Brass is an alloy of two metals, zinc and copper, and the proportions of those two can be varied to give brass different properties. Some brasses also have small amount of a third metal such as lead, manganese or tin in their composition. Forms of brass have been used for millennia and the material was well-known to the Romans, although modern collectors of antique brass concentrate on items from the 19th and 20th centuries. Read more [...]

Cut glass was first produced in America around 1871 by a German immigrant, Henry William Stiegel, at the American Flint Glass Manufactory in Pennsylvania. For the next 60 years or so, there was little to distinguish the cut glass produced in the States from that made in Europe. About 1830, a distinctively American style began to appear. This blossomed into the Brilliant Period, which lasted from the mid-1870s until the outbreak of the Great War. Read more [...]

In 1968, Caithness Design Limited received "the Royal Warrant," a prestigious honor that recognizes the firm as her Majesty's glassmaker. The warrant, which appears on much of Caithness' printed material, is actually the Coat of Arms of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Years later, England's Queen Elizabeth II accepted Caithness glass artist Colin Terris as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his "outstanding contribution to the glass industry." Read more [...]

A one-off doll can be the first doll poured from a mold, providing no other dolls are duplicated from the same mold. Most often, however, the doll is sculpted from a self-hardening clay, molded from cloth, or whittled from wood. A true one-off must have all of its original parts (legs, arms, body) fashioned just for that particular head. In the past, painted eyes and carved/painted hair was favored in lieu of inset eyes and a wig, but that dogma no longer applies, since glass or acrylic eyes and a quality handmade wig enhance the beauty of the artwork and magically bring it to life. Read more [...]

The Royal Doulton product line includes pieces to charm everyone from very young collectors to the most sophisticated art aficionados. "We start off with Bunnykins and Beatrix Potter," Doulton explains, and that gets the younger children interested. Boys and girls often are given a figure or character jug for a present, and thus, by the time they become adults, they appreciate Royal Doulton’s works both for their art quality and their investment value. We don’t manufacture pieces as investments, but often within a decade or two our pieces do go up in market price quite a bit." Read more [...]

In the 1970s and '80s there were many old style collectors who would choose a field of collecting, for example British Military swords and collect every possible variation, even as far as buying identical pattern swords by different contracting manufacturers. They may similarly collect Blunderbusses or percussion pistols. The collections they would amass would be in gun rooms or spare bedrooms, racked out and neatly displayed to be shown to interested friends and other collectors. Some people collecting purely for investment would place their collections in bank vaults. Collectors such as this would frequently develop an academic interest in their subject, writing books or submitting articles to magazines. Read more [...]

The interwar period in the British pottery industry was fraught with closures, shortages of skilled workers and a lack of pioneering spirit in design matters. Fortunately, several designers created ground breaking patterns and shapes that not only set new standards but also influenced a whole new generation of customers. One of these designers was Keith Murray who, throughout the thirties, produced some of the most outstanding and innovative pottery for Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd. His sculptural forms, decorated with subtle matt glazes, were unlike anything seen on the market before and were very popular with discerning customers who wanted original and modern contemporary pottery. Read more [...]

The Deco era is remembered today for its styles and forms that were uniquely modern, futuristic, even. It is remembered, as Daniel Gallen in his introduction to the catalogue of Christie’s most recent specialist Deco sale put it, as ‘the decisive turning point in the conflict between the old and the new’.

Edgar Brandt Marcel Breuer Demetre Chiparus Clarice Cliff Susie Cooper Georg Jensen Betty Joel Rene Lalique Ferdinand Preiss Jacques Emile Ruhlmannn Marius-Ernest Sabino Bruno Zach Read more [...]

Even in the grey, murky days of November, there is still something to look forward to (and I don't mean Christmas). Once again, it's time for Asian Art in London, that annual festival that aims to show that London is the world's number one location for buying, selling and enjoying Asian artefacts. Read more [...]

One of my favorite Didier paintings is the "Scene from the Rivers of Lyon." Didier, before painting an oil on canvas, made an oil sketch on paper. The painting shown in this article is one of a series of more than 100 oil on paper sketches depicting scenes in and around Lyon, especially its rivers, the Soane and Rhone. In this painting on paper, Didier depicts boats on the river by using bold horizontal and vertical brush strokes along with brilliant colors. His work is reminiscent of his fellow Frenchman, Derain. Read more [...]