Antique Collection

Whether you prefer the subtle sensuality of the Art Nouveau potters, or the uncluttered modern approach of the Art Deco era, pottery of this period provides something to suit almost every taste. If you’re an inexperienced collector this could be an ideal choice of subject to begin with: most pottery and porcelain is marked; wares [...]

The collectors of early pewter from time to time pick up some very fine pieces at the auctions and second hand shops and many find it a fascinating subject. Pewter was introduced into Britain in Roman times and was widely used in the 14th century. Much of the contemporary church plate was in this metal.

Human figures which have been cut out for this purpose are usually fitted into oval frames. The oval frame is favoured as this reduces the background area which may bear an intrusive object such as the hand or foot of a second figure. It is not sufficient to examine just the back of the picture [...]

Collectors of old prints are generally interested in the work of George Baxter. He was born in 1804, a printer by trade. Later he became a book illustrator and produced many fine woodblock prints. He and his father published the ‘Baxter Illustrated Bible’ which showed many good examples of this work.

Settings for mounting stones come in a variety of models, each of which is designed to create a certain effect when the stone is mounted. In the case of this necklace, each rhinestone is inserted into a setting with a ring-shaped stem so that the stone can then be strung on a thin cord.

This tailored jewelry, made of gold- or silver-plated metal without any stones. It is sober in style and is primarily suited for wearing in the daytime by the kind of woman who likes something special but doesn’t want to call attention to herself.

At the beginning of the 19th century a tax of one shilling and sixpence was levied on an ounce of silver. In those days that was a fair sum of money. This resulted in a much wider use of Sheffield plate, a process developed by Thomas Bolsover in 1743. The process consisted of hammering, rubbing [...]

Strong “stone chinas” are earthenwares reinforced with ingredients such as pounded iron slag and flint, and were indeed stronger than the simple earthenwares which preceded them. These earlier pieces could only be fired to a temperature that was high enough to harden the basic material, but not to fuse it together to make it nonporous. [...]

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 [...]

The oldest silver serving dishes designed for use rather than display are simple, with moulded or gadrooned rims. Display pieces are often silver gilt, with elaborate chased and applied strapwork and lobbing. Most date from the 17th century, although similar ones continued to be made until the early l9th century, mainly for ceremonial services.