Antique Collection

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.

A charming and poignant study of a young girl, by Van Doorn signed and dated 1891, was sold recently in Edinburgh. The restrained use of colour and fine detail of the brushwork, made this a most attractive and desirable painting, except for one thing.
It was a deliberate fraud!

Examples of signed, handmade cameo glass command high prices, but less expensive mass-produced pieces are still very collectable.
Roman masterpiece the Portland Vase, probably made in Rome between 25 BC and AD 25, is the most famous example of cameo glass. It was eventually brought to England and acquired by the Duchess of Portland.

Although not as plentiful in the salerooms as other classes of antiques and with few specialist auctions, glass has a unique appeal and offers surprising scope at modest prices.
Glass has magical quality born of its transition during manufacture from sand and other minerals to vessels of transparent delicacy. Barring breakage, scouring pads or dishwashers, it [...]

Ceramic souvenirs celebrating places and buildings reached a peak with the booming Victorian tourist trade. Today, they can still be picked up cheaply.
There is a long history, dating back to the 18th century, of British potters making small, decorative objects to commemorate places and buildings. The ceramic cottage had as its forerunner the architectural teapot, [...]

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 [...]