European Ceramics and Glass

Matilda Burn is a Specialist in European Ceramics and Glass. She has worked at Christie's since 2011, and as a consultant since April 2025. During her time at Christie’s Matilda worked on a broad range of sales, from South Kensington ‘Interiors’, to King Street Exceptional sales, as well as leading on some of the very first Decorative Arts online sales. She also spent time in New York cataloguing and selling the Rothschild and Rockefeller collections.

Prior to her time at Christie’s, Matilda catalogued architectural drawings at Sir John Soane's Museum. Matilda has a Masters from the Courtauld, which focused on British Architecture, and a BA from Warwick University in History of Art.

Dominic Simpson is a Senior Specialist Consultant based in London. He joined Christie’s in 1996, moving to the European Ceramics and Glass Department in 1997, and was appointed Head of the Department in 2012. Dominic’s expertise covers Continental European ceramics from 15th century Hispano-Moresque and Italian maiolica to circa 1830, with a particular focus on Renaissance Italian maiolica and 18th century Meissen porcelain.

Dominic has handled a large number of single-owner collections as well as masterpiece objects in the Exceptional Sale, such as the Sèvres ice-pails made for Catherine the Great of Russia in 1778-79 (£842,500) or the 1732 Meissen model of a bustard from the Japanese Palace (£842,500). During his time in the department Christie’s have sold ten iconic Meissen animal and bird models from Augustus the Strong’s Japanese Palace in Dresden. Most recently Dominic researched and catalogued the Hispano-Moresque pottery and Renaissance Italian maiolica in the Rothschild Masterpieces sales held in New York (October 2023) and Paris (November 2023), which included the record-breaking Hispano-Moresque charger (circa 1456-1461) which was probably given by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, to King Charles VII of France (£1,033,200) and an Urbino charger by Francesco Xanto Avelli of 1541 (£819,000).

Louise Phelps joined Christie’s in 2002 and is a leading specialist in British and European ceramics and Glass. Since 2017 she has worked as a consultant and provides expertise for Christie’s Collections, Exceptional and private sales. Louise carries out valuations for a broad international client base including private and noble estates, trusts and museums.

After a decade as Specialist in the Ceramics Department at South Kensington, Louise became Associate Director and Head of Sale for the European Ceramics and Glass Department at King Street. She has been closely involved with a number of highly successful sales of single owner and historic collections, including: Harewood House, Spencer House, The Collection of H.R.H Princess Margaret, Meissen from the Royal House of Saxony, The John Shearer and Stanley F. Goldfein Collections. In 2016 she brought to auction Wedgwood’s ‘First Day’s Vase’ which sold for £482,500, a record price for a piece of English pottery. She played a key role in the successful sale of the Longridge Collection of English pottery and delftware, spanning the London, New York and Amsterdam salerooms in 2010-11. Louise has advised the UK Export Reviewing Committee and she frequently provides expertise regarding acceptance-in-lieu and collections of pre-eminence.