Doyle’s first offering of Joan Stacke Graham Majolica collection exceeds expectations

Minton Majolica cobalt blue ground Victoria wine cooler and cover, $81,900

NEW YORK – Doyle held the landmark auction of The Joan Stacke Graham Majolica Collection: Part I on December 14. With competitive bidding from both sides of the Atlantic, the sale totaled a successful $466,683, surpassing the pre-sale estimate of $302,600-$451,800, with an exceptional 97% sold by lot and 100% sold by value.

The sale of Part II of this important and extensive collection will take place in Fall 2022.

Joan Stacke Graham (1934-2020) was a preeminent expert in the field of majolica – the brilliantly hued ceramics that filled the hearts and homes of Victorian collectors. Joan began collecting majolica in the 1980s with her friend Marilyn Karmason. Together, they amassed more than 2,000 pieces and authored the first major book on the field, Majolica: A Complete History and Illustrated Survey (Abrams: 1989). Joan was a generous collector and scholar, serving as past President of the Majolica International Society.

Delphin Massier Majolica large butterfly jardiniere, $25,200

In 2020 and 2021, Joan and her family loaned significant parts of her collection to the long-anticipated Majolica Mania exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center and The Walters Art Gallery. The monumental three-volume exhibition catalog is dedicated to Joan Stacke Graham.

The Joan Stacke Graham Majolica Collection Parts I & II will feature more than 300 lots, comprising garden seats and garden pots, life-sized animals, soup tureens, game pie dishes, sardine boxes, oyster and strawberry plates, humidors and myriad other forms that originally filled the conservatories, dining rooms and parlors of Victorian collectors.

Minton Majolica large Fish Dish and cover, $25,200

This encyclopedic collection includes many works by Mintons, the firm that introduced majolica to great acclaim at London’s 1851 Great Exhibition, and by George Jones, whose majolica works are known for their great wit and whimsy. The Continental pieces in the collection include extraordinary and large-scale works by French ceramicist Delphin Massier. The collection also includes American majolica by Griffen, Smith and Hill, Eureka and Morley Pottery.

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