Chelsea group of two children, eating porridge from a bowl, c.1756, red anchor mark, offered for £3200 at Albert Amor. The piece has a provenance back to Robyn Robb, the London ceramic dealer from Australia who also sold extensively to Burke.
When dealer Mark Law of Albert Amor first came across Burke in 1996, he was working on his collection through catalogues, letters and polaroids sent via the post by London dealers, who would then ship his selections across the globe to Tamworth in New South Wales.
Even when Albert Amor’s website launched in the early 2000s, Burke wasn’t one to buy with a single click; he would phone the gallery for long discussions, asking discerning questions before making his purchases.
This Worcester canted rectangular dish is from the Duke of Gloucester Service, the first documented Worcester Royal service and considered the finest English porcelain service of the 18th century. It is painted in coloured enamels and is available for £9000 from Albert Amor.
Finally, in 2019, the collector invited Law to visit him at his family home in Tamworth and to view his remarkable body of works.
Eighty-six pieces from that collection are now on offer at the St James’s gallery. In the catalogue introduction to the show, Law recalls encountering the collection in person during his trip down under.
“His home - the house where he had been brought up - was filled from the entrance hall onwards with cabinets beautifully arranged with the most spectacular porcelain of this period I had ever seen in one private collection.”
The group continued to grow throughout the pandemic. Burke made his final purchase in 2022, several weeks before his death.
Though Law says that the plan was for the gallery to handle the selling of the collection after his death, Burke’s family consigned it to Australian auction house Artvisory, where it was sold off over two days.
The gallery secured a large group of pieces, some on commission for clients, the rest now on offer via the shop and catalogue.
Included in the assortment are many high-value pieces of the best condition. The collection reflects Burke’s interest in flower painting and the work of the Giles atelier.
