French Chest with a Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi By Adrian Rathbone, Associate Director, Kinghams Auctioneers, Moreton-in-Marsh. 2nd July 2021
An item of antique furniture by one of the leading cabinet makers of 18th Century France is coming up for auction on 10th July. The chest of drawers, or to use the correct term ‘commode’ was made during the third quarter of the 18th Century by German born master cabinet maker (ebeniste) Jean Francois-Oeben. Oeben is credited with pioneering the ‘commode a la greque’ in question. As the name suggests the cabinet takes its inspiration from ancient Greece and comprises a breakfront white veined marble top over a mahogany base with triple frieze drawers above two long drawers all with internal bright cut engraved gilt locks and standing on elegant cabriole. Ormolu mounts and handles adorn the exterior. J. F. Oeben’s stamp appears on the upper part of the carcass. This distinctive form of commode was almost exclusively supplied by les freres Oeben to two clients, the duc de Choiseul and Madame de Pompadour, the latter being Oeben’s most important client. In an inventory drawn up following her death in 1764, no less than seventeen commodes a la greque, all supplied by Oeben between 1761-1763 for the Chateaux de Versailles, Auvilliers and Menars. The importance of Madame de Pompadour’s patronage in the creation of this form of furniture is furthermore underlined by the inventory taken following Oeben’s own demise in 1763. Consigned by a Yorkshire based private client who acquired the piece in the 1980’s, it carries a pre-sale estimate of £20,000-30,000 in Cotswold auctioneers Kinghams on 10th July. For further information, please contact Adian Rathbone at Kinghams Auctioneers of 01608 695695 or email adrian@kinghamsauctioneers.com
Charles Noke continued to experiment with glazes long after the departure of Cuthbert Bailey with whom he had perfected the Flambé glaze in the early 1900’s. And so in 1920 Sung was introduced, whereby painted decoration, colour and gilt are fused with the a flambé glaze.
However, it is in the flesh that these pieces must be enjoyed to full effect as in this slide. Vases, large and small were decorated with exotic birds, pixies in woodlands, fish in seascapes along with many other subjects. These pieces were painted principally by Harry Nixon, Arthur Eaton and Fred Moore. Sung glazes can be found on Buddhas, as seen here in this advert from the 1920’s, a handful of suitable early figures from the HN range such as A Spook as well as animals, in particular elephants, a favourite of Charles Noke.
Friday & Saturday 11th – 12th June Day One lots 1-274; Day Two lots 275-468. Auction begins 11am
Viewing Dates and Times (by appointment): Wednesday 9th May 10.00 – 17.00 Thursday 10th May 10.00 – 19.00 Friday 11th May 09.00 – 11.00
If you would like to bid you can leave commission bids, book a telephone line, or access the auction via one of five online bidding platforms below. Room bidding will also be available subject to registration. Detailed condition reports are available on request.
We provide a worldwide shipping service, if you have any questions or need to speak to a member of staff please call +44(0)1608 695695 or email enquiries@kinghamsauctioneers.com. We are open for collection by appointment from Monday 17th May at 10-12 Cotswold Business Village, London Road, Morton-in-Marsh GL56 0JQ.
A Love of Lustre – The Anthony J. Cross Collection By Adrian Rathbone, Associate Director, Kinghams Auctioneers, 10-12 Cotswold Business Village, London Rd, Moreton in Marsh. GL56 0JQ. 24th May 2021
Fresh from our good friends at Kinghams:
Cotswold Auctioneers, Kinghams are proud to announce they have been appointed to handle the most comprehensive and important collection of British art pottery built up over a fifty-year period. The sale of The Anthony J. Cross Collection of art pottery takes place on 11th/12th June at their Moreton in Marsh Auction Centre. Anthony’s fascination with ceramics began at a young age when his first purchase was a small Royal Worcester floral jug for £12.50. This modest purchase and after reading up on the subject, set him on a lifelong journey of collecting ceramics. From the outset he fell in love with the wondrous lustre wares of Pilkingtons. He widened the spectrum by learning about and acquiring examples of other notable makers such as Christopher Dresser, William De Morgan, Doulton and Bernard Moore. Encouraged by the eminent authority Richard Dennis OBE, Anthony made the decision that his collection would not be complete without key examples by the most revered and celebrated designers/potters. The 468 Lot auction showcases a rich and eclectic range of late 19th and early 20th Century British art pottery which will be auctioned over two days. Day one, (11th June) will open with examples of designs by Dr Christopher Dresser for Minton, Linthorpe and Ault, followed by tiles and hollowares by Della Robia and William De Morgan. Ruskin pottery and Bernard Moore wares are followed by an array of examples from the Doulton factory including works by noted designers the Barlow sisters, Charles Noke and George Tinworth to name a few. Examples by the highly sought-after Martin Brothers factory come in the form of a number of jardinieres, typical bird and other sculptural figures. Moorcroft from the Art Nouveau heyday to later and rare flambe pieces are also well represented. Day two, (12th June) will offer impressive glasswares by designers and glass houses such as Tiffany, Loetz and Rene Lalique. Pilkington is where Anthony’s true passion lies and it is here where one of the most important collections arrives on the open market, with many museum quality pieces on offer. The Pilkington factory was established in 1892 in Lancashire and employed many leading designers of the day, including Charles Voysey, Gordon Forsyth, Richard Joyce and William S. Mycock. The celebrated lustre wares were developed from 1906 and King George V granted the factory a Royal Warrant in 1913 with the firm being fashioned Pilkington’s Royal Lancastrian Pottery Company. On offer are numerous vases of varying shapes and sizes, chargers and tiles with pre-sale estimates ranging from £200 to £20,000. Of particular note is Lot 431, a 30cm high lustre jar and cover by Richard Joce from 1924, (estimate £3,000-5,000) and Lot 434, a lustre alms dish also by Richard Joyce and dating from 1909, (estimate £2,000-4,000). The most important piece in the auction is Lot 436, a 53cm high Gordon Forsyth lustre vase dating from 1908. Moulded in relief with St George on horseback lancing a dragon with a maiden to the side, the vase incorporates an exuberant bronze and red iridescent glaze and is inscribed ‘St George for England’. With pedigree provenance, it was exhibited at the 1908 Franco British Exhibition to much admiration and only two examples are known to have been produced. It carries a pre-sale estimate of £20,000-30,000. Viewing will take place on Wednesday 9th June from 10am to 5pm, Thursday 10th June 10am to 7pm and auction days from 9am to 11am with the auction commencing at 11am on each day. The fully illustrated printed catalogue can be purchased (£18 by post) or viewed online at www.kinghamsauctioneers.com. Live internet bidding across four different platforms, absentee and phone bids can be arranged. For further information, please contact George Kingham on 01608 695695 or email enquiries@kinghamsauctioneers.com
Illustrated from left to right. Lot 434: Gordon Forsyth Pilkington lustre alms dish. Est £2,000-4,000 Lot 38: A William De Morgan Persian double swan vase, circa 1892. Est £3,000-5,000 Lot 436: Gordon Forsyth of Pilkington, an exhibition relief moulded St George vase. Est £20,000-30,000 Lot 112: George Tinworth for Doulton Lambeth, mouse group – The Cockneys at Brighton, 1886. Est £2,000-4,000 Lot 2: Christopher Dresser for Minton, pair of butterfly vases, 1870. Est £800-1,200
Kind Regards Adrian Rathbone BA(Hons) Fine Arts ValuationAssociate Director Kinghams Auctioneers & Valuers10-12 Cotswold Business VillageLondon RoadMoreton in MarshGloucestershireGL56 0JQ Saleroom: 01608 695695 Mobile: 07843 061921 www.kinghamsauctioneers.com
Please Note: My working hours are Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm. I am based at the Moreton saleroom usually three days a week and these will vary.
Collectors of Royal Doulton’s world famous figurines are aware of the many sources that inspired figures from stars of the theatre, to calendar and card designs published by the likes of Raphael Tuck & sons.
However, one particular star of Royal Doulton’s HN range was inspired by the great actress Vivien Leigh in her role in the legendary film Gone with the Wind in which she played Scarlett O’Hare.
Here you can see a press cutting along with an early dated version of Easter Day from 1943; incidentally two years after she was originally modelled. Also in the picture is a very similar looking prototype from 1942 that I display along side the large size figure.
Unique Glazes by #RoyalDoulton #Burslem #Noke #Kingsware@LionAndUnicorn
#Rare #AuctionDay Bid live 26 January
One of the most collectible Doulton wares remains Kingsware. Produced between 1898 and 1939, Kingsware was the brain child of Burselm’s legendary Art Director Charles Noke, and totally unique to Doulton and one which no other factory has managed to replicate ever since.
The unique effect was achieved by painting the design in coloured slips on the inside of the plaster mould, before adding the dark brown slip that would form the body of the piece.
The main area of collecting remains whisky flasks made for a variety of distillers – the most popular of which are the many created especially for Dewars.
Occasionally decanters were retailed with silver mounts and stoppers when produced for high-end gentlemen’s retailers. Such exclusive pieces were sold for a limited time at Christmas with a different title each Christmas.
As was typical with Doulton, full records of the many wares they produced were sketchy and even those with access to them rarely understood in detail their contents, thus until books on the subject were collated there were many anomalies not least that stoneware and Kingsware flasks were not distinguished.
Simeon was the son of a monumental mason, which perhaps explains his everlasting interest in sculpture. Simeon moved from Huddersfield to London in 1896 when he started work at Doulton in Lambeth and also the year he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art.
Simeon’s versatility cannot be denied when one looks at the variety of Lambeth wares he produced. Naturally there were many hand designed vases, but there were also late edition vases made between 1910 and 1925, as well as endearing Toby wares that he modelled that we’re introduced in 1925.
Squished and squashed, these charming figures of bygone days can be found on an array of object! Here are some wonderful examples coming up at Lion and Unicorn Auctions!
When one considers the wares with which his is now associated it is hard to believe that he criticised his own talent, describing it once as overly fussy and preferring the artistry of Mark Marshall’s often simplistic designs. Joseph Mott, Lambeth’s art director in the early 20th Century had a particular interest in pottery of ages gone especially medieval pottery, encouraging Simeon to produce wares in this vein and also pots suitable for the many glaze effects trialled by Mott in the early part of the 20th Century.
Up until the end of Simeon’s association with Doulton in 1936, his style remained versatile, producing in the 1920’s designs for the Persian ware range and also a myriad of slip ware pieces in a colourful pallet.
Charles Noke continued to experiment with glazes long after the departure of Cuthbert Bailey with whom he had perfected the Flambé glaze in the early 1900’s. And so in 1920 Sung was introduced, whereby painted decoration, colour and gilt are fused with the a flambé glaze.
I am sure you will agree that from this publicity photograph the pieces are magnificent. However, it is in the flesh that these pieces must be enjoyed to full effect as in this slide. Vases, large and small were decorated with exotic birds, pixies in woodlands, fish in seascapes along with many other subjects.
These pieces were painted principally by Harry Nixon, Arthur Eaton and Fred Moore. Sung glazes can be found on Buddhas, as seen here in this advert from the 1920’s, a handful of suitable early figures from the HN range such as A Spook, as well as animals, in particular elephants, a favourite of Charles Noke.
Images of sports including cricket, cycling, shooting, running, football, long jump, rugby, soccer, horse racing and golf can be found decorating Lambethware. These items remain as popular today as they did during the time they were produced from the 1880’s to the outbreak of World War I.
Originally designed by John Broad, sporting relief items can be found with silver mounts, befitting their status as trophies and commemoratives and enabling personalised inscriptions to be given to the silver mounts.
The most popular remain the golfing and cricket subjects and items of Doultonwarefeaturing these sporting themes regularly crop up at specialist sporting auctions.
