Antique Collection

Pottery and porcelain objects have been made for so many years, in so many cultures and in such a multitude of types that it is impossible to describe all the signs of falsification in any short essay. Generally speaking, however, the detection of a fake depends upon aberrations in manufacture, style and materials—as in any [...]

Camera collecting is an increasingly popular field, with a wide range of both upmarket and run-of-the-mill models still to be found. Optical toys are rarer, and can offer rare delight with simple moving pictures.
After LOUIS DAGUERRE developed the first practicable method of photography in 1839, the taking of pictures quickly became a hobby among the [...]

Since they became an integral part of interior decoration in the 18th century, these items have been made in a diverse range of materials and styles.
Both mirrors and screens were origin- ally designed for a practical function, beyond mere vanity or decoration: wall mirrors to reflect the dim light of candles at night, and screens [...]

Bedpans, drug jars, eye baths and shaving bowls are just a few of the mundane household ceramics that have survived the centuries.
Relatively few everyday ceramic items for personal use — ranging from pap-boats for feeding the sick to discreetly shaped chamber pots for women to use in church or when travelling — have survived to [...]

Cabinets have been prized possessions since the 17th century, and are among the most visually arresting and impressive forms of furniture.
The earliest cabinets made in Britain, in the mid-17th century, were used to store precious belongings and papers.
By the end of the 17th century, however, they had become objects of distinction and elegance in their [...]

The technique of tin-glazing earthenware came to Europe with the Moorish invasions of Spain in the 8th to 12th centuries, and 15th-century Hispano-Moresque armorial lustre ware chargers are considered among the finest examples of the potter’s art. Tin glaze soon spread to Italy where it was called `maiolica’. From the late 15th century, potters in [...]

Classical Revival
Because vases were so prominently displayed in rooms, it was vital for manufacturers to keep abreast of the latest developments in architecture and style. In Britain from the 1760s that meant following the Neoclassical style of Robert Adam and his contemporaries.
It was the potter Josiah Wedgwood who was to transform and dominate the market [...]

Apart from imported Oriental pieces, vases were virtually unknown in Europe before the 17th century. Then they evolved an astonishing range of decorative forms.
Any flower arranger has been frustrated at the seemingly unsuitable shapes of vases for holding cut flowers. In fact, in the world of antiques and ceramics, that is not their main purpose. [...]