Page 129 - Homes & Antiques (February 2020)

Ask an Expert
From a golden locket featuring photos of King George V and Queen Mary to a
‘vase’ with a hand-painted cat, our experts have the answers to your queries
Going for gold
On a recent trip to Norfolk I
visited the lovely town of Holt.
In a shop my mother saw a
locket with a photo of Queen
Mary inside and one of King
George on the back. Once home,
I wanted to know more about
the locket. A!er a long search
online I found an exact image. It
said it was unmarked, however,
on close inspection I discovered
marks on the bale – 15 and .625.
Could you please tell me more
about this locket? Was everyone
able to buy it or was it given
exclusively to royal sta"?
Caroline Bijl, via email
The marks you have noticed
are for 15ct gold, which was
the legal standard in the UK
between 1854 and 1931 (replaced
by 14ct in 1932). Based on the
piece and the portraits of King
George V and Queen Mary it
holds, I would date the locket to
the early 20th century. My !rst
thought is that it is probably
commemorative. This would
also con!rm the dating of the
gold, as the coronation of George
V and Mary was in 1911. You
can !nd similar examples of
these pendants
that were made
to commemorate
the coronation
of King Edward
VII in 1902.
Regarding
the value of
the piece, I
would say
around
£20-£30. RA
THIS
MONTH’S
EXPERTS
Rachel Assous
Dawson’s
Peter Mason
Dawson’s
Fine feline
As you can see, this ceramic
BELOW Caroline ‘vase’ has a hand-painted cat
bought this gold climbing up the side and a gilded
locket with photos rim. It has the markings 2 and
of King George V 531 on the base. My mother
and Queen Mary inherited it from her mother,
for £15. and it originally came from her
father’s side of the family. I’d
love to know more about it.
Clare Carter, via email
This item would appear to be a
late 19th-century piece by the
De Fuisseaux Baudour factory
in Belgium. Other similar
examples tended to be formed
as jugs or pitchers, with the
cat-formed handle suggesting
they were intended for milk.
While I can’t see a pronounced
spout on your item, I think it
was probably also meant for
use as a milk jug. They usually
LEFT & BELOW
Although it has
no spout, Peter
thinks this ceramic
pot was probably
intended to be a
milk jug.
carry the factory mark, but it
isn’t especially rare to !nd one
without – as they were produced
in relatively large quantities,
some will have le" the works
with just a shape or pa#ern
number on such as yours. We
don’t see them at auction o"en in
this country, but I would suggest
a value of around £30-£50. PM
Sponsored by Dawson’s
To speak to Rachel Assous, Peter Mason, or
any of Dawson’s other specialists, phone the
Maidenhead saleroom on 01628 944100 or
the Hampstead office on 020 7431 9445.
Email info@dawsonsauctions.co.uk. Dawson’s
is an established, professional Fine Art,
Jewellery & Antiques auction house, providing
valuation, probate and auction services
nationwide. dawsonsauctions.co.uk
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 129