Doyle delivers more majolica treasures from Joan Graham collection, April 4

Mintons majolica Hare and Duck Head game pie dish and cover, estimated at $20,000-$30,000

NEW YORK – Doyle will hold the landmark auction of the Joan Stacke Graham Majolica Collection: Part II on Tuesday, April 4, starting at 10 am Eastern time. Showcased will be exceptional examples from the extensive collection assembled by the majolica expert and author of Majolica: A Complete History and Illustrated Survey. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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. Stacke Graham 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). Stacke Graham was a generous collector and scholar, serving as past president of the Majolica International Society.

Mintons majolica Beehive cheese dome and stand, estimated at $20,000-$30,000

In 2020 through early 2023, Stacke Graham and her family loaned significant parts of her collection to the long-anticipated Majolica Mania exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center, the Walters Art Gallery in the U.S. and the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent, U.K.

George Jones majolica Full Nest game pie dish, liner and cover, estimated at $15,000-$25,000

The Joan Stacke Graham majolica collection features 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.

W.T. Copeland majolica Centennial vase, estimated at $7,000-$10,000

This encyclopedic collection includes many works by Mintons, the firm that introduced majolica to great acclaim at London’s 1851 Great Exhibition. There are also pieces in the Part II sale from Wedgwood and George Jones, whose majolica works are known for their great wit and whimsy. The Continental pieces in the collection include a number of trompe l’oeil Palissy wares featuring naturalistically modeled snakes, frogs and other marine creatures. The collection is rounded out by American majolica by Griffen, Smith & Hill, George Morley & Co. and Shorter & Boulton.

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