An Auction Preview To Excite

A substantial (and tempting) late 18th century black basalt urn shaped vase and cover by Wedgwood & Bentley

Photo: Chronica Domus

This past February, I attended an auction where, unfortunately, I was the unsuccessful bidder on a piece of artwork. While there, I spotted a few items of interest that were not part of the current sale.  They were prominently displayed in the two glass cases flanking the entrance doors to the auction house. I inquired at the registration desk as to when the two Wedgwood urns and the black basalt sphinx candlestick would be coming under the hammer.  I was told these items were to be featured in the next Period Art and Design sale at the end of March. Unfortunately, the catalog for that auction was not yet available for viewing.  All I could do was wait another month to see what else might catch my eye.

A pair of 19th century Wedgwood jasper urns in an unusual straw color with black decoration.

Photo: Chronica Domus

When the catalog was eventually made available for viewing in mid-March, I found myself being simultaneously overjoyed and heart poundingly nervous at the sight of a substantial haul of ceramic goodies on offer. Part of the overall sale featured a large collection of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century black basalt pieces manufactured by Wedgwood and his contemporaries, a particular collecting interest of mine.  There were also many pieces of jasperware in an assortment of colors and color combinations, caneware, and several impressive porphyry glazed terracotta pieces.  I knew this auction could steer me into imminent danger and lead to my undoing upon spying lot after lot of items I'd only ever seen between the walls of a museum or the covers of reference books.  This was by far the largest collection of  early Wedgwood I had ever seen outside of the official Wedgwood museum in Stoke-on-Trent.  Of course other large collections have come up for sale in other well respected auction houses within the United States, but I can tell you that I live on the wrong side of the country for such things to appear locally.  This was definitely an auction to induce an experience worthy of smelling salts.

A diminutive black basalt urn shaped vase and cover

Photo: Chronica Domus

With this in mind, what was a girl to do when confronted with a veritable chocolate box of goodies?  Well, the answer, of course, would be to attend the auction's preview, and that is exactly what I did last Saturday. My good friend and neighbor, who is often my partner in crime on such hunts, accompanied me on this expedition and was my voice of reason as we both ogled the cases bursting with pretties.

The preview rooms were hopping with interested individuals and potential bidders scouring both the decorative arts pieces on offer, and the trove of fine jewelry that was to be featured as part of the Salon Jewelry Sale on the day following the Period Art and Design Sale.

The collection I had come to view was divided into forty-three lots.  Of those, seventeen comprised exclusively of black basalt pieces. There was an abundance of tea and coffee pots, sugar bowls, creamers and milk jugs decorated in a variety of engine turned designs and applied relief molding.

A lot of tea ware including a tea canister (back right), and a teapot with a swan finial manufactured by William Baddeley of Eastwood

Photo: Chronica Domus

This lot of tea ware included a teapot manufactured by the Spode factory (back right)

Photo: Chronica Domus

Yet another lot of tea ware comprised mainly of engine turned designs

Photo: Chronica Domus

Several urns were featured in various sizes along with incense burners, spittoons, vases, a tea canister and even a large punch pot.  Oh, and the lone sphinx candlestick I had seen back in February was now featured as a lot on its own.

A beautiful late 18th century Wedgwood & Bentley black basalt urn shaped vase with lid, a very tempting piece

Photo: Chronica Domus

All of  the pieces I examined appeared to be in excellent condition with barely a chip or scratch between them.  Obviously, whoever compiled the collection (and I would guess at least the basalt pieces came from a single collector), took great care of it and had exacting standards when adding to it.  Some of the pieces I handled came complete with previous auction tags marking their passage through prior sales.  I spotted a few from an auction that Sotheby's held in New York in 1984, and others from their earlier sales.  There were even lot tags from auctions held at Philips in London.  One sticker of note adhered to the underside of an urn had indicated its provenance through the collection of Milton Milestone, the renowned international collector of Wedgwood. Further research tells me it may have left the nest during one of two great sales held in 1975 and 1976 by Sotheby's in New York.

 A spittoon, urn shaped vase (formerly in the collection of Milton Milestone), and a sublime incense burner

Photo: Chronica Domus

An appetizing  lot comprised of a cylindrical vase (center), an urn shaped vase (right), and what I think to be the bottom of a cassolette (left, described as a vase)

Photo: Chronica Domus

Within the dizzying selection of lots, there were several examples of basalt to tempt me. However, those pieces were distributed over several lots and I was not interested in buying  lots in their entirety just to add a minority of included items to my own humble collection. Not to worry, as every item I'd seen, no matter how impressive it was initially, fell to the wayside once I'd spotted the one spectacular lot I knew I had to have. It was one of those visceral moments that set my heart aflutter and took my breath away, and it most assuredly qualified as a smelling salt moment.

I could hardly contain my excitement and nervousness and could tell that it would be an agonizing twenty-four hour wait until the opening of the auction the following day.  My poor dear husband, not hearing the end of it, would surely be feeling as though the time could not arrive soon enough.

A Wedgwood & Bentley porphyry glazed terracotta vase on a black basalt base with mask decorations at the base of the handles

Photo: Chronica Domus

An impressive pair of late 18th century Wedgwood porphyry glazed terracotta urns formerly in the Zeitlin ceramics collection

Photo: Chronica Domus

In my next post I will share what held me so spellbound and whether or not I was the successful bidder on what I considered to be the holy grail of black basalt pieces for my small personal collection.

I hope you'll join me on the auction floor for the conclusion of my story.