20th Century Design
We are delighted to be offering another outstanding selection of early Mouseman furniture this October. Most excitingly for fans of Mouseman, is a rare circa 1926 English Oak Hutch Cupboard, which has two of Robert Thompson’s own hand-carved mice with front paws, which were only included on very early pieces, and most unusually they are undercut so their heads and chests are raised off the wood underneath. The hutch comes with provenance from the Preston/Isherwood family, from Lancashire. With provenance from the same family is a Pair of English Oak Easy Chairs made circa 1930.
Further notable collections of Mouseman in the sale include a selection of pieces commissioned in the 1930s for Tudor Croft, an Arts and Crafts house on the edge of Guisborough built by Ronald Crossley in 1935, a 9 foot refectory table and set of armchairs that were by repute made for Yorkshire Copper Works,Leeds in 1939, and a selection of furniture and fittings from C.E. Waddington, a family-run gentlemen’s outfitters with three shops in Worksop, Rotherham and Bawtry, commissioned between 1958 and 1965. Finally, a there is a highly personal collection of Mouseman and Critter pieces from the estate of the late Ken Almack (1932-2021), one of Robert Thompson’s craftsmen. The sale will include over 100 lots of Mouseman furniture and furnishings, and over 80 lots by the Yorkshire Critters.
The sale will also offer the David and Brenda Pearson Studio Pottery Collection, including outstanding pieces such as a Stoneware Bottle and Vase, circa 1983 by the inimitable Dame Lucie Rie. David and Brenda Pearson had a passion for studio ceramics and purchased much of their collection from the Peter Dingley Gallery in Stratford-upon-Avon, not far from their home in Birmingham, which showcased the works of outstanding contemporary potters. Their collection also includes pieces by the likes of Shoji Hamada, Bernard, David and Janet Leach, Richard Batterham and John Maltby.
A further Private Collection of French and American Art Glass from the North West, dating from 1900 to the 1930s is also on offer, encompassing cameo and painted pieces.
