Kinghams

Flightless bird walks away with a new owner as silver novelty rarities catch the eye at Kinghams

Elements of a well-documented Empire period Sèvres dinner and dessert service surfaced at Kinghams (26% buyer’s premium) in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, on March 4.

A diminutive but rare mid-17th century needlework picture sold for £11,000 in Tennants’ (24% buyer’s premium) latest Fashion, Costume and Textiles Sale.

A decade ago V&A curators used an X-ray to discover what was inside a vintage Christmas cracker made in the 1920s by the Tom Smith company without having to actually pull it. This revealed a small chocolate.

A rare Georgian brass microscope by Edinburgh maker John Clark will join an important Dutch collection after its sale in the Cotswolds.

The Zena Kwiatkowski Corrigan collection of tiles was sold by Kinghams (26% buyer’s premium) in Moreton-in-Marsh over 291 lots on October 30.

Although termed strawberry dishes, the classic early Georgian plain serving dish with raised fluted sides and a scalloped rim, were used for a variety of purposes.

Auctions with half an eye on the gift-giving season proliferate throughout late November and early December.

A round-up of art and antiques news from the previous seven days, including Michael Jeffery leaving Woolley & Wallis and joining Kinghams

A simple Edwardian open face silver pocket watch used on the Trans-Antarctic Expedition sold for £2600 at Kinghams (26% buyer’s premium) in Moreton-in-Marsh.

Wemyss Ware bulldogs decorated with cabbage roses were first made by Robert Heron’s Kirkcaldy factory in the early years of the 20th century.

Stock of retiring dealer offered at auction includes items with fascinating backgrounds

From the late 18th century, Birmingham was the centre for the making of ‘toys’ – small decorative objects including boxes, nutmeg graters, buckles, caddy spoons, vinaigrettes and rattles, fashioned from silver.

Several middle-market pocket globes have appeared at regional salerooms recently – here is a selection

Created shortly after the 1830 Revolution, when Louis Philippe ruled as ‘king of the French’, the ‘Service de la Chevalerie’ was a great example of romantic historicism.

New Zealand-born architect Keith Murray (1892-1981) began to make designs for Wedgwood on a commercial basis in 1933, joining a stable of designers that included Daisy Makeig-Jones and John Skeaping.

‘Tutti Frutti’ is the name given to Cartier’s range of brightly coloured jewels in the Indian style from the 1920s-30s.