Articles

20th Century and Contemporary Jewellery

By Lucy Marles (14th May 2021)

Georg Jensen jewellery often crops up in 20th Century and Contemporary Jewellery auctions with pieces by such designers as Arno Malinowski, Bent Gabrielsen, Henning Koppel and Vivianna Torun Bulow-Hube frequently being seen.

Michael Snow (1930-2012)

By Daniel Goddard (12th February 2021)

Daniel Goddard writes about Michael Snow (1930-2012), an artist born in Manchester, who moved to St Ives in the 1950s.

This Little Piggy Went to Market

By Nic Saintey (10th September 2020)

Nic Saintey provides a brief history of a Scottish Pottery with a strong Devon connection.

Rolle Up!

By Nic Saintey (10th July 2020)

Nic Saintey writes about the surprising connection between a plate and a bottle.

Tankard or Mug

By Martin McIlroy (12th June 2020)

Martin McIlroy (Head of Silver) writes about the difference between tankards and mugs, which are popular amongst silver collectors. He explores their development from an early period through to more modern times.

Donyatt Pottery, Somerset

By Nic Saintey (7th April 2020)

Nic Saintey (Head of Ceramics), a Somerset resident, writes about an iconic Donyatt plate that commemorates an unusual birth and the tragic story behind it.

Collectables

By Brian Goodison-Blanks (27th March 2020)

Brian Goodison-Blanks (Joint Head of Collectables and Toys) reflects on some of collectable artefacts that he has encountered in recent years, many of them having been almost forgotten in attics, which prove to be not only fascinating but also valuable.

Georgian Jewellery

By Lucy Marles (13th December 2019)

Lucy Marles (Jewellery Valuer) writes about what to look out for when buying Georgian jewellery at auction and introduces some of the different metal works employed by Georgian jewellers.

Coins

By Brian Goodison-Blanks (29th November 2019)

Brian Goodison-Blanks (Joint Head of the Collectables and Toys Department) considers coin and token collecting, which has been undertaken since early times. He looks at three examples that illustrate the items that attract buyers.

Musical Boxes

By Martin McIlroy (22nd November 2019)

Martin McIlroy (Head of the Works of Art Department) investigates the development of musical boxes from their origins in the 1800s through to their decine by the First World war.

Fred Yates

By Daniel Goddard (1st November 2019)

Daniel Goddard (Head of the Picture Department) delves into the life of the artist Fred Yates (1922-2008), recalling the various factors that had an influence on his work, and considers what it is about his work that appeals to many.

Fat Cow

By Nic Saintey (4th October 2019)

Nic Saintey (Head of the Ceramics and Glass Department) comments on how the cow was viewed through a series of Georgian and Victorian artefacts.

Georg Jensen Jewellery

By Lucy Marles (20th September 2019)

Lucy Marles (of the Jewellery Department) looks at the work of the Danish jewellers Georg Jensen who are renowned for their fine quality and Art Nouveau jewellery.

Polar Exploration

By Brian Goodison-Blanks (6th September 2019)

Brian Goodison-Blanks (Head of the Maritime Department) looks at Polar Exploration, which continues to attract considerable interest. This is particularly so when there is great provenance behind the pieces concerned.

Taking Tea

By Martin McIlroy (23rd August 2019)

Martin McIlroy (Head of the Silver Department) traces the quintessential English characteristic of drinking tea, looking at its origins in London society through its formative period in Georgian England where sugar and then milk were introduced and on to its rise as the popular English drink. In particular, he discusses how silversmiths have adapted their wares as taking tea has evolved over the last few hundred years.

Mark Rothko and 20th Century Art

By Daniel Goddard (26th August 2019)

Daniel Goddard (Head of the Pictures Department) has a look at the life of Mark Rothko in a reflective piece that poses the question whether this artist changed the course of art, culture and social history and further asks how the work of more contemporary artists might be explained.

Donyatt: A Pottery in the Middle of Nowhere

By Nic Saintey (26th July 2019)

Nic Saintey (Head of the Ceramics and Glass Department) delves into the historical record relating to Donyatt pottery to get a glimpse of its past. The village, in central rural Somerset, produced its distinctive wares for nigh on a thousand years. It was similar to many other provincial pottery centres up and down the country that have now disappeared from collective memory.

Art Deco Jewellery

By Lucy Marles (14th June 2019)

Lucy Marles (of the Jewellery Department) discusses the Art Deco movement in jewellery, which has re-emerged as one of today's most popular antique jewellery styles.

What Would Val Barry Think?

By Nic Saintey (6th June 2019)

Nic Saintey (Head of the Ceramics Department) looks at the back story to Val Barry as a studio potter and poses the intriguing question about what the artist herself would make about the contents of her studio being sold at auction.

Magic Lanterns

By Brian Goodison-Blanks (31st May 2019)

Brian Goodison-Blanks (Joint Head of the Collectables and Toys Department) delves into the highly-paid Victorian world of the Magic Lantern Projectorist. Their 'magical slides' brought animation and scenes far removed from the day-to-day experiences of those people who first viewed them.

Collecting on the Grand Tour

By Martin McIlroy (20th May 2019)

Martin McIlroy (Head of the Works of Art Department) looks at the 'grand tour' that many young aristocrats and gentlemen engaged in from the end of 17th Century as an important part of their cultural education and the items that they might typically collect that now find their way into modern works of art auctions.

Picture This! The Importance of Portraits

By Daniel Goddard (4th May 2019)

Daniel Goddard (Head of the Pictures Department) contemplates the importance of portraits and portraiture in a contemporary world where the boundaries between reality and imagination are blurred, distorted and jumbled, largely by Social Media and the Internet.

Val Barry: Probably the Best Potter You've Never Heard Of!

By Nic Saintey (12th April 2019)

Nic Saintey (Head of the Ceramics Department) looks at the work of studio potter Val Barry, whose has become largely forgotten, but may yet find reinvigorated favour in the current post-Leach environment.

Buying Diamond Jewellery at Auction

By Lucy Marles (29th March 2019)

Lucy Marles (of the Jewellery Department) explains the ins and outs of buying diamond jewellery at auction.

Hester Bateman - Queen of Neo-Classical English Silver

By Martin McIlroy (1st March 2019)

Martin McIlroy (Head of the Silver Department) retells the remarkable story of Hester Bateman (d 1794), a renowned female silversmith in the male dominated silver trade of 18th Century London.

Picture This! St Ives Artistic Schools

By Daniel Goddard (16th February 2019)

Daniel Goddard (Head of the Pictures Department) conjures up the Cornish Coastline that has inspired artists of the St Ives Schools, particularly Robert Borlase Smart (1881-1947) and Julius Olsson (1864-1942).

Carpet Bombing

By Nic Saintey (14th January 2019)

Nic Saintey muses on a carpet which isn't magic, but is certainly unusual.

Fifty Shades of Brown

By Nic Saintey (28th November 2018)

Nic Saintey provides a brief overview of the Studio Pottery movement from its 'brown and oriental' roots through to its current rebirth.

Austrian Cold Painted Bronze Cats

By Martin MacIlroy (28th July 2017)

Martin McIlroy, Head of the Works of Art Department, looks at Austrian cold painted bronzes of cats. He examines why cats became such a popular subject for artists such as Franz Bergman (1838-1894).

Political Commemoratives

By Nic Saintey (15th June 2017)

Nic Saintey suggests that politically themed pottery might not be as dry and uninteresting as it sounds if you are prepared to scratch beneath the surface.

What a Load of Rubbish! Pot Lids: How Proto-Advertising Made Packaging 'Art'

By Nic Saintey (19th May 2017)

Nic Saintey examines how proto-advertising made the humble Victorian pot lid used as part of daily packaging into 'art' that is widely collected today. The fascinating story of their transformation from the utilitarian to the collectable starts over 150 years ago.

Commemorative Ceramics - Memories Are Made of This

By Nic Saintey (2nd May 2017)

Nic Saintey charts a brief history and the motivation behind commemorative ceramics starting with the London delft potters who produced some of the earliest pieces to celebrate the Restoration of Charles II in 1661.

Diamonds

By Lucy marles (21st April 2017)

With diamond prices riding high, Lucy Marles, one of our jewellery experts, explains the difference between modern round brilliant-cut and old brilliant-cut diamonds.

The Silver Claret Jug

By Martin McIlroy (1st March 2017)

Martin McIlroy, Head of the Silver Department, charts the rise in popularity of the silver claret jug from Queen Victoria to the Art Deco movement. He also traces the English love of claret from the 12th Century to modern times.

Best in Show - A Potted History of Cow Creamers

By Nic Saintey (10th May 2016)

Nic Saintey writes about cow creamers, covering their introduction in the first half of the Eighteenth Century through to their fall from grace, implicated in the cholera epidemics that affected Sunderland and East London from the early 1830s.

Grave Concerns About Death

By Nic Saintey (24th February 2016)

Nic Saintey, Head of the Ceramics Department, looks at three thousand years of Chinese funerary statues from the Shang Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty and explores how these ceramics evolved over time.

Digital Age Auctioneers

By Brian Goodison-Blanks (12th February 2016)

Brian Goodison-Blanks reflects on how the Internet is changing the fundamental dynamics of the auction market. While there is no doubt that online technologies have been highly disruptive, the auctioneer has not fallen in the digital age. Indeed, by embracing the new technologies, Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood are reaching many more buyers world-wide, often for items with very niche appeal.

The Art of the Narrative

By Daniel Goddard (24th January 2016)

Daniel Goddard, Head of the Pictures Department, discusses the art of the narrative by looking at two exponents of the genre: the 19th century Dutch artist Johann Bernard de Hoog (1867-1943) and the English painter George Goodwin Kilburn (1839-1924) of the same period.

French Palissy Ware - Rustic Pottery inspired by the Natural World

By Nic Saintey (4th December 2015)

Nic Saintey looks at the rustic pottery of French Huguenot Bernard Palissy (1510-1589) and the rebirth of Palissy Ware in the mid 19th century in Tours in the Loire Valley, which saw rivals spring up in Paris and influenced the Majolica Wares of those such as Minton and George Jones.

Hidden in Plain View - The Enigma of Blanc de Chine Porcelain

By Nic Saintey (26th October 2015)

Nic Saintey ponders the enigma of Blanc de Chine porcelain and concludes that while produced in huge quantities, the daily use of the ceramics fired in the Dehua kilns made this genre of porcelain almost invisible, essentially hidden in plain view.

Wristwatches

By Brian Goodison-Blanks (29th September 2015)

Brian Goodison-Blanks takes the time to look at wristwatches from their early appearance at the Court of Elizabeth I through watches used to co-ordinate military operations to those of modern times, looking at classics from well-known watchmakers such as Rolex and Omega. He decides he will shun the most recent technological innovations for his trusty wristwatch.

Toying with the Past

By Brian Goodison-Blanks (5th August 2015)

Brian Goodison-Blanks, an expert in collectables, toys with the past as he recalls British toys made in the mid-20th century, recollecting such names as Britain's, Lesney, Corgi and Matchbox. He nostalgically remembers how enthralling they were then in his childhood as they are to him now today.

Canton Porcelain - The Rose Medallion family 1840-1880

By Nic Saintey (16th June 2015)

Nic Saintey, Head of the Ceramics Department, writes about Canton Porcelain and its decoration as well as the export economics that shaped its development.

Blue and White Painted Pearlware and Creamware

By Nic Saintey (1st May 2015)

Nic Saintey, Head of the Ceramics Department, turns his attention to blue and white painted pearlware and creamware, which he likes for its somewhat varied and quirky qualities that lend naive charm to such pieces which is often lacking in porcelain.

Chess Sets

By Martin McIlroy (16th February 2015)

Martin McIlory, Head of the Works of Art Department, discusses the evolution of chess sets and the various patterns commonly found from various parts of the World.

Stand by Me

By Nic Saintey (23rd January 2015)

Nic Saintey, Head of the Ceramics Department, considers the so-called Three Friends of Bamboo, Pine and Prunus that often appear painted in Blue on White on Chinese porcelain.

Forging Ahead with Mr Samson - Edme Samson Misunderstood or Just a Dodgy Faker?

By Nic Saintey (5th January 2015)

Ceramics expert Nic Saintey writes about Samson, Edme et Cie of Paris whose reproduction pieces (including some rather nefarious pieces) are now faked themselves.

First Editions

By Richard Bearne (19th December 2014)

Richard Bearne, Chairman and Head of the Book Department, not only writes about First Editions and what can make them very valuable, but also reflects on how they can give further insight into the author's lives.

Arts and Crafts Furniture

By Chris Hampton (28th November 2014)

Chris Hampton, Managing Director and Head of the Furniture Department, writes about Arts and Craft Movement furniture and its celebrated designers, particularly those from the Cotswold School.

Antiques in the Brave New World?

By Brian Goodison-Blanks (30th October 2014)

Brian Goodison-Blanks reflects on whether antiques have a place in the brave new world and observes how some traditional staples of the saleroom have declined and been surplanted by mid-20th century space age design.

The Dragon, friend or foe?

By Nic Saintey (30th September 2014)

Nic Saintey, Head of the Ceramics and Glass Department, wonders why the dragon is such a popular motif on Chinese porcelain.

A Return to Devon Pottery - The Artistic Influences of the Barnstaple Potteries

By Nic Saintey (14th August 2014)

Nic Saintey discusses the artistic influences of the Barnstaple Potteries and another case of artistic plagiarism.

Is Imitation the Greatest Form of Flattery?

By Nic Saintey (16th June 2014)

Nic Saintey discusses an enigmatic piece of Torquay Pottery depicting Alexandra, Princess of Wales (who was the longest serving Princess of Wales). Was it a pretentious start for a provincial pottery or a risky strategy by a fledgling business?

Artist and Fly-Fisherman - Samuel John Lamorna Birch

By Daniel Goddard (23rd May 2014)

Daniel Goddard writes about the Newlyn artist Samuel John Lamorna Birch (1869-1955), who was both a passionate painter and fly fisherman. He became the leader of the second generation of Newlyn artists and adopted the name 'Lamorna' to distinguish himself from fellow artist Lionel Birch.

English Pate sur Pate Porcelain

By Nic Saintey (12th March 2014)

Nic Saintey, Head of the Ceramics Department, writes about the pate sur pate decorative technique used in England with porcelain from the mid 1850s onwards.

Amphora - An Often Overlooked Art Pottery

By Nic Saintey (4th November 2013)

Nic Saintey, Head of the Ceramics Department, writes about Amphora, an art pottery that was responsible for a real diversity of output during its 25 years or so of existence, ranging from the neo rococo and Secessionist to the strikingly abstract.

A Flight of Fancy, Daisy Makeig Jones and Wedgwood's Fairyland Lustre

By Nic Saintey (10th October 2013)

Nic Saintey, Head of the Ceramics Department, discusses Wedgwood painter Daisy Makeig-Jones, who introduced the fabled Fairy Lustre porcelain.

Two Centuries of Painters painting the West Country

By Daniel Goddary (25th June 2013)

Daniel Goddard, Head of the Picture Department, writes about two centuries of artists painting in the West Country, from Joseph Mallord William Turner to Ben Nicholson.

Russian Silver

By Martin McIlroy (10th May 2013)

Martin McIlory, Head of the Silver Department, writes about the more common pieces of Russian silver that pass through the major provincial auction houses such as Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood.

Shapland and Petter - Great Value

By Christoper Hampton (3rd April 2013)

The overwhelming support for the opening of a new modern furniture store in Exeter prompts Chris Hampton, Managing Director and Head of the Furniture department, to reflect on the lack of enthuisiasm shown at the time in keeping North Devon's leading furniture makers, Shapland and Petter, in business as he considers one of their late Victorian/Edwardian wardrobes, which will come under the hammer in the April 2013 Fine Art auction.

Istvan Szegedi Szuts - My War Book

By Daniel Goddard (19th March 2013)

Istvan Szuts served in the First World War and the reader assumes the drawings and the titles reflect his thoughts and experiences. The pen and ink drawings are breathtakingly simple with an economy of line reminiscent of Eric Gill and Keith Vaughan. The published book is a wonderful read and the printed images moving; but the original drawings are something else altogether! They make the hairs on the neck stand, the heart race and the eyes moisten.

Early History of Derby Porcelain

By Nic Saintey (18th January 2013)

Nic Saintey turns his attention to the early history of Derby porcelain, from its inception in circa 1756 (but possibly 1753), which is shrouded in mystery, until the start of its decline at the start of 19th century.

Majolica Pottery

By Nic Saintey (8th January 2013)

Nic Saintey writes about the development of and influences on Majolica (not to be confused with maiolica) pottery, from its invention by Minton and Arnoux through its zenith in the 1860-70s to its decline in the late 19th century.

Fairyland Lustre - Daisy Makeig-Jones

By Nic Saintey (2nd May 2012)

Nic Saintey wonders whether Devon Pixies may have had an influence on the Fairyland Lustre designs of Daisy Makeig-Jones, who initially trained at the Torquay School of Art in South Devon before joining Wedgwood in 1909.

Furniture Trends

By Chris Hampton (12th March 2012)

In an era where much is currently made of the decline in prices for 'brown furniture', the British have yet again succeeded in what they do terribly well – that of talking things down. And yet it is not all doom and gloom – indeed far from it. There is strong demand for good English furniture from the 17th to the 20th Centuries. A good example of this was a George III mahogany serpentine fronted serving table measuring 8ft long which sold for £21,000 against a £6,000 - £8,000 estimate.

A Kangxi Wine Ewer

By Nic Saintey (8th March 2012)

Whilst Christian communion involves the acceptance of wine, one can't help feeling more relaxed with the Oriental concept. Chinese porcelain wine ewers, whether in their original Ming or later Kangxi form, are far more than functional objects as they were produced to pay homage to ancestors – a toast to the dead if you like.

Robert O Lenkiewicz (1941-2002): A Private Collection

By Daniel Goddard (12th March 2010)

Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood are offering a private collection of pictures by Robert Lenkiewicz (1941-2002) for auction in Exeter on Saturday, 20th March 2010.

The collection represents an outstanding group of pictures which date from the 1950s to the last few months of the Lenkiewicz's life.

Bearne's and Hampton & Littlewood Merge

By Richard Bearne (2nd January 2009)

Richard Bearne, Chairman of Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood talks about the merger of Bearne's and Hampton & Littlewood to form the largest auction house and valuation business in the West Country.

The Portrait Miniature

By Daniel Goddard (2nd January 2009)

Daniel Goddard, Director and Head of the Picture Department, considers the portrait miniature, from its early origins to the more modern forms of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Troika Pottery

By Nic Saintey (2nd January 2009)

Nic Saintey writes about the Troika Pottery that was formed in St Ives in Cornwall in 1963 by Benny Sirota, Leslie Ilsley and Jan Thompson.

Godolphin House, Cornwall

By Nic Saintey (2nd January 2009)

The Godolphin House Sale was held in July 2008 at our Okehampton Street Salerooms. This article provides a brief history of the house, which is now in the hands of The National Trust.

Antique Wine Bottles

By Nic Saintey (2nd January 2009)

Nic Saintey, the Head of Ceramics and Glass, discusses the history of the wine bottle, which has now become very collectable.

Honiton High Street by Alfred Leyman

By Daniel Goddard (2nd January 2009)

Daniel Goddard, the Head of the Picture Department, discusses the life of the watercolour painter Alfred Leyman (1856-1933), who lived, worked and painted in Devon.