Waterloo Region Record

Racy lighter design based on mythology

JOHN SEWELL

Q

This lighter is the most peculiar and mystifying example in my collection. It’s a devil on a pedestal above a smoking woman. My wife and I bought it on eBay for $68.

The metal is a silver colour and it stands 23 centimetres tall (9.25 inches) with a weight of about a kilogram (2.2 pounds). We cannot find any marks. The devil’s head flips back to reveal a small cylindrical lighter of the flint/wick variety. Any information about it would be greatly appreciated.

Cyril, Chester, N.S.

A

A great variety of lighters were created beginning in the 1920s and many were moulded from base metal alloys — like

yours. Based on mythology, this rare lighter features a lascivious bacchante (a female devotee of

Bacchus, the Roman god of wine) smoking a cigarette while looking up at the Greek god Pan. Pan, the god of rustic music and the wild, was often portrayed in

art on these four-sided herms or markers, and is distinguished here by his goat’s horns. It is likely a European manufacture. A risqué object like this would have been used behind closed doors in an exclusive smoking room. In collecting circles, racy objects such as this are very desirable. Your lighter is worth at least $400.

Q Like many unmarried women at the time, my mom’s cousin left New Brunswick to find work with wealthy people in Boston and ended up with these dishes. When I was four (68 years ago), she brought this set to me, feeling that I’d appreciate them and my mom would look after them. After many moves, I still have and love this set. There are chips on the sugar bowl and the flower on the teapot, which is 10 cm (4 inches) high. I will appreciate any information you can share regarding my dishes.

Marion, Waterloo

A

Your very special porcelain dishes appear to be from the famous Sèvres factory from 1781, according to the markings. Sèvres porcelains from this period are extremely fine, desirable and rare. They are in fact a fine product from the Samson of Paris factory — a company that made fine copies of many famous companies in the second half of the 19th century. What you own is a partial déjeuner (lunch) set with a “rose marbrée” (marbled rose) background. This set once had a matching tray. In each cartouche there’s an image of a trophylike object such as a flaming torch, a quiver with arrows or a horn.

You indicate there’s damage to the rose-shaped teapot finial. The sugar bowl is also missing its lid. Regardless, these charming miniature dishes are worth about $450. As an original Sèvres set this would be a collector’s treasure worth $12,000.

Q

A great-aunt gave this lion to my father, in 1915. It has no markings, but I think it is Staffordshire. It measures 15 by 15 cm (six by six inches). I’ve heard these animals usually came in pairs. I only have the one. Please tell me about it.

Aggie, Toronto

A

Your lion was made at an English Staffordshire pottery between 1815 and 1830. These mantel ornaments were often in pairs but having even one of these rare performing lions is a prize. It was fashioned after a famous bronze lion, made in the 1400s, which now resides in the Bargello National Museum in Florence, Italy. A few different base shapes were used and colours vary, being hand-painted. Production of these lions was very low because the moulding of the open mouth and prominent teeth required extra care. These rustic earthenware ornaments are often used in country settings. Many serious collectors adore these charming naive figurines. Your majestic heirloom is worth $900 today.

JOHN SEWELL IS AN ANTIQUES AND FINE ART APPRAISER. TO SUBMIT AN ITEM TO HIS COLUMN, GO TO THE ‘CONTACT JOHN’ PAGE AT WWW.JOHNSEWELLANTIQUES.CA. PLEASE MEASURE YOUR PIECE, SAY WHEN AND HOW YOU GOT IT, WHAT YOU PAID AND LIST ANY IDENTIFYING MARKS. A HIGH-RESOLUTION JPEG PHOTO MUST ALSO BE INCLUDED. (ONLY EMAIL SUBMISSIONS ARE ACCEPTED.) *APPRAISAL VALUES ARE ESTIMATES ONLY.*

ARTS & LIFE

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2022-08-13T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-13T07:00:00.0000000Z

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