A Faience Iznik-style Pedestal Punch Bowl designed by William De Morgan for Cantagalli, is one of the highlights of the 20th Century Design Sale, taking place at Tennants Auctioneers on 3rd October (estimate: £2,000-3,000 all figures exclude buyer’s premium). William De Morgan (1839-1917) was one of the most influential and innovative potters of the Arts and Crafts movement, creating vibrant designs that drew inspiration from the Renaissance, the Medieval era and the Islamic world. His creativity wove together whimsical imagery, fantastic beasts and complex patterns with technical innovation that revolutionised art pottery in the Victorian age. Having married the Pre-Raphaelite artist Evelyn Pickering in 1887, he regularly travelled to Florence for both his health and to visit Evelyn’s uncles. Here he collaborated with the master potters Cantagalli, who were renowned for their high-quality maiolica and recreating Renaissance designs. Combining Cantagalli’s elaborate vases with De Morgan’s imagination and patterns resulted in striking wares rich with mythological motifs.
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Preview: 20th Century Design 3rd October
An interesting and varied selection of glass in the sale is led by an impressive Art Deco Eglantines Clear and Frosted Plafonnier by René Lalique (estimate: £5,000-7,000). Designed by the French master in 1926, the suspended light fitting is modelled with scrolling eglantines or wild roses. Predating the Lalique, having been made at the turn of the century are two good examples of the work of Loetz, a glass works founded in 1836 in the Southern Bohemian town of Klostermühle, today part of the Czech Republic. On offer is a piece of their famed iridescent glass in the form of an Art Nouveau Gilt Mounted Loetz Iridescent Papillon Glass Vase, which was designed by Gustav Gurschner (estimate: £2,000-3,000), and an Art Nouveau Gilt-Mounted Loetz Phaenomen Glass Baluster Vase (estimate: £1,500-2,000). Moving into the 21st century is an interesting glass Still Life with Apple and Pear, made by glass blower Elliot Walker for Blowfish Glass. The glass assemblage comprises a glass tray, bottle, wine glass, and a selection of fruit; Elliot Walker was winner of the second season of ‘Blown Away’, a glassblowing competition on Netflix.
An important French Art Deco Black Lacquer Desk made circa 1935 and attributed to Maison Dominique will be offered with two matching Art Deco black lacquer armchairs with an estimate of £2,000-3,000. Also of note amongst the design furniture in the sale is a circa 1970s Charles and Ray Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (estimate: £1,500-2,500). Two good lots of striking light fixtures made in the 1980s comprise Three Olympia Wall Appliques made of forged iron, copper and glass by Mark Brazier-Jones and sold with provenance from the Michael and Geraldine Leventis Collection (estimate: £1,000-1,500), and a Pair of Soleil Wall Lights by André Dubreuil (estimate: £2,000-3,000). The French designer Dubreuil is considered on of the most exceptional figures in contemporary design, combining traditional blacksmithing techniques with an expressive, almost surreal formal language.
Finally, an interesting and beautifully crafted selection of intarsia creations by T.A.G. Smith (Tom) of Nottinghamshire are offered from a private collection. Smith creates feathers, birds and native animals out of hardwood, and lots on offer in the sale include a Large Barn Owl Feather (estimate: £200-300).
