Decorative Art

Despite the general controversy about the material – one that has momentarily taken a back seat as Brexit eats parliamentary time – an exceptional ivory work of art still has the capacity to impress in the saleroom.

Lyon & Turnbull’s (25% buyer’s premium) inaugural Modern Made auction at the Mall Galleries in London received plenty of encouraging noises from the dealing and collecting community as it posted a total of £1m (including premium).

Based in one of the great centres of English glass, Fieldings (20% buyer’s premium) of Stourbridge has been building its reputation for glass sales over the past 15 years and today “nobody sells more glass than we do”, says specialist Will Farmer.

Some time in the early 1930s, the burghers of Norwich City Council appear to have been sufficiently cutting-edge as to purchase furniture by the designer destined to become one of the major names of 20th century design, Alvar Aalto (1898-1976).

Now a regular fixture for a number of auction houses, specialist Modern Design sales have moved a long way since the days when the title could mean mountains of Moorcroft and Clarice Cliff and not a lot more.

The recent Modern Living sale at Tennants (20% buyer’s premium) was dominated by ‘Mouseman’ furniture, something of a speciality at the Leyburn rooms.

MADAM – I write in response to the letter by Simon Butt (ATG No 2386) titled 'Mystery Napoleon link' and requesting information on a soft paste pot pourri depicting Longwood House.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

The story of Queen Anne, who ruled from 1702 to her death in 1714, is now much more widely known after the Oscar-winning portrayal by Olivia Colman in 'The Favourite'.

Bearing later Georgian or Victorian embossed decoration, this 13¾in (35cm) diameter, 22oz silver charger, below, was a much earlier work.

A charity antiques fair in aid of a Kent hospice will run at the Skinners School in Tunbridge Wells on Sunday, April 28.

Providing a stern test of the resolve of cricket enthusiasts, a Victorian loving cup was the unexpected star of Michael J Bowman’s (17.5% buyer’s premium) sale at Chudleigh.

A Rosenthal porcelain model of the princess and the frog, c.1910, by Leo Rauth is among the objects on offer at The Cotswolds Decorative Antiques & Art Fair.

MADAM – Inspired by the feature in ATG No 2384 about the little-known Girl-on-a-Horse English ceramic factory [also known as Compass factory], perhaps I could offer your readers another puzzle.

A Hutschenreuther Porcelain mocca set decorated with silver overlay in the studios of Friedrich Spahr is among the works on offer at The Duncombe Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair where it is available from John Newton Antiques for £1050.

Offered for £18,000, a pair of Chelsea baluster shaped vases were one of the highlight sales at Albert Amor’s show of Chelsea Gold Anchor period work from a private collection.

Having produced only 700-800 works in his short-lived career, Gilbert Marks (1861-1905) is not among the best-known silversmiths of his generation but was considered one of the foremost craftsmen of his day.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.