Decorative Arts

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!

The sparkling stones and high quality mounting (there is a considerable weight of silver in this piece) would have made this buckle a notable addition to the Victorian ladies' wardrobe and it could equally well catch the eye today.

These coasters formed part of their range. The decoration employs the transfer pattern technique developed in England in the mid eighteenth century and a staple of nineteenth century productions. Printed designs were 'transferred' to the ceramic surface allowing the production of extensive services in a matching pattern. The Chinese derived 'Willow Pattern' design seems to have been first used around 1790 and was probably designed by Thomas Minton for Spode. All the versions contain similar elements besides the pagodas and landscape scenes most notably the three figures on a bridge and a pair of flying swallows. In order to promote sales, various stories were invented based on elements of the design. These coasters are an amusing recollection of times past and highly practical in addition.

The well known Italian firm Fontanini, now famous for producing nativity Sets, was founded by Emanuele Fontanini as a small local business in a single room in the tiny Tuscan town of Bagni di Lucca. Working at first in papier mâché, the business turned to the use of bakelite once it became available, marking their pieces with a spider emblem and the wording ‘depose Fontanini up until the 1970s after which these were replaced by the Fontanini name, the date of manufacture, and a small fountain, which allows fairly accurate dating here. Manufacturing is now caried out by the fourth generation of the family.

The Langley Mill Pottery was located in Langley Mill, Derbyshire on the Derbyshire – Nottinghamshire border. From its establishment in 1865 to its final closure in 1982, it went through five distinct periods of ownership, producing a wide range of stoneware ranging from utilitarian items and to high quality art pottery. This pair of vases dates from the third company that traded there, Lovatt and Lovatt. The Lovatt family had entered into partnership with the owner of the founding business at Langley Mill, James Calvert. From 1895 the business was in sole control of the Lovatt family and traded as ‘Lovatt and Lovatt’ until 1935. The early years of the twentieth century proved to be something of a zenith for them and a wide range of art pottery pieces were made which enjoyed great popularity. Production techniques were streamlined without a reduction in quality and in 1905, leadless glazes were introduced. These are proudly announced on the base of this pair of vases which are a fine example of the Lovatt and Lovatt style and probably date to 1913, indicated by the impressed numbers for that year.

Myott Son & Co was one of famous the Staffordshire Potteries and traded for over 90 years. Founded in 1898, it began production in Stoke moving to Cobridge four years later. Its output was continuous but in 1949 the firm suffered a disastrous fire which reportedly destroyed the firm's records and pattern books and probably for this reason it relocated to Hanley. In 1969 it was bought by the American firm Interpace, but the Myott name was retained until 1976 when the company merged with Alfred Meakin Ltd, who were based in Tunstall, to form Myott-Meakin Ltd.

Myott now are best known for their Art Deco inspired designs from the 1930s. Following the success of their competitors, most notably the designs of Clarice Cliff, Myott established their own popular following and produced pieces which could rival the output of their celebrated competitors. This jug, with its clean lines and bold colours is an excellent example and like others of the same form bears the pattern umber ‘8498’. Some of their glazes were easily subject to wear and blue was less commonly used so both the condition and the colour range of this jug make it a highly desirable collector’s item.

This is an example of Japanese marquetry technique known as ‘Yosegi-Zaiku’ in which intricate geometric patterns made from small pieces of wood were used to decorate the surfaces of small pieces of furniture such as jewellery cabinets or ‘kotan-su’ (kodansu). The technique originated in the town of Hakone, near to Tokyo, in the Edo period (1601/3 to 1868) but continued into the Meiji era (1868-1912) and beyond. Some of the pieces produced have an elaborate array of designs, but what we appear to have here is a sample or specimen piece showing the types of effect the craftsman could produce. This is further complicated by the fact that the top right drawer, which has no decoration at all and is not signed underneath like the other two, appears to be a later replacement with a different form of handle. But there is still some charm and no small amount of skill here. Dating is most probably to the late nineteenth century and this experimental ‘kodansu’ could easily find a place in an early twenty first century setting.

The French designer Fabienne Jouvin (see image 9) graduated from the superior school of applied arts Duperré in 1985. Since then, she has travelled the world collecting designs for pieces sold and exhibited under her name internationally, with a studio based in Paris. On her website, she writes “From my travels - from Tokyo to The Habana, from the streets of Paris to the sea bed of The Maldives - I bring back sketchbooks, pads of notes, drawings and collages: hispanic or contempory architectures, faces reminding those of Piero Della Francesca, enigmatic objects non identified... These spontaneous sketchbooks give rise to unique pieces and editions painting, textile, porcelain, cloisonné...”. Her first exhibition was in 1989 and in 1996 she began an association with the firm ‘Asiatides’ allowing her to create pieces made in China and Thailand and utilising their designs and techniques.

This pair of flasks, possibly intended as tea caddies, are typical of her ability to give a ‘twist’ to the pieces from which she draws her inspiration. The shape is Chinese from the seventeenth century (see image 10), while the iron red colour is found on Chinese pieces two hundred or more years later. Combining this with a white ‘crackle glaze’, also well known from Chinese ceramics, was Jouvin’s own idea completing the mix of ancient and modern. Marked as from the Asiatides range with the stylised ‘A’, pieces like these are no longer available currently implying that they were probably made early on in her association with the firm and now have a uniqueness of their own.

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.

‘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.

Known for its ceramics since Roman times, when the deposits of clay found locally acted as stimulus for the production of pottery, the French Riviera town of Vallauris has been called the ‘city of 100 potters’. Pottery has been made there continuously since the classical period with a growth in production in the late nineteenth century followed by the establishment of various well known ateliers in the twentieth and the residence of Picasso himself who is said to have produced over 3500 pieces there.

Jean Gerbino Jean Gerbino (1876-1966) was a Sicilian ceramicist, who took French citizenship in 1928. He settled eventually in Vallauris and developed a unique technique combining mosaic and nériage (a mixture of coloured clays). The clays are coloured with oxides, hardened, and then assembled into plates to create colourful and distinctive mosaic patterns. These plates are then moulded, dried, and fired. The resulting forms are both distinctive and highly decorative, modern with a hint of the Art Deco era.

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.

Martin Andrews (see image 9) graduated from West Surrey College of Art and Design with a BA (hons) Glass in 1991. Following this he was based in London until 2000 when he then launched his current workshop at the Ruskin Glass Centre in Stourbridge. His work often draws on the earth's natural forms and patterns and his ‘beach’ range is a prime example of this. Most of his pieces are signed, but this bottle is not, perhaps because of its size, but its inclusion in the studio’s inventory makes its provenance beyond doubt.

Both the incised mark at the base and the small round sticker (see image 9) show this to be the work of the distinguished Irish Potter, Michael Kennedy who established his first studio at Sligo, Co Sligo, in 1979 and then a second studio at Gort, Co Gallway. Kennedy was a prolific and popular ceramic artist who was also happy to pass on his skills guiding many young potters at the start of their careers, some of whom went on to open successful potteries of their own. His work at Sligo was distinguished by the imaginative use of purple, pink and blue glazes of which this jug is an excellent example. There are various forms of his signature but the one here, possibly mainly used on his earlier works, is perhaps the most typical, a stick figure within a circle followed by the letters ‘Kennedy’. Michael Kennedy sadly died unexpectedly in 2021, but his works live on and can be seen in homes and galleries in Ireland and abroad.

This fine quality vase is from the Maya range made by Poole Pottery, some of the pieces still being in production today and described in the maker’s catalogue as follows “Poole Pottery’s Maya collection is inspired by British landscapes and earthy tones. The greens and blues in this stunning range represent the earth meeting the sky in a natural yet bold design. Here at Poole Pottery, all our Maya ceramics are hand-cast and made using our signature reactive glaze in the famous Middleport Pottery in Staffordshire. The distinctive pieces you see here are created via our Living Glaze technique, where layers of colourful glazes react with one another to create a unique, glossy and dynamic finish.” But this particular form does not appear in the current catalogue and does not seem to be otherwise available. The form of the mark appears on other Poole pieces of more recent manufacture and dating is probably to around twenty years ago. The initials are for the artist’s signature and Poole write “Items are personalised with the artist's own individual mark, adding value to the collectability of each piece.” Given its scarcity, this vase would make an interesting addition to a collection of Poole Pottery aside from being a highly decorative item in its own right.

The influence of the Art Nouveau movement, with its emphasis on organic and plant forms, is clearly seen here. The vases date to the early 1900s and were made by the ‘Grainger and Co’ branch of the celebrated Royal Worcester factory. The first porcelain factory at Worcester was set up in 1751 by John Wall (a doctor) and William Davis (an apothecary), along with 14 other businessmen. Fifty years later in 1801 Thomas Grainger (1783–1839) started a rival company ‘Grainger’s Worcester Porcelain’ and during the nineteenth century both companies traded successfully. However following the death of George Grainger, the son of Thomas Grainger, in 1889 the Grainger factory was sold to Royal Worcester who continued manufacture on its old rival firm’s St.Martin’s Gate site until finally closing the works in 1902. Ivory style porcelains were one of the specialities of this brief manufacturing period and the date mark ‘L’ which appears on these vases is for the year 1902, just before the two concerns were completely merged.

Aquincus was an ancient Roman settlement, eventually to become the town Obuda, the third of the three cities which were merged to form Budapest and the oldest district in the Hungarian capital. In 1854, Hüttl Tivadar set up a shop in Pest selling porcelain eventually becoming involved in porcelain manufacture itself with such success that by the early 1900s he was supplying the court at Buda, eventually supplanting the rival firm of Herend. Despite legal battles amongst the family concerning the ownership of the business, the firm continued to prosper until the 1950s when the new communist government decided to nationalize the factory, renaming it Aquincum Porcelángyár. Tableware, which had been the staple of the Hüttls’ production was replaced by figurines which rapidly enjoyed great popularity. One of the principle artists was Antonia Szabó who became chief designer in 1966. With the end of socialism, the firm went into private hands in 1993 but suffered an immediate and rapid decline causing it to close soon after.

This figure may possibly, then, have been designed by Szabó himself but it is certainly typical of the pieces produced in the early years of state control and perhaps one of the most appealing. The form of the mark corresponds with a dating to the 1950s or 1960s and the piece has both historical associations and considerable decorative appeal.

Both the form and some of the glaze effects here reflect much earlier Chinese ceramic pieces which is fully consistent with the ‘studio pottery’ style of this piece. Poole Pottery established an art pottery studio within their factory in 1958 which, following the Scandinavian model, produced high quality studio ceramics alongside designs for new ranges until 1966 when they were replaced by the new Delphis, Atlantis and Aegean pottery lines which began production a year later. Dating here is therefore fairly precise and this bowl is an excellent example of ‘studio’ wares produced which could often equal the work of other independent studio potteries.

Elements of two contrasting contemporary styles combine here with features from both the Arts and Crafts and the Art Nouveau movement. The hammered pewter with the almost rustic nail head fixings and the red bead reflect the former but the elegant depiction of the lotus and butterfly, with more than a hint of the Orient, reflect the latter. The maker is anonymous but doubtless British and clearly a highly skilled craftsman. Much thought and expertise went into the design of this piece which would be a desirable addition for collectors of either or both of the pieces made under the influence of these two highly popular design movements.

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.

The Baranivka Porcelain Factory, one of Ukraine's oldest porcelain manufacturers, was founded in 1802-1804 by Mykhailo Mezer. Situated at Baranivka, at the time in Poland but now part of Ukraine, the factory was considerably assisted in its development by the discovery of rich clay deposits in the area. Production was continuous even during the Soviet era until the early twenty first century. Both the angular modelling and the abstract decoration of this piece point to a dating in the 1950s when production would have revived after the second world war and more contemporary styles adopted.

Guido Cacciapuoti was a celebrated Italian ceramicist. Born in Naples in 1892 and from a family with a tradition in the creation of majolica pottery, Guido exhibited his work widely in the 1920s and finally, in collaboration with his brother, Mario, and Angelo Bignami as the administrative and commercial director, he founded the factory ‘Gres d'Arte Cacciapuoti Bignami & C.' in Milan in 1927. Mario unfortunately died three years later leaving Guido to carry on on his own until his death in 1953.

In the 1930s, Guido’s workshop became famous for the production of ceramic animal sculptures with fish being a particular speciality. More commonly seen are groups of John Dory, again with a red glaze, but the smoother lines here and the particularly intense colour reflect more closely the contemporary Art Deco style. Sought after in their own time, with patrons such as the King of Italy and Mussolini, Guido’s works are highly collectible today and this group would make a striking addition to a collection of Art Deco ceramics with considerable decorative appeal.