World Auction Record
06 Dec, 2006
The first
lot in the British Art Pottery auction on 30th November
set a new auction world record for a painted plaque by William S
Coleman, a massive £16,500. The circular wall plaque was made
at Minton's Art Studio and painted by William
Coleman in 1871. The charger was 34cm in
diameter; not the largest produced by Minton's but was beautifully
decorated with a girl gazing into a fish bowl containing two
goldfish. Boldly signed by the artist at the centre of the well;
Michael Jeffery, the Art Pottery specialist in charge of the
auction believed it possibly was an exhibition piece, so fine was
the painting. A small chip to the back rim was not enough to hold
the charger back from its pre-sale estimate of
£2000-3000. The charger had been known to John
Axford for 10 years and Woolley and Wallis were
elated to have the opportunity to offer the piece to the
market.
Although by
far the highest price on the day the whole auction was a testament
to the general strength of the British Art Pottery market running
from the late nineteenth century up to the work of present day
potters. Other highlights of the late nineteenth
and early twentieth century period included a grotesque jug
modelled as a rodent creature, sold for £2500, a Bushey Heath
Pottery vase by Fred Passenger sold for £1100 and a Royal Doulton
stoneware bowl modelled by Mark V Marshall decorated with a dragon
lizard, damaged, this bowl flew past its conservative estimate of
£200-300 finally selling for £1350.
The
Moorcroft Pottery section proved one of the most popular factories
in the sale with excellent examples of some of William Moorcroft's
earliest designs fetching high prices. The beautifully painted
Wisteria vase, made at James Macintyre's factory and painted on a
cream white ground, sold for £4800, estimate £3000-5000. The
auction also included a beautiful mantel clock painted in the
Pomegranate pattern. Although a common pattern this example was
pre-first world war and was painted in the ochre green colour way
highly sought by collector's. Michael Jeffery had waited 15 years
to see one of these pieces, previously it had only been seen in
factory black and white photographs, 'I did not expect it to turn
up unwrapped in the back of a transit van'. The clock had its
original metal movement that ticked into life when picked
up. With very minor chips to the base rim the
clock soared past its £700-900 estimate selling to a private
collector for £3000. Hot on the heels of the clock was a
twin-handled coupe decorated in a rare Art Nouveau pomegranate
design that sold for £1200 (estimate £1000-1500).
Top price
in the Ruskin Pottery section was £3200 paid for a large high-fired
stoneware vase painted in a running sang de boeuf and lavender
glaze, dated 1926.
A private
collection of Wedgwood Fairyland lustre ceramics designed by Daisy
Makeig Jones was completely sold out - with bids coming from
America, Canada, Australia and England. Top price was £6800 paid
for an 'Imps on the Bridge' pattern vase decorated on a flame
lustre ground.
The beauty
of the auction is that it follows the pioneer Art Potters into the
second half of the 20th Century. One of the highlights
was a Poole Pottery vase modelled in the 1960's by Guy Sydenham.
One of only 6 made the vase was modelled as a stylised African
head. Bidding took this lot past its £1200-1500 estimate selling
for £2500. Quickly following this was a private
consignment of Stella Crofts figures. These rare handmade
sculptures are not common at auction. A group of 9 separate
figures, the feature of an article on the artist published in
Antique Collecting magazine, all sold with an artists auction
record of £1350 for 'Giraffe Family' a group of
three Giraffe that was probably exhibited at The Royal Institute
Gallery Exhibition in 1924. Stella Croft's was the start of the
Studio Potters section that saw strong prices for artist potters
including Reginald Wells, George Cox at Mortlake, Janet Leach,
Robert Fournier and Peter Lane.
Next
sales
3rd April Clarice Cliff & Art Deco features a
strong selection of Clarice's work and the work of her
contemporaries including Susie Cooper, Poole Pottery, Eric
Ravilious and Keith Murray.
1St June Arts and Crafts features a variety of
Victorian and Edwardian Art Potters including Minton, Wedgwood,
Martin Brothers, Sir Edmund Elton, Pilkington's Lancastrian and
Ruskin Pottery
27th June British Art Pottery 1900-2000 this 200
lot sale, a new sale category for 2007, will feature excellent
examples of art pottery from the Victorian Pioneers to the potters
of today (2000). This will include Dame Lucie Rie
and Hans Coper
Enquiries
Michael
Jeffery 01722 424505