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Kutani (the word means 'nine valleys') porcelain was made at various factories in the former Kaga province of Japan. The earliest pieces were in a completely different style employing a palette of colours emphasising green, the so called 'Ko Kutani'. Production of this ceased around 1730, and manufacturing was not revived until the early nineteenth century when the more familiar colourings of iron red and gold were introduced. This small vase is typical of pieces exported to the West in fairly large quantities at the end of the nineteenth century. The form suggests a water dropper and is found in Imari colourings as well. Many of the Kutani pieces were marked, sometimes simply 'Ku' 'Tani' as here. The glaze was sometimes unstable with a tendency to craze as can be seen here, but this is original to the manufacture and does not detract from the piece's decorative appeal.

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Trade with Japan in the seventeenth century was predominantly directed by the Dutch merchants who had a trading station at Nagasaki. It was their requirements which dictated what the potteries at Arita should make and by the 1660s they were demanding ‘red wares’, the Japanese term for pieces in the colourings of underglaze blue, red and gold, sometimes with additional colours as well. Once made, these porcelains were sent to the port of Imari from where they began their journey to the West and from which they were to take their name. They proved to be immediately popular on their arrival in Holland and the auctions of the cargoes as they arrived were extremely successful. This led to a plentiful supply of chargers, bowls and vases (many with covers and some forming part of a five piece garniture) which were to decorate the royal and aristocratic homes not only of Holland itself but throughout Europe and particularly in Great Britain, where they can be seen today.

While the forms were relatively plain, the decoration was lavish, employing panels with floral or animal elements on a densely covered ground, often with swirling designs. Two typical examples are illustrated in images (9) and (10), both dating from the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. The popularity of the style naturally led to it being copied and the Chinese started to produce it from the late Kangxi period (1662-1722) onwards, occasionally following the originals closely but soon producing their own adaptations which were often slightly more restrained and refined. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, Imari exports from Japan and China had lapsed but their place was soon taken by pieces from the European and British manufacturers. In England both Spode and Mason’s Ironstone, amongst others, produced their own version of ‘Imari’, even attempting vases in the colourings as well as flatware. Eventually Japan re-entered the market and from 1860s onwards the West was again supplied in quantity with their Imari wares, although by the end of the century some of these were of rather poor quality.

But at their best, the Japanese workshops in the nineteenth century could well match the work of their predecessors and this charger is a prime example. The form is almost that of a very shallow bowl with the sides evenly curving upwards (see image 4) and an unglazed footrim to the reverse. The nineteenth century decorators often created their own designs, but the decoration here follows the originals very closely indeed, even in the colouring of the underglaze blue which has an almost blackish tinge which is also seen in the two earlier examples illustrated. There are three large fan shape panels with flowering peony and three smaller ones with lotus leaf borders and ‘ho ho’ birds, all on a blue ground with stylised gilt floral decoration. One can almost see a wheel here and the design nearly seems to be in motion which was, again, a feature of earlier pieces. The reverse has just three sprays of peony which allows one to see the quality of the glaze.This, combined with the paste of the foot and the general quality of the decoration all point to a mid nineteenth century dating, probably circa 1870 after trade with Japan resumed as a result of the Meiji restoration.

Japanese Imari wares deservedly retain their popularity today and this charger would be an elegant addition to a contemporary interior or even indeed to a stately home itself.

The firm Boch Freres Keramis was founded by Eugene and Victor Boch and their brother-in-law, Jean Baptiste Nothomb, in 1841 and was located in La Louviere in eastern Belgium. In 1906 Charles Catteau joined the company as artistic director and was responsible for a new and wide ranging series of designs, some under the influence of Japonisme, transitioning the company from producing utilitarian objects to highly decorative ceramics. His work can clearly be seen here in a piece which appears to be quite unusual. Both the form and the decoration reflect early twentieth century fashion in the clean lines and the images inspired by Japan. There is a hint of the aesthetic movement here producing an object of great attraction and interest.

The town of Arita in the former Hizen Province, northwestern Kyūshū island, was a major centre for the production of porcelains in Japan. Best known for blue and white pieces it also produced polychrome wares as well, including the familiar imari colourings. While similar to Imari, the wider palette of colours used here is usually termed ‘Arita’ and the decorative appeal of the style is clear. These bowls probably come from an original set of five and their quality is much above average. Dating is to the Meiji era (1868 - 1912) probably around 1880.

Many of the samplers found today were signed by the maker, but not all, as here. At a guess this piece was probably made in the second half of the nineteenth century (the frame is much later) by a fairly devout needleworker. The text closely follows a known prayer composed by Sarah Flower Adams (1805-1848). As a member of the congregation of the Rev. W. J. Fox, a Unitarian minister in London, she contributed 13 hymns to his work ‘Hymns and Anthems’ which was published in 1841.

The prayer by her found there reads as follows:

Part in peace!- Christ's life was peace; Let us breath our breath in Him. Part in peace!- Christ's death was peace, Let us die death in Him. Part in peace!- Christ promise gave Of a life beyond the grave, Where all mortal partings cease Part in peace!

It is just possible that the last line has been altered to reflect a recent family loss, but this must remain speculation. The sentiments, though, are clear enough and have been carefully and devotedly worked.

The company Søholm Stentøj was founded by Herman Sonne Wolffsen and Edvard Christian Sonne in 1835 at Rønne, the principal town of Bornholm, a Danish island off the south coast of Sweden. One of the most respected of the Danish potteries it continued producing a wide range of ceramics until the firm closed in 1996. Noomi Backhausen was a designer for Søholm from 1966 to 1990 and set up her own pottery in Rønne in 1996 after the closure of her old employers. This wall vase is a typical example of her abstract organic designs and would be a worthy addition to a collection of twentieth century Danish design.

Souvenirs and medals were produced, amongst which were silver plated powder compacts as here. The round container for the powder has a hinged lid revealing the powder well below, originally fitted with a mauve ribbon tasseled powder puff, and a mirror above. On the surface of the lid, which has a tab for lifting, is a stylised brass lion, a symbol of the British Empire, vitreous enameled in black, red and blue with the wording ‘British Empire Exhibition 1925 ’ There is a short rounded handle and the back has an engraved mark ‘Rd [registered] 689177’ for the patent number. While many were doubtless made (and there is another version with a more slender handle, with a ring at the end, and the background colourings of the lettering reversed) few of these compacts seem to have survived making this a desirable addition to a collection of British memorabilia.

Please note that the stands are for display purposes only.

‘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.

Sylvac were famous for imaginative glazed wares, particularly animals, and this jug is a typical and pleasing example of their work.

While this model, often called the ‘harvest pattern’, is found quite often, it is very unusual to see a graduated set of three, all matching. The form of the mark, where the lion does not sit above a crown, was used between 1922 and 1927 which gives us the dating here. The largest jug carries the letter ‘a’ which was a decorator’s mark and stands for Louisa Ayling. Perhaps she worked on all three, but this must remain a guess although the quality of the work on all three is quite consistent producing a highly decorative and attractive ensemble.

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

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

‘Past Times’ was founded in 1986 by John Beale, at first as a mail order company but then trading from physical stores and developing into a business which enjoyed enormous popularity with over one hundred shops in the early 2000s. The stock was focused on retro and vintage style items also including a wide range of licensed products, such as Harry Potter and Beatrix Potter merchandise. Badly impacted by the recession in 2008 it went into administration in 2012 and was bought by W.H.Smith a year later leading to the disappearance of its products from the marketplace.

This ‘Art Nouveau’ vase can be seen as an example of their range at its best. Manufactured with care it presents an appealing souvenir of the era it aims to recreate at a rather more affordable price than the authentic originals.

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

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

While it is not absolutely certain the mark on this piece is possibly that of Derek Clarkson (1928-2013). Clarkson trained at the Manchester college of Art between 1944-47 and Burnley School of Art from 1959-61 and then combined a successful lecturing career with the making of his own work which is now to be found in international and private collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. In 1980 he retired from lecturing to focus on his work as a potter, continuing to produce pieces of great skill and attraction until his death in 2013. There are other pieces signed by him which strongly resemble the bowl here (see images 11,12) making it a possibility that this is his work. Certainly, the potter who created this piece and impressed his mark at the bottom was clearly accomplished and this bowl is more than worthy to stand comparison with pieces by more famous contemporaries.

The town of Arita in the former Hizen Province, northwestern Kyūshū island, was a major centre for the production of porcelains in Japan. Best known for blue and white pieces it also produced polychrome wares as well, including the familiar Imari colourings. While similar to Imari, the wider palette of colours used here is usually termed ‘Arita’ and this bowl employs not only the colourings but also many of the decorative elements found in these wares. The angular form, though, is unusual. Dating is to the Meiji era (1868-1912) probably around 1880.

Bing & Grøndahl was established in 1853 by the sculptor Frederik Vilhelm Grøndahl and the merchant brothers Meyer Hermann Bing and Jacob Herman Bing. Their trademark, which can be seen on these two plates, was that of three towers, which was derived from the Coat of Arms of Copenhagen. Their designs proved popular and it is said that their dinnerware service in the ‘Seagull’ pattern could be found in one in ten Danish households in the 1950s. Eventually, in 1987 the company merged with its competitor, the Royal Porcelain Factory, under the name Royal Copenhagen, but some of the pieces produced thereafter still display the initials ‘B&G’ and the three tower symbol, as here. Originally sold with fitted boxes (not included here), these plates were probably produced in the early years after the merger and are sought after as collectors’ items today.

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

The mark is for the well known ceramics manufacturer Zsolnay, based in Pecs, Hungary. Founded by Miklos Zsolnay in 1853, the firm gained a worldwide reputation in the late nineteenth century exhibiting at international fairs and exhibitions. Production declined after the first world war and the factory was bombed during the second. Revived under communism in 1948, the firm started to produce utilitarian pieces under the name ‘Pécs Porcelain Factory’ but gradually their traditional wares were revived and the Zsolnay name was restored in 1982.

This figure is one of the products of Zsolnay’s late renaissance but dating to the 1970s, as indicated by the form of the mark, it still carries only the Pecs brand name. But the quality typical of Zsolnay is emphatically there with fine quality porcelain and careful modelling and decoration all combining to produce a most decorative and attractive composition.

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

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