Stolen in 2019, the pair of late 17th century delftware shoes, inscribed and dated AB 1695, have been reunited with their owner.
These rare models, inscribed and dated AB 1695, were among a cache of valuable antiques stolen from a private residence in the summer of 2019. While one item was recovered a year after the raid, none of the other pieces had surfaced until now.
The shoes were consigned for sale at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes by a private buyer, who had recently paid just £26 for them as part of a job lot at a small auction house in the southwest.
Henry Aldridge’s newly appointed ceramics and glass specialist Clare Durham quickly identified them as being the same pair which had sold at Bonhams in London eight years previously for £15,000.
“Initially we were all very excited,” she said. “They were an incredible find for our vendor and a marvelous lot to be able to market for sale, but something just didn’t feel quite right.”
The fact that these had been sold quite recently in London and then neglected rang alarm bells. After enquiries with the saleroom where they had been bought earlier this year came to nothing, Durham approached Bonhams, who had sold the shoes in May 2017. The department was able to pass her details onto the buyer, who rang her the same evening.
“He told me the shoes had been stolen back in 2019 and was delighted to get them back after all this time,” said Durham. “It’s disappointing for our vendor, but with practically everything else from the theft still missing, it’s a really good feeling to be able to get them back to their rightful owner. It shows how important it is to follow your instincts.”
As reported in ATG's print issue, Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes is establishing a dedicated Ceramics and Glass department, after appointing Clare Durham as a specialist valuer and cataloguer.
She joined the firm from Woolley and Wallis, where she built up a reputation as a leading specialist in primarily 18th and 19th century pottery, porcelain and glass. The first standalone sale at Henry Aldridge is scheduled for March 25, 2026.
