Two rare Delftware plates that amazed viewers on the BBC Antiques Roadshow in 2014, when they were found to date back to the 17thcentury and described by the on-screen roadshow expert as: “as rare as you can get”, are going under the hammer at Woolley and Wallis auctioneers in the UK on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. There was further surprise when the owner revealed that the plates had been hanging precariously on wire hangers in the hallway of her husband’s family home for years and no one in the Devon-based family’s latter generations realised their true value. To much amusement, the stunned owner confessed to have carried the valuable plates to the Roadshow in her handbag!
Both plates were produced in Brislington Delftware, a form of tin-glazed earthenware, from the Brislington pottery established in Bristol in the 1650s. They are painted in shades of blue, yellow and manganese and feature a rarely seen rim, moulded with an unusual repeating shell motif. One of the strongest clues to their date and therefore their value, was in the depiction on one of the plates of the last British Catholic monarch, King James II (1633-1701), who reigned between 1685-1688 and is shown standing, holding a sceptre and parchment.
The plate portraying him features cracks, suggesting it was broken in half. This is thought to have been deliberate and happened to many other pieces picturing the King, following The Glorious Revolution, which saw the monarch deposed for his political and religious beliefs, which he tried to impose on society. Alarmed protestants feared a Catholic revival and the monarch was criticised for the misuse of the army to intimidate the public, as well as his use of status to impact governmental policies in parliament.
Family legend has it that a member of the Devon-based family broke the plate, but it was rescued by a relative who was loyal to the king and his descendants. It carries an estimate of £10,000-£15,000 (lot 1141). The second plate is equally as rare and painted with a standing Chinese figure in a rocky landscape, with the same colouring and rarely seen rim, moulded with an unusual repeating shell motif. It carries an estimate of £5,000-£8,000(lot 1140).
Commenting on the rarity of the plates and the family’s hidden treasure, Clare Durham, Ceramics specialist at Woolley & Wallis, said: “Very few examples of this shape of plate are recorded, so it is incredibly rare to have two appear on the market from the same source at the same time. It seems likely that the two have always been together. This, coupled with the fact that neither has been seen on the market for upwards of a century, will make them highly desired by collectors on both sides of the Atlantic. Delftware with a Royal connection is also sought after and, because of his turbulent history, few contemporary pieces relating to James II survive. It’s incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to bring both these plates to auction and we look forward to finding them new homes where they will be treasured.”
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