A lovely little 1950s-60s pottery bust of an African woman in glossy black glaze, with a gilt striped turban, gilt eyelids and earring, and bright red lips. Stands 12cm tall on an oval base.

Black-and-gold busts like this were a hugely popular home décor fashion in the 1950s, the same era Tretchikoff's prints were selling by the million.

Good vintage condition with light wear to the gilding and some age marks to the unglazed base; no chips or cracks.

Mid-century. A striking MCM shelf piece.

A large vintage Portuguese wall charger made by Coelho of Alcobaça, painted in the 17th-century style (Séc. XVII) with stags, a bird and a tower among dense flowers and foliage, inside a scalloped red, yellow and blue border. The back is signed by the studio "C.C. Séc: XVII Coelho Alcobaça Portugal" and has a twine hanging cord across the foot ring. An eclectic, boho vintage piece for a kitchen or gallery wall.

Made in Portugal, vintage, era uncertain.

Alcobaça is home to a 12th-century Cistercian monastery and has been a centre of Portuguese pottery for centuries.

Good condition with minor wear. The glaze is bright and I can see no cracks.

An antique Victorian box from Underley Hall, together with a 1920s real photo postcard of the Underley Hall staff, Kirkby Lonsdale. Box 17 x 23 x 10cm.

Underley Hall, just outside Kirkby Lonsdale, was built in 1825-28 for Alexander Nowell and later became a school.

Considerable wear; please see the photos.

Antique, English. A lovely piece of local history for anyone with a Kirkby Lonsdale or Cumbria connection.

A pretty group of 11 pieces of Royal Worcester fine bone china in the Woodland pattern, with soft ice-blue leaves and lilac, pink and pale yellow flowers, all finished with gilt rims. There's a larger shallow bowl, seven round pin or trinket dishes and three oval posy vases. The posy vases have a full floral spray on the front and a single little sprig on the back. The larger bowl has slightly pinker blooms in the same blue-leaf style and still carries its original retailer's sticker from Ilkley.

Perfect for rings and earrings on a dressing table, a few garden flowers by the bed, or spread along a windowsill. They'd sit happily in a grandmillennial or cottagecore home.

Dating from around the 1970s–80s, each piece has the Royal Worcester crown and circle backstamp, "Fine Bone China". Made in England.

The little "51" in the centre of the Royal Worcester mark refers to 1751, the year Dr John Wall and his partners founded the Worcester porcelain works.

Condition is good, with minor wear, no chips or cracks, and bright gilding. There are a few small brown marks on the undersides of some pieces.

A pretty little display plate from The Flower Fairies Collection, showing Cicely Mary Barker's Christmas Tree Fairy nestled among baubles and pine branches. Gilt edge rim, with the original cord still attached for hanging. Made by Reutter Porzellan in Germany, licensed by the Estate of C.M. Barker and Frederick Warne. Good condition, no chips or cracks.

Cicely Mary Barker painted each of her fairies from a real child model dressed to match the actual plant — many of her young sitters came from her sister's kindergarten in Croydon.

Dated 2002 from the copyright mark printed on the base.

A hand-carved boxwood figure of a Buddhist monk or arhat, finely detailed. 21cm tall.

Arhats, or luohan, are the enlightened disciples of the Buddha, and Chinese carvers traditionally portrayed them with wonderfully characterful, often comical faces.

Good vintage condition with minor wear.

Chinese, mid-20th century. A thoughtful piece for an eclectic expat aunt shelf or a curiosity cabinet.

A little Kays of Worcester Silver Jubilee plate, made by Royal Stafford to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. Kays sent these out as a thank-you gift to their customers and agents rather than selling them, so it's a nice surprise to find one with its original box and the printed card from Kay & Company Ltd still together. Good condition with just minor wear, no chips or cracks.

Kays of Worcester was one of Britain's biggest mail order catalogues, and gifts like this went out by the thousand to loyal customers and agents rather than ever reaching a shop shelf.

Measures 12cm across. 1977.

A tube-lined vase from the Wood's "Arabesque" range, designed by Charlotte Rhead. It has a bold medallion of amber and gold petals around a green and cream boss, over a ribbed ground with a trellis of tube-lined lines and scrolls. The base is marked "Woods Arabesque by Charlotte Rhead" with pattern number TL3.

20cm tall. Made in England, 1940s-50s.

Charlotte Rhead was one of the few pottery designers of her time to have her own name printed on the backstamp, a sign of how highly her work was rated.

Good vintage condition overall, but there is an old hairline crack running from the rim down through the inside to the base, with no chips or pieces missing.

A good art deco-style piece for a mantelpiece or a collector of Rhead's tube-lined ware.

Mid-20th century Lovatt's England art pottery vase finished in an attractive soft green glaze with finely ribbed decoration.

A well-proportioned decorative vase with a simple, understated design that works well in both traditional and contemporary interiors.

Lovatt's England backstamp

Art pottery vase

Soft green glaze

Ribbed body decoration

Circa 1930s-1950s

Approx. 14cm tall

Good vintage condition

A versatile decorative piece for displaying flowers or as part of a pottery collection.

A small, squat stoneware bud vase with a narrow neck, hand-thrown by the German potter Ulrich Thissen. It is finished in a treacle-brown tenmoku-style glaze flecked with gold, with swirled oatmeal brushstrokes. Signed by hand into the unglazed base, which has felt pads added.

11cm tall. Made in Germany, probably 1970s-80s.

Tenmoku glazes are named after the Tianmu mountains in China, where Japanese monks first came across dark, speckled tea bowls over 800 years ago.

Good vintage condition, with a couple of tiny glaze nicks to the neck rim, lower body and foot that are only noticeable up close, and a small dark firing mark on the base.

Ideal for a single stem or a few dried grasses, and it suits a 70s back-to-nature or boho vintage shelf.

A lovely antique Victorian Staffordshire pottery figure group of a courting couple standing arm in arm - he in a cobalt blue coat with a spotted cream waistcoat, she in a pink-splashed dress with a white apron and ribboned bonnet. Approximately 20cm tall.

Unlike the cheaper "flatback" figures that became common later in the century, this one is fully modelled and hand-painted on the back as well as the front - a nice sign of the extra care that went into it.

Good condition with just minor wear, no chips or cracks.

Made in Staffordshire, England, Victorian. A charming grandmillennial piece for a mantelpiece or cabinet.

A tall Noritake vase from Japan, standing 31cm high. It has a deep cobalt blue ground with cream panels and raised gilt moriage scrollwork and flowers, a painted lakeside scene with sailing boats, a little red-roofed cottage and trees, and a pair of gilt serpent-style handles. The base carries the blue Noritake Komaru mark with "Made in Japan", which dates it to roughly the 1920s-30s. A grandmillennial showpiece for a mantelpiece or sideboard.

The Komaru symbol on Noritake's backstamp is said to come from a Japanese word meaning "overcoming difficulties".

Good vintage condition with minor wear and no chips or cracks. There is some light gilt rubbing to the handles, rim and raised scrolls, and a few small brown specks to the unglazed foot ring.

A striking 1960s Inarco "Mood Indigo" fruit topiary from Japan - a tall pedestal piled high with grapes, pears, plums, lemons and strawberries in that deep glossy indigo-teal glaze, finished with bright green leaves. Marked Inarco E-2267 on the base. 31cm tall.

Inarco was a Cincinnati importer that had Japanese potteries make its giftware - it's also the name behind many of the much-loved 1960s lady head vases.

Good vintage condition with minor wear; a fine hairline line runs across the glazed underside, not visible from the front.

Made in Japan, 1960s. A real MCM statement piece for a sideboard, dresser or dining table.

Lovely big statement vase, 48cm tall, with a pair of swan-neck handles and a shell-shaped top, hand finished with applied pink, blue and yellow flowers and touches of gold gilt throughout.

Good condition with minor wear, one small chip (visible in photos).

Twin-handled vases like this take their shape from classical urns, and the swan motif has been a favourite decorative flourish since ancient Greek and Roman times, prized as a symbol of grace.

A generously sized mid-century pottery goose ornament, glazed in soft cream with gilt detailing to the bill, tail feathers and webbed feet. One side carries a transfer-printed spray of orchard fruit - apple, plum, gooseberries and redcurrants. The base is marked K&H Pottery, Staffordshire, England. 36cm long.

Staffordshire potteries made huge numbers of novelty animal ornaments like this for the gift trade, using ready-made fruit and floral transfers - which is why the same fruit spray turns up on all sorts of shapes from the era.

Good condition, with the fine glaze crazing typical of pottery this age and light wear to the gilt high points - no chips or cracks.

Made in England, mid-century. A charming farmhouse-style or grandmacore piece for a dresser or windowsill.

A beautiful antique pottery mantel clock in rich cobalt blue melting into teal and spring green, with a pair of fluted gilt columns and gilt Art Nouveau irises, reeds and water lilies beneath the dial. The scrolled crest and base are picked out in gold too. A real statement piece for a mantelpiece or dresser, and perfect for a grandmillennial or maximalist home.

The underside has an impressed "Dresden" mark and a painted pattern number, 912 D. Staffordshire potteries loved to borrow glamorous Continental names like Dresden and Strasburg for their wares, then set small imported drum movements into the pottery cases.

Good antique condition, with a small glaze chip low down on one side and fine crazing to the glaze, as you'd expect for its age. Please see the photographs. The movement hasn't been tested, so it's sold as a decorative piece.

Size: 32 cm high x 25 cm wide

Age: c.1905–1915 (Edwardian)

Country of origin: probably England (Staffordshire)

Hand painted Eastern European folk art decorative egg with three different design panels: The front shows a Russian style architectural church scene with onion domes and gold detailing. The back and base show floral folk art motifs with purple and pink blossoms.

Slightly raised paint texture.

Comes with a small black stand.

Good condition with minor wear, no chips or cracks.

A sweet cherub figure, caught mid-dance with a tambourine held high and one arm raised, robe swept back as if caught in motion. Stands on a scrolled, gilt-edged pedestal base with softly painted features.

Good condition overall — the wings have been lost over the years, though it doesn't take away from the piece on a shelf.

Bisque figures like this were left unglazed on purpose after firing, giving the skin that soft, matte, almost lifelike finish — a technique especially loved on Continental figurines through the early-to-mid 20th century.

17cm tall. 20th century, exact age uncertain.

A Price Kensington 'Ye Olde Cottage' biscuit barrel in the shape of a little thatched cottage, with a golden thatched roof, white lattice windows and a flowery garden speckled across the walls. The roof lifts off as the lid, and the woven wicker handle is still tight and intact. 17cm tall.

Price Kensington was formed in 1962 when two Staffordshire potteries, Price Bros and Kensington Pottery, merged at Longport in Stoke-on-Trent.

Good vintage condition with minor wear: fine crazing to the glaze and a few small specks on the base. No chips or cracks.

English, mid-century. Perfect for a farmhouse kitchen or a cottagecore display.

This is a sweet little hand-painted posy vase made by Kensington Pottery in Burslem, Staffordshire, back in the 1940s. It's decorated with a pretty spray of roses, anemones and lavender in soft pinks, purples and gold detailing, and stands 20cm tall with a slender, waisted shape that would suit a small posy of fresh flowers nicely. On the base you'll find the Kensington Ware England backstamp with the "KPB" mark, along with "Marie H.P." handwritten underneath - a lovely nod to the individual paintresses who signed their own work in factories like this one. Kensington Pottery later merged with Price Bros in 1961 to become Price & Kensington Potteries, a name still well known today for its classic brown Betty teapots. It's in good condition overall, with just some minor wear in keeping with its age.

A sweet little Victorian bisque cherub figure, seated beside a fluted pedestal topped with a woven floral basket and touched with a gilt rose. Stands 10cm tall. Good condition, with just gentle wear consistent with age.

Parian ware takes its name from the Greek island of Paros, prized in antiquity for its pure white marble - Victorian potteries borrowed the association for these marble-look parlour ornaments.

A well-matched pair of hand-painted porcelain ducks in the rich rust-orange, cobalt blue and gilt-yellow Imari palette, with peony and chrysanthemum sprays scattered right down to the webbed feet. One holds its head low, the other calls upward with its neck arched back, so the two naturally face and balance each other on a shelf.

Each duck stands 15cm tall and is genuine glazed porcelain rather than a printed finish. Vintage, mid-to-late 20th century. A pretty pairing for a mantelpiece, dresser or windowsill.

Each base carries a hand-painted red mark reading "yǎ wán zhēn cáng" - a traditional Chinese phrase meaning roughly "a refined piece, worthy of a treasured collection," brushed onto decorative export porcelain to flatter the collector. Specialist porcelain-mark references note that this mark appears on some of the better-quality factory and artist pieces of the period, as well as on later decorative ware.

Good condition overall, with just light dust in the base recesses and no chips or cracks.

A small Royal Worcester lidded pot in the factory's famous blush ivory. It is hand painted with roses, a yellow bloom and tiny blue flowers, with gilded rims to the cover and foot. It has the Royal Worcester crown and circle mark.

3.5cm across. Made in England, c.1902.

The crescent and the number 51 inside the Worcester mark stand for 1751, the year the factory was founded.

Good condition, with light wear to the gilding and no chips or cracks.

The right size for a dressing table, to hold rings or earrings. Proper grandmacore.

A miniature Royal Doulton figurine of The Old Balloon Seller, model HN2129, sitting with her bunch of bright balloons, green shawl and a basket of flowers at her feet. Made between 1989 and 1991, with the full Royal Doulton mark and Harradine's signature on the base. 10cm tall. Made in England.

The full-size original was modelled by Leslie Harradine in 1929 and stayed in production for almost seventy years.

In good condition with just minor wear, no chips or cracks.

A proper vintage jewellery box by Design Philipp of Malmö - black leatherette outside, with a fitted red satin and velvet interior. A lift-out tray with five compartments sits above two further sections, and there's a brass lock to the front (no key). 27 x 19cm.

Design Philipp held a royal warrant as supplier to the Swedish royal court, and the crest stamped inside the lid is the genuine mark of that honour.

Good condition with light wear consistent with age.

Made in Sweden, 1960s-70s. A smart modern vintage piece for a dressing table.

A pretty Sadler ginger jar vase in Staffordshire pottery, decorated all over with a rich oriental-style floral spray in red, yellow, pink and cobalt blue on a cream ground, with gilt detailing throughout. Mid-20th century, marked Sadler, Staffordshire, England on the base. Stands 14cm tall.

Good condition with minor wear.

Sadler's Burslem factory is best known for the humble Brown Betty teapot, but the same pottery also turned out decorative giftware like this one throughout the mid-20th century.

A matching pair of Wade vases in the 'Gothic' pattern, with raised swirling leaves and flowers picked out in gold lustre on a cream ground, softened with lilac, teal, yellow and dusky pink. Both are marked Wade England "Gothic" on the base.

Each stands 17cm tall. Made in England, c.1950.

The Gothic pattern was only made by Wade Heath for a few years either side of 1950, so a matching pair doesn't turn up all that often.

Good condition with minor wear and some fine crazing to the glaze on the base, no chips or cracks.

Lovely on a mantelpiece for a grandmillennial or Hollywood Regency look.

An antique Continental porcelain cabinet plate, the centre printed in soft colour with three cherubs at play on a plain white ground. The wide rim is moulded into rococo-style scrollwork picked out in gilt. Unmarked. 23cm across.

Cherubs at play were a favourite of Rococo-revival porcelain decorators, borrowed from 18th-century French and Italian originals.

Good condition, no chips or cracks, gilt still bright; some light staining to the unglazed footrim, consistent with age.

Late Victorian/Edwardian, c.1880-1910. Lovely on a plate stand, with a French country feel.

Pierced gilt-edged wall plate with a folk-style courting couple in a rose garden and the well-loved "kissin' don't last, good cookin' do" saying picked out in black lettering around the rim.

Good condition with a small age mark to the glaze and light wear to the gilding, no chips or cracks to the pierced edge. Arrives with its original cord already threaded through the border.

This exact saying turns up again and again on mid-century kitchen wall plates, many made in Japan for the American gift trade through the 1950s and 60s — a wry bit of kitchen wisdom that's been on kitchen walls for generations.

Dated by the pierced fretwork border, gilt rim and painted courting-couple scene, all typical of the style and period, rather than from a maker's mark, since none is visible on the base.

Decorative Chinese porcelain ginger jar with lid, finished in a vibrant pink ground with floral and scrolling designs. The jar features traditional Chinese decorative motifs and character roundels.

Condition: Good vintage condition with no obvious chips or cracks visible in the photos.