FEATURES ARCHIVE

The Longridge Collection is the culmination of almost 30 years’ inspired collecting by the late American collector Syd Levethan, who created one of the world’s finest private collections of 17th and early 18th century English delft, slipware, and works of art. On the heels of the highly successful sale of the Longridge Collection at Christie’s King Street in June 2010, this auction in New York promises to be of particular interest to American collectors, as many the works link to objects imported to America during the Colonial period. 

Working tirelessly to acquire the very finest wares, the heart of Levethan’s collection combines the colorful boldness of tin-glazed earthenware, or ‘delftware’, with the charm of naïvely decorated earthenware decorated in ‘slip’, or liquid-clay. Each object in the collection was carefully chosen because it spoke of the social and political climate in which it was made, commemorated the reigning monarch of the day, or simply showcased the skill and craftsmanship of its creator.

Among the many highlights of the collection is a fascinating English delft dish decorated in the Italian tin-glazed style, typical of pieces exported to the Colonies during this period. Made in the Southwark area of London, it is decorated with The Adoration, the scene likely taken from a contemporary Biblical woodcut. Dated 1638, the piece was created to commemorate the wedding of Aron Wit to Frances Allen at St. George the Martyr, Southwark on 9 July 1638. The front of the dish bears their initials above the date, while the reverse is inscribed with the couple’s initials as a complex monogram and with the initials RI, possibly for a Richard Irons, likely the potter or painter of this extraordinary documentary work of art.