Decorative Art

We chat to a collector whose political and royal commemorative ceramics mean he can 'survey three centuries of British history in a single glance'

The most eagerly contested lot in a recent sale at Potteries Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) was a Doulton stoneware Isobath inkwell.

The boar’s head tureen with matching stand is considered the rarest of all the game tureens made by the Minton factory in its colourful majolica range.

Is Mason’s ironstone going through a collecting Renaissance? Well, perhaps

Bottles with fatal content had to be specially designed and coloured to avoid a nasty accident

A curious pearlware pottery hybrid animal with the head of a sheep and body of a winged fish proved a popular entry at Toovey’s (24.5% buyer’s premium).

By their nature, rare bottles can emerge for sale in some unlikely places

Wedgwood has long been such a popular collecting strand in the US that it is no surprise to see quantities reappear on the market at auction, either as mixed-owner consignments or single-owner collections

A group of just over 20 lots of Jacobite drinking glasses from the 18th century featured in a sale of Scottish Works of Art and Whisky held in Edinburgh.

An 18th century wine bottle honouring Thomas Wedgwood, a key figure in the history of the Wedgwood factory, comes for sale in Derbyshire this autumn.

This 12in (30.5cm) diameter Dutch delft bowl was a high-flyer at Rob Michiels (30% buyer’s premium inc VAT) in Bruges.

Included in Mellors & Kirk’s (24% buyer’s premium) July 18-20 sale in Nottingham was this classic baluster goblet dated to the 18th century.

This elegant Victorian clear glass claret jug of neoclassical design featured in the July 27 sale at Kinghams (25/18/15% buyer’s premium).

The Victoria and Albert Museum has bought the only known version of a vase produced by the Chelsea porcelain factory during its ‘Gold Anchor’ period.

A recent Devin Moisan (25% buyer’s premium) sale was topped by a 1974 Chinese snuff bottle decorated by Wang-Hsi (Xisan).

Not to be confused with the modern limited edition toby jugs of the same name, the Royal Doulton figure Spook is among the most desirable models in all the HN series.

This 18th century Sèvres soft-paste porcelain ice pail (seau à glace) carries the date letter 'O' for 1767 and a tiny painter’s mark of an anchor for Charles Buteux Sr (1719-82).

With its long and varied production lines Moorcroft remains a stalwart of Design auctions.

A single-lot auction conducted by the sealed bids process has set a record for a transfer printed pot lid.