Ceramics

An old and respected provenance can still hold sway even in no longer buoyant sectors of the market.

After 49 years of trading in Manhattan, ceramics and glass dealer Leo Kaplan Ltd closed its doors earlier this year.

MADAM – I write regarding your Pick of the Week article (ATG No 2354,) on the Walter Crane vase (1890) for Maw & Co, sold at the Kingham & Orme auction in July.

The Shropshire pottery, Maw & Co of Jackfield, is best known for the mass production of earthenware tiles and architectural ceramics.

Riots broke out in Bury and Blackburn in May 1878 as cotton mill workers protested their low wages. The initially peaceful action escalated as employees attacked the factory and local constabulary, eventually looting and destroying the mill owner’s house.

Gloucestershire-based British art pottery dealer Alison Davey of AD Antiques has created a series of ‘passports’ for Martin Brothers’ birds.

MADAM – Have ATG readers got a Grayson Perry pot or plate from the 1980s lurking in their living rooms? If they have, then the Holburne Museum in Bath wants to hear from them.

This early Meissen teapot and cover was among the stand-out sales at the joint selling exhibition 'A Collectors’ Paradise' held at Brian Haughton Gallery in St James’s.

Amusing animals assuming human characteristics are not just for social media. The anthropomorphic figure groups modelled by George Tinworth (1843-1913) for the Doulton Lambeth factory rank among the best of all Victorian art pottery.

This set of three tubeline tiles featuring polychrome birds in a grassland setting, is one of the many pieces on offer at The Cotswolds Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair at Westonbirt School.

Our weekly selection from salerooms and dealerships.

Vincennes, Sèvres and Meissen are among the stars of a Paris and London auction spotlight.

Bonhams’ (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) main summer sale of European ceramics took place at its Bond Street rooms on July 5. On offer were 245 lots which raised a hammer total of just under £600,000, with a 62% take-up.

The Meissen model of Count Bruhl’s Tailor was a major attraction at Hampshire auction house Jacobs & Hunt (26% buyer’s premium).

From the same source which provided Sotheby’s success with a fine collection of Scottish Colourist works (ATG No 2347), a large late 19th version of the Medici Vase led the two-day Glasgow sale at Great Western Auctions (23% buyer’s premium).

In what can be a doleful time for Doulton, encouraging words about the factory’s output from auctioneer Geoff Shepherd at ceramics specialist Kingham & Orme (22% buyer’s premium).

Several of the events taking place during this London summer season have put the emphasis on growth or diversification as organisers look to the future. But for porcelain dealer Brian Haughton, whose pair of porcelain events returns this month, the key is keeping specialised and drawing inspiration from the past.

Among the highlights Brian Haughton offers in 'A Collectors’ Paradise' is this Meissen group of a Danish pug dog with her two puppies, modelled c.1745 by JJ Kaendler (1706-75) and painted black, brown and white.