The magic of Walt Disney’s Snow White film has delighted children for decades and still shines bright today.
But every great idea starts with a flicker of an idea, notes or sketches. This was illustrated by the discovery of an 85-year-old Walt Disney sketch book.
Dated 1938, the book is coming up in Hansons’ April 19 Decorative Arts sale. It was given to a sales director at the Wade Ceramics factory in Stoke-on-Trent – our vendor’s grandfather.
Flick through the pages and you see the Snow White character taking shape. For example, ‘Costume and Construction’ sketches show her hair, face and clothing.
It’s a piece of history. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was Walt Disney Productions’ first animated feature film in 1937. It is widely considered to be Disney’s finest offering and paved the way to huge success.
The book, estimate £800-£1,000, ties in beautifully with lot 20, Beswick ceramic figures of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, estimate £700-£1,000. We know the Snow White figure is an early example due to her flouncy hair. She also marries up to the designs in the 1938 sketch book. For Disney aficionados, these lots will be deeply appealing.
They illustrate the eclectic nature of our Decorative Arts sales which focus on 20th century design and collectables. This encompasses everything from the aforementioned Disney memorabilia to works of art, glassware and 20th century furniture with an emphasis on teak and Ercol. Who would have thought sideboards and coffee tables from our parents’ and grandparents’ 1960s and 70s homes would prove so irresistible half a century down the line.
In a flat-pack-furniture world people have become intensely aware of the quality and design flair of the not too distant past. So when I asked Hansons’ Decorative Arts valuer Barry Jones to pick out five favourite lots from his April 19 sale I was delighted he chose a Superstar – literally.
A ‘Superstar’ Falcon Chair by award-winning designer Sigurd Ressell for Vatne Mobler in 1973 is a star in every sense. Such was its popularity when it first emerged in 1971 it tripled Vatne’s turnover in two years. Buyers from the US, Germany, Japan and Australia were particularly enamoured.
It was born out of a hammock-type armchair called Blank Vals which Ressell created in 1970 for an industrial design competition. Vatne produced the seating from 1971 with a new name, Falcon Chair.
Ressell started experimenting with steel components in his furniture in the 1960s. The Falcon Chair was distinguished by its clear construction and elegant lines. The body was made of canvas and was attached to four arms with sturdy metal hooks and a leather border. The leather upholstery could then be placed on this suspension.
The Falcon set for auction comes in mustard leather with a metal frame. It may be 50 years old but,unlike the rest of us, hasn’t aged. It looks thoroughly modern and thanks to Ressell’s reputation for design quality carries an estimate of £500-£700.
Ressell (1920-2010) underlines Nordic excellence in the sphere of design. Born in Norway, his career was sparked when a drawing he did for a competition was praised by Niels Vodder, a master furniture maker.
Ressell went on to study at the State Arts and Crafts School in Oslo until 1947. Shortly after, in 1950, he opened his own design studio and clients included Danish furniture manufacturer Niels Vodder. Such was his reputation his creativity aided an expansion of the Norwegian Parliament in the 1950s.
Items like the Falcon Chair are not only beautiful to look at, they remind us of human endeavour, passion and talent. And that can emerge anywhere, including Leeds.
Lot 40 in the April Decorative Arts sale is a blue Burmantofts pottery faience dragon vase, £300-£500. Burmantofts Pottery was named after the Burmantofts district of Leeds. The business began in 1859 when fire clay was discovered in a coal mine owned by William Wilcock and John Lassey.
Single colour art pottery was produced between 1880 and 1904 at the instigation of James Holroyd, the works manager, as an addition to industrial glazed ceramic products. Decorative items like the vibrant dragon vase suited middle-class markets established by Minton, Royal Doulton and William De Morgan.
The final item to make Barry’s Decorative Arts top five is a signed, coloured lithograph by renowned Second World War artist John Piper. However, this is a peaceful scene of Willington Dovecote, Bedfordshire, £300-£500.
John Egerton Christmas Piper (1903-1992) was an English painter, printmaker and designer of stained-glass windows and opera and theatre sets. His work often focused on the British landscape, especially churches and monuments, and included tapestry designs, book jackets, screen-prints, fabrics and ceramics.
Piper was an official artist during the Second World War and his depictions of bomb-damaged churches and landmarks, most notably those of Coventry Cathedral, made him a household name.
All items will be offered in Hansons’ April 19 Decorative Arts Auction.
Further entries invited
Entries are invited until March 29 for the April Decorative Arts. To book a free valuation email [email protected] or call 01283 733988.
