What’s pocillovy?

#MiddleburyCT #Antiques #Pocillovy

You’ve heard of philately (stamp collecting) and numismatics (collecting currency and medals), but what about pocillovy? Derived from the Latin words for “little cup” and “egg,” “pocillovy” is the word for collecting eggcups. Eggcups are said to have originated in France. King Louis XV (1715-1774) made them popular.

Francois-Xavier Lalanne often used animal motifs in his minimalist sculptures. His porcelain eggcup with a chicken’s head, wings and tail sold for $2,080 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions. (Kovels.com)

Later, they made their way into Victorian dinner services, where nearly every type of food had its own specialized dish and utensils. British manufacturers quickly realized that these small ceramic cups would make excellent souvenirs, and people started collecting them.

This eggcup with a stylized chicken’s head, wings and tail, called “Coquetier Poule,” sold for $2,080 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions in Florida. It was designed by Francois-Xavier Lalanne, a 20th-century French sculptor, whose designs were often made to look like animals. His playful, modernist style is seen in the plain white color and stylized features of the eggcup.

Q: About 20 years ago, my wife and I inherited a grandfather clock. It’s about 7 1/2 feet tall. Part of the upper face of the clock rotates around with different scenes as the time ticks off. At the very top of the face are the words “A. Willard Boston.” The clock is wound with a key that raises two weights. It needs to be wound once a week and keeps pretty good time. Its gongs match each hour. Can you give us any information on this clock?

A: Three generations of the Willard family made clocks. Benjamin Willard learned how to make clocks and opened a workshop on his farm in Massachusetts in the 1740s, where his four sons, Benjamin Jr., Simon, Aaron and Ephraim, learned clockmaking. The three older brothers opened shops in Boston: Benjamin Jr. in 1770, Aaron in 1785 and Simon in 1788. Simon was the most well-known and patented several inventions, including the banjo clock. Aaron, the maker of your clock, made hundreds of banjo clocks, shelf clocks and tall case clocks. They sell at auctions for a few hundred to several thousand dollars. If you’re thinking of selling your clock, you should contact an auction house that sells grandfather clocks or a shop that sells expensive clocks. The rotating dial with scenes adds extra value, so your clock should sell for a high price.

TIP: Tradition says the best place in a home for a grandfather clock is where it can be seen as soon as you enter the house.

Current Prices
Christmas ornament, snowman, holding black raven on shoulder, plush mohair, black metal saucepan hat, ear button marked Steiff, Germany, original box, 8 inches, $100.
Trunk, wood, domed hinged lid, iron straps, side handles and lock, original green paint, marked on inside, Martin Fischer, 1868, 24 x 33 inches, $330.
Royal Copenhagen platter, Flora Danica pattern, botanical design, gilt notched rim, marked & numbered, c. 1965, 16 x 12 1/4 inches, $2,125.

For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com.
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