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Current Auctions & Results
Rubin Sale #6 Result Highlights
The sixth installment of the “Wedgwood and European Ceramics from the Dr. Ellis F. Rubin & Suzanne Borow Rubin Collection” sale hammered down on March 4th at Freeman’s | Hindman of Philadelphia online. It consisted of 173 lots of Wedgwood with 18 left unsold, and many of which realized below estimated range. The prices in the highlights listed are inclusive of the 28% buyer’s premium. To view the entire sale, visit: 6373 Wedgwood and European Ceramics from the Dr. Ellis F. Rubin & Suzanne Borow Rubin Collection, Part VI
- Encaustic Basalt Vase: early 19th C, 12”: $3520
- Rosso Antico Sleeping Baby Figure: 19th C, 5”: $256
- Brown Jasper Vase: late 19th C, 4”: $704
- Blue Jasper Doorbell: c1900, 3”: $128
- Majolica Amber Elephant Tobacco Jar: c1880, 7”: $128
- Bone China Gilt Pegasus Vase: late 19th C, 19”: $1408
- Portrait John Falstaff Charger: 1881, 15”: $256
- Fairyland Lustre Shell-shaped Tray: early 20th C, 11”: $384
- Two Jasper Honey Pots: 2009, 6”: $896
Hightower Collection Auction in March
The Mickey Hightower collection of Wedgwood is to be offered at Bonhams Skinner in an online sale running March 9-19, 2025. Mickey started collecting in 1980, first with his attraction to black basalt and rosso antico and then moving on to the many 19th and 20th century wares including those produced by studio and freelance artists of their day. Offered will be a number of hand-painted pieces by Emile Lessore, a variety of Marsden wares, a wide assortment of Ivory Vellum, 2nd-period bone china ornamental wares, and from artists including Keith Murray, Erling Olsen, Norman Wilson, Michael Dillon, Elwyn James and Anita Synovec.
Mickey has a long history with Wedgwood collectors and his involvement with the Wedgwood International Seminar. He has served as secretary, president, and seminar chairman. For more details, visit: Bonhams Skinner : Fine English Ceramics Featuring Wedgwood.
Bonhams Skinner October Sales Results
Three major collections, comprising of about 300 lots of Wedgwood of all types and periods were sold via an online Bonhams Skinner auction on October 7th. The consignors were: Myra Karp (Seattle, Washington), Gary Kidwell (northern California) and David Clippert (Arkansas), and overall, the consensus is that many hammered at below current market value. Regrettably, once the sale is complete the Bonham’s website eliminates access to the original details such as estimates, sizes, and conditions. The prices of the highlighted items (several of which exceeded expectations) below reflect the buyer’s premium of 28%. To view the entire sale, visit: Bonhams Skinner : Fine English Ceramics featuring Wedgwood
- Pr Encaustic Basalt Vases: 19th C: $8320
- W&B Porphory Vase: c1775: $435
- Pr Brown Slip Terra Cotta Pots & Stand: late 18th C: $4864
- Dark Blue Dip Jasper Beaded Necklace: late 18th C: $2816
- Majolica Jardinière and Stand: 1861: $960
- Majolica Mantel Clock: 1885: $154
- Queen’s Ware Compote: c19th C: $192 (note: this is “Imperial” Queen’s Ware and didn’t commence production until first quarter of 20th C)
- Three Skeaping Animals: 20th C: $205
- Fairyland Lustre Lily Tray: c1925: $1408
Goldfein Wedgwood Sale at Dreweatts Recap
A portion of the Stanley Goldfein Collection, that included 81 lots of Wedgwood, was sold June 27th at Dreweatts in Berkshire, England. While the inventory was primarily Wedgwood & Bentley / 18th century period, the hammer prices fell far below the estimates on about 85% of the lots. Was it a factor of over-zealous expectations? Some prices realized seemed reasonable while others, a bargain.
The few lots that did exceed included four Portland Vases hammering between 10,000 and 15,000 GBP; an original Catherine the Great Frog Service plate (with crack) at 13,000 GBP; and a basalt bust of Grotius at 9,500 GBP. Prices do not include the 26% buyers’ premium. To view all the results visit: https://www.dreweatts.com/auctions/the-stanley-f-goldfein-collection-important-english-ceramics-14741/
It shall be interesting to observe how the other 500 lots from the Goldfein collection, being offered at Bonhams Skinner on July 11th, will fare.
Upcoming Exhibitions & Reviews
Wedgwood for the Canadian Market, January 21 – April 13, 2025
Be sure to visit the Wedgwood Exhibition at the Glanmore National Historical site in Belleville, Canada, running through April 13, where pieces from the Dr. Keith McLeod’s collection will be on display. Many Wedgwoodians will remember Keith and his role as WIS seminar chair for many years and later president. For those who were members of the WSWDC in 2002 will remember his talk on Wedgwood & Canada. Entry to the exhibit, entitled “Beyond Blue & White: Wedgwood Designed for Canada” is included in the museum admission fee. For tickets and museum information visit Glanmore.ca.
Antiques Shows
The 2025 Brimfield Antiques Series of Shows: Brimfield, Massachusetts; May 14-18, July 9-13, September 3-7. Visit:: http://brimfieldantiquefleamarket.com/
Malden Historical Society Antiques Show: March 8, at Anthony’s, Malden, MA
Manchester Antiques Show: March 14-15, at 2nd Congregational Church, Manchester, CT
Hingham Antiques Show: March 29-30, at Middle School, Hingham, MA
Duxbury Antiques Show: April 26-27, at High School, Duxbury, MA
Current Publications
Wedgwood: Craft & Design
Looking back at key moments in Wedgwood’s design history, this book, written by Catrin Jones, curator of the V&A Wedgwood Collection, celebrates the manufacturer’s visual power and great design from its founding in 1759 to the present day. It highlights the internationally renowned V&A Wedgwood Collection containing around 80,000 objects. Published by Thames & Hudson, it will be available May 2023 via most book sources: $19.95
Beyond Wedgwood Blue
The Ruthmere Museum in Indiana held an exhibition, “Beyond Wedgwood Blue”. Now available is a catalogue that features highlights of the exhibit and the history of Wedgwood. Visit: http://ruthmere.wildapricot.org/Exhibit-Catalogues
Newsworthy Bits & Bytes
The 68th annual Wedgwood International Seminar
The 2025 Wedgwood International Seminar will be held in Williamsburg, Virginia, from April 24-26. There will be lectures by Catrin Jones, Chief Curator at the V&A Wedgwood Collection, Claire Blakey, Curator of Modern Decorative Arts, National Museums of Scotland, Angelika Kuettner, Curator of Ceramics and Glass at Colonial Williamsburg, Jill Vaum Rothschild, Associate Curator in Fine Arts, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Michelle Erickson, artist, Sophie Guiny, collector and Wedgwood scholar, and Robert Hunter, former editor of Ceramics in America. There will be behind the scenes tours, a visit to a private collection, a chance to purchase a Wedgwood treasure to add to your collection, and, of course, the ability to see the ceramic collections at Colonial Williamsburg. Check the WIS website at WedgwoodInternationalSeminar.org for complete details and registration information.
Robert Hamilton Wedgwood (1948-2024)
The Wedgwood community mourns the death of Robert H. Wedgwood, 75, of Palm Springs, California, on February 7, 2024. Bob served as president of the Wedgwood Society of Southern California for many years, was on the boards of the WIS and WSNY, and a long-time member of the WSB and other related societies. He also acted as an advisor to the Wedgwood 250th exhibition in DC. His collecting focused on Wedgwood’s handcrafted wares and artists pieces of the 19th and 20th centuries. Among his many lectures was one on his Wedgwood ancestry from the 15th century. Bob was a retiree of the IRS’s business division in California. He is a native of Andover, Massachusetts, and has strong roots in New England. He is survived by his sister Dawn Forbes of MA and his twin brother William of NH. Bob will be cremated and his ashes interred in the family plot in Connecticut at a later date. RIP.
The loss of a Wedgwood legend
The Wedgwood Society of Boston is saddened to learn of the death of member Suzanne Borow Rubin on May 24, 2023. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her husband Ellis and family. We will miss her, dearly. You can read the full obituary here.
Remembering a friend: Dorothy-Lee Jones Ward
We are most saddened to learn of the death of Dorothy-Lee Jones Ward (January 11, 1927 – August 4, 2022), of Sebago Lake, Maine, and Wellesley, Mass. A WSB past president as well as that of WIS, she was a most gracious lady and Wedgwood legend, serving as mentor to many of us. Her love and expertise was also in the field of glass, as an antiques dealer, and later the founder of the Jones Museum of Glass and Ceramics in Maine. You may find the complete obituary here. A memorial service will be held at Doherty’s Funeral Home, 477 Washington St., Wellesley, Mass., on Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 1 pm.
Members’ Choices
Submitted by Peggy Kerner
I love this piece in my collection because it is so unusual. It is called a “Bouquetière” which is a fancy word from the French for flower pot. They are usually oval or round in shape, have a pierced lid to hold flower stems or branches, and were made in the late 18th to early 19th century. Mine is made of white terracotta biscuit covered with matte black slip and glazed inside to prevent staining. It is 8 1/2 inches high and 11 inches wide and dates to 1785. It was originally in the Oxborrow collection, and a similar example is in the Beeson Collection at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
Submitted by Ron Frazier
Spotted by my son Forrest many years ago and knowing it was Wedgwood, he scooped the piece up. This Imari (Japanese) style 9” Vase is in a Pearl Ware body and has a production date-code of 1886. Imari style is based largely on two colors, a dark underglaze blue and a dark red, and is a crowded design. Along with other patterns of stylized floral shapes, the Imari range became popular in England during the early 19th Century and appears in various renditions (usually described as Japan Patterns) on Wedgwood’s Queen’s Ware, bone china, and whiteware, as well as pearlware. Japanese designs became popular after the international exhibitions in London in 1862 and Paris in 1889.