Annabelle Campbell, Director of David Parr House, gives her top selections of the Art & Design Sale

What a treat to be invited to share my personal top selections from the upcoming Art & Design Sale. Spanning a range of categories, it was immediately clear that this would be both a joy and an immense challenge.

Unsurprisingly, my initial thoughts were to form a personal shopping list, which in all honesty included most of the lots listed. With such a vast array of museum-quality items, a curatorial process and framework for selection was needed. Here is my list of works that fall into my categories, as I've realized I'm drawn to pieces that exemplify exceptional craftsmanship, innovation, vision, and functionality- and have a story.

And, without wanting to sound too 'Marie Kondo,' these items genuinely spark joy—pieces I could happily share my life and home with.

Lot 406 - Prunella Clough (1919-1999) - Landscape with glove, 1981, estimate £8,000 - £12,000

Landscape with glove (1981) is a sublime example of Prunella Clough’s work. Known for her delicate palette and bringing together personal landscapes responding to what goes on around her.  Landscape with glove has mystery and intrigue yet feels familiar.

Lot 368 - Mary Fedden OBE, RA, RWA (1915-2012), The Black Horse - Estimate £1,000 - £1,500

The black horse features widely in the work of Mary Fedden, and this work in watercolour, has charm and intrigue. Her use of colour takes the viewer to new and varied places and evokes imagined stories. She was also the first woman to teach painting at the Royal College of Art. This work is utterly charming.

Lot 359 - Ivon Hitchens (1893-1979), Sunbather - Estimate £25,000 - £35,000

It’s impossible not be captivated by Sunbather by Ivon Hitchens – its dreamy colours, emitting the warmth of the sun.

Hitchens is one of several significant artists represented in this date and this work is a glorious example of his painterly skills. Known mainly for landscapes, Hitchens developed a distinctive style between abstraction and figuration working with fluid areas of vibrant colour to evoke rather than represent the English countryside.

Lot 333 - Tirzah Garwood (1908-1951), The Wife, 1929 - Estimate - £2,000 - £4,000

While this entire collection is very exciting – available for the first time, this extraordinary collection of works by Tirzah Garwood have never publicly been seen before - it was The Wife that caught my eye.

Created prior to Garwood’s marriage, the subject and composition is intriguing, and with its domestic details and décor, it invites the viewer into an intimate private space and moment.

As a curator working with historic home interiors, these artistic depictions of home serve as records and offer fascinating clues and insights into the private home lives of others.

Lot 245 - Hans Wegner for Fritz Hansen, a teak and beech dining table and six chairs - Estimate £800 - £1,200

Functional, beautiful, and clever—this set embodies the essence of Scandinavian elegance and functionality. A true piece of classic design by the legendary Hans J. Wegner, produced by Fritz Hansen circa 1950s.

Wegner was renowned for his craftsmanship, which he used to create timeless and pioneering designs. I'm particularly drawn to round tables for their ease of social interaction and lack of hierarchy, with these heart chairs perfectly complementing the form. The distinctive minimalist design showcases Wegner's forward-thinking approach to design and craftsmanship.

Lot 244 - Smallbone of Birmingham, an industrial steel revolving engineers cabinet - Estimate £200 - £300.

The joy of good utilitarian design.

Invented and designed by Harold Smallbone of Smallbone & sons in West Bromwich, probably date from the 1950's, this rotating industrial engineer’s cabinet is in wonderful condition, with the original green paint, along with patination of signs of past life and use.

The unit has swivelling drawers for ease of access, made portable with a carrying handle, yet fully rotating on a base that can be bolted to a work bench. The possible uses are many. This really does tick all my curatorial criteria.

Lot 190 - An Arts & Crafts carved oak bench - Estimate £100 - £200

Understated beauty, skilled production, easy to house with numerous uses, it is furniture like this that quietly says a lot.

The design harks back to medieval design forms, so loved by designers of the Arts and Crafts movement. The construction is visible; the scale is in good proportion; the construction is solid, stable and practical.

 Yet the simple honest form juxtaposed with ornate carved decoration- an exhibition of exquisite hand craft skills. The modest scale makes it a perfect flexible piece of domestic future with a rich history. A truly timeless object.

Lot 15 - Geoffrey Baxter for Whitefriars, a group of three tangerine glass vases - Estimate £150 - £250

Ever since I had the joy of visiting the Whitefriars archive held by Museum of London, and seeing the curator there demonstrate how the sound of the ping of a piece of Whitefriars confirmed its authenticity, revealing the lead levels in the glass – I have been drawn the pieces produced in this famous London glassworks.

Baxter’s best-known designs are Banjo and Drunken Bricklayer. This small group present further breadth of his designs and are a perfect balance of colour, form and texture.

Lot 2, Henri Muller (1868-1936), a cased glass vase, circa 1900 - Estimate £150 - £250

Glass is often an overlooked material by many collectors, but this exquisite vase by Henri Muller is captivating in form and colour. Herni was a member of the Muller family, who along with siblings founded Muller Frères glassworks in Lunéville (1897-1936). The family included nine brothers and one sister, all trained in glasswork and worked as leading French art glassmakers of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods.

Not only is this piece museum quality and stunningly beautiful; but it is functional and has purpose.

Lot 186, Attributed to William Birch for Liberty & Co., an Arts & Crafts oak bureau - Estimate £250 - £350 

The bureau is an undervalued piece of furniture, in my humble opinion. The perfect item homes of all sizes, space saving, functional and this is a beauty.

Made by William Birch of High Wycombe, Liberty and Co. would have commissioned this item The firm was established in 1840 as chair makers, with Birch being known as both chair maker and Arts and Crafts furniture designer. Birch became a major supplier of furniture to Liberty’s, making pieces for a number of designers including Leonard Wyburd, head of the Liberty Furniture Studio, and E. J. Punnett. This compact and function bureau or writing desk has the pierced heart detail and in pale oak that sings of the period and continues to feel fresh and modern.

We would like to thank Annabelle Campbell for her time in creating this fantastic list of items from the Art & Design Sale which takes place on 22nd May. To view the full catalogue, please click here. 

Annabelle Campbell is the Director at David Parr House on Gwydir Street in central Cambridge, and has played an integral part in bringing this important museum into the public eye. For those who haven't yet visited David Parr House, it is an ordinary terraced house with an extraordinary, hand-painted interior. Home to the Victorian working-class artist, David Parr and his family, the house is an example of Arts and Crafts workmanship layered with 20th-century social history.  

Founded in 2014, David Parr House CIO preserves, shares and sustains the house for future generations. The House presents a dynamic programme of house tours, workshops, events and exhibitions and works with research partners to uncover overlooked aspects of decorative arts history. 

To find out more about this incredible museum, or to arrange a visit, please click here