Press Release

Wolcottville, IN, USA, February 14, 2024 -- The second of three auctions dedicated to the outstanding majolica collection of Edward Flower (1929-2022) and his wife Marilyn (1930-2017) will be held on Saturday, March 16th, online and live in the Holiday Inn ballroom at 1750 Sumneytown Pike in Kulpsville, Pa. The auction will begin at 10 am Eastern time.

The auction catalog in its entirety has been posted online, at LiveAuctioneers.com. To view, click here: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/315059_flower-family-majolica-auction-2/.

“We’re honored that the Flower family has continued this important auction with us,” said Michael Strawser of Strawser Auction Group, which has been chosen to handle all three sales. “Ed and Marilyn were longtime customers who have attended our auctions since the mid-1990s.”

The first auction, held on August 23rd of last year, was a huge success. Top lots included two majolica creations by the French artist Charles-Jean Avisseau that sold for a combined $71,340, and a pair of majolica pieces by George Jones that together brought $57,455. The third and final auction will be held later this year, date and time to be announced.

As in the initial auction, the Part 2 sale will feature many of the finest names in all of majolica production: Minton, George Jones, Holdcroft, Wedgwood, Hugo Lonitz, Palissy, Massier, T.C. Brown Westhead Moore & Co., Copelands and others – 185 lots in all. The collection in its entirety comprises over 600 pieces, each one carefully chosen for beauty, rarity and condition.

Two items are expected to vie for top honors. The first is the iconic Minton ‘Hare and Duck’ head game pie dish and cover, the model attributed to Paul Comoléra, the tureen affectionately known among collectors as The Bunny Tureen. The oval body piece, shape #1990, is 11 ½ inches tall by 18 inches wide (est. $25,000-$30,000).

The second is a George Jones teapot, one of only a few known, the angular body formed as a Chinese junk filled with cargo, the spout formed as the helm and the cover formed as a figure in Chinese costume. “In my thirty years of selling majolica this is the first one I’ve ever offered,” Mr. Strawser said (est. $20,000-$25,000).

A circa 1875 Minton tete-a tete tea set in the Chinoiserie taste, one of only three complete sets known, is expected to gavel for $12,000-$15,000. The set consists of a teapot, sugar bowl, creamer, two cups and saucers, and a tray. The teapot is formed as a yellow lychee with a green stem handle and spout, the finial designed as a leaf.

A monumental circa 1890 Jerome Massier jardiniere on a stand, overall 52 inches tall by 19 inches wide, has an estimate of $6,000-$9,000. The pedestal has been designed as a beautifully painted peacock around a column of grasses, supporting a circular jardiniere surmounted by three large, gorgeously colored butterflies.

A circa 1880 Delphin Massier elephant floor jardiniere, 30 ½ inches tall, should hammer for $6,000-$9,000. The jardiniere is naturalistically modeled, the elephant mounted with a beautifully painted standing hexagonal howdah sitting atop a tasseled saddle blanket. It was sold as part of The Gem Collection at Christie’s in 2015.

A circa 1875 Copeland 1876 memorial vase, 10 inches tall, was produced as a souvenir for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. The vase is modeled as three back-to-back grey eagles guarding the American Flag with spears and three cobalt blue shields. This design being the most coveted example of Copeland's majolica production (est. $4,000-$6,000).

To learn more about the Strawser Auction Group and the second of three auctions dedicated to the majolica collection of Edward Flower (1929-2022) and his wife Marilyn (1930-2017) slated for Saturday, March 16th, visit www.strawserauctions.com. To view a flip-booklet for the auction, click here: https://flipbooklets.com/pdfflipbooklets/flower-majolica-2024#page1

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