LONDON.- Antique ceramic and glass lovers will get double the pleasure when
Bonhams holds separate British Pottery and British Glass sales on the 12th of November, at their flagship New Bond Street premises.
The Fine British Pottery and Porcelain sale has a strong section of Royal Worcester porcelain, the highlight of which is an exceptional vase and cover by George Owen and Edward Salter, with an estimate of £60,000-80,000. Dated 1899, this vase represents a unique collaboration between two of Royal Worcester's finest craftsmen.
George Owen formed a spectacular large pierced-body vase, with his distinctive honeycomb pattern and a unique 'Arabesque' band around the middle. Placed proudly on the front is a Chinese pheasant, modelled in clay and highlighted with tooled and shaded goldwork by Edward Salter. Salter was a fine painter as well as an accomplished gilder, specialising in landscapes but also known for painting fish and birds.
Also by Royal Worcester is a beautifully painted plaque by Harry Davis, dated 1908 and depicting a roaring stag in a wooded Highland landscape. Estimated at £20,000-25,000, this important panel is one of the largest painted by Davis and the quality of the painting is outstanding. Well known for his Highland sheep subjects, a stag at bay is a very unusual departure for Davis, and no other example of a plaque with a stag is recorded by this most versatile artist.
The sale proffers a good range of English delftware, including the sizeable Steve McManus Collection. Portrait plates and dishes with cartoon-like renderings of Queen Anne, John Wilkes, William III and Prince George show the fun side of collecting early British pottery. And leading the early porcelain section is a flamboyant pair of mid-18th century Chelsea figures, the Imperial Shepherd and Shepherdess, set to fetch £8,000-10,000.
The Fine British Glass sale is led by an item from the Thomas A. Gray Collection: a rare, dated seal-bearing wine bottle from 1687, estimated at £18,000-25,000. Only one other complete example from this year is known.
The sale also contains several named collections of 18th century wine glasses, carefully selected specimens ranging from £800 to £12,000. A highlight of the Henry J. Mein Collection is an armorial goblet made to commemorate a 17th century marriage. Research into the arms it depicts reveals the likelihood that this goblet, which carries an estimate of £8,000-12,000, was commissioned to celebrate the union of Lewis Bonnet with Mariana Bureau in St. Martin Ludgate on 13 March 1699.