Moorcroft Pottery 8" Vase

I found this gorgeous vase at a shop in Olde City and snapped it up for a mere $20. I thought it might bring $100 or so on eBay. After a bit of research I discovered that the age of this piece (circa 1916-17) and its pomegranate pattern make it a very collectible piece of Moorcroft. **UPDATE**

After selling for $664 on eBay the item was returned due to the fact that it had a repair that I had not noticed. Naturally, I refunded the buyer her money and re-listed the item; it fetched $168. Still not a bad little profit and it found a good home!

William Moorcroft (1872-1945) was an English potter and founded the Moorcroft pottery business. He was born in Burslem, Staffordshire. He studied art at Burslem then in London and Paris. He experimented with his own pottery designs around 1896 while working for James Macintyre & Co Ltd. and produced Aurelian Ware which was partly decorated with transfers and partly painted by hand. Moorcroft developed highly lustered glazes and used oriental shapes and decorations. Some of his techniques were closely guarded trade secrets. Much of the output was sold through Liberty & Co. in London and Tiffany in New York.

Ray Smith - Mexican American Artist

I bought this painting by Ray Smith at an estate sale a few months ago. Although I didn't know the artist's name I recognized it as a well executed painting and snapped it up for $200 after doing some preliminary research at the library. Smith's paintings bring $1-14,000 at auction when they sell and have appeared at all the big name auction houses.

Painter and sculptor Ray Smith was born in Brownsville, Texas, in 1959, on lands that his family had settled in the early 19th Century when it was still part of Mexico. He grew up in central Mexico. He studied fresco painting with traditional craftsmen in Mexico, attended art academies in Mexico and the United States, and settled in Mexico City. Since 1985, he has divided his time between New York and Cuernavaca, Mexico. (Artist bio © AskArt)

My painting will be in the Modern, Latin American and Contemporary Art Sale at Bonham's on May 11th in NYC. Keep your fingers crossed!