and some elements of the decoration indicate continental work most likely from Germany. There are resemblances here to the figures, many of them ‘fairings’, made by Conta and Boehme in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and some see the factory Heubach here, who did indeed make ceramic figures in a ‘rustic’ style but these are usually more elaborately modelled. So while German work is the most likely an exact attribution has to remain uncertain. But this young couple make an attractive pair and while intended for a late Victorian interior would not look out of place in a more modern one.
Pair of Chinese hardstone plaques, early C20th
Price: £95
A pair of Chinese lacquer panels, the gold ground with painted decoration and hardstone inlay depicting four of the eight immortals, or Baxian, in a stylised garden scene. Amidst painted rocks and flowering prunus with lakes and mountains in the background stand, on the left plaque, Lan Caihe, the patron of florists and gardeners, and Lü Dongbin, a scholar and poet, and on the right plaque Zhongli Quan, associated with death and the power to create silver and gold, often depicted holding a fan, and Li Tieguai, associated with medicine and easing the suffering of the sick and needy, identified by his iron crutch and calabash bottle. The eight immortals are figures of legend which feature in Chinese mythology and are worshipped by Taoists as well as appearing in secular Chinese culture. They are often depicted in Chinese art and it is possible that we have here two plaques from an original set of four representing them all. That said, the compositions here are well balanced with perhaps a deliberate contrast between the attributes of the figures. Plaques with hardstone inlay are known amongst the items exported to the West in the early twentieth century and sometimes occur as furniture screens. The work here is both colourful and expressive and an excellent example of the genre. The frames with their silk border may be slightly later but are certainly Chinese and well complement the compositions which they surround contributing to a highly decorative ensemble for a contemporary interior.
Chinese boxwood carved figure with silver inlay of Li Tieguai circa 1900
Price: £55
A wood carving of Li Tieguai dressed in an elaborate robe, carrying a crutch in his right hand and holding his belt in his left, represented standing on a crab. Li Tieguai was one of the eight Daoist immortals and is often depicted as a beggar carrying a crutch. He was associated with medicine and while known for his irascible temper was benevolent to the poor and needy. By legend, a handsome scholar whose spirit left his body to meet with other immortals, it is said that on one occasion his apprentice cremated his body before his return to it, forcing him to inhabit instead the body of a lame beggar. He is associated with the crab, a deer, or a bat, the crab motif, seen here, perhaps being related to the story of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea and using their powers to traverse the waves. Li Tieguai was often the subject of the wood carvers’ art and this figure is a good example of the representations of him produced in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The carving is expressive and unusually inlaid with silver wire detail indicating considerable care in the manufacture. Most likely this figure was intended for the export market and would have been destined to stand on the mantle piece of a Victorian interior.
Studio Pottery Vase with Cizhou style glaze, signed JE possibly for John Egerton, C20th
Price: £55
A studio pottery vase, stoutly potted, the body of broad pear shape form below a columnar neck with a stepped rim, richly glazed in browns and mustard colourings with speckle effects, the base unglazed and with an incised mark ‘JE’. The glaze effects here look strongly towards Chinese Cizhou wares with their tones of brown, a frequent source of inspiration for British studio potters (see image 10 for a typical example with a similar glaze and form). The initials underneath may possibly stand for John Egerton (1940-2024) who established a studio in Scarborough in 1965. See ‘British Studio Potters’ Marks’ by Eric Yates-Owen and Robert Fournier (2nd edition 2005 p153) where a very similar mark is illustrated and many others of Egerton’s pieces share the distinctive ‘E’ seen here, even if the rendering of the ‘J’ can be different. If this vase is by him, it would most likely be a fairly early work since he went on to adopt rather different techniques in later years moving away from the ‘classic’ studio pottery designs and styles.
Two satin glass Vases inscribed Zeebruge and signed H.Martin, Belgium, first half C20th
Price: £35
Two similar glass vases of slender beaker form tapering outwards towards the top and bottom, the base flat, the satin effect glass in tones of amber with a design in black and red of two boats to the front with the sea and rocks below and the lettering ‘Zeebruge’ above, the sides signed ‘H Martin’. Zeebruge is, of course, the well known Belgian port linked to Bruges by a canal and the decorator, Henri Martin, is known to have worked for the well known Belgian glassworks, Scailmont, located in Manage, a centre of glass making. Founded in 1901, Scailmont became known for moulded and satin-finish vases with art nouveau and art deco decorations, employing around 800 people in 1930 but eventually to close in 1970. Most of its pieces were signed and some had a paper label which could, of course, disappear in time. But Martin is also known to have worked for another factory in Manage, the Vauty studio, for whom Scailmont supplied blanks. These vases seem a bit modest for Scailmont but they are consistent with its style (see image 8 for another larger vase by Martin, again without a signature or label) so perhaps did originate there, possibly with a label now lost, although Martin’s other employer remains a possibility. Dating is probably to the 1920s or 1930s. Signed Henri Martin pieces do not appear very often so these two vases are an interesting sample of Belgian glass making from the years before the second World War.
Magnifying Glass with Crown Handle, C20th
Price: £45
A large magnifying glass with silver plate trim, the handle with a ball shape terminal decorated with bead work and stylised floral designs and a crown shape finial again with beadwork, both separated by a ridged tube of ivorine. This elaborate desk item is sometimes found as part of a boxed set together with a matching paper knife. Highly useful for reading that small print it probably dates to the 1950s but retains its functionality today.
Glass figure of the head of a Sea Horse Head, Murano style, second half C20th
Price: £45
A crystal glass figure of the head of a sea horse modelled in semi abstract form with a raised mane and horn, pointed ears and an open mouth, the base flat with a matt pontil mark to the centre, the clear glass encasing diagonal stripes in black and white which form diamond patterns when viewed. Heads of sea horses, horses and even zebras were made at the glassworks at Murano, some being tentatively attributed to one or more of the designers there. The style of the modelling is similar and some even employ the striped decoration seen here but there is no exact parallel. A Murano workshop still seems the most likely though and the semi abstract design would fit with a dating to the 1960s or 1970s.
Long strand of butterscotch amber coloured beads c1960
Price: £25
This is a bold statement necklace comprising graduated round beads. These are made from an early plastic called Catalin. They have been Simichrome tested and they are not Bakelite. There are glass spacer beads and no clasp.
One of the beads has small pin prick holes as someone must have done a heated needle test for amber. See images.
Zoisite pendant on necklace with zoisite beads, modern
Price: £75
This is a very unique and beautiful necklace that centres around a modernist pendant that has two large ruby zoisite stones. The square stone is a true work of art that only nature can create. The pendant is strung together with zoisite roundel beads and silver beads. There is a round box clasp. It is marked 925.
Ruby Zoisite, or Anyolite, is a natural combination of green zoisite and red ruby, primarily sourced from Tanzania. This pendant is most likely from Scandinavia or Eastern Europe. This necklace has been constructed using different elements. It has recently been strung on steel wire with a new silver clasp.
Mexican silver dolphin bracelet, c1980
Price: £55
This is a lovely bracelet that depicts dolphins frolicking. It is quite a heavy bracelet that has an intergrated clasp. It is made in Mexico although it does not appear to be made by a Taxco silver maker. The mark is partly illegible to it is difficult to pin down. It is marked 925.
Coral, amethyst and lapis earrings c1990
Price: £65
These are a striking pair of earrings that have a lot of detail. There are large cabachons of coral with pear shaped amethysts and small lapis cabochons. This is set in a leaves and foliage deisgn. They are marked 925. They appear to be Indian in origin. The coral is most likely colour enhanced to give it that vivid colour.
Experimental Bowl for glazes marked TESTS and signed JD
Price: £25
An unevenly potted bowl of irregular round form the straight sides narrowing to the base, the exterior covered with a selection of glazes and patterns principally in blues, greens and browns on a cream ground, the interior and base also glazed cream, the word ‘TESTS’ written on the exterior and the interior and the centre of the interior and the base with incised initials ‘JD’. This is a curiosity piece showing the artist, who cannot be identified, experimenting with various glaze effects and colours. While intended as nothing more, it has a naif charm of its own and is a reminder, perhaps, that artistic effects do not necessarily occur without practice runs first. Secure dating is nearly impossible and perhaps not essential for a ‘trial piece’ such as this.
Money bank in the form of a Fish, marked HAK for Kähler Ceramics, Denmark, mid C20th
Price: £110
A stoneware ceramic money bank in the form of a fish supported by a broad circular base, the left side with a slit for inserting coins, brightly coloured in cream, black and green glazes, the base glazed to the centre over the stoneware body with an incised cipher monogram mark reading ‘HAK’ and a stamped mark ‘DENMARK’.
The mark here shows that this piece was made by the celebrated Danish firm Kähler who have been producing ceramics for over one hundred and eighty years. Herman August Kähler was a Danish ceramic designer and manufacturer who ran the Kähler ceramic factory (Kählers Keramiske Værksted) in Næstved, Denmark which he took over from his Father with his brother in 1872, then running it himself from 1875 when he built a new factory on the town’s outskirts. Kähler was responsible for the introduction of a ruby red glaze which soon became extremely popular and the factory began to produce many well formed decorative pieces which enjoyed a wide reception and were exhibited at the Great Nordic Exhibition held in Copenhagen in 1888 and at the Exposition Universelle held the following year in Paris. Kähler died in 1917 but the firm continued, at first under the direction of his son Herman Hans Christian Kähler and then by future generations of the family who continued to use the cipher mark designed by their ancestor, Hermann August.
Kähler’s pieces naturally followed the fashions of the times and this fish has very much a mid century feel, probably dating therefore to the 1950s or 1960s. Although the designer is not known this model is highly collectible now but not necessarily of much practical value. While there is a clear entry point for coins, extracting them appears to involve breaking the container apart…
Danish silver plate Photograph Holder,with repoussé decoration, 1970s/1980s
Price: £45
This is a folding silver plate photograph holder each side with a similar repoussé work scene of a traditional rustic interior with metal workers busy plying their trade. Repoussé work is a metalworking technique in which a malleable metal is shaped by hammering from the reverse side to create a design in low relief. Very similar pieces carry a mark for Denmark, as here, (see image 4) but also the initials JThS, or a slight variant on this, which seem to stand for Jorgen Th Steffenson of Randers who is known to have worked in the late 1970s. While not necessarily by him, a similar dating is most likely here.
Indian carved wood Box with miniature Plaques, second half C19th
Price: £150
A small carved hardwood box, probably ebony, the top with two hinged lids with hook fasteners which open to reveal the plain interior. The sides and lids are decorated with deeply carved stylised scrolling foliage on a micro ‘punched’ ground (see especially images 7 & 8), and the lids are inset with oval painted plaques depicting two scenes from Delhi (i) to the left, the minaret Qutb (or Qutub) Minar, a ‘victory tower’ built by the first Sultan of Delhi in 1199 (ii) to the right, the mosque Jami Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan between 1644 and 1656. These miniature plaques were a speciality of the artists in Delhi in the second half of the nineteenth century and keenly sought after by Europeans who would buy them loose, framed, or mounted into boxes such as this. They are also sometimes seen elsewhere as ‘grand tour’ brooches. The workmanship here is of the highest quality and the plaques have survived in excellent condition which is not always the case, making this a highly desirable addition to a collection of Indian colonial art.
Three Chinese embroidered textiles in Bakelite frames, 1950s
Price: £25
Three Chinese embroidered textiles, the two larger showing scenes with pagodas from the West Lake, Hangzhou and the smaller the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests within the Temple of Heaven complex, Beijing. Similar images can be found with a maker’s name displayed at the side, the Jinsheng Silk Weaving Co Ltd, Hangzhou, China and these colourful textile designs were doubtless made as tourist souvenirs. The frames are Bakelite, coloured brown in imitation of wood, and can sometimes be seen elsewhere with a label reading ‘MADE IN HONG KONG FABRIQUE’ AU HONG KONG’; one carries a British registration mark ‘1006697’ which again appears elsewhere. The use of Bakelite for the frames suggests a dating to the 1950s and other similar textile images seem also to have been made at that time. As a set, this group is a quaint souvenir of the ‘Land of Cathay’ with a distinctively mid century feel.
Long double necklace with large lapis pieces, c2000
Price: £75
This is an amazing necklace that has a double row with stations of graduated amoeba shaped large lapis lazuli stones. It was made by a company called East a high end fashion brand. It bears a small metal tag with the name. It is strung with gold tone circular links, that are now mostly silver in colour.
Herend porcelain Trinket dish/Ash tray, Rothschild Bird Pattern, early C20th
Price: £45
A small fine quality porcelain oval shallow dish with semi circular ‘handles’ at each end, delicately decorated in coloured enamels with birds on a branch and insects, the reverse with a blue printed crown and castle mark above the lettering ‘HUNGARY’ and impressed marks ‘HEREND’ and the numbers ‘XXXX’ [CHECK].
This dish was made by the Herend Porcelain factory. Founded in Hungary in 1826 it almost immediately enjoyed enormous popularity with wealthy customers including members of the European aristocracy. Production continued into the twentieth century through nationalistion in 1948 and reprivatisation in 1993 and continues to the present day. Many of the patterns created in the nineteenth century are still reproduced. The design here is known as ‘Rothschild Bird’ doubtless from its first purchasers all those years ago. The format of the mark allows a fairly close dating to the years 1915-1930, making this an earlier version of the model than many others which appear on the market today.
Old Tupton Ware jug with tubular floral design, Crown mark, early C21st
Price: £30
An attractive jug of broad near globular form with a short straight neck, the pointed spout opposite a simple loop handle, decorated in brightly coloured glazes with overlapping fruit, the designs picked out with tubular lines, the base with a black printed crown mark. While the work here resembles pieces by Moorcroft it is, in fact, of much more recent manufacture being an example of ‘Old Tupton Ware’, a firm founded by two partners in 2001 based in mid Wales and producing individual handmade pieces characterised by outlining in fine tubular clay. All their pieces carry a crown mark as a symbol of the brand’s ‘commitment to quality and authenticity’. Their current range can be seen on their website (www.oldtuptonware.com) but this does not include jugs of this shape indicating that they must have been amongst their earliest productions and that this particular range has now been discontinued. Not quite a collector’s item yet, perhaps, but a very attractive example of this particular pottery’s individual style.
A streaky dark grey/green and clear glass knobbly bowl, Whitefriars, 1960s/1970s
Price: £55
An amorphous rounded glass bowl with heavily modelled, undulating sides producing a ‘knobbly’ effect, the clear glass streaked with dark grey/green glass trails. This semi abstract, almost organic design is well known and was produced at the Whitefriars glassworks in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Founded by James Powell in 1834, who bought an existing glassworks in Whitefriars, London, the firm continued through the generations, relocating to Wealdstone in Middlesex in 1923. Many designers worked for it including Geoffrey Baxter, who created the celebrated ‘banjo’ and ‘drunken bricklayer’ vases, but bowls of this form and similar pieces with a ‘knobbly’ form were designed by William Wilson, Whitefriars’ chief designer, and Harry Dyer, this particular bowl with the pattern number 9613 and to be found in the catalogues from 1964 to 1973 (see image 8 for the 1964 catalogue). Unfortunately the high labour costs of handmade glass and the economic difficulties in the UK in the late 1970s made Whitefriars uncompetitive and it ceased trading in 1980 after which its factory was demolished.
Pair of African wood Makonde style Busts of a man and a lady, C20th
Price: £95
A pair of wood busts of a man and a lady, the highly polished and expressively sculpted faces combined with ‘headresses’ and bases in the natural texture of the wood. Pieces like these are held to be the work of wood carvers from the Makonde tribe who live in Northern Mozambique and Southern Tanzania. Their work, mainly figures and portrait busts, is characterised by an angular, almost abstract style: one might nearly say the African version of ‘El Greco’. Many of the pieces are highly polished but a few combine natural and worked wood, as here. The result is striking. Dating is probably to sometime in the second half of the twentieth century, but the work is, in a sense, timeless and could complement the most modern interior.
Early Neiger Brothers book chain necklace c1910
Price: £325
This is quite an early necklace by the Neiger brothers that features a large stylized central pendant depicting Sobekneferu or it might be conglomeration of different figures. This then has a hanging pendant with a molded glass plaque that depicts another Egyptian figure. The chain is interesting as it is a book chain style particularly popular in the Edwardian era.
Neiger Brothers necklace with Egyptian Revival glass plaques c1930
Price: £225
This is Neiger piece with beautiful lapis glass molded plaques depicting Egyptian iconsography. It features an Art Deco design with machine age elements combined with more traditional marcasite stones. This one combines different styles that are perfectly balanced.
Bursley Ware Coffee Service, Bacchus pattern, 1920s
Price: £220
This is a rarely found coffee service, possibly complete, produced by the firm Bursley Ltd at the Crown Pottery, Burslem, Staffordshire, probably in the 1920s. It comprises a coffee pot and cover, milk jug, sugar basin and four coffee cans and saucers, the forms of the three serving pieces quite distinctive and blending the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. The light yellow ground has a craquelure effect to the glaze which may well possibly be original to the manufacture. It is decorated with a design of grapes and trailing vine with deep blue borders, hence the pattern name ‘Bacchus’ shown on the footrim which also carries the manufacturer’s name.
Bursley Ltd was the creation of Frederick Read who, in collaboration with Harry Wood, bought the Crown Pottery works in 1920 and began manufacturing art pottery there under this new name. Previous to this Read had been employed as the Art Director for Wood and Sons, a firm which traced its origins back to the mid nineteenth century and of which Harry Wood, a descendant of the founders, was to become Chairman in 1921. Bursley Ltd, while independent, was a subsidiary of Wood and Sons who also had associations with other potteries in the area. Frederick Read was soon joined by his daughter Charlotte, whose designs became famous, but the designs and pattern here may well have been his own creation. Since the marks include the wording ‘registration applied for’, this service must have been one of Bursley’s first productions and it may have been taken over from Wood and Sons themselves since other pieces are found in identical shapes and decoration and titled ‘Bacchus’ but with a mark for H.H.&Co Ltd, the early name, used from 1913 to 1922 of the firm Hales Hancock and Godwin who were agents and retailers for various of the Staffordshire potteries including Wood and Sons.
There is, then, a slightly complex history here but we most likely have an early example of Read’s designs for his newly established business which went on, with the help of his daughter, to produce many innovative pieces of art pottery in the 1920s and 1930s.
Sizes
(i) Coffee Pot : Ht (max) 20.3cm, Width (max) 19cm, Depth (max) 10.5cm, Base 8cm (ii) Sugar Basin : Ht (max) 6cm, Width (max) 10cm, Depth (max) 7.5cm, Base 5.6cm (iii) Milk Jug : Ht (max) 11.5cm, Width (max) 10.5cm , Depth (max) 6cm, Base 5cm (iv) Coffee Can : Ht 5.2cm, Diam 5.2cm, Width (max) 7cm [One with three minute chips at the top] (v) Saucer : Diam 11.5cm, Ht 1.8cm, Base 4.5cm
Garnet cluster earrings c1990
Price: £85
These are very vivid pair of earring that are set with beautiful garnets in both oval and round facetted stones. They are unmarked but test as 925 silver. They are Indian in origin.
Cranberry hobnail glass Vase, Fenton Art Glass USA, mid C20th
Price: £45
A glass vase of beaker form slightly flaring towards the exaggeratedly crimped top rim with six ‘peaks’, the cranberry coloured glass blending into white towards the top and studded with small raised spheres. The decoration here is termed ‘hobnail’ from its resemblance to the small studs used on the soles of boots. Mould made, it enjoyed great popularity in the Victorian era, usually in coloured glass. Lemonade sets in the design with a jug and matching glasses were particularly popular. The hobnail design was taken up by the American glassworks, Fenton Glass, in 1939 and was sold in great quantities during the second world war and thereafter. At first the pieces were made in French opalescent, green opalescent and cranberry opalescent glass but in 1950 an additional milk glass range was introduced which was to become the most popular of all. The shapes were often elaborate with frilled rims as here, but the beaker shape seems to have been less common. Dating is most likely to the 1940s.
Twister glass Bowl, Kjell Engman for Kosta Boda, signed and with label, late C20th
Price: £180
A heavily blown glass bowl of inverted conical form with a semi hemispherical spreading foot decorated with minute flecks in off-white, brown and orange in swirling bands, the base with an etched signature ‘Kosta Boda’ ‘K Engman’ and the numbers ‘57971’ and an attached label ‘KOSTA BODA since 1742’.
Kosta Boda, previously known as Kosta Glasbruk, is a Swedish glassmaking company founded by two foreign officers in Charles XII's army, Anders Koskull and Georg Bogislaus Staël von Holstein, in 1742.It is located in Kosta, Sweden. Early production consisted of window glass, chandeliers and drinking glasses. From the 1840s, the factory was at the forefront of new trends and technical developments, producing pressed glass, and in the 1880s setting up a new glass-cutting workshop. In 1903, the company merged with the Reijmyre glassworks but both retained their own names and Kosta went on to maintain its reputation as one of the leading Swedish manufacturers with a range of fine art glass and tableware by distinguished designers such as Vicke Lindstrand, artistic director from 1950-1973.
Kjell Engman (see image 11) has been a designer at Kosta Boda since 1948. Also a professional rock musician, his works are often held to display a dancing feel and joie de vivre derived from his musical background. On the Kosta Boda website he writes “In my view, the glass is the pen for writing my stories. I don’t want to depress my audience; rather, I want to offer them joy and fantasy. My art should make people smile; it should be something positive.” Perhaps something of his sense of fun can be seen in this bowl, one of the largest of the range produced by Kosta Boda. which incorporates colour with movement and is often termed ‘Twister’. These bowls seem not now to be available from the firm direct and probably date to the late twentieth century. This example is of exceptional size and in pristine condition, an imposing centrepiece for a modern interior.
Murano style Art Glass Paperweight, second half C20th
Price: £45
An art glass paperweight of tapering ovoid form with a flat base, the clear crystal glass enclosing a cluster of bubbles emerging from a dark grey rock like formation below. This design of ‘controlled’ bubbles occurs on paperweights from a wide variety of sources including the glassworks at Murano, Venice, a few of them retaining the original label with wording including ‘Made in Italy’ ‘Murano’ ‘Venezia’. The marked examples tend to have a crisp flat bottom, as here, sometimes with a distinct inner roundel to the centre of the foot, again as here. A Venetian provenance, then, is a possibility but no more than that. But, whoever the maker, this is certainly a piece demonstrating a high quality of both manufacture and design. Dating is most likely to the 1960s onwards when ‘organic’ and rounded forms were very much in fashion.
Doulton Plate from the Jackdaw of Rheims series, early C20th
Price: £45
This is a plate from a 16 series edition produced by Royal Doulton from 1906 onwards and illustrating the tale ‘The Jackdaw of Rheims’ which was one of the most famous stories from the book ‘The Ingoldsby Legends’, a collection of myths, legends, ghost stories and poems written supposedly by a Thomas Ingoldsby of Tappington Manor, but actually from the pen of an English clergyman named Richard Harris Barham. The story tells how a jackdaw stole a Cardinal’s ring but was eventually canonised as a saint. Depicted here is a monk in contemplation and in the background can be seen the signature ‘NOKE’ for Charles Noke, a renowned art director for Royal Doulton and one of the designers who collaborated on the series. The work is transferware with an element of hand colouring and the format of the Royal Doulton mark at the back suggests a dating to the 1930s; the script numbers are the pattern number. Some collectors of the series may find this plate a welcome addition to their collection!
Studio Pottery Oil Lamp, signed MP and dated 2012
Price: £25
A studio pottery oil lamp of archaistic form, the low, flat circular body narrowing towards the base with an elongated spout of lobed square section containing the wick, a loop handle and a lid of lobed square pyramid form complementing the spout, glazed overall in brown wash colourings with an impressed band of geometric pattern to the top of the body, the base unglazed and with a flowing cipher mark in impressed black glaze ‘MP’ with the date 2012.
Powder compact with a lizard skin lid made by Patrys, France, 1950s
Price: £25
This is an elegant rectangular powder compact with many of the usual elements. The lid opens to reveal a mirror on its underside and a hinged gilt metal plate which opens itself to reveal the powder sifter and the base below which is marked ‘Patrys’ ‘Made in France’. Some examples come with a rectangular powder puff, absent here, also marked ‘Patrys’ which would have been used to dab the powder through the sifter before application. Little is known about the manufacturer, but the firm Patrys produced a wide variety of powder compacts in the 1950s and early 1960s characterised by their style and design. This example has a lizard skin lid which has survived in excellent condition and an engine turned design of horizontal lines to the underside. Doubtless less expensive than models from the rather more well known fashion houses, Patrys’ productions could well match them in quality and this example of their work is certainly a collector’s item today.
Porcelain Figure of a Spaniel, Lomonosov, USSR late C20th
Price: £25
A porcelain figure of a spaniel modelled crouching with his head raised, the markings on the fur and face highlighted in black. The underside has a stamped mark in iron red which is for the Lomonosov, factory situated in St Petersburg. With a history of production spanning back to the mid eighteenth century, Lomonosov became well known for its ceramic figures of animals in the mid twentieth century, expressively modelled and brightly coloured, including tigers, giraffes and, as here, dogs. Dating here is determined by the form of the mark which was used from 1986 to 1992. Red was reserved for the best quality pieces and the mark itself is in the Russian alphabet (ЛФЗ), that is ‘LFZ’ in English which is an abbreviation of the factory name ‘Lomonosovkiy Farforoviy Zavod’. In addition are the words, rather indistinct, ‘Made in USSR’ which may imply that the piece was intended for export.
Brooch with moonstone and millegrain work c1900
Price: £35
This is a small bar brooch that features three moonstones and detailed millgrain work. It is silver with some gold wash. It is most likely Italian. It is marked with a makers mark and 925.
Indian silver plate Cheroot Case, engraved scenes Taj Mahal, early C20th
Price: £35
A silver plated slender rectangular case, hinged to one side with a small clasp fitting opposite, which opens to reveal two shallow tray compartments with cloth ‘retainers’, the lid and base both engraved with elaborate near identical designs, a roundel depicting the Taj Mahal to the centre flanked by two confronting peacocks on an intricate stylised floral ground, the scene enclosed within a geometric pattern and foliate border. The work here is typical of that produced by Indian metalworkers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries intended both for the home colonial and the export market. The quality of their craftsmanship stands out and they have chosen here a ‘classic’ design with India’s most famous building accompanied by two peacocks who are doubtless intended to recall the famous ‘Peacock Throne’ which was commissioned in 1628 by Shah Jahan before the Taj Mahal itself in 1632, but which reputedly cost twice as much. Peacocks are also to be seen in the gardens of the Taj Mahal and the two are often represented together in Indian art. The length of this case suggests that it was intended for the Cheroot, a form of Indian cigar, which was much longer than a standard cigarette. Probably, then, this particular item was made with the home market in mind but it can certainly enjoy a wider appeal today.
Wedgwood heart shape Boxes : Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
Price: £25
Two Wedgwood ‘jasperware’ heart shape boxes and covers, one dark and one pale blue, each with a cameo portrait medallion of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh within a wreath and two floral rosettes, Prince Philip identified by his name and the Queen celebrated for her silver jubilee in 1977. These boxes were produced as commemorative souvenirs of a reign which had reached twenty five years but was to see many more jubilees in the future. Wedgwood employed their classic ‘jasperware’ design with raised and modelled white decoration on a plain biscuit ground, here two contrasting shades of blue, although these boxes were made in both light and dark blue. While modest productions, the quality of these pieces well matches that of their predecessors and they are a collectible memento of one of the significant milestones of the longest reign in British history.
Two Photographs of Eel Pie Island, Twickenham, signed and numbered, late C20th
Price: £40
Eel Pie Island is one of London’s more curious landmarks. Situated in the River Thames near to Twickenham it is only accessed by a narrow pedestrian bridge. There are no cars or roads on the island which is home to about 120 residents, 26 artist studios, and working boatyards. The public can only visit twice a year when there are ‘open studio’ weekends. It is the subject here of two art photographs, most likely taken with some form of panoramic camera device to create the long narrow views. In one we see the access bridge and in the other a view of the island entire. Both seem to have been taken in the early morning. The pictures are the earliest examples of an edition of 900 (1/900 and 2/900 respectively). It is not clear whether the whole edition was 900 or each photograph issued as a run of 900. The former seems more likely and these were perhaps at one time the property of the photographer himself who signs his name (probably; the signature is not wholly clear) as ‘Keith Johnson’. These are curiosity pieces but fine examples of traditional photographer’s work, now rather eclipsed by digital equivalents. The framers seem not to exist now which is consistent with a dating to the late twentieth century which would match the type and style of the photography.
Victorian papier-mâché Tray with brass handle, English second half C19th
Price: £75
This is an excellent example of the papier-mâché serving trays which were made in England in the mid to late nineteenth century. The papier-mâché technique, which employs pieces of pulped paper and binding agents which can be shaped to form a variety of objects, sometimes with the addition of some form of backing, dated back over two thousand years and was first used in China. It enjoyed a wide appeal and was taken up enthusiastically by Victorian craftsmen who produce a range of highly decorative objects in the medium, one of which was the swing handled serving tray. Here, the black ground is covered with colourful painted decoration, a central spray of flowers within a stylised gilt floral border inlaid with mother of pearl. The brass swing handle has floral terminals with twisting ribbon decoration and a central leaf and berry spray and the reverse is plain. As a result of the technique, papier-mâché pieces are easily subject to damage and wear to the decoration but neither is the case here making this an attractive and desirable item of decoration.
Studio Pottery Vase by John Jelfs, signed, late C20th
Price: £180
A stoneware vase of flattened ovoid form with a ‘dished’ rim, the speckled brown glaze with zig zag and splash glaze highlights, the base unglazed and with an impressed mark ‘JJ’. The mark is for the well known pottery artist John Jelfs who was born in 1946 and has a studio, Cotswold Pottery, at Clapton Row, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, see ‘British Studio Potters’ Marks’ by Eric Yates-Owen and Robert Fournier (2nd edition 2005 p267). A more detailed account of his work can be seen elsewhere (Antique & Decorative Ceramics
Lot Number 118) but this vase is another example of his work, albeit with rather different decoration, which combines hand potted, elegant form with inventive glazes, sourced from locally produced materials.
Two complementary opaline glass vases decorated birds, probably French C20th
Price: £55
Two complementary glass vases, one of ovoid and one of baluster form, each with the white ground colourfully decorated with near identical scenes of birds and flowers. The white ground glass seen here is termed opaline and while its production has its origins in Murano, Italy, where it was first produced in the sixteenth century, its main period of production was in France in the nineteenth century, one of the most famous places of manufacture being at Baccarat. The style here, while more ‘modern’ in appearance also suggests French manufacture but at a rather later date, perhaps to the late twentieth century with the decoration possibly being machine printed rather than hand painted. But there is still a modest attraction here and these two vases are rather more affordable than their older counterparts!
Japanese black lacquer musical jewellery Box, mid C20th
Price: £45
A Japanese jewellery box and hinged cover, with a mirror and blue ridged fabric lining to the inside face, of rectangular form, the exterior decorated with landscape scenes and the lid with a border of shaped pieces of abalone shell, the interior with two upper compartments, lined with ridged blue fabric, the hinged lids with red tassels and also decorated with landscape scenes, fitted with hinge like devices to allow them to be lifted up revealing two further compartments below, one lined with ridged blue fabric and the other with a black lacquer lid cover which lifts up to reveal a music box below, the base with four feet and a winding device for the music box which plays music [WHAT?] when the lid is opened. These boxes were made in Japan in the 1950s and 1960s for export and this example is in particularly good condition and comes with its original key.
Art Deco lizard silver and enamel brooch c1940
Price: £95
This is a striking large brooch that is in the shape of a crawling lizard. It is encrusted with marcasite stones and has a black enamel back. The eyes are rubies. It is marked 925.
Art Deco concave cut agate ring c1930
Price: £55
This is a very usual ring due to its central stone. The stone is a typical Scottish agate that has been carved into a concave shape. It is set in silver and surrounded with milgrain work.
Etruscan style garnet cross earrings c1910
Price: £65
These are a lovely and delicate pair of earrings comprising square cut stones surrounding a large cabachon. They are marked illegibly. Most likely Italian in origin.
Art Deco emerald cut paste stone ring c1920
Price: £55
This is a very elegant ring made up of silver set with marcasite stones with a large octogan cut purple paste stone. It is unmarked.
Art Nouveau style Lily bouquet brooch c1950
Price: £65
This is a large brooch with a lily spray design. It is marked 'silver' and there is a makers mark. The origin of this piece isn't clear.
Etruscan style rock crystal and turquoise round brooch c1900
Price: £65
This is a very striking neck brooch comprising a very large facetted rock crystal stone drilled and set with a turquoise stone. It is unmarked silver. Probably Italian or Greek.
Art Deco style earrings with onyx and amethyst c1970
Price: £85
This is a pair of earrings that have a quintessential Art Deco design. They are set with onyx stones (not enamel), marcasites and amethysts. They are marked 925. These are not from the Art Deco period but show how popular these designs remain in the present day.
Art Deco brooch with Shibayama style mother of pearl plaque c1920
Price: £225
This is a very rare silver brooch comprising a large oval onyx stone set with a very detailed and fine carved mother of pearl plaque. This is either a nod to Japanese shibayama designs or it was indeed imported from Japan and set into the brooch. The floral pattern shimmers and dances with the light and there is so much detail. It is a real work of art. It is set wth marcasite stones around the edge. It is marked illegibly but it is continental. Most likely French or Belgian.
Taxco pendant on leather and silver cord c1990
Price: £85
This is a fun Taxco piece that has a large pendant in an Aztec type design set with a turquoise stone. It is strung on a leather cord that has silver links and a toggle closure. This cord is original to the piece as they cannot be seperated. It is marked Taxco, Mexico 925 with a makers mark of GJB.
Art Deco brooch with large zircon stone c1930
Price: £175
This is a silver bar brooch set with European cut diamonds and a large blue zircon. It is set in an elegant Art Deco design that shows off the central stone. It is unmarked.
Chinese blue and white porcelain Plaque with two horses, framed, C20th
Price: £350
A Chinese porcelain plaque decorated in underglaze blue with underglaze copper red detail depicting two horses galloping across a field with rocks, two calligraphic inscriptions to the top left. The theme of two horses in Chinese tradition refers to harmony, partnership, and swift success. They are associated with the motto ‘Ma Dao Cheng Gong’ (馬到成功), which translates ‘horses arrive, and with them success’ and the characters of this motto are contained in the left of the two calligraphic inscriptions, the right hand inscription possibly containing the name of the artist. The style of the drawing very loosely resembles that of the famous Chinese artist Wang Bu (1898-1968), known from many fine and original works by his hand but much copied by other porcelain painters in the twentieth century. The general effect of this piece and the flat mirror like finish to the tile itself suggest a dating to the Republican period (1912–1949) and the wood of the frame is not inconsistent with this. The scene here is not commonly found amongst porcelain tiles from this period and the addition of the underglaze copper red detail, again an unusual feature, indicates no small amount of care in the production.
Pair of framed watercolours, Dartmoor scenes, signed S.Miller, early C20th
Price: £150
A pair of watercolours depicting two Dartmoor landscape scenes, each with heather bordered streams in the foreground and mist covered mountains in the background beneath cloudy skies, the sun rising in one, both signed to the bottom left ‘S.Miller’. While other signed works are known by this artist little or nothing else is known about his or her identity. Perhaps Cornwall was ‘home’ since all the other pictures found are of Dartmoor as well and are all painted in the same semi impressionistic style with colour tones emphasising browns and blues. The mood reflects the misty uncertainties of the world of Debussy’s ‘Pelleas et Melisande’ and an early twentieth century dating seems reasonable. Surviving as a well balanced pair in sympathetic frames which are doubtless later, these two scenes would be an elegant addition to a traditional interior, as well as of interest to a collector of twentieth century English watercolours.
Studio Pottery Vessel by David White, signed DW, late C20th
Price: £180
A ceramic vessel of near goblet form, the globular circular body above a slender slightly concave foot and flaring outwards to the broad rim, the base countersunk, the glaze with carefully controlled craquelure effects in cream and blue, the interior of the base glazed black and with a stylised cipher mark ‘DW’.
The mark is for David James White (1934-2011) who established Broadstairs Pottery with his wife in 1978 (see lot XXXX) and then sold this in 1983 to concentrate on his own work which focused on high-fired porcelain decorated with a blend of crackle glazes in a range of colours with a high sophistication of technique, see ‘British Studio Potters’ Marks’ by Eric Yates-Owen and Robert Fournier (2nd edition 2005 p534). This vessel, a form he produced in a variety of colourings of which this is perhaps one of the most pleasing, is an excellent example of his work which rivals some of the best creations of earlier Chinese potters in the standard of finish achieved.
Pair of Mamluk Revival hexagonal brass Vases, Cairo Ware, probably Syria C20th
Price: £150
An unusual pair of brass vases of hexagonal form, the angular baluster body above a spreading foot and below a long, slender concave neck flaring out towards the top, decorated all over in repoussé work with stylised floral tendrils on a chased hammer punched ground of small circles, the base, shoulder and top rim with bands of studding. Repoussé work is a metalworking technique in which a malleable metal is shaped by hammering from the reverse side to create a design in low relief. Chasing or embossing is a similar technique in which the piece is hammered on the front side, often with a punch, sinking the metal. The two are often combined, as here.
The form and style of these vases link them to a group of pieces known as ‘Mamluk Revival’ ware, produced in Syria in the early twentieth century and marketed through Cairo, where the Sultans there gave considerable stimulus towards their production and sale. The Mamluk period (1250–1517) was the greatest Islamic empire of the later Middle Ages and included control of the holy cities Mecca and Medina. During it, the arts flourished with an especial concentration on elaborately decorated metalware and it was these pieces which provided the inspiration for the twentieth century craftsmen copying and adapting their style. Similar and rather grander pieces are known where the brass is inlaid with silver and copper, often with Islamic calligraphy. This pair of vases is rather more modest and perhaps intended for a domestic rather than export audience, but no small amount of care was taken in their manufacture, the soldered joins of the various panels forming the vases as a whole requiring great skill. Under a strong light the decoration, from which a considerable amount of old dried polish has been removed, glows with an attractive intensity and the vases certainly have a pronounced ‘Islamic’ look and feel.
Egyptian Revival souvenir bracelet c1900
Price: £95
This is very beautiful bracelet comprising very detailed cast brass station depicting Egyptian iconography. This is most likely from the Paris Worlds Fair in 1900 that showcased Egyptian modernity, antiquities, and culture. There are six stations with a wonderful Tutankhamun charm at the closure.
Chinese silver plate Trinket Box with ceramic plaque, C20th
Price: £25
A Chinese silver plate box and cover of ovoid form, the sides with raised stylised floral decoration and the cover with an inset ceramic plaque with a ju’i lappet border mount depicting two ladies in a garden scene. These boxes seem to have been made as tourist souvenirs and to judge from the style of painting of the plaque date to the mid twentieth century or slightly later. Some have a mirror in the underside of the cover and this may possibly, but not necessarily, be missing here.
Aesthetic Movement locket on chain c1880
Price: £125
This is an amazing locket that is a perfect example of the Aesthetic Movement in Britian. This was aligned with Arts and Crafts but the Aesthetic designs featured classical and Japanese designs that were considered more opulent and elegant than the over the top designs of the Victorian period. It was a response to the mass consumerism that was taking over Britian during this time. This locket is marked with full English marks. It is paired with a belcher chain of a similar age.
Chinese rice grain Dish with Jingdezhen Mark, late C20th
Price: £35
A small ceramic dish of saucer form, decorated in underglaze blue, red, green, black enamel and gold with a central roundel of a dragon amidst flames within a border of geometric design and bats, itself within a ground of stylised fans and flowers edged with a diaper border, the reverse with a four character seal mark in underglaze blue reading 'Jing-De-Zhen-Zi', indicating manufacture at the well known kiln town of Jingdezhen in the Jiangxi province. The rim of the plate has 'rice grain' decoration where the porcelain is pierced and the glaze allowed to cover the openings made so that the holes can be seen in a strong light. The mark here found on other pieces and seems first to have been used around 1950 but was still employed around forty years later. Dating is probably to the late twentieth century.
Pair of amethyst cluster earrings, c1980
Price: £65
This a quite indricate paid of earrings bezel set with 11 amethyst stones. The stones are great quality with lots of sparkle. They are post and butterfly and are marked 925. They are most likely Indian in origin.
Large Peking glass brooch c1940
Price: £55
This is a very dramatic brooch that features a very intricate copper setting set with a very large Peking glass stone. The setting has a blackened effect that is somehow Victorian and modern at the same time. Another find for vintage collectors.
French enamel egyptian revival bracelet c1900
Price: £125
This is a very delicate bracelet comprisng stations with enamel work that depict Egyptian iconography. This was most liklely a souvenir from the Paris Worlds Fair in 1900 where Egypt featured prominently.
Unique Butler & Wilson Neoclassical Tiara 1980s
Price: £195
This is a very unusual piece of vintage Butler & Wilson from the 1980s. It is at the very least quite unique and it is possibly bespoke. It it extremely ornate and beautifully made with mounted festoons, putti and swans. It is finished with a large crown which is quintessential B & W. It is set with faux pearls. There are faux pearls that encircle the swans necks and hanging faux teardrop pearls along the edge. All this is built on a stiff mesh frame. It bears the Butler & Wilson mark.
As most people who love costume jewellery know, Butler & Wilson have been and are a powerhouse British brand that have been designing costume jewellery since the 1970s. Pieces like this one are quite collectable due to their age and design. There are many collectors around the world that collect both vintage and new pieces. This one is for you!
Arts and Crafts garnet and moonstone earrings c1910
Price: £55
These earrings are are wondeful quality. They are set with vibrant square cut garnets and finished with large moonstone cabachons. They are set in silver with millegrain work. They are marked 925.
Chinese Cantonese style hexagonal Jar and Cover, C20th
Price: £150
A Chinese porcelain jar and cover, the body of flattened hexagonal form above a spreading foot and below a shouldered rim, the cover overhanging with a circular knob and the base with a countersunk foot. The decoration is in ‘Famille Rose’ enamels in a wide palette of colours in the nineteenth century ‘Cantonese’ style; two main panels of birds and flowers and four smaller panels with landscape scenes on a stylised ‘cracked ice’ ground with flower heads, the base and top rim with two forms of repeating key pattern and the neck and lid with stylised floral decoration on a yellow ground. The form here was introduced in the nineteenth century but copied again in the twentieth as is the case here where the paste of the foot rim and general style of the decoration indicate later work. But the quality has been reasonably well maintained and dating is probably no later than around 1950, providing an attractive and accessible accessory for a contemporary setting.
Georgian silver and coque de perle brooch c1830
Price: £95
This is a wonderful good sized silver brooch set with a large coque de perle surrounded by vivid pink paste stones. It is marked 800 which indicates it is continental or European which was common in the Georgian era.
Chinese Blanc de chine figure of Budai, late C20th
Price: £35
A Chinese white glazed figure of Budai, the so called ‘laughing Buddha’ modelled standing with his typically broad chest exposed, a smiling expression and a small sphere in his hand which represents the ‘wish fulfilling jewel’. These white glazed wares, termrd 'blanc de chine' were a classic of Chinese ceramics and made principally at Dehua in the Fujian province from the fourteenth century onwards becoming one of the staples of the Chinese porcelains exported to the West in the eighteenth century. But they are produced even today and the modern examples can be of surprisingly good quality as is the case here where the paste and finish of the foot suggests a late twentieth century dating. The interior is unglazed and there are scratched marks to the bottom which can be ead as either '617' or 'L19'.
Japanese small blue and white Jar and Cover with inner liner, decorated Prunus, late C20th
Price: £25
A small blue and white ceramic jar and cover of ovoid form with a domed lid and an inner cover underneath, the white craquelure glaze ground decorated in underglaze blue with flowering plum blossom or prunus below an elaborate border to the neck, the cover similarly decorated. While highly decorative, the work here relies on the use of stencilled designs, a technique developed by the Japanese in the early twentieth century and used on pieces exported to the West at that time. This jar is rather later and dates to the late twentieth century but retains the appeal of its earlier predecessors. The use of an inner cover or liner was a distinctively Japanese feature, but not all the jars made survive today with both their lids intact.
Chinese pumpkin shape Teapot with cream craquelure glaze circa 1900
Price: £55
This is an unusual Chinese teapot of ‘pumpkin’ form with a typically lobed body but of extremely compressed proportions, with a short spout, a shallow fitted lid and flattened loop handle in the form of a stylised dragon. It is clearly ‘archaistic’ in style and the cream craquelure glaze recalls pieces from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and even before, particularly the so called ‘guan ware’, but while earlier lobed pieces can be found, particularly shallow bowls, there do not seem to be any precedents for this form of teapot and there are no parallels amongst later pieces either. The paste of the foot and the general style of the glaze certainly indicate a dating to around 1900 and just possibly slightly before. A piece, then, for a curious collector who might perhaps be lucky enough to make further discoveries about its origin.
Purple and white glass Jack in the Pulpit Vase, Elan Glass Studio, second half C20th
Price: £25
The distinctive form of this vase with its wide conical base narrowing towards the top and flaring outwards into a broad turned over leaf resembles the plant named ‘Jack in the Pulpit’ and was adopted by various glass manufacturers from the Art Nouveau period onwards. There are examples by Tiffany and Loetz and the shape was later produced at Murano and by some of the British glass studios. An example by Alum Bay Glass, Isle of Wight, can be seen elsewhere on this site. As the label indicates, this piece was made by the Elan Glass Studio in Wales but little is known now about this studio which was, perhaps, rather short lived. Although the stouter form suggests the 1960s or 1970s, this has to remain a guess but with its swirling designs and contrasting colourings of purple and white it is an attractive variation of the type.
Murano bud glass vase with paperweight base, second half C20th
Price: £25
A bud glass vase with a long narrow and very slightly flaring neck above a globular body, the neck deep purple with white streak highlights and the body with a coloured relief sculpture of a flower growing from rocks in the style of a paperweight. This model was produced at Murano in the later years of the twentieth century and was clearly popular from the number of similar pieces which can be found today. Intended to display a single flower it can also double as a paperweight itself making it both decorative and functional as its new owner pleases.