Spring Discovery Sale, Day 1

The first session of the Spring Discovery Sale, presented by Whitley’s Auctioneers, will feature two lidded Wedgwood vases from the 1920s. These Art Nouveau pieces come from the company’s Fairyland Lustre series, designed by Daisy Makeig-Jones. Patterned with bold colors and dancing fairies, these pieces have been professionally restored and retain the Wedgwood mark. The Fairyland series was particularly popular in Europe after World War I, according to dealer Nicholas Dawes: “Many Europeans were looking for something to escape from the horrors of war… escapist stuff, real fantastical.” 

This auction will include over 850 lots on the first day. Many of these are ceramics and figurines from Royal Doulton, Boehm, and Doulton Lambeth. Among the leading lots is a Royal Doulton figurine created in the late 1920s or early 1930s. The piece depicts a young boy dressed in a judge’s wig and robes. To his left is a basket of dolls— the jury. To his right is a puppy, presumably the defendant. Other figurines depict a female jester, a seated zebra, and pairs of birds. Beyond the ceramics and porcelain, the sale also offers a Reed & Barton tea set and several pieces of ethnographic art. View the full catalog and register to bid for these items on Bidsquare.