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Grindley soup tureen with ladle

It’s very rare to find tureens with their ceramic ladles still intact, so I was very excited when I came across this set by Grindley that dates sometime between 1936 and 1954. The pattern is called ‘Chameleon’ in reference to the multi-coloured edging that’s so striking. I know it’s completely over the top and definitely won’t be to everyones’ taste, but you have to appreciate it for its bold design – and the combination of the colours really is quite beautiful. It’s a large piece with a heavy price tag (I paid more for this tureen than I normally sell them for!), but it’s a special piece and well worth it. There’s a slight mark on the inside of the bowl, but other than that it’s in perfect condition. A great piece of pottery that’s sure to get your dinner guests’ tongues wagging!

Dimensions: Tureen – 25cm in diameter x 14cm high; Ladle – 24cm long x 10cm in diameter

Price: R390

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Carlton Ware acorn sugar bowl

I’ve never come across a piece of Carlton Ware that looks quite like this – the colours are quite different to what you normally see and for the life of me I can’t find anything else in this shape or pattern by this famous pottery house. That being said it is in keeping with their subject matter which is normally botanical in nature (excuse the unintended pun!). It looks to me like an acorn sitting on an oak leaf. There’s a small chip on the underside of the dish, but other than that it’s in perfect condition. An unusual piece that would make a fine addition to a Carlton Ware collection.

Dimensions: Dish – 14cm long x 10cm wide; Bowl – 8cm high x 7cm wide x 10cm long

Price: R140

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Royal Lancastrian dish

Sometimes on my hunts I come across pieces that I just know are something special, and that’s how I felt when I first spotted this oblong dish a while back. The seller wanted a fair bit for it, so I had to walk away, but when I saw that it was still for sale last week I couldn’t turn it down a second time around. And it turns out that I was right to take it home with me! The bowl was designed in 1948 by Mitzi Soloman Cuncliffe who is most famous for designing the golden trophy in the shape of a theatrical mask that represents the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and is presented as the BAFTA award. In addition to being a sculptor Cuncliffe also worked in textiles, ceramics and jewelry – a multi-talented lass! Considering its age, I think that this bowl is in excellent condition. It does have some slight crazing and the white edge is slightly off-colour in places, but all in all it’s pretty pristine. I love the use of colour, and the asymmetry of the bowl. Pieces by Cuncliffe can fetch some crazy prices – this particular bowl is for sale on designaddict.com for 265 Euros!

Dimensions: 40cm long x 16cm wide x 5cm high

Price: R320

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Melba China Dolly Varden sugar bowl

Dolly Varden, the name of this Melba china pattern, was a character in Barnaby Rudge, a Charles Dickens novel published in 1839. The term ‘Dolly Varden’ is most often a reference to a style of dress (presumably worn by the Dickens character) that involves a brightly patterned dress with an overskirt gathered up and draped over a separate underskirt.  I think that the illustration works beautifully on this art deco sugar bowl that dates to somewhere around the early 1930s. There is a small amount of wear to the pattern, but there are no chips or cracks in the bowl itself . I love the way the lady’s scarf floats up and over the side of the bowl – very clever design, and the slightly scalloped edge of the bowl is also a great feature. A whimsical piece that would look great as part of an eclectic tea set.

Dimensions: 11cm in diameter x 7cm high

Price: R120

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Ceramic & bamboo teapot

With my limited knowledge of ceramics I would have thought that this teapot was Japanese – it definitely has an eastern feel to it to me, but I was informed by someone a lot cleverer than me that it’s most likely German. Apparently the style of glazing is what gives it away. Who knew! It’s quite an unusual piece with its lid set off centre and rather rustic orange glaze that appears two-tone in places. I really enjoy the way the handle seems to swoop up over the pot. My housemate Niall has a bit of a crush on this pot – he’s an avid drinker of green tea (and other such horrid medicinal teas) and thinks that this would be the ideal pot to drink it out of – and I think he’s probably right. At the very least it would bring a bit of pleasure to the act of swallowing the bitter stuff!

Dimensions: 18cm tall (to top of handle) x 14cm in diameter

Price: R160 (more…)

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