Porcelain Treasures That Left Experts And Owners Speechless | Antiques Roadshow UK

Oh, thank God. No. Good. Learn life. I can't believe it. Three beautiful Royal Worcester pieces. Aren't they scrumptious? This vase is especially lovely in that it's pierced at the top. Isn't that gorgeous? These are both by Harry Davis, who was a great idol of mine. I thought Harry was marvellous. He was a genius of a painter for landscapes, and I think those are lovely. How long would it take to paint? Painting not so desperately long, although he did fire many, many times. He used to fire about up to seven, eight, nine, ten times, which is much more than the other painters were allowed to do. So the fact you weren't too keen on Harry, because it costs much more to make a Harry Davis piece than other painters. So we're looking at quite a lot of money for those two. But this plate, this isn't Harry Davis, but this is one of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen. And actually, I haven't seen this plate for a very long time, as well as this super painting here by George Evans. He was a pupil of Harry Davis, so he's got all the perspective. But this is in the French style of Corot. But the glory of this plate, made in 1932, is this fantastic enamel work around the outside. And this is done by Tubby Morton, the gilder. That enamel work around there would have probably taken ten times the time to do the painting. Can I just brush it on? No, no, no, you have to build it up. You put one layer on first, and then that hardens, and then you put another layer on. It's heavily raised. Feel this incredible raised work around there. And it's a supreme example of gilder's work. You know, I'd love for people to look more at the gilding, the border around, than just the painting. It's a great work of craftsmanship. So, are you worried about the values? Yeah, quite concerned, yeah. This one, because it's not signed, well, I can't see a signature. I think perhaps it is there, but hidden away. I'm going to put a sort of a cautious 3,000 on it. It's a cautious 3,000, yeah. But this one, I think, which is signed, signed Harry Davison, it's very, very lovely. I suppose one's looking at perhaps 3,000 to 4,000. Yeah, OK. But this one, this one is just impossible to put a value on, because it's desperately unusual. I've never seen anything else since that approaches it in the extreme quality of craftsmanship. Perhaps insure for something like 5,000 or 6,000. I'm scared to touch it now. Oh, no. Made in about 1805. Right. I have never seen this pattern. I know where it's made. Right. This is a typical bit of Colport porcelain. Uh-huh. But the quality of it is extremely high, particularly wonderful gilding here. Yes, yes. Really beautiful. And the condition is very good. So, this is one plate. You've got some more? Yes, we have, yes. There's about, there's 11 altogether. There's two tureens and two platters to go with the tureens, and an oval dish as well. I would think that if you wanted to replace your service, you would have to shell out something in the order of 4,000 pounds. But it's an absolute gem, and as I say, wonderful pattern. It must be quite pretty rare, because I've not seen it before. Wonderful. This is a Littler Baddeley jug, because he formed a company with John Baddeley of Shelton. So, Littler Baddeley jug of the late 1770s, and in 20 years at the Roadshow, I'm quite sure we've never had one of these on. Can you tell me where you got it? Yes, I was left it by my aunt in Ireland, in the family home in the west of Ireland. How long ago was it when you inherited it? Oh, only, actually, two years ago now. But my sister also has one. Another one of these? Yes. I mean, I honestly don't think there are more than, there can't be 100 pieces of that factory known in this country. And we didn't actually know who made these 10 or 15 years ago. A group of wares like this were identified, and they call them the caddy class, because there was a tea canister in one of the museums which gave us a clue to them. And one of our friends, because we didn't know the maker, called them the dirty bottom class, because all the vases were unglazed and didn't come off properly. So it is a very, very unusual jug. Because of its great rarity, in a major London auction house, at the minimum it would make £1,500, and possibly up to £2,000. I mean, it's a great, great rarity. A stunning cup and saucer, and also letters giving details of when they were presented. Of course, the letters show it was given to a Reverend Pocock, that was in September 1877, and it was given by no less than the Empress Augusta of Germany. Well, it's been in the family for a long time, but my mother died earlier in the year. I'm her executor, and in her will, she is passing this on to my cousin, her niece. The letter says here, I am directed to forward to you the following parcel, containing a piece of china made in the Royal Manufactory in Berlin. So the Empress Queen, that of course is Empress Augusta. She is the wife of Kaiser Wilhelm, and so she is one of the most important people in Europe at that time. Well, the Royal Manufactory in Berlin, that's best known for its initials, KPM. And one speciality of the factory was topographical decoration. That's porcelain painted with landscapes and views. Usually they're views in Berlin, and they were given as royal and diplomatic gifts. Do you know what the view shows? No, I've no idea. I recognise this view as the Electoral Palace in Koblenz. And this was the building where the Empress, when she was Princess Augusta and Prince Wilhelm, lived in the palace here in the early 1850s. Have you got a good magnifying glass at home? I haven't used one, no. I've got my little lens here, and looking through it, I can see every single window, every little chimney on the roof. It's all there in incredible detail. When this was given, this wasn't a new cup and saucer. It would have been something that the Empress had in her china cabinet or on her dressing table, and she's chosen this personal relic to give to her friend, the Reverend Pocock, as a gift. So a costly cup and saucer when it was given, and a true heirloom indeed, because now a piece like that with the royal provenance, I guess it's going to be 4,000, even 5,000 pounds. Really? Ah. We talked about it in the car on the way here, and it's a guest of perhaps 400. What do we know? It was a cabinet piece and special indeed. Well, my mother asked me to pass it on to her niece, and I guess I'll have to do that. After that valuation, one's tempted to do otherwise. Highland cattle in a Scottish glen. Many Australians reminded them of home. Is this a piece that's a family in that respect? No, it's not. No, I found it, actually, in an opportunity shop. Opportunity shop? What was that? A charity shop, like the Salvation Army shop. Go on. How long ago was that? About 12 months. Yes. And dare I say how much you gave for it? $30. For a vase like this, $30? Mm-hm. Right. Did you know what you were buying? No. No, I didn't know. The reason I bought it was because I saw this gold, and I thought, that's got to be gold, that's it. That's all I knew. That's wonderful. Right, well, let's look at the piece itself. Exciting to me, because it's made at Worcester, where I come from, painted by the signature of the artist there, H. Stinton. That's Harry Stinton, a great generation of painters at the Worcester factory. And he specialised in painting these highland scenes, highland cattle there, in the misty, atmospheric scenes. And we recently did Antiques Roadshow up in Scotland, and I saw his work there, and it seemed at home. But somehow, it really appealed to collectors in Australia. A lot of these were bought by families who had originally come down, moved from Scotland. I guess they probably bought this when it was new, and it went out of favour. The year it was made is from this code on the bottom, and that's the year code for 1958. OK. Harry was a grand old man by that date. He was already into his... Well, he was in his 90s then. And still painting, still doing the scene. His eyesight had gone a bit, and so his later work is a little bit Impressionist. He couldn't see them so well. And I think that's some of his nicest work. So he bought it in the 1950s, went out of fashion, and given to a charity shop, where he bought a wonderful vase, and it looks in lovely condition. I mean, sometime they came as pairs. Often there were two of them. They didn't have the other one in the shop as well. Yes. Yes, the other one is at home, but it's not as good a condition as what that is. It's chipped here, chipped on this part here. So, a pair of them for $30? Yes. Shouldn't be allowed! These are seriously expensive now. I mean, they were costly when Harry started painting them. They were expensive pieces. They were sold in great jewellery shops and collector's shops, because everyone loved the quality of a Worcester. But today collectors go mad for these. Do they? And so, I mean, a pair with one chip were going to be $7,000, $8,000? Oh, sorry! That's £3,000 for a pair of vases by Harry Stinton, and you got them for $30? Yes! Isn't that nice? Yes! Because you like the gold? Yes! Oh, my God! A little Chinese sauceboat dating from the middle of the 18th century, an export ware piece, decorated in Family Rose enamels. The inside is particularly closely based on a Kinlong export piece, and these little precious objects round here, again, suggest China. But, of course, this is not China. This is English. You knew that, did you? No. You didn't. It is. And it's actually a very rare little piece. It's been moulded with these petalled forms and then also with a sort of chinoiserie landscape. It's not really true Chinese. It's in the style of these Rococo scrolls. It's a very early piece of Worcester porcelain, made just at that changeover period when Lund's Bristol came to Worcester, about 1751-52. Very early. It's what we call Wigornia type because there is a class of sauceboat with the word Wigornia, which is the Latin for Worcester, on it, and it's given its name to this class of porcelain. I see. So, did you buy it as what? It was purchased into the family about 30 years ago now. Oh, really? Do you know what as? Well, actually, it wasn't noticed at the time. Wasn't it? We had a tray of different odds and ends, little things, glassware and sort of things, and this was amongst them. Was it? And just purchased for a couple of pounds. Well, it is actually amongst the most important pieces of early English porcelain we've ever had on a roadshow. I mean, it really is. It's a very rare little object. My goodness. Now, its tragedy, if it has one, is we've got a crack here. Now, this is actually a firing crack. This has been in the manufacture and it's opened up a bit and split a bit further. We've also got a chip under the spout, but it's not, for a piece of this age and importance, it's not that bad. It's slightly speculative when you've got damage like this coming up with an estimate. I would give a wide estimate on this, somewhere between £5,000 and £10,000. No. Good lord alive. Not bad for a couple of quid's worth of junk on a tray, is it? I can't believe it. It's a great thing. Thank you very much. Thank you.