1. Worcester beaker vase
Early Worcester beaker vase, c.1754, of ‘Scratch Cross’ type and of waisted, cylindrical form, finely painted with the ‘Bird and Snail’ pattern, estimate £7000-9000 at Bonhams Knightsbridge on December 15.
Worcester Porcelain: The John Alchin and Ralph Kenber Collections comes to Bonhams Knightsbridge on December 15.
Kenber collected porcelain over a period of 20 years from the early 1990s. He had retired some years earlier from a successful career in the brewery industry and his collection began as he sought out another hobby to pursue alongside his many interests. Fascinated with early Worcester Porcelain, his tastes were defined by rarity of form and decoration.
In 1980 Alchin received a Christmas present from a friend and, although initially baffled by the choice of gift, what followed was 40 years of browsing the antique stalls of Portobello Road and Kensington Church Street; with many visits to the Museum of Royal Worcester.
Highlights include this early Worcester beaker vase, c.1754, of ‘Scratch Cross’ type and of waisted, cylindrical form, finely painted with the ‘Bird and Snail’ pattern. Bonhams states there are “only four recorded examples of this exceptional vase”.
Estimate: £7000-9000. View and bid for this Worcester beaker vase via thesaleroom.com.
2. Safety bicycle
A c.1884 Geo Singer & Co, ‘Xtraordinary Challenge’ lever-driven safety bicycle, estimate £6000-8000 at Transport Collector Auctions (in partnership with Lawrences of Crewkerne) on December 15.
A c.1884 Geo Singer & Co, ‘Xtraordinary Challenge’ lever-driven safety bicycle, in fully restored condition, forms part of a collection of historic bicycles being sold by Transport Collector Auctions (in partnership with Lawrences of Crewkerne) on December 15.
Finished in green, the 54-inch driving wheel has butted spokes, renewed bearings, new solid tyring and polished hub.
Estimate £6000-8000. View and bid for this safety bicycle via thesaleroom.com.
3. London Underground poster
London Underground poster There is Still the Country from 1926, by Dora Batty, estimate £100-200 in the Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood on December 15.
This London Underground poster There is Still the Country from 1926 is a design by Dora Batty (1900-66). The 3ft 5in x 2ft 1in (1.01m x 63cm) poster, with tears to the lower left and upper middle is estimated at £100-200 in the Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood auction in Exeter on December 15. View and bid for this London Underground poster via thesaleroom.com.
4. Cotswold School brass fire dogs
Pair of Cotswold School brass fire dogs, c.1900, estimate £2000-3000 at Mallams in Oxford on December 15-16.
This pair of 23in (57cm) Cotswold School brass fire dogs, c.1900, is attributed to Nelson Dawson and Edward Spencer for the Artificers’ Guild. The foliate fretwork design is based on the 17th century fire dogs at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire.
The fire dogs have a guide of £2000-3000 at Mallams in Oxford on December 15-16. View and bid for these brass fire dogs via thesaleroom.com.
5. 17th century map of Judea
A 17th century map of Judea and the Holy Land once presented to former Israel prime minister Golda Meir will be offered at John Nicholson’s on December 16, estimate £500-1000.
A 17th century map of Judea and the Holy Land once presented to former Israel prime minister Golda Meir will be offered at John Nicholson’s Oriental and Islamic auction on December 16.
The fully coloured map by the French royal cartographer and geographer Guillaume Sanson (1633-1703) shows the lands of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and was published by Alexis-Hubert Jaillot in 1695. Sanson was the son of Nicolas Sanson (1600-67), widely regarded as the father of French cartography and also cartograher and sometime tutor to two kings of France, Louis XIII and Louis XIV.
Trevor Chinn, chairman of the Joint Israel Appeal, presented the 2ft 1in x 3ft 1in (63.5 x 93.5cm) map to Meir during her visit to London in 1976.
Estimate £500-1000. View and bid for map of Judea via thesaleroom.com.
6. Minton majolica umbrella stand
Minton majolica umbrella stand modelled as an amphora on a stand with lion masks and key fret supports, estimate £800-1200 at Bishop & Miller on December 16.
This Minton majolica umbrella stand modelled as an amphora on a stand with lion masks and key fret supports, 3ft 1in (93cm) has an impressed date mark for 1870. The design is often attributed to Christopher Dresser.
It has a guide of £800-1200 at Bishop & Miller of Stowmarket on December 16. View and bid for this Minton majolica umbrella stand via thesaleroom.com.
