‘Grotesque’ antique discovered in charity shop donation fetches thousands at auction

An unusual piece of pottery discovered in a bag of donations given to a Honiton charity shop made an impressive £9,800 when it was sold by Chilcotts Auctioneers.

The peculiar-looking item turned out to be a fine example of an antique spoon warmer, and very valuable.

Spoon warmers were popular in Victorian times when they were filled with hot water to keep serving spoons warm. This one is a particularly interesting example, and not just for its strange appearance! It’s the work of Robert Wallace Martin, the eldest of well-known ceramicists, the Martin Brothers.

Robert was the eldest of the four brothers, who are sometimes referred to as the ‘grandfathers’ of studio pottery. Along with his siblings Walter, Edwin and Charles, he made distinctive and characterful pottery, influenced by the art of the Middle Ages. The brothers were the first to mass produce pottery pieces, although each piece they produced was quite different. One of their best known ranges are the eccentric ‘Wally Birds’, characterful tobacco jars and vases.

The spoon warmer auctioned at Chilcotts bears the date of 1879, the first year the pottery made these particular items, making it a rare and important example of the brothers’ ‘grotesque’ pottery. This style is gothic in inspiration and often uses the sgraffito technique, which is sometimes featured in BBC2’s The Great Pottery Throw Down.

Mary Chilcott who was the auctioneer for the item, said there was a real buzz of excitement in the Dolphin Sale Room when bidding began on the spoon warmer at the February 3 ‘Ceramics, Pictures & Works of Art: Good Antiques & 20th Century Design’ sale. A round of applause rippled round the room when the hammer went down on the final bid of £9,800.

Mary added that she personally found the spoon warmer fascinating. “This creature has a strange combination of features from different animals; some people see a toad, the ears look like they might be from a pig, and the nose from a dog. The huge grinning mouth is the opening where the spoons were placed to keep warm. I think it’s a wonderful piece, and totally unique.”

As this item was sold on behalf of a very worthwhile local charity, Chilcotts charged no commission, so the entire proceeds from the sale are going to the charity.