New Category – Wall Masks
During the art deco period there was a huge following for wall ornaments such as wall plaques, masks, chargers and pockets, mainly made in ceramics, but also in terracotta, plaster and metal.
Luigi Fabris
While looking in an antique shop in Italy we noticed a beautiful display of figurines that we were informed were made by Luigi Fabris. Although we had never heard of him, we thought they were exquisitely made so we bought one. On returning home we tried to find out some information about Fabris but found very little on the internet.
We added the figurine that we had bought to the website along with just a few words that we had managed to gleam from the net. We have received several emails asking for information on Fabris pieces that people own as they, also, could not find out anything about them. All the enquiries have come from Americans so we can only suppose there was a bigger market for the pieces there. Fabris pieces are certainly not seen in the UK.
We then received a very interesting email from someone who has been studying the Fabris family. Luigi was the last of ten generations of artists. He was born in 1833 in Bassano del Grappa in Italy and graduated in Master of Design and Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice.
Outstanding examples of early Fabris porcelain are now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, The Mus’ee Ceramique in Sevres, France and the Museo Civico in Turin, Italy.
We were told that a source for information on the Fabris dynasty is the French “Benezit” that has recently been translated into English. However, we will have to visit the library to see it as the cheapest we have seen the book is £800 and we have also seen it at double that price!
Luigi Fabris’s work is so beautiful we hope that we will start to see pieces of his work come onto the market in the UK and, above all, someone writes a commercially priced book about this great artist.
Wedgwood
One wonders when it will all end as another iconic china and ceramics firm, Waterford Wedgwood, goes into administration after 250 years as a famous name in British pottery, with many households in the UK owning one or more of their pieces.
Beware of Fakes
We subscribe to a number of trade papers and magazines and are constantly being made aware of fakes being sold as genuine articles to unsuspecting collectors.
Many of these fakes are being sold on eBay and, seemingly, there is a batch of fake Troika wares being offered for sale. The fakes are convincing and include well-known Newlyn period models like coffin and wheel vases.
eBay is an excellent auction site with a massive selection of goods for sale but please be careful if you are buying antiques or collectables.
Pottery Decorating Techniques
Although the styles of decorating pottery seem endless, there are only three basic techniques that have been used for over a century.
- Transfer Printing
- Tube Lining
- Hand Painted
In this issue we will take a short look at Transfer Printing.
Transfer printing was used on blue and white wares in the 19th and 20th centuries and also used with brilliant effect to apply gold patterns to wares in the art deco period.
The technique was used by companies such as Carlton and Malling on their lustre wares. First the transfer was applied using a substance such as linseed oil and then gold dust was scattered over the piece adhering only to the oiled pattern.
Please take a look at our diary to see if we will be standing at a fair near you. If so, we would be delighted to meet you.
After a dreadful winter, spring is just round the corner so we will be on the road again standing at some of the large antique and collectors fairs around the country.