Jewellery Auction

McTear’s ever popular Jewellery Auction will take place on Wednesday 18th June. This auction is held once every five weeks and is dedicated to a range of jewellery at various price points. With 379 lots coming up in this auction, we are sure you will find something that is sure to catch your eye!

In Lot 1386, you can find our beautifully sparkly sapphire and diamond earrings, each set with an oval sapphire of approximately 0.80 carats surrounded by diamonds totalling approximately 0.5 carats in eighteen carat white gold. These eye-catching stunners are estimated between £1500-£2000 and will not go un-noticed.

Another very special piece we have coming up is Lot 1274. This diamond line bracelet is set with brilliant cut diamonds totalling approximately 4.00 carats in fourteen carat gold. The bracelet is 18 cm long and will be a beauty for a very keen customer with estimations between £2500-£3500.



A more affordable piece coming up is Lot 1125 with our pearl and ruby cluster ring. The central white pearl is surrounded by rounded rubies in a nine carat gold band. This ring is sized as M-N and is estimated between £30-£50. This is a nice ring for every day wear and while being affordable… still looks very special.



At the other end of the scale we have a particular highlight in our auction, Lot 1120a. This very impressive early twentieth century diamond solitaire ring has an old brilliant cut stone of approximately 3.50 carats on bifurcated diamond set shoulders in platinum comes in size M. Who will be the lucky lady to win this bid? This ring has an estimated value of £15000 - £18000. We think the smile of the new owner will sparkle just as much as these diamonds!



For updates on our upcoming auctions, click here.

Lalique and Royal Doulton

Our British and Continental Ceramics and Glass auction on the 17th June features many stunning lots of ceramics and glass from Britain, Europe and beyond. This auction will include many beautiful pieces, including some  'Lalique' glass art and Royal Doulton ornaments. 

This opulent pair of Royal Doulton gilt blue porcelain pedestal vases and covers is set to get under the hammer for £100-£150 in the auction. This would be a great statement addition to any mantelpiece. 

Something a bit different - this Royal Doulton porcelain Dickens dream jug with a raised design throughout depicting Charles Dickens characters. This is from 1933 and is estimated to go under the hammer for £200 to £300. 

Something a bit different again and maybe less unusual, but still as stunning as the rest - Royal Doulton flambe vase with an estimate of £100 - £150.

Now a preview of some of the Lalique pieces McTear's have coming up for auction.
This pair of Lalique frosted glass sculptures of eagle heads is estimated to go under the hammer for £300 - £500. 

This Lalique frosted glass champs elsysee centrepiece bowl would be a stunning centre point on a table to give a unique feature. With another estimate of £300-£500, it is sure to be snapped up quickly. 

For a look at some of the other lots going under the hammer in our special auctions follow the links below:

The Silver Auction- Tuesday 17th June at 10.30am
The British & Continental Ceramics & Glass Auction- Tuesday 17th June at 11.30am
The Furniture, Works of Art & Collectables Auction- Tuesday 17th June at 6.00pm
The Rare & Collectable Whisky Auction- Wednesday 18th June at 10.30am
The Watches and Coins Auction- Wednesday 18th June at 5.00pm
The Jewellery Auction- Wednesday 18th June at 6.00pm
The Scottish Pictures Auction- Thursday 19th June at 2.00pm
The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction- Sunday 22nd June at 2.00pm

An Auctioned Packed April...

Well we really sprung into spring with our special April auctions. On top of the usual ‘3 days of auction’, McTear’s had another 3 unique auctions featuring various pieces of Victorian, Edwardian & Scottish Jewellery, Miniature Spirits and works of art. 

All taking place on the 17th of April, The Miniature Spirits Auction kicked off the day of auctions at 10.30am. This auction included 103 pieces of Miniature bottles of Whisky, Gin, Vodka, Rum and Port, with most lots meeting their estimation and a few exceeding them. An example of this would be this Whisky Miniature Ceramic Selection which has some well known items such as a 12 year old Springbank and a 21 year old Glenfiddich. After an estimate of £30 - £50, the miniatures went under the hammer for £120.


Lot 43

Later on in the day we had 300 stunning lots of Victorian, Edwardian & Scottish Jewellery, with prices ranging from £30 - £8000. Again, some of the lots not only met the expectations held, but also surpassed them, like this beautiful Edwardian Opal and Diamond set clover brooch. After an estimation of £150, this ended up going for a whopping £1000.

Lot 202

The last auction of the day featured some out of the ordinary pieces of ceramic, works of art and jewellery. With various Art Deco pieces and even a Mulberry handbag this was a very enticing auction to be at. One particular piece that grabbed the attentions of bidders was this Ceiling lamp in the style of W.A.S Benson. After an estimated hammer price of £150 this unusual lamp sold for a fantastic £1100. 

Lot 537

To see what other exciting items went under the hammer have a look here.

McTear's featuring Muriel Barclay

With McTear's April auctions coming up soon that feature some fantastic examples of Muriel Barclay’s work, we thought it would be a good idea to learn a bit more about her and her painting.

Growing up locally in Glasgow’s West End, Muriel started off at Edinburgh University where she went on to move down to London and work at Jaques O’Hana’s Gallery. On her return to Glasgow, Muriel studied Drawing and Painting at Glasgow School of Art and History of Fine Art, alongside teaching history and raising her three sons. In 2001 she finally left her textbooks and picked up her paintbrush to become a full time painter after encouragement from various Art Institutes.

Muriel paints with an extremely individualised style, influenced by her study of the history of art and culture. She is one of Scotland's best figurative artists who paints with an almost poetic style, capturing the image of her paintings exquisitely. Her work contains collections from portraits to horses, and from ballet dancers to flamenco dancers, all uniquely beautiful and quirky. Muriel has had her work exhibited at some of the best galleries including Thompson's Gallery (London) and Contemporary Fine Art Gallery (Eton) and currently has her solo show at The Lemond Gallery in Glasgow, which showcases some of the best examples of Scottish Contemporary Art.

McTear's are extremely lucky to be auctioning some of her fabulous work and in 2008 'Pink Tutu Tune' sold for £7645*, which was the highest price to be achieved at auction for a maiden painting in a public auction by any living Scottish artist.

The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction on Sunday 13th April includes some superb examples of Muriel’s work with estimates ranging from £400 to £4000.


Lot 1781: 'Finding Chord' Estimate: £3000 - £5000


Lot 1784: 'Pink Passage' Estimate: £400 - £600

With the success of her previous paintings, we cannot wait to see how Muriel's artwork does at our upcoming Scottish Contemporary Art Auction on the 13th of April.

x

London Olympic Silver Medal Auctioning at McTear's

As Team GB grabs Gold in Russia, McTear’s have a rare Olympic medal on auction from the 1908 London Olympics.

McTear’s are auctioning this medal which was awarded to a member of the Scots crew of the 12 metre yacht race, Hera which took place on a unique race on the Clyde out of Hunters Quay, Dunoon.

It is extremely rare to find any Olympic winners medal coming to auction, let alone one from more than 100 years ago and as such we expect to see considerable interest from collectors and sporting fans from home and overseas.

1908 Silver Olympic Medal

The solid silver medal is estimated between £3,000 and £5,000 and is sure to be a popular bid in our auction on Tuesday 4th March, stay tuned! Read more here.

Auction World Wonders of 2013

 Not only has 2013 brought a great year of wild and wonderful auction results in McTear's, but also the world over. Auctioning is becoming more and more popular, with a lot of money to be spent and gained. Here we have some of the best and brightest results in the world from 2013.

 On 5th June in New York, this Clark Sickle-Leaf Carpet estimated between $5-7 million, broke records by selling for an unbelievable $34 million, making it the most expensive carpet and also Islamic work of art to be sold- we are sure there will be a 'no shoes' rule on this carpet!



 Diamonds are always a favourite in McTears... this stunning white diamond was the largest diamond to ever be sold at an auction. The diamond sold on 7th October in Hong Kong weighed 118 plus carats and sold for $30.6 million- a lot to pay for a 'best friend', but I am sure the owner is will have a very happy future with this one!



 In New York, the highest price achieved for any modern artwork in 2013 was this Alberto Giacometti 'Grande tête mince', selling at just over $50 million.

 On 21st November in New York, this 1964 Ferrari 250 LM was sold at an impressive $14.3 million at the first major car auction in Manhattan in over 10 years which set records for many models, but this one coming up top- great for a Sunday drive!

 A fantastic year for auctions! Keep yourself up to date with the auctions we have coming up in McTear's in 2014 here to make sure you don't miss out, and if you think you have a valuable item that you are curious about the value of let McTear's help, see for valuations here.

Largest bottle of single malt in the world!

In our Rare and Collectable Whisky, Wine and Port auction that took place last week we were extremely fortunate to have this Tomintoul 14 year old 105.3L bottle of single malt go under the hammer - the largest in the world!


Lot 832: Tomintoul Single Malt Whisky

For the size of the bottle it was no surprise that it was estimated to go for at least £100,000, but with 105.3 Litres of single malt whisky it is definitely worth it. Created by The Clockhouse Restaurant and The Whisky Castle in Timontoul, it gained accreditation from The Guinness World Records for being the largest bottle of Single Malt in the world in 2009.



The bottle was on display at The Whisky Experience in Edinburgh, standing at 4ft 9ins it took 14 people to fill and close it, according to the BBC.

This video, sourced from YouTube, shows how the massive whisky bottle was filled.

Sadly the bottle never reached its estimate and has been returned to its owner. Steven McGinty, our whisky valuer commented: "It was unique but I'm not going to say I was disappointed because it will earn what the owners wanted under different circumstances. Today just wasn't the day when somebody felt inclined to bid for it." (The Herald)

For more auction results have a look on our website.

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Whisky Hammer Highlights Worldwide... Wow!

Now that you are an expert from reading our previous blog 'A Guide to Whisky for the Non-Whisky Connoisseur', this one follows well… It is a well known appreciation, especially of us Scots to occasionally enjoy a glass of our finest export- whiskey!

Here is a list of some of the most expensive whiskies in the world- we are sure it will be no surprise where the origins of the best whiskies come from, because let's face it, we Scots for it best!

1. Macallan 1946 – £285,000


Macallan 1946

This single malt whisky in a LaliqueCire Perdue decanter was auctioned in 2010, with the proceeds going to charity. It is particularly unusual because it was made with peated malt due to the then-prohibitive coal prices that shot up because of World War II. This is a classic Macallan and one of the best ever released.


2. Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve 1955 – £58,000


Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve 1955

Glenfiddich had a barrel of Scotch whisky aging since New Year’s Eve of 1955. When the granddaughter of Glenfiddich’s founder William Grant, Janet Sheed Roberts, passed away, the company honoured her by making 15 bottles from the barrel. Four bottles were kept by the family and 11 were sent to auction. A whisky connoisseur from Atlanta bought one of them for $94,000. The whisky has been recognised for its floral, fruity and sweet taste.

3. Macallan 1926 – £46,500

Macallan 1926

The oldest in Macallan’s fine and rare collection, this single malt was distilled in 1926 and bottled in to 40 in 1986. The blend is dry and concentrated with no water added. The colour reflects that of the old barrel. It was purchased in 2005 by a South Korean man.


4. Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch Matheson – £36,000

Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch Matheson

This is a blend of four single malt whiskies distilled in different years. Only 12 bottles were made in 1942, each of which was given individual names relevant to the Dalmore Estate. The most expensive was the Matheson, named after Alexander Matheson, the estate owner. It was purchsded in 2005 by an anonymous buyer who quickly opened it and drank it with five friends.


5. Glenfiddich 1937 – £12,400


Glenfiddich 1937

This is from Glenfiddich’s Rare Collection. It was distilled in Scotland in 1937 and left to age. The barrel was then opened and made into 61 bottles in 2001. The whisky is said to have a rich walnut colour with hints of cedar, cinnamon, cloves and toffee. The bottle was auctioned for charity in 2006, in New York.

Please note that all above prices have all been converted from dollars and simplified. These are some lavish hammer prices, see what Hammer Highlights we had at McTear's recently, where the great whisky buying interest has led to bottles of Scotland's finest winging their way to all corners of the globe.

McTear's next whisky auction is one the Department is already looking forward to and preparations are already underway. Join the global whisky audience at 10.30am on 13th November for more collectable and drinkable whisky in our Rare & Collectable Whisky, Wine & Port Auction. Furthermore, to discuss selling or buying whisky, wine and other spirits at McTear's, please contact specialists Stephen McGinty or Dominic Hughes on 0141 810 2880 or email stephern@mctears.co.uk ordominic@mctears.co.uk.

Exceedingly Good Auctions at McTear's

We are slipping in to September with a successful string of auctions to start the month. McTear's held a number of special auctions at the beginning of the month, which showed numerous Lots exceeding their estimated prices due to the keen interest of our eager bidders.

Below we have some particular highlights of Lots where bidders showed their keen interest in certain items;

This Lot 1717 canvas of 'Returning Home' in the Scottish Pictures Auction held on 5th September 2013 was painted by Tom Scott (1854-1927), a Scottish artist. Tom Scott is best known for his watercolours of Selkirk and the Scottish Borders, a few examples of his oil paintings have appeared at auction over the past 30 years and others are known to be in notable private collections. This early work is signed 'T Scott', a slight variation from his usual 'Tom Scott' and is housed in an outstanding Barbizon frame which reflects the style of the work. This beautiful canvas was estimated at £1000-£2000, however this was exceeded by £200, to £2200 by a keen bidder who now hosts the Scottish artwork in his home.


Lot 1717

Next up, we had Lot 1313. This lucky Lot exceeded it's estimate by £190. It is a continental judgendstil silver enamel pendant decorated with pink enamel daisies within a foliate design, having mirrors in the interior. Estimated at £100-£150, the unique pendant sold for £340.


Lot 1313

The Watches and Coins auction on 4th September showed numerous generous hammer prices... namely Lot 1019, for the 18 carat gold pocket watch with white enamel dial. This pocket watch was estimated at £400-£600, but the special accessory gained strong interest with the final hammer price being over double the estimate- £1300!


Lot 1019

A special mention also goes to Lot 603. This Macallan 1946 Select Reserve Single Speyside malt Scotch whisky was auctioned in the Rare & Collectable Whisky, Wine and Port auction on Wednesday 4th September. This single malt has been aged for 52 years and came in a wooden presentation box. There is no doubt that this is one of our most competitive auctions for the fine connoisseurs out there. This Lot was estimated at £2800-£3200, but the winning connoisseur paid £800 above the estimate- a hammer price of £4000 ... ready for a very special occasion!


Lot 603

Have a look at some of the other auction results on our website.

Do you feel inspired to get some exceedingly good auction results? Read up on How to Sell at Auction and try using TextIt or What's It Worth to find out if you have something worth bringing to auction.

Keep an eye on our next upcoming auctions here.

Extravagant Artwork Auctions

At McTear's, we auction many fabulous and extravagant pieces of art which are valued by our experts. Our bidders really have an eye and appreciation for beautiful, interesting and inspirational artwork, but how much would you pay for some of the world's most sought-after artwork?

Have a look at some of the below artwork by famous artists, which have had their hammers crashing down at humongous sums of money - perhaps some of the masterpieces you own will be the same in a few years!


Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur, Pablo Picasso

Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur translates to 'Nude, Green Leaves and Bust' by the well known Impressionist artist, Pablo Picasso. It was painted in just one day in March 1932. By 2010, this painting was auctioned for $106, 500,00. Wow, not bad for a day's work!


Portrait of Dr. Gachet, Vincent van Gogh

This painting is by the very well known Dutch Impressionist artist, Van Gogh. He painted two similar versions of this portrait, one of which can be viewed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the other which was purchased by Ryoei Saito, a business man from Japain for just $82.5 million... JUST?!


Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer, Gustav Klimt

The above is a 'Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer', painted by Gustav Klimt in 1907. By 2006, the painting was selling in auction for $135,000,000, to the cosmetics heir Ronald S. Lauder.
Interestingly, this sale came after a court order placed by the Austrian government, to return it to the artist's heir after many years disputing that the painting had been stolen by Nazi's in World War II - Quite some attention and adventure for one painting!


The Scream, Edvard Munch

One of four that exist, this most vibrant version of the original iconic image created by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch sold at auction in May 2012 for almost $120,000,000.

The 19th century image, portraying what the artist called "the great scream in nature" soon became the subject of countless parodies throughout the 20th century and, today, remains on a par with Da Vinci's Mona Lisa as one of the most recognised images in the world.

Keep up to date with the pieces of our more affordable artwork up for auction on our website, and also see our Facebook and Twitter to ensure you hear everything first... or even have some artwork you own valued by us to see what you could get at auction.

Eh... So What IS Contemporary Art?

This is a question that isn't asked often enough. This is something that we all assume everyone knows, and should know by telepathic means because you wouldn't want to ask a "silly" question at an art function.

The answer can be complicated with tangents into understanding the study of many “isms” in six decades of art. But the simple answer is... Contemporary just means "art that has been and continues to be created during our lifetimes". This means it is contemporary to us, today!

So, what is the difference in contemporary art and modern art?

Modern art is art created in and around 1860 to around 1970. This is when artists such as 'The Impressionists', including Vincent Van Gogh, began to challenge the traditional academic view of art and started to look at the world differently.


Vincent van Gogh, Country road in Provence by Night, 1889

And Post-modern art?

Contemporary art includes, and develops from Post-modern art, which is itself a successor of Modern art. It is within our lifetime, particularly the last twenty years. Contemporary artists use a variety of materials and techniques and technologies such as computers to produce their work.

To explore further... The term of contemporary art does not necessarily commit to a particular style, however contemporary artists can express themselves and respond to social issues in a way that previous artists couldn't. Often today's artists work in and respond to a global environment that is culturally diverse, technologically advancing, and multifaceted. They can work in various mediums and often reflect on modern-day society.

When engaging with contemporary art, onlookers should set aside questions like, "Is a work of art good?" or "Is the work aesthetically pleasing?" Instead, they should consider if it is "challenging" or "interesting." Contemporary artists may question traditional views of art definitions, what art is, and how art is made, while creating a dialogue with, and in fact sometimes rejecting previous the styles and movements.

Here are some of our upcoming contemporary art works- notice the varying styles.

Lot 1837: Laetitia Guildbaud, Guiness Babe, acrylic on canvas, estimated at £300 - £500.



Lot 1837

Lot 2022: Paul Bloomer, Bigton Sunset, oil on canvas, estimated at £300 - £500.


Lot 2022

Lot 1851: James Fullarton, The War Memorial, Saltcoats, acrylic on board. Estimated at £200 - £500.


Lot 1851

Come along and view our Scottish Contemporary Art Auction on Sunday 4th August at 2pm, to form your own impressions on contemporary art- especially now that you are an expert- or just come along to get your hands on a nice new picture that would look great your wall!

What's Coming Up in McTear's End of July Auctions?

From 30th July until 4th August, we have 8 auctions for you to get bidding in. These include auctions of Asian Works of Art, Furniture, Works of Art & Collectables, Clocks, Scientific and Musical Instruments, Rare & Collectable Whisky, Wine & Port, Watches & Coins, Fine Jewellery, International Pictures, and Scottish Contemporary Art.
We have an interesting piece in our Asian Works of Art auction; our Lot 39 Chinese Wooden Wedding Basket is rich in legacy and tradition and still used to this day. The basket is traditionally customized and filled with a wedding gift to give to the bride and groom. They are traditionally red in colour, as this colour symbolises joy and love... a pretty and practical addition to your home, but we are not sure you would want to give it away?


Lot 39

In our Furniture, Works of Art and Collectables Auction, Lot 400 brings 19th Century Pewter Scottish communion tokens. They were a token issued to members of Presbyterian churches to provide them entrance to the Lord’s supper. John Calvin first recommended Communion tokens with the intent that no unworthy person would be admitted to the communion service. Overtime, with church acculturation and rising liberal theology, the tokens became unfavourable as some people viewed the church discipline as unfashionable and judgemental, and communion became considered more of a means of grace than reward.


Lot 400

Finally, keeping in theme with the recent news of the birth of the Royal Baby, George Alexander Louis, we wanted to highlight the upcoming pen and ink drawing by Scottish artist Hannah Frank (1908-2008) in Lot 1667 'There was once a King's Son - The Garden of Paradise' in our Scottish Contemporary Art Auction on Sunday 4th August. Hannah Frank was born in Glasgow and attended Glasgow School of art. Her unique contemporary style of elongated black and white figures have been described as having a medieval romanticism and melancholy air bearing her instantly recognisable stamp.


Lot 1667

See below for further information on our auctions and browse our catalogues to find yourself more unique and wonderful pieces to get bidding on:

Asian Works of Art -Tuesday 30th July 2013

Furniture, Works of Art & Collectables- Tuesday 30th July 2013

Clocks, Scientific and Musical Instruments- Tuesday 30th July 2013

Rare & Collectable Whisky, Wine & Port- Wednesday 31st July 2013

Watches & Coins- Wednesday 31st July 2013

Fine Jewellery- Wednesday 31st July 2013

The International Pictures Auction- Thursday 1st August 2013

The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction- Sunday 4th August 2013

Natasha Joins Bargain Hunt!

We are delighted to announce that our very own Natasha Raskin is joining the BBC Bargain Hunt experts team, filming for the first time this Sunday at the Great Wetherby Antiques Fair.



Good luck Natasha!

Visit our Website, Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to keep up to date with what is happening at McTear's Auctioneers.

Busy Week for McTears

McTear's have been busy getting ready for next week's auctions running from Tuesday 12th March right through to Sunday 17th March.

Starting the auctions will be McTear's British & Continental Ceramics & Glass, Silver & Plate auction on Tuesday 12th March at 10.30am that will feature ceramics and glass from Britain, Europe and beyond, as well as silver and plate from around the world.

Featuring in this auction will be this stunning pottery piece from Harry Davis along with many other items not to be missed.

Lot 121: FINE ROYAL WORCESTER JAR AND COVER BY HARRY DAVIS

Also on Tuesday 12th March will be McTear's Asian Works of Art at 6pm and Furniture, Clocks and Works of Art at 7pm. These auctions will give you the chance to bid on ceramics, ivory, bronze, jade, lacquer, wood, silver and cloisonne from China, Japan, Korea, Persia & the Middle East and furniture, clocks and works of art from the 18th-20th centuries.

This unique Amber coloured glass and stone set scent bottle is estimated to reach £100-£150 in Asian Works of Art:

Lot 310A: CHINESE AMBER COLOURED GLASS AND STONE SET SCENT BOTTLE 

McTear's Furniture, Clocks and Works of Art auction will have a range of items going under the hammer including this Victorian carved mahogany buttonback chaise longe estimated to sell for £150-£200. 

Lot 571:VICTORIAN CARVED MAHOGANY BUTTONBACK CHAISE LONGE

On Wednesday 13th March McTear's will have 500 lots of whisky, wine and port in our Rare & Collectable Whisky, Wine & Port auction at 10.30am.

How do you fancy splashing out for The Macallan Royal Marriage 1981 Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky estimated to fetch £800-£1000. 

Lot 672: THE MACALLAN ROYAL MARRIAGE 1981 Single Highand Malt Scotch Whisky

 On the same day we also have Fine Jewellery, Watches and Coins at 5pm where you will have the opportunity to bid on various watches, beautiful jewellery and coins.

This lovely Diamond Line Bracelet totalling 4.38 carats, in eighteen carat white gold is estimated to go under the hammer for £3500-£4500.

Lot 1397: DIAMOND LINE BRACELET

Thursday 14th March there will be The British and Continental Pictures Auction at 6pm. It will feature a range of attracting pictures including this piece from Jack Merriott.

Lot 1419: JACK MERRIOTT (BRITISH 1901 - 1968) THE BRIG O' DOON oil on canvas,

McTear's will also have two other special auctions on Sunday 17th March. Sports Memorabilia will feature medals, jerseys and ephemera relating to football, along with other sporting collectables relating to golf, fishing and cricket at 1pm.  The Scottish Contemporary Art auction takes place at 2pm and will include a huge selection of contemporary paintings by predominantly Scottish artists.

For more information and online catalogues of these auctions visit our website.

Also, to keep up to date with what's happening at McTear's, Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter.

Pottery by Harris Davis

With our successful February auctions not long past, it's time to look at what we have coming up in March.

In particular we have the British & Continental Ceramics & Glass, Silver & Plate auction on the 12th of March that we are fortunate enough to be auctioning various pieces of pottery by Harry Davis. 

This stunning Royal Worcester jar painted by Harry Davis (one of several Worcester pieces already in) has come in for the Ceramics auction on 12 March. It is estimated to sell for over £2000.

Harry Davis, who was born in 1910, was an English potter who was educated in both Switzerland and England. He furthered his education at the Bournemouth School of Art where unfortunately the pottery class was full. This never stopped Harry though. He worked away for hours in the pottery room outwith school hours where he created numerous pots that grabbed the attention of many, especially the headmaster. He was then sent to work as a decorator at Broadstone Potters near Poole where he showed interest in all aspects of the art. Here he enhanced and improved his skills needed at a potters wheel.

After his early experiences he went on to work for Bernard and David Leach at the Leach Pottery in St Ives, Cornwall where he later met his wife. After this he went on to become head of the Art School at Achimota College in Ghana where he looked into the feasibility of manufacturing tiles, bricks and pots.

After travelling for a while with his wife, May, he returned to England in 1946 and they started up "Crowan Pottery", near Praze in Cornwall, producing domestic ware. Crowan pots became well-known for their fine appearance and strength and even though the couple managed the flourishing pottery for 16 years, they still wanted more. They chose to emigrate to New Zealand in 1962 where they founded the “Crewenna Pottery”.

However, they soon got restless here resulting in Harry jetting off to Peru in 1972 where they spent eight years of their life building a pottery at Izcuchaca. In 1979 May returned to New Zealand and Harry, in poor health, shortly after. Sadly he passed away at "Crewenna" in 1986.

His pottery are all unique and beautiful pieces that are sure to be snapped up quickly when they go under the hammer.

It's set to be a good auction so we hope to see you there.

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Great Start to 2013...

The second week of January proved to be an exciting and successful one for McTear's. Some keen bidders came with Christmas money in hand to snap up some auction pieces.

The three days commencing the 8th of January held 6 individual auctions with a further special auction on Sunday the 13th, all with some unique items going under the hammer.

 Over the three days we had the following auctions: Fine Pictures, Fine Jewellery, Watches and Coins, Rare & Collectable Whisky, Wine & Port, Furniture, Clocks & Works of Art, Asian Works of Art and British & Continental Ceramics & Glass, Silver & Plate.

The Scottish Contemporary Art auction that took place on the Sunday saw Lot 1571 sail past its estimates. After being estimated to sell for £6000-£7000, it ended up going under the hammer for a fantastic £11000.

Lot 1571. ALEXANDER GOUDIE (1933 - 2004) SALUTE oil on canvas 151cm x 151cm.

In The Fine Jewellery, Watches and Coins auction, after being estimated to sell for £200-£300, this Gentleman's art deco Rolex wrist watch reached a brilliant £2200 when it went under the hammer.

Lot 1032 GENTLEMAN'S ART DECO ROLEX WRIST WATCH

These are just a couple of highlights from the auctions. For a full overview of what sold and how much each piece went under the hammer for, have a look at our website.

Our next '3 days of Auctions' will begin on the 5th of February.


For more information, visit our website and don't forget to Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter.