Exquisite decoration

Two Della Robbia bottle vases, c1900–1905

The Della Robbia Pottery in Birkenhead, Liverpool was set up along Arts and Crafts lines, with everything handmade, hand- decorated and of high quality, using local red clay. From 1894 until its closure in 1906, its wares were available in Liberty, to be bought by wellheeled families of London, such as the Beales who commissioned Standen, the Arts and Crafts house, in East Sussex. These two finely crafted vases, just under 40cm high, are decorated with irises and citrus fruits, and carry the pottery’s mark, DR, and a sailing galleon (an Arts and Crafts motif that represented hope), plus the initials of painters Alice Louisa Jones and Gertrude Russell. They have such a modern look that it’s hard to believe they are over 100 years old. The pair sold at Bonhams last November for £1,125.