Silver spoons for the dining table have been around since antiquity - a much longer history than the table fork, which did not come into general use until the 18 th century. By this time spoons had ...

Within the broader context of 18th century drinking glasses there are certain areas which form the basis of specialist collecting fields. One of these is Beilby glassware, a class mostly of drinking ...

The most viewed stories on this website over the last week included news of a blue and white porcelain vase flying over predictions at Hansons ...

British awards and decorations have many fascinating stories. There are two major categories: campaign medals and gallantry medals. Campaign medals are awarded to members of the British Armed Forces, ...

Different from the simple overglaze 'bat' printed wares produced at the Worcester and Caughley factories from the 1750s, Spode's ingenious method involved first the engraving of a design onto a copper ...

When they first came into use in the 1830s, friction matches were hazardous and could combust without warning, so vesta cases were something of a necessity. But as their production became more ...

A UK gallery or institution will need to raise £280,000 + VAT to acquire a work by Henri-Joseph François, Baron De Triqueti, before it leaves the country. The sculpture is a unique double portrait and ...

The British Antique Dealers' Association (BADA) has awarded artist Rafael El Baz its 2025 BADA Art Prize for his work 'Soft ...

On the same day that Freeman’s Hindman announced it would rebrand simply as Freeman’s, the firm held a $2.5m two-part sale of Old Masters and 19th century European art. Offered at the morning session ...

That, at least, was the theory. In fact, relatively little Irish ‘provincial’ silver made the journey to the metropolis to receive official approval – for reasons of security and economy. It is a ...

Although now familiar to generations of children, the industrial process of die-casting only came into being towards the end of the First World War. Forcing a molten alloy into a mould under pressure ...

After 1840, F. & R. Pratt of Fenton in Staffordshire, became the leading (but not the only) manufacturer of multicoloured transfer printed pot lids and a huge range of related wares. Long admired for ...