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Swatow Ware Bowls

I purchased this stack of fifteen Swatow Ware bowls one morning at my local Chez Vivi. It was a bit of a shock seeing so many at once. Some sticker shock too. The good kind. Ten dollars for the lot. […]
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Porcelain Bear in Pursuit

A bear in pursuit of a boy. The subject makes for a fun and lively candlestick/spill holder. Continental Europe, first half of the nineteenth century. I read the two incised letters under the base as “EA”. They might also be […]
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Popov Porcelain Bear Behaving Badly

I believe this playful figure group was made by a Russian Private Factory in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. I am looking for supporting evidence. It is unmarked. There is a miniature of this subject illustrated in V. […]
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Staffordshire Pearlware Chimney Sweep

This pearlware figure of a Chimney Sweep was made in Staffordshire in the early nineteenth century after an earlier figure by Paul-Louis Cyfflé. Cyfflé was one of the great modellers of the eighteenth century. He worked in the Lorraine region […]
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Prattware Pottery Chickens

These Prattware Pottery Chickens were made in Staffordshire in the early years of the nineteenth century. They have been underglaze painted with colours derived from the oxides of iron (orange), manganese (brown), cobalt (blue), chrome (green) and antimony (yellow). Sealed […]
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Staffordshire Pearlware Tobacco Jar

I bought this early nineteenth century Staffordshire Pearlware Tobacco Jar last year without giving it too much thought. The lion finial caught my eye, I do love cats and the price was right. Described as antique porcelain, it was another […]
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Staffordshire Pottery Cats

This magnificent pair of Staffordshire Pottery Cats came together by luck and good fortune. They date to about 1835. The sponged version came first. It was listed as an “Old Pottery Cat” with a very modest opening bid. I recognized […]
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Money to Burn Match Holder

While this was sold to me as a hat pin holder, I am more inclined to think it is another match holder in the form of a wealthy gentleman. Mid nineteenth century, continental Europe. His ample fur lined coat and […]
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K&C Prag Porcelain

This match holder and striker in the form of an elegant gentleman was made in Prague between 1838 and 1860. K&C PRAG was one of several prominent Bohemian porcelain factories of the 19th century. This example is clearly marked. When […]
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Zurich Porcelain Biscuit Group

It took a few years for me to discover that this unglazed biscuit group was made by the Zurich Porcelain Manufactory. The model is by Johann Wilhelm Spengler and dates to 1775/1776. Johann Wilhelm Spengler, aka Johann Wilhelm Spängler, was […]