Colours in Continental porcelain and pottery

Certain colours are associated with particular factories or periods. Some rare colours increase value of the piece. Here are a few examples:

Bleu Celeste, Sèvres

The object of the day: Two 19th century cabinets by Henri Dasson

A pair of amboyna, mahogany and black lacquer side cabinets, by Henry Dasson, Paris, circa 1880. photo Sotheby's

Made in the manner of Weisweiller, each with a brocatelle d'Espagne marble top above a frieze drawer and a panelled door, stamped Henry Dasson. 105cm. high, 83cm. wide, 45cm. deep; 3ft.5½in., 2ft.8¾in., 1ft.5½in. Est. 20,000—30,000 GBP - Sold 22,500 GBP

 

NOTE: Henry Dasson (1825-1896) is amongst the most distinguished of ébènistes of the second half of the 19th century. He had a remarkable career establishing himself as one of the most sought after makers from relatively humble beginings. The son of a leather worker he commenced as a bronzier specialising in clock cases. The catalyst for him to widen his oeuvre seems to have been the purchase of the models and casts from the workshop of Charles-Guillaume Winckelsen (1812-1871). Winckelsen specialised in very high quality furniture in the Louis XVI style with very finely cast and chased bronzes.

Queen Anne's dolls

A jointed body and carved face decorated with stylized eyebrows and brightly rouged cheeks characterize the "Queen Anne" style dolls. English woodcarvers and craftsmen began making these dolls in the 1600s which continued through the 1840s. Affordable only to affluent families, the vast majority of Queen Anne dolls where owned by women, who dressed them in the fashions of the time.

The dolls painted almond shaped eyes, changed to glass and porcelain in later years and limbs came to be made of fabric or leather. Some reports note that fewer than thirty 17th century Queen Anne dolls have survived.
Collectors call the wood dolls from England from the 18th and early 19th centuries "Queen Anne" dolls, which is somewhat confusing, since Queen Anne's reign ended in 1714! These dolls, in good to excellent condition, are extremely rare, and cost from about $1,500 for an early 19th century doll, to over $40,000 for dolls made in the late 17th century (very few have survived-less than 30 by some reports).

Lucien Freud's rediscovered works on the auction at Christie's

Francis Outred, Christie's Head of Post-War & Contemporary Art, Europe: “'2012, the year of the Olympics, is a big year for major British artists in London, with David Hockney at the Royal Academy, Lucian Freud opening at the National Portrait Gallery in February and Damien Hirst at the Tate through the summer. We are delighted to be further celebrating this in our February auctions. Alongside the outstanding Bacon of Henrietta Moraes, we are presenting an exquisite canvas from a key period by Freud and two drawings which span his career, an incredible discovery from 1948 which fills in some previously missing biographical detail and a stunning study of Bruce Bernard from 1985. Also in the auction is a very unusual study of Henry Geldzahler, Hockney's great friend and champion, from the same period”.

Boat, Connemara is a meticulous and emotional drawing executed in 1948 by Lucian Freud, while the young artist was on holiday in the Irish countryside (estimate: £200,000-300,000).

Hummel figurines

Hummel Figurines are finely crafted and rendered by the brilliant artist Berta Hummel borned in 1909. Berta’s creations were inspired by the sights and sounds where she grew up in her rural village of Massing Germany. Hummel Figurines are timeless, treasured worldwide and passed on from generation to generation.
In 1876, Franz Goebel started a porcelain firm near the town of Oeslauby, Germany. After several years of porcelain production in the factory, Franz's son, William expanded the Goebel product line and changed the company name to W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik. Convinced that the American market would assist sales, William developed a U.S. product line and sent his 16-year-old son, Max Louis, to America. By 1911, Max Louis Goebel returned to German to move the factory into the 20th century.