Royal Worcester take the lead at the British & Continental Ceramics Auction

The British & Continental Ceramics & Glass auction, held Tuesday 13th January, proved that collectors of British ceramics are willing to join the battle of bids to claim sought-after factory names, particular ceramic patterns and ceramic painters. In particular, Royal Worcester proved to be the star of the show. Lot 273, the Royal Worcester twenty-piece part tea service, was painted by the Worcester ceramic painters Townsend, Price, Bagnell, Aryton and Moseley; the quality of this lot was reflected in its price, reaching £1600 hammer, the top end of its estimate. Moreover, other Royal Worcester lots in the auction also achieved healthy hammer results: lot 159, an immaculate pair of Worcester slender vases, made double the high end of the estimate and achieved £500 hammer, and lot 193, a collection of Royal Worcester porcelain had an estimate of £300-500 and made £500 hammer.

Other British ceramicists were also well-represented, with Moorcroft proving to hold its value well at auction. Lot 302, a Moorcroft poppy pattern vase was estimated at £120-180 and after fierce bidding in the room and online, the hammer finally fell at £440. Continuing the British theme with lot 309, a large and decorative ‘Faience Iznik’ vase by Burmantofts, a pottery originally established in Leeds, closed on the high end of the estimate at £600.