Undiscovered treasures and an eclectic mix of over 700 lots in Cheffins’ Art & Design sale

The electroplate teapot (lot 205), designed circa 1880 and guided at £12,000-£18,000, belonged to Georgina Bourke (née Anderson, then Greenwood), a socialite who mixed in avant garde circles. After her death in 1967, the teapot remained undiscovered in a trunk containing her various possessions until a recent routine valuation. It is a rare example of Christopher Dresser’s work, with only around twelve known to exist. One such piece forms part of the collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and has also been displayed internationally by institutions including the Metropolitan Museum, New York, and the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, such is the importance of Dresser in the history of industrial design.

 A rare electroplate teapot by British designer, Christopher Dresser (1834-1904)

Christopher Dresser trained at Somerset House's Government School of Design, one of a number of state-funded centres established from 1837 to train designers specifically for industrial production. This period was defined by a stratospheric rise in machine manufacturing, making household items more widely available and creating an entirely new market for innovative and creative designs that were suited to modern methods of manufacture. By the end of 1862, Dresser had published The Art of Decorative Design (1862) and The Development of Ornamental Art in the International Exhibition (1862), followed latterly, in 1873, by Principles of Decorative Design.

Amongst the varied paintings in the sale is ‘five reds, four discs’, dated May 1965, an oil on canvas by pioneering British abstract painter, Patrick Heron CBE (1920). It came from a Cambridgeshire property during a routine probate valuation and had been lost to academics until now. Estimated at £50,000-£80,000, five reds, four discs, occupies a significant position in Heron’s oeuvre, and was included in his third solo exhibition in New York at the Bertha Schaefer Gallery. Limiting the composition of this painting to four disc shapes, and the colour to five different reds, underlines how Heron created compositional and spatial complexity out of comparatively simple means.

Also in the sale is a collection of paintings (lots 519-569) from the Studio of Philip Jones (1933 – 2008), a British abstract artist whose colourful and dynamic landscapes were inspired by the backdrop of Norfolk’s Breckland, where he lived, and through his many artistic explorations, which took him around the globe.

Jones was educated at Malvern College, where he flourished under the tutelage of post-impressionist painter, Harry Fabian Ware. He went on to study at the Slade School of Fine Art alongside notable contemporaries including Victor Willing and Michael Andrews and received invaluable guidance from renowned figures such as Tom Monnington and William Coldstream. A chance encounter with Lucien Freud, who purchased one of Jones’ early student works, further highlighted his potential.

Over his distinguished career, Jones exhibited widely throughout the UK, participating in solo shows and regularly exhibiting with the Royal Academy. Jones’ works are today held in esteemed collections, including Plymouth Art Gallery and the National Museum of Wales.

Martin Millard, Director at Cheffins, comments: “We are delighted to have such an extensive and high-quality sale, delivered over two days for the very first time.  With a rich array of consignments from around the country, we look forward to welcoming bidders from around the globe.”