Collectors can get paws on rare piece

A rare Wemyss Cat is purrdicted to cause a stir when it goes up for auction.

The yellow Wemyss Cat, which was made around 1900, is being put up for sale with an estimate of £3,000 to £4,000.

It will be a highlight at Lyon & Turnbull’s auction of Scottish silver and applied arts on Wednesday August 15 in Edinburgh.

The brainchild of Robert Methven Heron, Wemyss Ware was first fashioned in his factory in Gallatown in Kirkcaldy, between 1882 and 1930.

Heron particularly admired hand decoration and recruited highly trained European painters for his family business.

One of the original designers, Karel Nekola, collaborated with his employer to produce the vibrant designs which quickly became very popular in high society circles.

It was named after the wealthy Wemyss family, living at nearby Wemyss Castle, who were generous patrons.

The business thrived but after the Second World War it began to struggle and eventually closed in 1930.

The rights were bought by the Bovey Tracey Pottery in Devon where it continued until 1957.

Wemyss Ware, famously collected by the late Queen Mother, has always attracted a large fan base around the world.

In 2004, a rare Wemyss cat figure sold for £20,000.

John Mackie of the auction house, said that rare Wemyss pieces brought healthy competition in the auction room.

“Wemyss Ware is the perfect collectors’ field, with so many charming patterns and shapes,” he said. “Rarities, such as the yellow cat, really catches people’s imagination and therefore attract premium prices.”

For Wemyss collectors, other items include a rare sleeping pig decorated with thistles and a three handled loving cup decorated with monkeys.

Picture: PA. Kirsten Schaeffer holds the rare yellow cat.