Two Worcester ‘Limoges’ chalices were the star lots at Stourbridge auction house Fieldings (21% buyer’s premium).
The introduction of fine enamels of a type first produced in medieval Limoges was part of the resurgence of Worcester under Richard Binns and William Kerr in the 1850s, when they hired a number of talented designers and painters.
The painted enamels were the speciality of Thomas Bott (1829-1870) and enjoyed huge esteem, but they were not produced in any great quantity and are an infrequent sight in the salerooms today. With little in the way of precedent to go on, Fieldings’ specialist Alison Snowdon estimated each chalice at £400- 600 at the September 1 sale.