This collection, which was acquired over 50 years, offers a fascinating insight into the world of British pottery and features fine examples of Royal Doulton, Royal Worcester, Moorcroft, Martin Brothers, Bernard Moore, Wedgwood and Minton. Ceramics & Perfume Ceramic and Perfume production can both be traced back to the ancient world. And, much like the changing styles and methods involved in ceramic production, the history of perfume is inextricably linked to the discovery of new and exotic materials. It was the French aristocracy who popularised the use of perfume throughout 18th century Europe. Within Georgian England it was primarily apothecaries who sold perfume, with Jewellers and trinket shops also selling perfume and a wide range of perfume containers. Josiah Wedgwood’s first mention of ‘smelling bottles’ was in April 1788 when writing to his son, Josiah II. Wedgwood’s neoclassical elegance stood out from the pieces produced by other porcelain houses of the time, in the renowned blue and white jasperware and in the style of Greek and Roman classical sculpture.
The basic colours of 18th Century jasperware are black, blue or sea green. Jasperware with a white background and blue detailing are much rarer, with pieces bearing a yellow or amber background being even more so. We are delighted to offer a selection of 18th Century Wedgwood jasperware scent bottles as part of this collection. We are also delighted to include a strong selection of ceramics by George Tinworth (1854–1913), who was responsible for some of the most distinctive and inventive examples of ceramic art to come from Royal Doulton’s factory in Lambeth, South London. Tinworth was a naturally gifted artist, who while recognised as having potential as a teenager, was limited by his family’s extreme poverty. In 1867 he made the decision to pawn his overcoat to pay for lessons at the local Lambeth School of Art, followed by The Royal Academy of Art. After graduating from The Royal Academy, Tinworth was one of the first artists to join Royal Doulton. He went to on to swiftly advance his career, producing vases and jugs alongside his well-known humorous figures and animals. In his first year, he exhibited thirty examples of his work at the 1867 Paris Exhibition. For Tinworth and his contemporaries, religious pieces, in terracotta relief were his greatest achievements, and became highly admired and sought after. The religious moral subject of the pieces referring back to antiquity was aimed to reflect the skill, virtue and academic merit of the artist.
There are fine examples of Tinworth’s red terracotta relief sculptures – Satan Tempting Christ to Make Bread from a Stone, and David’s Law in glazed terracotta. Another highlight is Lost and Serves Them Right for Betting, which blends Tinworth’s amusing animal groups with a moralistic angle, perhaps drawing from the deprivation Tinworth experienced during his early formative years. Other highlights include a rare selection of Chinese jade and Flambe Sung works by Charles Noke, finely painted pieces by George White, Allen, Dewsberry, Piper, Bilton, Harradine, Hannah and Florence Barlow, Curnock, Simeon, amongst others. An extensive selection of limited-edition loving cups and jugs, completes this venerable collection which includes an extremely rare George Washington loving cup prototype. From the Martin Brothers, there are a number of pieces rarely seen on the Australian market, along with an impressive selection of fine works by Bernard Moore. Royal Worcester is well represented with works by both Harry and John Stinton, Johnson, Bott and Baldwin alongside Minton Pâte-sur-pâte, early 19th century reform flasks and Daisy Makeig-Jones fairyland lustre. Finally, there is a strong selection of Penfolds Grange Hermitage vintage from 1963, 65, 66 and 76 and a fine array of Australian art by artists such as D’arcy Doyle, Kevin Best, Graham Cox, John McCartin and Raymond
Ward-Thompson.