Decorative Arts & Ephemera
Pair of small green depression glass Jars with bakelite Covers, 1930s
Price: £45
A pair of square green glass jars with cut off corners and curved bases and shoulders, the bodies with press moulded line and panel decoration and the tops with screw fittings to secure the black bakelite covers. The covers are marked 'GM' within a stylised 'A', '58', 'P' and the base of one has the same 'GM' symbol with 'U' '895' and what looks like a small triangle while the base of the other only has the 'GM' symbol and '95'. The style of these pieces is often termed ‘depression glass’ and refers to a whole range of modest glass wares, sometimes distributed free of charge, made during the 1930s in America around the time of the great depression. Certainly the form and decoration reflect the Art Deco era and the use of bakelite for the covers is consistent with this. Also, the glass here contains easily visible imperfections which were inevitable from a manufacturing process which emphasised speed and low cost and are something of a hallmark of these pieces. Perhaps originally intended for kitchen or bathroom storage (one lid has an old label reading ‘borax’, a cleaning agent) these jars are more collectors’ items now recalling the ‘thrift purchases’ of a challenging era.
Small circular ceramic plaque after Fragonard marked Limoges, framed, late C20th
Price: £25
The scene reproduced here is found on many porcelain and occasionally glass shapes dating from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, most of them made in one or other of the workshops at Limoges, France. Often referred to as a ‘Courting Couple’ we see here a lady and gentleman in eighteenth centur dress in a rustic garden setting with trees and an architectural niche in the backgound. The lady is seated listening to the standing gentleman who is playing a musical instrument, perhaps a guitar or a lute. The composition is loosely base on a picture by the famous eightenth century artist French Fragonard entitled ‘The Music Contest’ (see image 7). Not all of these pieces are very old and this one probably dates to the late twentieth century. The frame with a gilt metal border at the front, which is marked ‘Danish Design’ is consistent with this. Marked ‘Limoges’ on the front (other examples have ‘Fragonard’ in addition) this plaque is also marked ‘Meissner’ ‘Limoges’ ‘France’ to the reverse which confirms the provenance of a piece which is a modest reflection of the eighteenth century rococo style.
Pair of Chinese hand painted jade Eggs with modern stands
Price: £25
Each of these eggs is made from light green coloured jade formed into the shape of an egg. Both are attractively painted in bright colours with birds and flowers, the designs complementary rather than matching. They were made in China, doubtless as tourist souvenirs and are most likely quite recent in date but the combination of the stone shape and colour and the careful decoration make them attractive decorative items nevertheless.
Pair of continental style openwork border Dishes, probably Chinese C20th
Price: £20
A pair of small oval dishes with openwork borders and loop handles, decorated to the centre with fruit, the reverses with impressed marks ‘4’ and iron red stamped numbers ‘12’ (rather indistinct on one). These dishes follow closely pieces made by the German ceramics manufacturer Schumann whose premises were located in Bavaria and which made fine quality hard paste porcelains, tastefully decorated with floral designs, from their beginnings in the 1870s to the mid 1990s when the business ceased trading but close inspection of the fruit surfaces here indicates that they were not hand painted but produced by the technique of laser printing which is evident from the ‘micro dot’ effets which here can be seen even by the naked eye. This suggests late twentieth century Chinese work and the paste of the foot (also the numbering at the back) confirms this.
Trade+Aid Teapot, Van Gogh Café Scene, UK 1990s
Price: £25
This is an amusing enamel teapot, the rectangular body curving in towards the lid and with a loop handle and spout. It is brightly decorated in coloured enamels with a Parisian Café scene after the painting by Van Goch whose first name can be seen on one of the sides. The original is in the Kröller-Müller Museum Otterlo, Netherlands (see image 7). The base of the teapot is marked ‘Trade+Aid’ ‘No.158.UK’ and it comes from a range of teapots produced for ‘Charlotte di Vita Collections’ under the trading name ‘Trade+Aid’. These were hand crafted items using traditional techniques whose sale benefited charitable projects and initiatives worldwide. The various designs were usually limited editions and some are quite collectible today
Pewter Plate in the Art Nouveau style, marked Joh. Heidl, C20th
Price: £20
This is a circular pewter plate, flat with a narrow turnover rim, also flat and ridged at the edge, the centre with an embossed head portrait of a lady with flowers within a pentagonal border, the reverse with the engaved name ‘Joh. [Johannes?] Heidl’ at the bottom. Similar plates, often called card trays, are known from the early twentieth century, many made by the German company WMF (Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik) but some also in France. The designs often have lady’s head to the centre in the Art Nouveau style but the work is much more sculptural and highly raised. The mark on this piece cannot be traced but its appearance implies that the maker took some pride in his work and the lettering style is consistent with an early twentieth century dating. But while this could possibly be a later pastiche there are no parallels for this version of the design either. It is best, then, to regard this dish as in the Art Nouveau style, if of uncertain date and to enjoy its decorative appeal.
Andy Pandy Oil Lamp, German, Karl Meyer, 1950s
Price: £35
Our users of a certain age will recognise the small seated figure wearing a blue and white striped jump suit with a white frilled collar but others who need to rely on a Google search will easily discover his identity. It is Andy Pandy, the earliest creation by the BBC for childrens’ television, who made his first appearance in 1950 and was then seen frequently in the years thereafter with a remake in 1970 and again in 2002. Accompanied by his companions Teddy, a teddy bear, and Looby Lou, a rag doll, Andy, a marionette doll, entertained young children with a collection of unrelated songs and games with no ongoing narrative. Viewers were invited to sing or dance along and each episode ended with a variation on the famous song: "Time to go home / Time to go home / Andy is waving goodbye."
TV linked merchandise was created even in the earliest days of the medium and this charming small ceramic oil lamp, hardly the safest accessory for the nursery, is an amusing example. Andy sits next to a table with an urn on the top which forms the base of the lamp. Oil or paraffin would have been contained inside and once lit the wick could be adjusted by turning the round flat knob on the side. This has the trademark symbol for the German toy manufacturers Karl Meyer (see image 7). The base is marked ‘FOREIGN’ which was a common requirement for items imported into the UK after the second World War and allowed the makers to conceal their country of origin, which might have been useful to some of them at the time. A true piece of nostagia whether the figure represented is familiar or not.
Novelty match holder with cat, Klimax Japan, mid C20th
Price: £20
This is a novelty ceramic match holder made in the form of a cat, colourfully dressed with a slightly puzzled expression, holding a vase to contain the matches. The base is stamped in orange ‘Klimax’ ‘Hand painted’ ‘Foreign’. Little seems to be known of the firm, but they produced modest, hand painted decorative ceramics before and after the second world war for the export market. Their work is often similar to Noritake or very late Kutani pieces and concentrates on tableware and vases. These march holders seem much less common. The word ‘foreign’ was used by Japanese manufacturers when there was a feeling that the true country of origin should not be advertised. It was more common before the war but used sometimes afterwards, so a dating here to the 1940s or 1950s is the most likely. Not the most sophisticated ceramic item, but certainly an amusing one!
Pair of petit point Tapestry Pictures, The Needlewoman Shop London, mid C20th
Price: £55
A pair of oval tapestry pictures depicting a lady and a gentleman in eighteenth century dress, framed and one with a label for ‘The Needlewoman Shop’ in Regent Street, London to the reverse. This attractive and finely worked pair of needlework images was most likely created from preprinted pattern tapestry canvas. Various examples of these were produced during the twentieth century including the popular ‘Gobelin’ range. The Needlewoman Shop traded in Regent Street from 1928 to 1985 and was something of a mecca for those interested in fine sewing in all its forms. The likelihood is that the patterns for these pictures were sold by the shop, possibly along with the threads required, and then framed by them after the customer had completed the kit successfully, but this is no more than an educated guess. The format of the label suggests a dating in the 1950s.
The fine stitching used here is a version of needlepoint termed ‘petit point’ because of the small size of stitches used. In general needlepoint, designs are stitched onto fine canvas using a simple tent stitch, a small, diagonal stitch that crosses over the intersection of one horizontal and one vertical thread of the canvas forming a slanted stitch at a 45-degree angle. Petit point uses the same technique but with much finer stitching and thread on a much finer canvas often requiring magnification for the work to be carried out. It allows more intricate designs and shading effects as can be clearly seen here. The technique was particularly popular in France amongst the aristocracy in the early eighteenth century which perhaps determines the choice of subject here but with their intricate stitching and complementary frames, this pair of tapestries would definitely be a candidate for boudoir accessories in the present day.
Delft style garniture vase, probably Chinese C20th
Price: £20
The marks underneath this vase proudly announce production at Delft, Holland which is written below the standard apothecary bottle and the cipher ‘JT’ (from Joost Thooft, the company owner from 1876) with, in addition, a painter’s mark, which cannot be identified and a date code leeter ‘R’ for 1896. There are also some impressed letters and numbers which are hard to identify. The form and decoration is similar to that of a Chinese eighteenth century garniture vase (there should be a cover to this in addition) which is entirely consitent with original Delft pieces which copied or based themselves on Chinese models, although the shape here is exaggeratedly slender. But the mechanical craquelure glaze is totally unauthentic as is the thickly potted body and the paste of the base which is most likely Chinese and therefore yet another example of the European style pieces they made during the late twentieth century, a few example so of which can be seen elsewhere on this site. A novelty pastiche then but with the potential for the display of small flowers which it would complement rather well.