It’s pretty typical for really rather good things to appear and come in just after I’ve printed a book on them. And, typically, those pieces answer a question that I hadn’t been able to solve before printing the book. In this instance it concerned Alla Moda, my new book on Italian mid-century pottery. My keen-eyed […]
My glasses have become an important part of how I project myself, and of what I want people to think of me. They’re not just a fashion statement. Obviously, they’re also rather important to my daily life. Goodness only knows where I’d end up without them. Probably nowhere, slowly. Every now and again I get […]
Just because something is rare, it doesn’t have to be expensive. High values come from a mercurial combination of condition, age, rarity and the ever-present law of supply and demand. So I was delighted to stumble across this curvaceous Dartington storage jar for £22 at last week’s National Glass Fair in Birmingham. It was designed […]
Having spent an entire day the previous week at the vast and awesome National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, I was keen to find out more about Mayan ceramics. To be honest, I was actually more keen to own a bit as I always prefer that when looking into an area. Although my knowledge […]
The Portland vase is one of the most famous pieces of glass in the world, and is also amongst the oldest, finest and most celebrated. Made in ancient Rome around AD5-25, it can now be seen in the British Museum, having previously been in many prestigious collections. Collectors who owned it before 1810 include (in […]
As well as being relaxing, the two weeks I spent in Mexico for our Summer holiday this year were most revealing. I had never really considered Mexican design before and, although I had seen Mexican folk art, I hadn’t considered it properly. These two weeks gave ample opportunities, from visiting museums to wandering the streets […]