Rectangular Green Onyx Box and Cover, 1960s
Price: £35
Rectangular Green Onyx Box and Cover, 1960s
A box and cover of rectangular form constructed from joined sections of green veined onyx, the lid with a gilt metal hinge. Onyx is named from the Greek 'ónux', meaning “nail,” or “claw,” and is a variety of the mineral chalcedony, a kind of quartz. Onyx with flesh-coloured and white bands can sometimes resemble a fingernail which explains the name but is obviously not in evidence here. These boxes are usually attributed to Italian makers with a mid twentieth century dating which seems reasonable here.
Modernist Silver White Anthurium Brooch, Mexico, 1970s
Price: £25
This is a very unusual brooch that has two white anthurium flowers and gilt stamens. It is marked 'Made in Mexico'.
Chinese cloisonné hinged Bangle, C20th
Price: £45
A Chinese cloisonné bangle of typical circular form when closed, hinged to allow it to open and revealing the clasp opposite, the decoration in the cloisonné technique of polychrome glass derived enamels set in wire outlines (the so called ‘cloisons’ from the French word), the brick red ground set with stylised floral plum blossom sprays in enamels and clouds in a wire design. The style of work here suggests an early twentieth century dating and the hinged clasp was doubtless intended to assist the wearer as it could still do today.
Blue and Green Ice Glass Square Bowl, designed by Tapio Wirkalla for Iitala Finland, late C20th
Price: £55
A heavily modelled glass bowl of rounded square form with raised corners and indented concave sides with a textured base underneath, the clear glass blended with green and blue glass, each of the colours covering half the surface of the interior with a diagonal 'join'. The weight and textured finish to this piece is clearly intended to represent ice and while 'ice glass' pieces were made by various Scandinavian manufacturers, the model here was made in the 1970s by Iitala, a glass studio in Finland, and was part of the ‘Lunaria’ range designed for them by Tapio Wirkalla.
The Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985) was a major figure of post-war design, working in a wide variety of media including ceramics, wood and glass as well as postage stamps, bank notes and even light bulbs. His first piece for Iitala was produced in 1946 and the commercial ‘Tapio’ collection from 1954. Some of his ‘ice glass’ effects took the Iitala craftsmen many hours to perfect the glass blowing techniques required to produce them but enjoyed immense popularity. These chunky bowls, almost brutalist in style, were produced in the 1970s and 1980s and are an excellent example of his work for the popular market.
Chinese Scroll Painting of a Merchant and his Client, C20th
Price: £45
A scroll painting depicting what appears to be a scene in a Chinese merchant’s shop where there can be seen scales and a box containing coins on a table in the background. The elderly trader is seated next to a younger gentleman, presumably his client. One attendant stands watching and another bears an object on a tray which may well be the subject of a bargain to be made. The painting is colourful and expressive, with the faces carefully delineated. The style looks to be early twentieth century work and resembles that of reverse glass paintings from the period. The scroll is offered with a complementary scroll box, European with chinoiserie scenes in gilt, which considerably enhances the decorative effect.
Art Deco lapis and marcasite earrings c1930
Price: £65
These are a pair of pure Art Deco earrings. They are very architectural like a skyscraper. They feature silver set with marcasite and large lapis stones. They are marked A935.
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.
Shelley Harmony Ware Vase glazed in blue, 1930s
Price: £45
A ceramic vase of plain ovoid form, the body slightly ribbed and painted with various shades of ‘spun’ decoration in blue, the base glazed and with a transfer mark ‘Shelley England’ and the impressed numbers ‘979’ presumably denoting the model number. Shelley Potteries, situated in Staffordshire, was originally known as Wileman & Co. which had also traded under the name ‘The Foley Potteries’. The first Shelley to join the company was Joseph Ball Shelley in 1862, and it remained a Shelley family business until 1966, when it was taken over by Allied English Potteries. Josph’s son Percy employed first the designer Frederick Rhead then Walter Slater who had worked with Doulton. It was Walter Slater’s son, Eric, who initiated the ‘Harmony’ range in 1932, at first with a series of banded designs as here and then with drip ware patterns which became enormously popular. Harmony ware was produced in a wide variety of colours and this auction includes three vases which well reflect the range.
Two Avon Perfume Bottles, Lady and a Girl, 1970s
Price: £20
These are two from the series of perfume bottles in the form of ladies or young girls issued by Avon in the 1970s. The first represents a figure in 1920s dress and is sometimes found with a label (missing here) which reads ‘Roaring Twenties’ followed by the name of a perfume. The second is a country girl complete with its label which reads ‘Avon’ ‘Nearness’ but the same model is found with other labels, indicating that both these containers were used for more than one brand of perfume. These bottles were an amusing marketing ploy which doubtless contributed to many successful sales.
Native American Zuni silver cuff bracelet c1970
Price: £125
This is a stunning bracelet made by Zuni silversmiths in the area of New Mexico. It comprises a large mosaic of turquoise, mother of pearl and coral that is indicative of Zuni design and work. This mosaic is set into a silver halo of a flower and leaves, also a typical design. It is marked Sterling 925
Pair of framed Watercolours, Dartmoor heather fields, signed C.A.James, early C20th
Price: £45
A pair of watercolours in pastel shades depicting two landscape scenes on Dartmoor with lakes and fields of heather. The artist C.A.James, whose signature appears at the bottom of each of these paintings, cannot be identified but was clearly an accomplished amateur painter. The bleak landscape of Dartmoor is sensitively pictured in two complementary scenes of fields of heather by a lake, the lighting suggesting dawn with birds flying at the break of day. The mountainous outcrop at the back can be identified as Brent Tor, a landmark of Dartmoor which is surmounted by the church of St Michael, which can be seen in both the images. It was probably a popular subject for painters and various other paintings with a similar subject can be found. The style suggests dating to the 1920s and this seems consistent with the frames which appear to be original.
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.
Needlework sampler with a prayer by Sarah Flower Adams, probably late C19th
Price: £25
Samplers (the name derives from the Latin ‘exemplum’, meaning ‘example’) were exhibition pieces intended to demonstrate skill in needlework and have a long history dating back even to BCE times. They were produced in Europe from the sixteenth century onwards but enjoyed something of a heyday in England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, becoming one of the accomplishments expected of young girls to demonstrate their achievement and industry, a fashion which was to die out after the 1900s.
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.
Two Amelia Art Glass Vases, Apple and Pear
Price: £30
Two art glass vases, one in the form of an apple and one in the form of a pear, both with delicate glass stems and black patterning to the white bodies. These are part of the ‘Amelia Art Glass’ range and are both hand blown. Perhaps intended a paperweights they have an obvious decorative appeal suitable for the contemporary interior. It is remarkable that they have both survived intact!
French Egyptian Revival necklace c1940
Price: £125
This a stunning necklace that features a sleek Egyptian design set with a glass plaque that is most likely Czech. It is in gilt metal with a newer chain. It is marked Depose with a French makers mark on the reverse.
2 figural brooches
Price: £10
This is a lot of 2 brooches that have figural motifs - one is a putti and the other is a warrior. The warrior is marked A Miracle Creation which is a Scottish company that made costume jewellery.
Chinese carving of a Beggar, possibly Shoushan stone, Soapstone stand, C20th
Price: £55
This is a stone carving of a figure resembling a beggar, the elderly man semi clad and holding something (an offering box?) in his left hand while with his right he strokes his head. The carver has incorporated features of the original rock into his work and the black veining is used to accentuate and embellish the profile of the figure, contrasting with the main body of white stone. This effect resembles closely pieces carved in ‘shoushan’ stone which comes from the village of Shoushan in Fujian province, East China and that is most likely the material which was employed here. The separate base is formed from the more commonly found soapstone, with its brown tinges, and contrasts well. The style of carving suggests early twentieth century work and this was probably a piece destined for the export market.
Set of four Petit Point needlepoint stitch framed floral Wall Hangings, mid C20th
Price: £45
This is a set of four needlepoint designs comprising colourful floral spays (peony and chrysanthemum) stitched onto canvas. The fine stitching 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 seen here on some of the petals and leaves. The petit point technique dates back to the seventeenth century and was particularly popular in France amongst the aristocracy in the early eighteenth century but its use has continued to the present day. This set is most likely English work, doubtless that of an accomplished amateur, and has to be dated by the frames on the assumption that they are contemporary. The use of hardboard at the back, so popular in England in the 1950s, suggests, then, a mid century dating but this set would happily grace a contemporary interior.
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.
Glass Aquarium Paperweight, probably Murano second half C20th
Price: £45
A glass boulder of rounded rectangular form with a flat base, the clear glass enclosing ten multicoloured fish, five on each face, swimming around a mottled central boulder with scattered bubbles. While other manufacturers have produced similar designs the best and best known were made at the glassworks at Murano, Venice, and the quality of the craftsmanship here with its imaginative and densely filled design employing a wide variety of colourings and colour effects within a skilfully blown form point to one of these as its maker. Dating most likely to the 1960s or 1970s the charm and humour of the design is obvious contributing to a most attractive desk ornament.
A pair of Art Deco style Onyx Bookends, C20th
Price: £35
A pair of Art Deco style bookends made from onyx and formed in two sections with a stylised figure of a horse's head set on a rectangular base with a rounded end. Onyx is named from the Greek 'ónux', meaning “nail,” or “claw,” and is a variety of the mineral chalcedony, a kind of quartz. Onyx with flesh-colored and white bands can sometimes resemble a fingernail and a similar effect is seen here. Its use is known since ancient Egyptian times and it has also been commonly employed during the twentieth century. The origin and dating of these bookends is uncertain. Similar examples with a stylised horse's head are ascribed to Mexico in the 1940s but there can be no sure proof that this is the case here. The design is striking with clear reflections of the Art Deco period and the veining of the stone here enhances the decorative effect.
Chinese Cinnabar Lacquer Egg, C20th
Price: £55
A Chinese cinnabar lacquer egg, deeply carved with peony and prunus flowers within stylised scrolling foliage, the top and bottom with geometric form ‘shou’ medallions. The technique of lacquer carving (lacquer being the sap of a species of tree native to southern China, but also found elsewhere, which dries to a plastic which can be coloured and carved) was practised by the Chinese from the 12th Century onwards and has continued even into modern times. This egg is an example of their rather later creations but reflects techniques developed over many hundreds of years. There is symbolism here, prunus representing winter and peony spring with the ‘shou’ medallions standing for long life, so perhaps a good luck charm was intended. Dating is probably to the later twentieth century, perhaps the 1970s and if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, copies of the model, rather inferior in quality, were produced by the well known firm, Franklin Mint.
Four Papier-mâché Trinket Boxes, Kashmir, mid C20th
Price: £35
Four papier-mâché boxes, one circular and three of rounded rectangular form, all decorated in typical colourful floral designs, the circular example resembling quite closely the Chinese ‘mille-fleur’ pattern, the bases and the interior in black lacquer. The well known papier-mâché technique, in which items are formed from pulped paper dried to form a hard surface, is nearly ubiquitous, but Kashmir in India was a famed centre for the technique usually held to have commenced in production there in the 15th century when King Zain-ul-Abidin invited papier-mâché artists from Central Asia to practice their craft in his kingdom. These examples are much later, of course, and were probably made some time in the twentieth century, perhaps towards the middle, when the Kashmiri craftsmen were exporting their wares expansively. Their decorative appeal is obvious but, as storage items for trinkets they can perform a practical function as well.
Ironwood (palo fierro) carving of a seal, Mexico, second half C20th
Price: £55
The ebony like wood used here is distinctive and comes from the Olneya tesota tree, which grows in the Sonora Desert in northwest Mexico and the southwest United States. For many years used as firewood or for the production of charcoal and only carved to form tools or small toys, it began to be used for the production of small sculptures and figurines to be sold to tourists from the mid C20th onwards but these became so popular that by the end of the C20th restrictions were imposed on the supply and use of the wood causing its price to rise and the output of carvings to reduce making the existing pieces more valuable.
Carving was originally done by the Seri people, a nomadic tribe of no more than 500 who live in Mexico and then by town and city dwellers from Sonora and Baja California, who embarked on the trade after the figures became commercially popular. Seri carvings were essentially hand made whereas the mass produced pieces were created with the use of power tools.
The forms are derived from wildlife and are often abstract in style. While it may owe some elements to the use of machine tools, this carving is a fine example of the ‘ironwood’ style with its sleek lines imaginatively representing its subject. The modelling is expressive and well complemented by the patina and finish of the wood. From the above, dating is clearly to the second half of the twentieth century and perhaps more to its later years if this is an example of the ‘commercial’ pieces produced at that time.
Cranston Ware Art Nouveau Style Vase, early C20th
Price: £95
A ceramic vase of bottle form, the broad compressed globular body with a tubular neck terminating in a ‘garlic’ rim, glazed overall in a mottled effect employing tones of mustard, blue and green with two stylised motifs of leaves and grapes on the neck, the interior also with a mottled glaze and the base glazed white with a stamped mark ‘CRANSTON’ ‘POTTERY’ in an oval frame with two globes in the centre displaying a banner ‘P P CO LTD’ and a script mark ‘52/4’.
Cranston Ware was one of the ranges produced by the Pearl Pottery Company, based in Hanley, Stoke on Trent. Founded in 1892, the firm produced a varied selection of ceramic wares, often following contemporary fashions, until its closure in 1947. This vase is demonstrably in the Art Nouveau style and would have been produced when it was at its zenith in the early 1900s. The pattern was known as ‘Tukan’ ware and some of the pieces, but not all, have an impressed mark displaying this. This is an excellent example of the type with the glazes and decorative detail well rendered and certainly deserves the attention of collectors of Art Nouveau.
Mounted aquatint engraving of a Courting Couple, signed, probably French C20th
Price: £45
The aquatint process is similar to that of engraving but it is powdered resin rather than a needle which is used to create the desired print effect and it is areas of colour which are produced here rather than an outline design. Often, though, the two techniques are combined, as in this print. Within an oval frame are depicted in pastel tones of blue, yellow and green a courting couple in eighteenth century dress. Boucher springs to mind but perhaps we are closer to Fragonard since the scene depicted is not wholly innocent. The lady’s right breast is clearly exposed and her right hand rather artfully placed. Perhaps this explains the slightly surprised expression on the young man’s face. The general style indicates much more modern work of course, perhaps to the mid C20th, but the artist, who signs his name as ‘Ceilli’, could well have been of the same nationality as his more famous predecessors. Certainly, he has produced a work of impish charm.
Iridescent art glass Vase with loop handles, possibly continental 1950s
Price: £45
A fine quality art glass vase, the broad pear shape body flaring to the neck which turns over to form two large loop form handles, the cream iridescent glaze skillfully combined with an iridescent green highlighting the inside of the neck and the handles. The quality of manufacture here is self evident but a provenance hard to determine. The flowing lines employed can reflect pieces form Czechoslovakia or Italy and the general finish some of the productions of the Orrefors factory in Sweden. Dating is equally problematic but the mid twentieth century seems a reasonable attribution.
Victorian style copper bracelet with buckle detail 1950s
Price: £20
This is a lovely collectible piece of Victorian style copper jewellery. This would have had a gold wash on it originally. It has a bold buckle detail and a hammered sunflower design. It is marked "Exquisite".
Pair of Wade green glazed Mermaid salts, 1950s
Price: £55
A pair of ceramic salts in the form of a slender organic urn, green glazed with moulded handles in the form of mermaids and moulded decoration of sea urchins, aquatic reeds and seaweed, the base unglazed and with a raised mark ‘Wade’ ‘England’.
Wade Ceramics Ltd was a manufacturer of porcelain and earthenware, headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Founded in 1867, it was run by various members of the Wade family until the death of George Anthony Wade in 1987 after which there was a succession of management buyouts. Despite substantial investment in 2009, the firm eventually went into administration in 2022. Wade produced a wide variety of ceramics, including the well known Wade Whimsies animal figurines.
This pair of salts is rather different to many of their productions and have a distinctly ‘Art Nouveau’ feel but, in fact, date to the 1950s when this particular format of the factory mark was used. It seems to be one of the rarer forms and pairs are even rarer still, so definitely one for Wade collectors!
Antique English Staffordshire pitcher, William Brownfield and Sons, circa 1860.
Price: £55
A cream glaze pitcher, the pear shape body rising to a modelled spout with a short foot below and with an applied rope twist handle, decorated all over with a relief modelled design of fern leaves and wheat sheaves, the spout fitted with a weighted pewter lid, a moulded mark to the base which includes the manufacturer 'W' 'B' 'Brownfield' and the pattern 'Fern'.
William Brownfield and Sons occupied a factory in Waterloo Road, Cobridge from the mid nineteenth century onwards. Cobridge is an area of Stoke-on-Trent, in the county of
Staffordshire, England, the heart of the English Pottery industry. From 1850 to 1871, the firm produced only earthenwares, the best-known products being perhaps the moulded jugs
which often bear the initial mark 'WB'. This pitcher is a prime example of the type with its highly attractive and detailed relief moulded decoration in the 'Fern' pattern, as marked underneath. The elaborate moulded mark allows accurate dating. In the outer circle is the manufacturer and the pattern, '24' being perhaps the pattern number. The diamond shape inside is an example of the English Pattern Registration diamond system which was used from 1842 to 1883. 'IV' at the top indicates the type of item registered (pottery). The date of registration of the pattern is shown by (i) The letter at the top ('G') indicating the year, (ii) the number at the centre right ('14') indicating the day and (iii) the letter at the centre left ('B') indicating the month. Putting these together we have 14 October 1863. This is the date after which the pattern was used. This fits with the mark on the pewter lid which was made by the well known firm 'Spurrier' and registered in May 1868. We have, then, a classic example of the design which can be securely dated to the mid nineteenth century. Truly a collector's item.
Tall glass vase with orange, grey and black swirls, probably by Carlo Moretti, Italian 1970s
Price: £180
This is a striking glass vase of slender proportions, the ovoid body above a flaring stepped foot, the short ridged neck flaring outwards to the top rim, decorated with a continuous design of black, grey and orange trailing swirls on a white ground. While similar to pieces produced by ‘Vetreria Barbieri’ at Empoli, vases of this type are usually attributed to the Murano based designer Carlo Moretti. Born in Murano in 1934, he founded in 1958 with his brother Giovanni a glassworks named after him which enjoyed great success and was eventually sold by Giovanni in 2013, five years after Carlo’s death, to an Italian fashion company who continue production under the name. Vases in this style were made in the 1970s and this is an exceptionally fine and large example, well deserving a place in a collection of contemporary Italian glass.
Art Nouveau style dragonfly brooch with articulated wings, c1950
Price: £145
This is a very large brooch in a dragonfly design. It is very finely set with marcasites and amethysts with garnets for the eyes. The body and wings feature very fine milgrain work and the wings are articulated allowing them to move. It is marked to the reverse '925'.
Chinese Yellow Ground Famille Rose Charger, 1950s/early 1960s
Price: £55
A Chinese circular charger, stoutly potted and with a faintly everted rim, richly enamelled in the ‘famille rose’ palette with lotus, bats, shou symbols and a central chrysanthemum head surrounded by small peony blooms, all on a yellow ground with white enamel stylised scrolling foliage, the reverse glazed white with a glazed footrim surrounding an unglazed circular band, the centre with a seven character stamped mark in iron red ‘Jiangxi’ ‘Jingdezhen’ ‘Ming 5 Ci’, ‘made at Jingdezhen [in the] Jiangxi [province], place rank 5’.
This is a fine example of the porcelains made at Jingdezhen, for centuries the chief centre of ceramic production in China, in the early years of the People’s Republic of China (1949-). Soon after the communists took control, the kilns at Jingdezhen were organised into co-operatives, each with a number. Many of their pieces were marked and the form of the mark determines the date of production. The circular marks, as here, were the earliest allowing a dating of this charger to the 1950s or possibly the early 1960s. Some of these conglomerates, for the quality can vary, retained the skills of their predecessors and produced works of high quality. This is clearly seen here in the careful and precise enamelling and the general artistry of the design employing ‘imperial’ yellow with the symbolism of happiness (bats), longevity (shou symbols), friendship and a life of ease (chrysanthemum) and fruitfulness and offspring (lotus), all combining to produce a piece well worthy of its many predecessors.
Please note that the wood stand is for display purposes only and is not incuded with this lot.
Novelty ceramic Wall Vase in the form of a Gretsch Guitar, English, 1950s
Price: £25
This is a fun ceramic wall vase in the shape of a guitar with an opening at the top for flowers or perhaps pens or stationery items and a string cord, which may well be original, for suspension. The shape is taken from one of the designs produced by the famous American guitar manufacturers Gretsch who began the manufacture of electric guitars in the 1950s, eventually reaching tremendous popularity in the 1960s after the Beatle, George Harrison, used one of their models during the band’s first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. This piece predates that and was most likely made in the 1950s. There is no mark for the manufacturer beyond ‘Made in England’ but it is possible that this is an example of Brentleigh ware, a firm which produced ceramic novelty pieces such as the pair of shoes to be seen elsewhere in this sale.
Framed Chinese painting on silk, two Silk Dyers, C19th/C20th
Price: £15
This is a Chinese genre painting on silk of two men seemingly engaged in dying skeins of silk in a rocky landscape scene. To the right stands a man holding two loops of fabric thread, most likely silk and to his left, a boy stands in front of a vat filled with liquid, clearly twisting the threads into cord, perhaps having dipped them into liquid dye using the tool he is holding in his left hand. The strip of wood across the top of the vat may have been used to help removed excess fluid from the dyed thread. The significance of the rather desolate landscape setting is unclear. The two workers seem to have been banished by their companions! Silk dyeing was an old tradition in China which is still kept up today (see image 7). While there are many painted scenes of rural and craft activities, this particular manufacturing process does not seem to be illustrated elsewhere. The style of the brushwork suggests a dating to around 1900 and there is a stamped artist's seal mark in red at the bottom left but the frame and mount are clearly later, perhaps mid C20th. An unusual composition, then, for collectors of Chinese art.
Japanese Arita Square Sake Flask and Cover decorated flowers, C20th
Price: £25
This is a rather striking example of a Japanese sake flask of less conventional form. The slender square form rectangular body (compare lot XX) is topped with a slender slightly concave neck of gently conical form, the top capped by a stopper like cover. On one of the corners is an elaborate loop form handle and on the other a short spout. The base is flat and unglazed. The decoration is rather hybrid. The iron red and gold scrolling pattern at the top recalls kutani pieces, but the main body, with its heavily enamelled chrysanthemum heads employing a wide variety of colours, looks almost towards satsuma wares. The combination is quite arresting if not eyecatching and raises the question of whether there was once a set of cups with a matching design… The slightly ‘brassy’ look to the gilding indicates an early C20th dating but probably no later than around 1920. Best regarded, perhaps, as a functional piece of whimsy!
Egyptian Revival Perfume Bottle and Cover, probably Czech second half C20th
Price: £55
A perfume bottle with a screw top cover, the flattened oval glass body encased in gilt filigree work, the front with a portrait head of Tutankhamun between two falcons representing the Goddess Ra and the reverse with an oval opening revealing the interior of the bottle and the glass wand attached to the cover which is in gilt metal with a screw fitting matching the top of the bottle. The style here is obviously that of the ‘Egyptian Revival’ which became ever more fashionable after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by the Earl of Carnarvon and Harold Carter in 1922. Glass bottles encased in gilt filigree work are a hallmark of the Czech glassworks and while most incorporate European elements into the decoration there are other examples which are Egyptian Revival in style and so this is most likely what we have here. Dating is probably to the 1970s.
Mexican silver dolphin bangle bracelet c1990
Price: £65
This bracelet has a fun depiction of a dolphin in the ocean with the sun and waves. It is marked Mexico 925.
Gilt decorated English porcelain powder box and cover, probably mid C20th
Price: £15
This is a large English porcelain powder box and cover, the circular body with a shallow domed cover, the surface glazed white with elaborate gilt decoration of embossed stylised floral bands with stylised floral gilt borders above and below. The base is unmarked but the paste of the foot suggests English manufacture and the rich gilt decoration reflects that of dinner services produced by some of the well known twentieth century porcelain producers, Minton in particular.
Arts and Crafts brooch with carnelian and aventurine c1910
Price: £95
This is a very striking brooch that has a very recognisable Arts and Crafts design. It looks like a precursor to the designs of Rennie Mackintosh and is possibly even from his workshop. It is set with carnelian and aventurine stones and unmarked but is most likely from Scotland.
Egyptian revival Tutankhamun head silver Cuff Bracelet, 1940s
Price: £75
The iconography here needs little introduction. This elegant silver cuff bracelet displays recurring portrait heads of Tutankhamun between two plain bands at each edge. The piece carries Egyptian silver hall marks which give some indication of its date. The central character, indicating silver, is a lotus flower apparently used from the 1940s. To the left of it can be seen a loop and two dots which is the date mark for 1942 to 1943 and to the right is a mark indicating the purity of the silver, possibly reading 800 thousandths. (see https://www.silvercollection.it /EGYPTSILVER HALLMARKS). This classic piece of Egyptian revival work from the 1940s is timeless and an elegant accessory for the 2020s!
Cup : Marriage and Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary, 1911
Price: £10
A china cup with flaring sides and a simple loop handle, transfer decorated with portraits of King George V and Queen Mary in beaded frames with flowers, the union jack and royal standard flags, the royal coat of arms and inscribed scrolls commemorating the royal marriage in 1893 and coronation in 1911, the reverse marked ‘In Commemoration’ below the royal crown. The base has an indistinct mark which appears more clearly on other pieces and can be read as ‘England’ ‘The Paragon China’ below a crown and a cipher with interlinked letters which read ‘S C Co’ for ‘The Star China Company’, China manufacturers at the Atlas Works, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, England from 1899 to 1919 who introduced the trade name ‘Paragon China’ in 1903.
Production of this piece was presumably contemporary with the coronation in 1911 and many similar pieces were made by other factories at the time, more often in a straight sided mug shape. The form here suggests that there might have been an original saucer but none seem to have survived.
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.
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.
Impressive Chinese crystalline glaze bottle Vase, Jingdezhen mark, second half C20th
Price: £350
A large and imposing vase of bottle form the broad globular body with a short foot, below a concave neck flaring outwards to the rim, the glaze with crystalline effects in blue, light green and off white, the base glazed white with a four character mark in underglaze blue reading (from right to left and top to bottom) ‘Jing-de-zhen-made’.
The striking glaze effects seen here are usually attributed to the kilns at Shiwan, a district of the provincial town Foshan which is located near to Guangzhou, better known in the West as Canton, in the Guangdong province. But the place of manufacture is here clearly advertised by the mark on the base which attributes it to the well known potteries of Jingdezhen, for centuries one of China’s most prolific producers of porcelains for both the domestic and export markets. This particular glaze, though, seems to be a late twentieth century creation with no obvious precedents from the past. Just possibly it derived from an accident of the firing process which was then deliberately imitated. Certainly, the ‘look’ is modern and the interior of the neck reveals one of the hallmarks of the very late pieces made at Jingdezhen where the small but regular potting rings indicate manufacture by machine rather than the hand of a potter (see image 8). The sandy and slightly coarse paste of the foot is fully consistent with this.
By repute, similar vases were bought new in the 1980s so there is, at least, a degree of age here and the overall effects combine sophisticated techniques with inventive decoration to produce a piece of considerable and striking appeal.
(As sometimes happened with the manufacture of larger ceramic items, this vase emerged from the kiln with a slight ‘lean’ when viewed from certain angles, probably due to irregular shrinkage of the clay body during the firing process. Images (11) and (12) are intended to highlight the ‘fault’ but the final image (13) shows how this can easily be corrected with the addition of a wood stand built up inside to provide corrective support.)
Jigsaw Puzzle of Guy’s Hospital London, with box, 1930s
Price: £10
A novelty jigsaw puzzle with a picture of Guy’s Hospital London, comprising thirty large interlocking pieces which make up the design, complete with the original box which has the picture on the front of the lid to act as a design guide. The motor vehicles seen here and the dress of the bystanders indicate a pre war dating probably to the 1930s. The subject matter, hardly an obvious choice for a commercial item for general sale, points to this item being used as a rehabilitation tool for a patient recovering in hospital or most likely Guy’s Hospital itself. Perhaps her name was indeed Myrtle! Similar puzzles were made by the firm ‘W.G.Evans and Sons’ and advertised as ‘specially recommended for invalids’.
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.
Art Glass Vase probably designed by Joanna Jellinek for IKEA, Swedish early C21st
Price: £35
An art glass vase of ovoid form, the encased white glass body with a ‘sommerso’ base, blue streaks dripping from the top and scattered irregularly shaped ovoid black ‘pebbles’. Similar designs can be found on pieces from Orrefors, Sweden, Tarnowiec, Poland and Italla, Finland, as well as from some of the Italian glasswork studios. But the closest parallel is with vases designed for Ikea around twenty five years ago by Joanna Jellinek who joined the firm in 2002. These striking designs are collectors’ items now and this is a particularly attractive example.
Butler and Wilson Skull Necklace, boxed, modern
Price: £95
There is certainly a hint of the macabre in this ‘halloween’ necklace made by the well known British firm, Butler and Wilson. Founded by Nicky Butler and Simon Wilson in 1969 and initially trading from the once famous Antiquarius antiques market in Chelsea, the company is best-known for its crystal costume jewellery and their pieces have been worn by celebrities and even members of the Royal Family. The firm still trades today and their current range does include a number of skull design pieces but this necklace is around 15 years old. Silver metal and crystals are used to create five skull heads, the largest acting as a pendant with five skull drops. These are linked by a chain which terminates in a spring closure which has a circular medallion embossed with the firm’s name. The necklace comes with its original box which remains in excellent condition. Not perhaps to everyone’s taste but certainly a statement accessory!
A pair of stamp collage Postcards, Alsace and Nice, framed, early C20th
Price: £45
These are a fine example of collage pictures where the image is made up or mainly made up from fragments of stamps. The technique was used in various parts of the world including America and China but we obviously have French work here. The artist, whose signature appears on both pieces, has chosen to represent two ladies dressed in local costume, that of Alsace and Nice. The first is seen holding flowers which fits with a rural location and the second standing on a rock looking out to sea which suits a maritime one. The heads and hands are painted and the costumes made from stamp fragments. Eagle eyed philatelists might be able to date these pieces form the stamps used but the amateur has to rely on the style and ‘feel’ of the representations and we are probably looking at the 1920s or 1930s. The frames and mounts, though, are likely to be slightly later. The appeal is obvious and while there may be other parts of France represented in the same way, this pair of pictures are most likely ‘one off’ and would be an individual addition to the decoration of an interior.
Chinese Famille Rose Snuff Bottle and Stopper, early C20th
Price: £45
A Chinese porcelain snuff bottle and stopper, the cylindrical body with a stepped shoulder, a short concave neck and a modelled rim, decorated in Famille Rose enamels with a bird sitting on a branch of flowering peony, a two character signature to the reverse, the glazed base with an artemisia leaf in iron red, the cap form stopper with an unglazed wand. While the decoration recalls eighteenth century export wares the paste of the foot and the style of painting indicates a rather later dating here, probably to the beginning of the twentieth century. But the design is attractive and deserves its artist’s signature, which cannot be identified, and the piece has survived in excellent condition.
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.
Chinese Plate No 3 from the series Beauties of the Red Mansion, Jingdezhen, 1985
Price: £35
This is the third plate from the series ‘Beauties of the Red Mansion’ comprising twelve plates in all, produced by ‘Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain’ and titled ‘Beauties of the Red Mansion’. The plates were designed by the master artisan Zhao Huimin and depict characters from the famous Chinese romance novel ‘The Dream of the Red Chamber’ or ‘The Story of the Stone’ written by Cao Xueqin during the Qing Dynasty. Each plate depicts one of the court lady characters which appear in the work (Pao-chai, Yuan-chun, Hsi-feng, Hsi-chun, Mao-yu, Ying-chun, Tai-yu, Li-wan, Ko-ching, Hsiang-yun, Tan-chun, Chiao-chieh), all renowned not only for their physical beauty but also for their complex personalities and roles in the narrative of the novel. The twelfth plate depicts Chiao-chieh, the daughter of Hsi-Feng who was eventually forced to abandon the luxury and wealth of court life as a result of the unscrupulous actions of her Mother. The plate has an elaborate inscription on the back along with the factory name and the date of production, 1985. While the work is detailed it is not hand done but seems to have been produced by some form of printing process. The ‘micro dot’ detail of this can be seen in some of the images. The plate comes with its original box and descriptive leaflet which gives extensive background detail and a translation of the inscription on the reverse. These are not always found, making this an interesting collector’s item.
Chinese Shoushan Soapstone Seal with the characters A.H., C20th
Price: £45
A Chinese soapstone Seal of slender square form, the top with a relief carved figure of a sage dressed in flowing robes and holding two scrolls in his left hand, set in a niche with a curved top, the base with two raised carved letters ‘A.H.’ The stone used here with its burnt orange, finely mottled surface is an example of ‘Shoushan’ soapstone which was very commonly used in the production of seals. It was mined in the Fujian province at or near the village of Shoushan in the North, from which it takes its name. Seals made from Shoushan stone in this burnt orange colouring, often found as pairs, were made from the nineteenth century onwards. The rather sketchy carving of the figure here suggests the mid to late twentieth century work, though, and, with its two European letters below, this was clearly a special commission. But the form and the quality of the material used are pleasing making this a useful addition to a collection of Chinese desk ornaments.
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.
Murano bullicante glass swan dish, second half C20th
Price: £25
A glass dish in the form of a stylised swan, the heart shape body hollowed out in the centre, the two ‘wings’ with a small lip opening at the rear, the front with a clear glass curved neck and head, a black streak to the interior and the crest and beak modelled, the almost circular base flat, the deep purple glass with trapped bubbles in the ‘bullicante’ effect. ‘Bullicante’ is the Italian word for ‘boiling’ and the process for creating small bubbles encased in the glass surface so named was developed and perfected at Murano during the 1930’s by Archimede Seguso. But its use continued and this swan dish, which bears all the hallmarks of Murano work, probably dates to the 1960s or 1970s. Most likely intended as a trinket dish or possibly an ash tray, it can also be enjoyed as miniature sculpture in itself.
Porcelain Figure of a seated Panda, Lomonosov, USSR late C20th
Price: £25
This is an amusing figure of a seated Panda looking enquiringly outwards and with its paws clasped together, the fur depicted in black with flecking and the face with expressive eyes and mustard colouring to the snout, signed to the base with a red stamped cipher device and the rather indistinct lettering ‘MADE IN USSR’. The cipher device in iron red 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, dogs and, as here, pandas. This figure comes from the 'Porcelain Zoo' series created by the sculptor Pavel Veselov and the artist Victor Zhbanov and apparently comprising around a hundred different figurines. 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’. The words ‘MADE IN USSR’ may imply that the piece was intended for export. It would be hard not to imagine someone somewhere giving this animal a new home!
Pair of Ceramic Goblets : the Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981
Price: £20
A pair of ceramic goblets blue glazed with a bulbous body above a spreading foot, the front with silhouette portraits of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer within a circle of wording commemorating their marriage below the Prince of Wales feathers, the reverse plain and the interior gilt. Inside the foot is the mark for Prinknash Pottery in gold. The Prinknash Abbey Pottery was started in 1942 by the Benedictine monks there when they found a seam of clay during some building work. Situated in the abbey Granham in Gloucestershire their pottery continued production until 1997 when it was sold to the Welsh Porcelain Co. Their blue glaze commemorative wares stand apart somewhat with something of a ‘regal’ feel.
Pair of Arts and Crafts Pewter Salts, early C20th
Price: £45
A pair of small salts, pewter and of circular form with brass bands to the top and bottom and inset glass beads in green, red and blue. The rather austere and slightly mediaeval appearance of these salts indicates the influence of the ‘Arts and Crafts’ movement which flourished in Britain from the late nineteenth century to the 1920s. Ornament "must be secondary to the thing decorated", declared the designer Owen Jones, and said there must be “fitness in the ornament to the thing ornamented". Certainly, there are few traces of florid decoration here as is the case with the salt and pepper set elsewhere in this sale. These pieces may date slightly later and there are silver serviette rings in the same format which are hallmarked for 1933 which may explain why they also have a slightly Art Deco feel in their simplicity of design.
Chinese cloisonné Vase decorated birds, C20th
Price: £25
A Chinese cloisonné vase of baluster form, the ovoid body above a spreading foot and below a stepped concave neck, the top and bottom finished with gilt metal bands and the base in blue enamel, the decoration in the cloisonné technique of polychrome glass derived enamels set in wire outlines (the so called ‘cloisons’ from the French word), with birds in a stylised garden scene with lotus on a black ground with a wire inlay design representing clouds, between elaborate borders at the top and bottom including ‘ju’i’ lappets and stylised lotus leaves. The cloisonné technique was developed in China in the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and then used throughout, right up until the C20th; indeed pieces are still produced today. The later examples can have their own charm and often the quality of the work is excellent, as here, with an imaginative use of colours and shading effects to the enamels. Dating is most likely to the early twentieth century and this vase clearly shows that a high standard of workmanship was still maintained at this time.
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.
Royal Doulton figure of a lady, Images Collection – Carefree, 1980s
Price: £35
A finely modelled Art Deco style white glazed figure of a lady, her right arm raised almost in the act of catching her hat, with her wind swept robe flowing behind her. This piece comes from the ‘Images’ collection produced by Royal Doulton in the 1980s and comprising a set of figures in a contemplative style sometimes deriving from the more abstract works of Henry Moore or Barabara Hepworth. The design here, entitled ‘Carefree’, is more realistic though and the model number ‘HN 3206’ indicates that it was created by one of Doulton’s talented designers at the time, Robert Jefferson. It survives in excellent condition allowing the elegance of its composition to be appreciated today.
Majolica Style Jardiniere, French, circa 1900
Price: £55
A ceramic jardiniere of elongated rococo style form with upraised handles and a spreading foot, one side of the wavy edge rim with pierced lattice work, decorated all over in brightly coloured glazes on a mustard ground with slight craquelure, the front with a multicoloured panel of flowers and the back with a moulded panel of a floral spray, the foot with a moulded mark ‘D 9’.
This is a French interpretation of the ‘Majolica’ style which became so popular, particularly in England in the second half of the nineteenth century. A very distant relation of the tin glazed Italian and Spanish wares which share the name, nineteenth century majolica employed a wide variety of brightly coloured glazes applied to elaborate forms some of which had a slightly ‘classical’ feel and some a reflection of ‘rococo’ designs. The paste and glazes here suggest France, which produced various pieces in the ‘majolica’ style and dating is probably to the end of the nineteenth century.
Angel skin coral twisted five strand necklace, c1970
Price: £125
This is quite an unusual necklace comprising five strands of small coral beads that are twisted together. It has a matching clasp that is set with a coral stone. The beads are angel skin coral which comes from mainly Japan and Taiwan. The clasp is gold tone. The beads are most likely colour enhanced due to the uniformity. This is very common but it does effect the value somewhat.
Chinese Small Blue and White Potiche and Cover with wood stand, late C20th
Price: £45
A small Chinese porcelain potiche and cover, the straight sides curving out slightly to the top and the overhanging lid slightly domed with a wide knob finial, decorated in underglaze blue and white with a continuous scene of birds and flowers and rocks, the flowers repeated on the lid as floral sprays. The design here is unusual for Chinese ceramics and rather ‘modern’ in appearance which fits with a probable dating to the late twentieth century. While the porcelain is of good quality the paste of the foot suggests fairly recent manufacture (see image 9) and the painting appears to depend partly on stencilled outlines (see especially the bird in the first image). But the wood stand suggests at least some age and the ensemble can be enjoyed its own right as a modest decorative item with the potential for practical use.
Pair of Lovatt and Lovatt Earthenware Vases, early C20th
Price: £95
A pair of earthenware vases of broad conical ovoid form, with narrow concave necks and a slightly flaring rim, the bodies decorated with stylised floral arabesques on a cream ‘threaded’ ground, the necks and interior rim in blue and the bases unglazed with impressed marks ‘Lovatt’, ‘Langley Mill’, ‘England’, ‘13’ and impressed numbers ‘2061’ with ‘LEADLESS GLAZE’ slightly below.
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.
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.
Myott Son & Co Art Deco style Jug, 1930s
Price: £75
A ceramic jug of bold angular form, the body an inverted cone with a wide stepped spreading foot, the spout and handle in simple geometric designs, vividly decorated with a mottled blue glaze to the surface of the body, the top rim and spout with a modelled repeating triangular pattern in light blue, the colour also used on the stepped base, a band of orange to the top interior and orange and blue detail to the spout and handle, the base countersunk and glazed in a light mustard colour, which is repeated on the interior, and with stamped grey/black marks ‘Myott Son & Co’ ‘Made in England’ below a crown ‘Hand Painted’ ‘8498’ and [repeated] ‘Made in England’ in brown. This form of marking was used in the late 1930s.
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.
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
Art Deco Islamic silver bracelet with inset stones
Price: £195
This is a very striking bracelet that features a central plaque with inset turquoise, amethyst and carnelian stones. The setting has fine repousse stars and teardrop design with filigree work. The band is very wide and is comprised of a very fine woven silver. The clasp mirrors the plaque motif and has a bolt fitment.
Fun 1970s button bangle
Price: £25
This is a super bangle comprising buttons encased in lucite. it has a rather homemade quality so it might have been made from a kit. This just adds to the vintage look and makes it even more fun! :)
Sommerso blue glass bottle vase, Flavio Poli for Seguso Vetri D’Arte, 1950s
Price: £150
A blue glass bottle vase, the body of slender ovoid form below a narrow slightly tapering neck, the base flat, the blue glass resting above layers of purple and clear glass employing the ‘sommerso’ technique. ‘Sommerso’ pieces (Italian ‘submerged’) are formed by dipping coloured glass into molten glass of a different colour, before blowing the glass into the required form, creating two or more contrasting layers without the colours mixing together. The technique was developed by Flavio Poli (1900-1984) a designer for Seguso Vetri D’Arte, Murano, who joined the firm as artistic director in 1934. Poli began to experiment with ‘sommerso’ pieces in the 1950s and some of his designs can be found in contemporary catalogues and journals which allows a reasonably secure dating. This vase belongs to his ‘blue rubino’ range and is a particularly successful model, the simple form well highlighting the different layers of glass.
Reproduction Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Teapot, Modern
Price: £35
The sixty years of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1897 were marked by various commemorative wares produced at the time but this celebration of her Diamond Jubilee, which it does not actually mention by name, is rather later, indeed it is most likely of near contemporary manufacture. Like the ‘Limoges’ box elsewhere in this auction, it was most probably produced in China and there is another example which can be found which has an iron red stamped circular mark underneath indicating exactly that provenance. As with the box, some form of laser printing seems to have been used here as can be seen in the detail of the Queen’s head (image 6). The wording used is found nowhere else so the Chinese producer was certainly not aiming for an accurate copy intended to deceive!
Two watch fobs 1912 and 1923
Price: £35
This is a group of two gentleman's watch fobs. One says "Senior Rounder 1912" and the other "WLOC 1923". These would have been very meaningful to the person who had it on their watch chain. Unfortunately these details have been lost over time. Rounder was a game that resembled baseball so persumably that person played Rounder. These are very fine silver and are a piec ef ephemera that can be worn as a pendant.
Renaissance Revival Letter Opener and Stand, English, c1900
Price: £25
This is a desk set item comprising a rectangular brass stand on four short feet with a pair of double scalloped supports on one of which can be set a brass letter opener. Both pieces are heavily cast with stylised scrolling leaf work and mask heads, a style of the decoration which loosely recalls pieces from the classical period and reflects one of the design fashions of the late nineteenth century which looked back to and developed variants on renaissance art. The ‘renaissance revival’ style could be found in many areas of the arts including architecture and interior decoration. Accessories were also produced to match, of which this and the desk set also included in this sale are prime examples. Although the letter opener is stamped with a registered number (‘Rd No 22695’) the manufacturer cannot be determined, but was almost certainly English with a production date of around 1900. The form of the supports implies that two items were displayed on the stand, the second probably being a book knife for slitting pages edges as was commonly required over one hundred years ago. If so, its loss is regrettable but not fatal. Modern books thankfully require less exertion from their readers!
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.
Chinese Blue and White Vase decorated with flowering Prunus circa 1900
Price: £55
A Chinese porcelain vase of baluster form with an ovoid body flaring at the base and a short cylindrical neck, decorated with two branches of flowering prunus or plum blossom on a blue wash ground, the base glazed white with two concentric circles to the centre.
Flowering prunus or plum blossom is one of the most iconic of the decorative designs used by Chinese potters and first appears in the Kangxi period (1662-1722). Kangxi ginger jars in the pattern were highly prized by Victorian collectors with one example, the legendary ‘Huth’ jar, fetching 5900 guineas, a little over £6000, at auction in 1905, a price equivalent to over a quarter pf a million pounds today. The tree symbolises perseverance and renewal and was usually shown against a pattern of ‘cracked ice, representing the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring. Branches of plum blossom convey the ‘Five Blessings’ : longevity, wealth, health, love of virtue and a peaceful death. The number five was an auspicious number for the Chinese and is reflected in the five petal form of the prunus flower.
Once evolved, the design was continuously repeated by Chinese potters and is even produced today. Many of late nineteenth century pieces display a rather more slapdash interpretation of the pattern as here where the ‘cracked ice’ of the eighteenth century pieces is replaced by the repeated brush strokes of a blue wash ground and the painting of the tree itself is sketchy. The style of decoration and the paste of the foot indicate a circa date to around 1900, but this modest interpretation of centuries old pattern still possesses a charm of its own.
Chinese Qu Wine Decanter, Sam Seng Wine Co, late C20th
Price: £35
The Sam Seng Wine Company is based in Hong Kong. Founded by Hee Lin in 1974, it is known for producing a range of medicinal wines and rice wines, of which the ‘Qu Wine’, which originally formed the contents of this elaborate decanter or bottle, is the best known example. The Company seems to have adopted the practice of selling its wines in novelty ceramic containers which are now collectible items in themselves. This example is in the form of gourd on which sit three revellers each holding wine cups and seemingly rather the worse for wear. The complex and detailed modelling of the figures, which recalls that of earlier stoneware examples made at the Shiwan kilns from the Guangdong province, along with the extensive inscriptions are a surprising feature of an object which was essentially a ‘free gift’ but can certainly be enjoyed today. Fortunately the original trade label survives and the format of this suggests a late twentieth century dating.
Prince Albert Necklace with T bar pendant c1900
Price: £95
This is a very lovely necklace comprising two Prince Albert figaro link chains combined with a T bar which would have been used to connect a gentleman's pocket watch to his waist coat. It has a markers mark 'HPJ' with an omega symbol and '925'. This could either European or American. The mark indicates that it is not British.
Arts and Crafts style bar brooch with matrix turquoise stone c1910
Price: £125
This is a very interesting brooch with a matrix turquoise stone in a silver setting. It is in the distinctive Arts and Crafts style with enamel flowers and leaves and is marked 'STERLING' indicating American manufacture.
Korean Najeonchilgi lacquerware jewellery Box, C20th
Price: £25
This is an example of Korean lacquerware known as ‘Najeonchilgi’. The technique, derived from both China and Japan, involves the inlay of shellfish derived small pieces onto a lacquerware base. ‘Najeon’ means ‘mother of pearl’ and ‘chilgi’ lacquerware. These wares were produced quite early on in Korea’s history with a ‘golden era’ during the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) but continued to be made until quite recent times. This box, then, made in the late C20th, comes at the end of a long run of a traditional manufacturing process but retains some of the hallmarks of its predecessors. The shape is rectangular with a bowed front, the hinges and clasp fastening in polished metal and the interior lined in red fabric with a mirror fitted to the underside of the lid. The highly polished black lacquer surface is inlaid with mother of pearl decoration, flowers to the front and a moonlit scene of storks to the lid, symbolising long life. Highly decorative in itself, this box is also extremely practical as storage item for a small jewellery collection and would be an elegant addition to the dressing table.
Art Deco style beaker form Vase, probably Beswick, mid C20th
Price: £25
A beaker form vase with a slightly flaring rim and a spreading base, the body with modelled ribbing and panels, decorated in green, yellow and pink with trees, the leaves continuing to the top interior, the ridged base glazed dark beige and the foot cream with printed and impressed marks including ‘Beswi Ware’ (the ‘B’ is slightly worn) and ‘Made in England’. The manufacturer’s mark is identical to those commonly found on the well known Beswick wares from the 1930s and the form and decoration have resemblances as well but, for some reason (a manufacturing error?) the full name does not occur here and the final two letters ‘ck’ are missing. Despite that, there can be little doubt that this vase, probably intended for flowers, was from the Beswick range and certainly it is very much typical of pieces made generally during the 1930s and a modest reflection of the then popular Art Deco style.
French Orientalist etching aquatint - Paris La Rue Saint Rustique
Price: £35
This is a beautile small etching aquatint that is signed. One reverse is the printers label of "Georges Hautecoer & Co. Gravures Encadements 172 Rue de Rivoli Paris". It is a scene of a very famous street in the Monmarte district of Paris. The signature is illegible but it is lovely quality.
Large suede pouch bag with concertina opening c1930
Price: £65
This is a wonderfully large handbag comprising a brown suede pouch with a brass opening. It is unlined.
Continental Figure of a Cellist, Conta and Bohme, Germany late C19th
Price: £55
This is an amusing ceramic figure of a cellist, seated with his instrument between his legs and a bow in his right hand. He wears a floral decorated tailcoat with brown knee breeches and a purple cap on his head. Below is a rectangular base with gilt decoration to the front. The composition is carefully modelled and finely painted, especially the detail to the face. The underneath has impressed marks, a shield device and the numbers ‘5313’ and ‘154’. The shield device, a small arm holding a dagger (see image 10), was used by the makers Conta and Bohme best known for the manufacture of ‘fairings', which were exported in large quantities to Britain and the USA in the late nineteenth century which is most likely the date of production of this figure. Sometimes this composition is found with a companion figure of a violinist, bearing the same shield mark but different numbers and it is most likely one of an original pair. But it can clearly stand on its own a good example of the decorative porcelains produced in Germany before the first World War.
Lomonosov Teapot in the form of a Samovar, late C20th
Price: £75
This is another teapot from the Lomonosov factory but in the rather unusual design of an adapted samovar with a teapot on the top acting as the lid. The conventional samovar form used in Russia had an urn shaped base with a spigot for the release of hot water. A teapot surmounted it in which the tea was brewed. Here the base is in the form of a teapot not an urn and the lid merely acts as a decorative accompaniment. This novelty form seems to have been developed by the Lomonosov factory in the late twentieth century and can be purchased new today. Various examples can be found with widely different marks underneath but sharing the same shape and decoration (by repute known as ‘sunny day’ and attributed to the designer L. I. Grigoryeva). The mark underneath includes the Russian letter cipher for Lomonosov often found (ЛФЗ), that is ‘LFZ’ in English which is an abbreviation of the factory name ‘Lomonosovkiy Farforoviy Zavod’, but also the word ‘Russia’ which dates the piece post 1991 after the fall of the USSR. But if fairly late in the series of pieces produced by Lomonosov, there is no relaxation in the quality here and fine hard paste porcelain is combined with detailed and skilful decoration to produce a work of great appeal.
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 silk embroidery panel, early C20th, later framed
Price: £75
A very fine quality Chinese silk embroidered panel, the main design showing two birds sitting on branches of flowering lotus, the scene in two halves in close mirror image, within an inner gilt thread border of stylised clouds and an outer border of repeating butterflies. The precision and detail of the stitching display the very best work of the Chinese needlework craftsmen, most likely women, working in the early twentieth century. Embroidered panels were exported to the West, sometimes in their own Chinese made frames as screens or table screens and sometimes unmounted for framing on arrival. The frame here is modern, although highly sympathetic, but the fabric borders at the edge, a common feature of these pieces, look to be contemporary with the panel itself suggesting that an older frame was recently replaced. The combination is most successful, and the embroidery itself remains in excellent condition with no loss to the threads or staining to the silk backing, which is not always the case, making this a fine decorative addition for a contemporary interior.
Large Mdina Glass Paperweight/Doorstop, late C 20th
Price: £55
A very large glass paperweight or doorstop of rounded, slightly flattened globular form decorated in a swirling design of yellow, green and blue and signed to the base ‘Mdina’. Mdina Glass was founded in the Maltese town of Mdina in 1968 by Michael Harris and Eric Dobson. The town had no history of glass making but the venture proved to be a success. Its wares, free formed organic glassware, often in colours inspired from the sea, sand, earth and sky, proved very popular with tourists visiting Malta. Michael Harris left Mdina in 1972 and formed a new company, Isle of Wight Studio Glass, on the Isle of Wight, UK, leaving Eric Dobson in charge, but many of the designs he created continued to be made at Mdina Glass after his departure although new designs and patterns were added as well. Ownership of the company later changed but it is still producing a popular range of glasswares today. Traditionally this pattern has been referred to as ‘Sea and Sand’ but a recent study of Mdina by Mark Warner states that the correct name for this range is ‘Blue Summer’.
Blue Millefiore beads c1950
Price: £65
This a beautiful necklace comprising graduated beads that are the rare blue colour millefiore glass. These tended to be Venetian glass. They have the original barrel clasp and should probably be restrung.
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.
Very fine Indian silver repousse plaque Necklace, c1970
Price: £85
This is a necklace comprising a large pendant of elongated hexagonal shape with a traditional Indian repousse floral design. It has a double bale each with a rosette and is marked '925'. It is combined with a long snake chain which is later.
Betterwear celluloid Crinoline Lady Crumb Brush & Tray Set, mid C20th
Price: £20
Betterwear was a UK company founded in 1928 which initially produced brushes which were sold ‘door to door’ and enjoyed great popularity. In 1970 it was renamed ‘Betterware’ to reflect the wider range of domestic products which were now being marketed and in 1986 it became a public company and was one of the best-performing shares on the stockmarket in the early 1990s when its share price rose more than tenfold. But in 2018 it went into administration eventually to be relaunced in 2025.
This crumb tray and brush was a popular design in the 1950s. Made from celluloid, the brush is in the form of a Victorian lady wearing a crinoline, the bristles forming a skirt, with the tray, which is marked ‘Betterwear’ to the reverse, modelled to fit. Elegant and practical, these pieces are now more the province of collectors than home accessories.
Pair of red glass Pears, possibly Murano, late C20th
Price: £45
A pair of glass pears of typical form, the fruit in cherry red glass blending with black glass at the base and the stalks in clear glass. Various glassworks produced pear shape fruit during the mid to late years of the twentieth century, but the style of these suggests Italian work and perhaps manufacture at Murano, where a variety of fruit shapes were produced. Certainly, the finish of the base, with a flat circle to the centre, and the mixture of two types of glass to the body are typical features of Murano pieces. Highly decorative, this pair of fruit can be regarded either as ornaments or, more functionally, paperweights.
Studio Pottery Jug, Michael Kennedy, signed, late C20th
Price: £75
A studio pottery jug, the ribbed body of ovoid form with two bands of incised waves, the slender concave neck flaring out towards the top galleried rim with a modelled spout and opposite a loop handle in the form of a serpent, glazed overall with abstract designs in tones of blue, purple and gold, the flat base unglazed with an incised mark.
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.
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.
Indian Brass and Copper Inkwell, C20th
Price: £55
This is a finely worked inkwell in brass and copper, the square lobed edge base with shallow walls and a lidded pot attached to the centre, also in brass but with a copper body. Both elements have precisely cast stylised floral decoration with elaborately curved tendrils which shows strong Persian or Islamic influence, but the work is most likely Indian and probably the product of the workshops in Kashmir. Dating is most likely to the early twentieth century and this piece probably formed part of a desk set with a pair of candlesticks in addition, made either for local market, perhaps to be bought by colonial settlers, or for export.
Kitsch Style Conch Shell with painted landscape decoration, C20th
Price: £45
This is a conch form shell which has elaborate painted landscape decoration to the exterior and interior, the design flowing on almost continuously and extending deep into the inside of the piece. Whether in good taste or not, the skill of the artist is evident with the detailed and colourful riverside scene continuously unfolding to the extreme interior of the shell. While painted shells are known, there are no immediate comparisons to what we have here and provenance and dating are rather a matter of guesswork. There seems to be a 1950s feel though and the work looks more English than European. A conversation piece perhaps!
Pair of Japanese ceramic Bookends, seated Boy and Girl, mid C20th
Price: £55
A pair of Japanese ceramic bookends, each modelled as a seated figure, a boy and a girl, dressed in elaborate robes, the boy wearing a typical Oriental conical hat, both holding in their upraised arms a carrier’s ‘yoke’, their throne-like chairs with gilt decoration to the sides. While figures like this were sometimes made in Europe, this pair not only look Japanese but were clearly made there. The style of the decoration and the paste of the foot both confirm this. Dating is probably to the 1950s when Japan was exporting a variety of novelty ceramic items for a Western audience. The two yokes are a strange addition. Normally these are seen with hanging containers attached, usually for water. Image 9 shows a typical and heavily burdened ‘water carrier’ figure from the late nineteenth century. Our pair here can hardly be regarded as taking a rest, so the carrying implements were presumably simply added to enhance the design. The result, though, is extremely pleasing and would more than enhance a small collection of books today.
An unusual Pair of Chinese carved Soapstone Vases, circa 1900
Price: £110
A pair of Chinese soapstone vases with mottled colourings in a wide variety of brown and beige, the triangular form deeply carved on the two front faces with flowering peony and birds nestling in the branches, the reverses flat, each with a rock and a leaf, the base also flat and the interior hollowed out. Soapstone was first used by the Chinese over three thousand years ago but began its popularity in the Ming dynasty (1368 -1644) with the height of production during the ensuing Qing dynasty (1644 – 1911). The triangular form of this pair of vases is most unusual and the depth of carving displays near virtuoso expertise. There is little or no trace of the drill here, unlike some of the later twentieth century pieces, and all the pointers are to a dating no later than around 1900. The carver was fortunate to find two matching pieces of stone which allowed him to produce such a well balanced pair in shape, colour and decoration. The nature of the material means that soapstone pieces are found less often as matching pairs and this triangular shape, perhaps suggested by the original stone pieces themselves, is rarer still.