My aim is to find the most original and visually inspiring early ceramics and present them for sale. I have handled a wide variety of ceramics during my professional career as Director and Head of European Ceramics and Glass, Christie’s, London and have a particular interest in English pottery. Each item offered is chosen to excite and absorb fellow devotees and fascinate collectors of unique and compelling objects.
I advise experienced collectors and those less familiar with ceramics who seek authentic pieces made between the late medieval period and the 19th century. I also assist those looking to sell individual items or collections, either acquired or inherited. With over twenty years’ experience with Christie’s auctioneers, I am uniquely positioned to offer considered, independent advice to both buyers and sellers of British and European Ceramics.
During the Stuart and early Georgian eras, pottery was manufactured across the British Isles. Tin-glazed earthenware or `delftware’, Stoneware and Slipware was produced in London and the South East, Bristol and the West Country, Liverpool, Yorkshire and the North as well as Staffordshire and the Midlands. Scotland, Wales and Ireland also saw the production of pottery for both the domestic and overseas markets. Later earthenware and porcelain developed from the reign of George II onwards. European pottery and porcelain is usually quite distinct from its British counterparts, often reflecting the aristocratic and noble tastes of the factories’ patrons. The parallels and differences between these diverse wares lie at the heart of my fascination with ceramics.
All have their own individual character; a character I hope to bring to your collection.