Ashmolean Museum acquires Renaissance Silverware

A superb collection of Renaissance silverware worth millions of pounds has been bequeathed to Oxford's Ashmolean Museum. Nearly 500 items, described as the most important gift to a British museum for over a century, were donated by the late collector Michael Wellby. Included is a rare lapis lazuli bowl, made by Dutch goldsmith Paulus van Vianen, valued at £3m.

A selection of the objects will go on temporary display from next month. They will be housed in the museum's West Meets East gallery before the entire collection is showcased in a permanent gallery.

Ashmolean Museum website

Royal Doulton Seated Character Jugs

Royal Doulton Seated Toby Jug 'The Squire' D6319

Similar in form to the traditional Toby jug, the seated characters by Doulton are another great range for collectors. For more Royal Doulton visit Premier Antiques

Royal Doulton 'Falstaff' Seated Toby Jug D6063

Early Mason's Patent Ironstone China

I was very pleased to add two of these early Mason's plates (c1825) to my ironstone collection. In a Japanese Imari style pattern, as well as the Mason's mark they also have a rare Dublin retailer's mark. For more details of these and other Mason's items, visit Premier Antiques

Vintage Royal Winton Chintz

Royal Winton 'Eleanor' dish

From the 1930s to the 1950s the firm of Grimwades were famous for producing tightly grouped, small floral patterns under the trade name of Royal Winton. It was a skilled and painstaking job to trim and fit the transfers to a variety of table and giftware shapes, but the results were vibrant and very decorative. For some great examples of chintz, why not visit my website Premier Antiques

Royal Winton 'Florence' Butter Dish & Cover circa 1953

Scottish Art Glass - Vasart

In 1946 Salvador Ysart left Moncrieff's to set up a glassworks with two of his sons at the old Shore Works in Perth. Products were given the name 'Vasart' and for the next ten years or so, they were acid etched on the base with a script signature. Here is a lovely signed posy vase (catalogue shape V003) c1950 in pale turquoise shading to pink.

Vasart glass c1950

For more details, visit Premier Antiques

Doulton Burslem

Doulton Burslem Aesthetic Movement Vase c1885

A lovely Aesthetic Movement vase by Doulton, hand painted with sprays of magnolia on a cream ground. Finished in old gold on a fantastic shape in the Japanese taste. For more details visit my website Premier Antiques

Victorian Cranberry Glass

Victorian glassmakers called this colour 'ruby', but subsequently collectors have renamed it 'cranberry' to differentiate it from the dark red glass produced from the 1920s onwards which we now call ruby glass. Here we have a beautiful suite of six wine glasses made around 1880. A lovely colour with clear glass stems which are facet cut to show a teardrop in each baluster. Rare to find original sets like this. See more Cranberry at Premier Antiques

Suite of six Cranberry wine glasses c1880

Early Susie Cooper

Susie Cooper began her career painting lustre designs by Gordon Forsyth at Gray's Pottery in 1922. By 1926 she was being credited for her own freehand designs which were becoming bolder and more geometric in style. She left Gray's in October 1929 and set up a decorating studio with various affiliations, before moving to the Crown Works (Bursley Ltd.) in the summer of 1931. She continued producing hand painted wares as well as developing new shapes and decorating techniques. Here we have some rare early examples. For more Susie Cooper visit my website Premier Antiques

Gray's Pottery 'Moon and Mountains' Beaker

Gray's Pottery 'Crocus' Dish

Crown Works Painted and Banded Tankard

Crown Works 'Modernist' Plate

Royal Winton Lustre

Grimwades Royal Winton 'Fruit' Lustre Vases c1925

A large pair of early Royal Winton vases hand painted with fruit on a beautiful blue lustre ground. For more details visit Premier Antiques

Carlton Ware Night Oak

A fine art deco design by Carlton Ware, produced in two colourways; day oak and night oak. Here is a beautiful two-handled vase in the rarer night oak. The blue 'satin' glazes of this range really are something to see and a large vase like this shows just why Carlton Ware products became famous worldwide. For more details see Premier Antiques

Carlton Ware 'Night Oak' vase c1935

Royal Winton Carnation Lustre

Royal Winton 'Carnation' Lustre Vase c1935

A stunning art deco vase by Royal Winton with stylised carnation flowers and leaves. Rare to find this lovely 'Roma' shape in such good condition. For more details see Premier Antiques

Carlton Ware Hydrangea

Large Carlton Ware Pink 'Hydrangea' Wall Pocket

Carlton Ware Pink 'Hydrangea' Sandwich Tray

The colours of the vintage Hydrangea ranges are stunning, and these lovely pink and green pieces are no exception. See more of my Hydrangea collection at Premier Antiques

Maling Purple Lustre

An unusual pair of vintage Maling purple lustre vases. For a great selection of Maling lustre visit Premier Antiques

Pair of Maling purple lustre vases c1955

Wedgwood Green Majolica

Wedgwood Green Majolica 'Vine Leaf and Sunflower' Dish c1869

A lovely Wedgwood vine leaf and sunflower two handled dish, rare to find in such good condition. For more details see Premier Antiques

Faith, Hope and Charity - Early Lustre

An early Staffordshire cup and saucer depicting faith, hope and charity. Printed in pink with pink lustre trim and enamelled detail. For more antique lustre wares visit Premier Antiques

Early Blue and White Shipping Series

A rare series produced around 1815 and featuring sea scapes, sea battles and shipwrecks with both naval and merchant shipping. The various scenes are printed in square or rectangular frames depending on the shape of the item and have a fantastic border of exotic shells and seaweed. No marked pieces have yet been found and stylistically the design is so different from most other blue and white wares of the time, it's difficult to even speculate which English firm produced this beautiful series. For more details see Premier Antiques

Shipping series 'Frigate 1' dinner plate c1815

Davidson's Blue Pearline Glass - Prince William

A superb jug in the blue pearline 'Prince William' pattern introduced by Davidson's in the 1890s and given the registration number 217752. For more details visit Premier Antiques

Davidson's blue pearline jug c1895

Maling Blue Springtime

Produced in green, pink and blue lustre, this post war design featuring sprays of tulips, daffodils and anemones has a lovely vibrant and fresh feel to it. Here are two superb examples in blue. For more Maling lustre visit my website Premier Antiques

Maling Springtime jug

Maling Springtime dish

Clarice Cliff - My Garden

In 1934 Clarice developed further the idea of using molded flowers and leaves for the bases and handles of new shapes and combined this with delecia runnings used on earlier wares. Yellow, honey and tan were the predominant glazes and sometimes red, green or blue can be found. Probably the rarest and certainly one of the most vibrant are the violet and pink colourways. Here is a large 'finned' 768 shape dish which shows the exceptional depth of colour that could be achieved on the best examples. For more details see Premier Antiques

Clarice Cliff 'My Garden' dish c1936

Clarice Cliff 'My Garden' 768 dish c1936

Clarice Cliff 'My Garden' Delecia c1936

Shelley Regent Shape

By 1932 Eric Slater was moving Shelley's teaware designs away from the angular lines of Mode and Vogue to the rounded forms of the Regent shape. Cups were gently flared and given round handles which still encompassed good art deco design. For more details visit Premier Antiques

Shelley Regent trio c1933

Shelley yellow 'Phlox' c1933

Royal Doulton - Poppies in a Cornfield

A beautiful series introduced in 1930 which captures perfectly the edge of a cornfield in mid summer. Vibrant hand painted scarlet poppies feature in the foreground with fields and a distant farmhouse in the background. In production for a relatively short period and very much collected. For more details see Premier Antiques

Royal Doulton 'Poppies in a Cornfield' c1949

Susie Cooper - Dresden Spray

An unusual hors d'oeuvres dish in green Dresden Spray. A superb trefoil shape with a lovely scrolled handle. A rare item to find, especially in such good condition. For more details visit my website Premier Antiques

Susie Cooper 'Dresden Spray' c1935

Susie Cooper hors d'oeuvres dish c1935

Maling Cathedral Tea Caddies

Produced by Maling for Ringtons tea company to celebrate the North East Coast Industries Exhibition of 1929, these splendid blue and white hexagonal pots show views of local abbeys and cathedrals. For more details see Premier Antiques

Maling tea caddy for Ringtons c1930

Charlotte Rhead - Fruit Border

Richardson's pattern number 5802, Fruit Border is a striking band of lustred orange fruit and bronze leaves with lustre circles and stems finished in gold. Introduced in 1938 it was used to illustrate several Crown Ducal advertisements in 1939. For more details visit my website Premier Antiques

Charlotte Rhead 'Fruit Border' c1938

Carlton Ware Apple Blossom Jugs

Here we have two lovely Apple Blossom jugs from the same range and period, but very different shapes. For more Carlton Ware visit my website Premier Antiques

Carlton Ware Apple Blossom

Carlton Ware Apple Blossom

Royal Winton Welbeck Chintz

Introduced in the 1930s, Welbeck is essentially the same pattern as Hazel but on a creamy yellow background as opposed to black. The same pink and yellow roses with daffodils and narcissi produce a beautiful and fresh 'all over' effect. For original vintage chintz visit Premier Antiques

Royal Winton 'Welbeck' tray c1938

Davidson's Pearline Glass

George Davidson established a glassworks near Gateshead in 1867. Production stopped after a disastrous fire in 1880 but over a year later they were back in business and competing strongly with Sowerby and Greener for the decorative pressed glass market. The pearline series was introduced in 1888 in canary (primrose) yellow and light (sky) blue, with a few other colours produced briefly. Here is a stunning yellow comport in the 'Victoria and Albert' pattern of 1897.

For more Davidson, Sowerby, Vaseline, Cranberry and other glass, visit Premier Antiques

Royal Winton Marguerite Teapot

Teapots from any vintage are difficult to find in good condition - it's usually the spout or lid that gets chipped. They were also expensive to make and buy, often costing as much as the rest of the teaset combined. Silver or plated pots were often used instead as they are less prone to damage. This of course all adds to the rarity value of old teapots. Here is a beautiful early Royal Winton Marguerite teapot in excellent condition. For more details see Premier Antiques

Royal Winton Marguerite teapot c1930

Clarice Cliff Autumn Crocus

A superb Bizarre Crocus bowl in the 'finned' daffodil shape. A classic Clarice pattern on a classic art deco shape. For more details visit Premier Antiques

Clarice Cliff Bizarre Crocus on a Daffodil shape bowl c1932

Clarice Cliff Bizarre Crocus lithograph mark c1932

Joseph Holdcroft Majolica Water Lily Plate

The makers of Victorian majolica loved using exotic flowers and foliage in their designs. Water lilies were the 'must have' plant and is reflected in this superb plate which bears the Joseph Holdcroft monogram. A beautiful and rare piece. For more details please visit Premier Antiques

Burtles Tate and Co - Vaseline Glass

A beautiful late 19th century hand made cranberry and vaseline opalescent vase from this old Manchester firm. For more details see Premier Antiques