A very rare 17th century Staffordshire slip painted earthenware bowl set pulses racing at Trevanion Auctioneers’ October auction. With a diameter of just 35.5cm, the unassuming yellow and ochre coloured bowl showed extensive wear and a large repaired crack, but despite this it became the subject of a fierce bidding battle between a determined room bidder and online competitors located around the world. ‘When the lot opened, I had international online bids flashing away in front of me so fast that it took me a moment to notice our room bidder,’ says auctioneer Simon Grover, ‘but as soon as he started bidding I could tell that he wasn’t going to leave without the bowl’. After several minutes of intense bidding, the room bidder finally triumphed, securing the piece for an impressive £11,000 plus fees.
So what caused such a bidding frenzy? ‘The bowl is a rare example of Toft ware, named after the 17th century Staffordshire potter Thomas Toft,’ says Simon. ‘Toft was renowned in the Potteries for his highly creative and innovative use of coloured liquid clay known as slip, which he used to create beautifully stylised figurative images, in contrast to the more traditional trailed or dripped decoration which was common at the time.’
Thomas Toft’s pieces are held in museum collections around the world including the V&A in London and The Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York, and often feature birds and mythical creatures such as mermaids and unicorns, but this one included a border of lions and fleur de lys motifs. ‘The lions were a clue that the bowl may have been made by another member of the Toft family,’ continues Simon. ‘Ralph Toft, thought to be Thomas’s older brother, is known to have used lions in his work, leading us to believe the bowl could be a very rare piece by him.’ The lion border surrounded a pair of what were initially thought to be crowns, but which further research revealed to be gauntlets. ‘The use of gauntlets in the design suggests that the piece could have been made for a knight or high ranking member of the military – given the cost of a bowl like this at the time, it’s very likely to have belonged to an individual or family of both means and stature.’
Speaking after the auction, Trevanion’s associate director Ashley Jones was delighted for the bowl’s south Shropshire based vendor. ‘The piece was part of her father’s collection, and although he didn’t know exactly what it was, he knew it was special – he always told her that the bowl would be her inheritance, and I’m thrilled that this has proved to be the case! The buyer was also local to us in South Cheshire, so the bowl won’t be travelling too far to its new home.’
Trevanion Auctioneers’ next auction will be held on 26th November. The deadline for consignments is 6th November. To book a valuation appointment call 01948 800202.
