We were delighted to present Hints on Household Taste : Paul Reeves - an auction from Paul Reeves' collection on 28 June 2022. Inspired by Charles Eastlake's 1868 book of the same name, this auction brought together items by Eastlake and his contemporaries who championed simplicity and quality design, as well as works by subsequent generations sharing the same passion.
Taking place at our Edinburgh headquarters and live online, our June 2022 auction drew in design fans from around the globe. The sale was led by a beautiful panel from the father of the Arts & Crafts movement, William Morris. 'The Apple Tree' achieved £15,000* after competitive bidding across platforms. While a pair of intricately detailed bookcases in the style of Christopher Dresser for Pratt & Prince, Bradford sold for £11,825*.
LOT 152 | STYLE OF CHRISTOPHER DRESSER FOR PRATT & PRINCE, BRADFORD | PAIR OF BOOKCASES, CIRCA 1880 | Sold for £11,875*
A fine selection of examples by Philip Speakman Webb for Morris & Co also featured in our 28 June sale, attracting interest and impressive results. Webb's furniture proved popular with an unusual oval centre table achieving £10,625*. After designing a similar table for Sir Edward Burne-Jones in the 1850's, the firm later produced several related examples of this oval table for high-profile commissions.
A talented and versatile Arts & Crafts designer and architect, Philip Speakman Webb was one of the movement's most original designers, establishing an innovative approach to the design of domestic space.
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LOT 189 | PHILIP SPEAKMAN WEBB (1831-1915) FOR MORRIS & CO. | UNUSUAL OVAL CENTRE TABLE, CIRCA 1880 | Sold for £10,625*
Arts & Crafts furniture moved from strength to strength in the sale with pieces by George Washing Jack, A.W.N. Pugin, E.W. Godwin and Ambrose Heal achieving good prices. George Washington Jack was the chief furniture designed for Morris and Co. from 1890. Prior to this in 1879, he had undertaken some work for the architect Philip Webb and by 1882 was a full-time employee of Webb’s. His library table sold for £10,000*.
 FOR MORRIS and CO. ARTS and CRAFTS LIBRARY TABLE, CIRCA 1890.jpeg)
The June sale also feature a fine selection of Mary Ireland's fabric mosaics. These unique pieces proved extremely popular with bidders, reaching a grand total of £24,000*. Working in the 1930s-1950s, Mary Ireland was a celebrated British artist most noted for her 'fabric mosaics'. Borrowing from the Georgian technique of enhancing an embroidery with painted features, Ireland would hand-paint certain elements (such as the hands and face of figures) onto plain silk, then create the rest of the image from fabric fragments. The textile mosaic approach she subsequently pioneered was uniquely her own.
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LOT 272 | MARY IRELAND (1891-C.1980) | ‘ENCHANTMENT’ TRIPTYCH, DATED 1933
Design has dominated Paul Reeves’ life – from collecting as a young man, to becoming an acclaimed clothing designer in the 1960s and early 70s. In early adulthood he turned to interior decorating and then later his current profession as an antiques dealer. Paul’s international reputation as a passionate purveyor of 19th and 20th century furniture, objects, lighting and textiles, has led him to work with significant private collectors, as well as high profile museums and galleries. We were delighted to collaborate once again with Paul to present this wonderful sale.
Lyon & Turnbull’s Decorative Arts & Design specialists are renowned for both their knowledge and their sales of artworks conducted from London and Edinburgh and via our live online auctions. Our specialists are experts not only on design from 1860 to the present, but also on current market conditions, an essential combination to any successful auction.
0131 557 8844
john.mackie@lyonandturnbull.com