It was then that Zsolnay – having encountered the glazes of Clement Massier in Paris – perfected his Eosine glaze and employed his principal designer Tade Sikorski to model forms sympathetic to the Art Nouveau and Jugendstil movements.
A good example of this celebrated output was offered for sale by Trevanion (20% buyer’s premium) in Whitchurch, Shropshire on October 19.
This 10in (24cm) diameter vase of compressed baluster form was decorated with a panorama of iridescent fish, against a mottled blue and seaweed ground. Many of these pieces end up back in Hungary: this one bringing £6500 (estimate £500-700).
Antler furniture
Victorian red and fallow deer antler pair of armchairs – £3600 at Trevanion.
Another memorable consignment to this sale were three pieces of Victorian red and fallow deer antler furniture – a console table and a pair of armchairs.
They came from a private estate in Cheshire and are thought to have originally hailed from Bostock Hall.
Antler furniture was hugely fashionable in Europe and North America in the second half of the 19th century, championed by the Hamburg firm Rampendahl which exhibited at a number of international exhibitions.
Victorian red and fallow deer antler pair of armchairs – £3600 at Trevanion.
This suite, with pine or oak elements veneered in antler bark, was notable for the terminals carved with dog masks. The table (in distressed condition) was centred with a carved cartouche depicting a 19th century hunting scene.
Dealers and interior designers tried to buy them but the table and chairs sold to local collectors for £1900 and £3600 respectively – that’s probably not too deer.
