#Middlebury #Antiques
Ceramic artists mentioned in auction descriptions or reports are almost always the ones who shape the piece, a dinnerware designer or an artist who creates unique pieces by modeling clay or developing unique glazes. But that wasn’t always true.
In the 1700s and 1800s, there were artists who decorated porcelains with paintings of gardens, flowers, portraits, religious scenes or buildings. Another artist made the ormolu mounting to complement the painted picture.
The decoration on this lidded urn made in the late 1800s is what made it worth the $6,100 paid by a bidder at a Rago auction. John Bennett painted this one-of-a-kind decoration. (Kovels photo)
In the early 1900s, housewives began painting ceramics. Amateurs and artists bought marked plain white porcelain from Germany, Japan, England and other countries, and then decorated them in American styles. Magazines featured instructions and designs for this hobby. Special paints could remain permanently on a glazed vase or dinner plate even when washed. Unfortunately, the paint will not always survive the heat of a modern dishwasher, and the art can disappear.
One of the most famous professional decorators, John Bennett, was born in Staffordshire, England, in 1840 and worked at Doulton & Co. in the 1870s. He moved to New York about 1876 and started his own ceramic business. In 1882, he retired, moved to New Jersey and decorated pottery that he stamped “W. Orange-N. J.” Bennett died in 1907.
His ceramic paintings were asymmetrical designs of colorful flowers and nature. He was influenced by the aesthetic, and arts and crafts movements. His work is expensive today. This very large covered urn, 16 1/2 inches high, is signed “Bennett.” It pictures clusters of pink and white hydrangea blossoms and green leaves on a black background. Rago Arts and Auction Center sold it for $5,000 plus buyer’s premium.
Q: I have a boxed Little Hostess Party set that belonged to a distant relative. It is a set of glass children’s cups, saucers and plates in pastel colors. What should I price it at my house sale? How old is it?
A: The sets were made in the 1940s and ’50s by Atlas Glass Company. The heat resistant glass is called Platonite. There were many different sets and colors. The 16-piece set, mint in the box sold 10 years ago for as much as $200, but at a house sale today it might sell at $100. Dark colors like green or maroon sell for a little more.
Current Prices
Furniture, chair, maple frame, high flattened armrests, black striped wool upholstery, Jens Risom for Knoll, 33 x 24 inches, $184.
Advertising sign, Toys of All Kinds, For Children Old & Young, applied toy soldier, train, wood, paint, folk art, 36 x 24 inches, $244.
Mechanical bank, Monkey & Parrot, put a coin on monkey’s tail, rolls into parrot’s mouth, tin, Saalheimer & Strauss, 4 1/2 x 2 x 6 inches, $461.
Doll, Madame Alexander, Margaret, bride, plastic, strawberry blond mohair curls, rose tulle & satin gown, veil, 1950, 21 inches, $690.
TIP: Splint baskets should have an occasional light shower. Shake off the excess water. Let the basket dry in a shady spot.
For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com.
© 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.
You must be logged in to post a comment.