A STAFFORDSHIRE SLIPWARE DATED TWO-HANDLED BRAGGET-POT

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Syd Levethan: THE LONGRIDGE COLLECTION 'Only the Best' -- the mantra that guided Syd Levethan as he built one of the most important collections of early English pottery. Known as the Longridge Collection following the publication of the delft and slipware collections in 2002, our third dedicated sale includes many pieces from Leslie B. Grigsby's catalogues but also some significant purchases made post-publication, a time when another collector might rein-back their buying. This tranche is again rich in objects of great rarity, quality and provenance. Syd Levethan was fortunate to collect at a time when significant collections were disposed of at auction, importantly those of Thomas Burn of Rous Lench Court, Worcestershire, sold in two parts in 1986 and 1990 and J.P. Kassebaum of North Carolina, sold in 1991 and 1992. He had an eye for finding treasures from important provenances, L.L. Lipski, J.V. Vizcarra, Sir Victor and Lady Gollancz, F.H. Garner, G.E. Howard, B.T. Harland and Lord Revelstoke amongst others keep good company in the provenance notes of this catalogue. It is reassuring for any serious collector to own an object which has been praised and noted by academics and desired by connoisseurs, for example the 17th century London delft inscribed and dated armorial cup (lot 146). This piece is steeped in history, it is armorial, initialled, dated, inscribed and even has an amusing surprise inside the cup. It has a trail of provenance and literature references dating back to 1885 where it is recorded in the collection of Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks, president of the Society of Antiquaries, who presented much of his collection to the British Museum. Part III of the Longridge Collection is brimming with dated pieces of delft and slipware (many of the delft items are recorded in Lipski and Archer's monograph on the subject). Some of the more significant pieces are named for their original owners and are emblazoned with the arms of their guilds or Companies. Parish clerk, Thomas Wibron's delft armorial bottle of 1650 (lot 145), Thomas Hunt of Eden's 1635 cup (lot 144) and the fecundity dish presented to Stephen Fortune and his wife Elizabeth in 1633 (lot 143) are all well-known examples, this last dish is the earliest dated example of this form inspired by originals by Bernard Palissy and appears to be the earliest dated large dish known still in private hands. Among the dated pieces from the 18th century are a 1730 slipware dish adorned with St. George (lot 195), probably by Samuel Malkin, a small but important documentary Lancaster delft ink-pot dated 1764 (lot 211), a significant piece to delftware enthusiasts but also of historical and cultural interest to the industrial heritage of Lancashire, and two North Devon jugs from 1766 and 1791 (lots 232 and 233) fine examples of West Country slipware. The patriotic history of a nation is recorded in the characters and events commemorated on useful and decorative objects. The delft and slipware chargers and wares in the Longridge Collection celebrate the reigns of the Stuart and Hanoverian monarchs and important figures of the day (lots 117-120, lots 123-139 and lots 212-213). Produced against the background of the Restoration of the Monarchy and the Glorious Revolution these pieces bring to life a fascinating period in British history. Highlights include a slipware dish by Ralph Simpson with a royal portrait flanked by the initials CR for Charles II (lot 119), a Brislington dish, on the cover of this catalogue, with a portrait of William III (lot 129) and a 'Boscobel Oak' plate (lot 212) perhaps produced as a centenary commemorative or a piece for a Jacobite sympathiser. These vibrant and idiosyncratic pieces occupy their own space in the history of ceramics and seem completely at home in a London sale, an important matter to Syd who enjoyed his business trips to Europe which would usually include a stop-off in London to visit his closest advisor, the late Jonathan Horne. It seems appropriate that this sale should also include objects which are not just uniquely British but also tied to London. These include an early Southwark delft rectangular salt (lot 115) with the arms of the City of London, a dated drug-jar (lot 155) made to hold Syrupus de Prassio from 1666, the year of the Great Fire, and a 1682 caudle-cup (lot 173) with marriage initials and the arms of the Company Watermen and Lightermen, the guild founded in 1555 which governed the watermen of the Thames who delivered goods and passengers along London's vital artery. Like any great collection, the Longridge Collection grew through a combination of important factors: availability of good pieces, good advice and deep pockets. Add to this Syd Levethan's determination and and the result is a group of ceramics which is one of the largest and most consistent collections to come to auction in recent years with an importance that goes far beyond the subject of early English pottery. This part of the Longridge Collection will be viewed alongside an important group of Italian renaissance maiolica which is to be offered in the same week, giving enthusiasts a perfect opportunity to compare tin-glazed earthenware and slipware from different ages and origins. The final tranches of the Longridge Collection will be dispersed in two last sales. Christie's Amsterdam will include early German stoneware and European Works of Art. Christie's South Kensington will complete the disbursement of the collection and will include Treen, Works of Art and the final group of Ceramics; two opportunities to buy 'only the best'.

A STAFFORDSHIRE SLIPWARE DATED TWO-HANDLED BRAGGET-POT

1698

Details

A STAFFORDSHIRE SLIPWARE DATED TWO-HANDLED BRAGGET-POT
1698
The broad cylindrical body applied with loop handles, the cream-coloured ground decorated in brown slip with cream dot-ornament, enclosing lighter-brown slip, the border inscribed THE·BEST·IS·NOT·TOO·GOOD·FOR·YOV·1698, above stylised tulips flanked by the initials RF and WS, the handles with dash-ornament (cracked from rim and some scattered flaking)
The cup 5¼ in. (13.3 cm.) high; about 10¼ in. (26.7 cm.) wide across the handles

Literature

Leslie B. Grigsby, 'Some Dated English Drinking Vessels with Trailed-Slip Decoration 1612-1752.', The Magazine Antiques, 147. no. 6, June 1995, p. 878, pl. 11.
Leslie B. Grigsby, The Longridge Catalogue, Vol. I, S70.

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