Lyon & Turnbull welcomes new specialists, adds Lalique sales
From left: Joy McCall, Sarah Fergusson and Katherine Wright. Lyon & Turnbull image
EDINBURGH, Scotland – Lyon & Turnbull is welcoming three new specialists from the fields of Decorative Arts, Watches and European Ceramics and Glass. They include former Christie’s specialist Joy McCall who will strengthen the firm’s internationally renowned decorative arts department and head a new series of biannual sales devoted to Lalique. Sarah Fergusson, a female specialist in a traditionally ‘male’ niche, joins as Head of Watches while Katherine Wright, formerly of Bonhams in London and Edinburgh, will provide her expertise as a European Ceramics and Glass Specialist.
Joy McCall is a Senior Specialist in Decorative Arts & Design from 1860 to the present day. She became part of the Lyon & Turnbull team in 2020.
After graduating from the University of Sussex with a Masters in British Art History and Critical Theory, Joy joined Bonhams Auctioneers, in London, where she was a specialist in Decorative Arts & Design. Following a move to Christie’s, she was appointed Head of the Decorative Art & Design Department, London, in 2008. She remained there for over 16 years establishing an international reputation for her expertise in Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Lalique. She has obtained many world records in the field including one for the highest-selling Scottish work of art at auction with Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh’s gesso panel The White Rose and The Red Rose that realized £1.7m in 2008.
Sarah Fergusson is Head of Watches, she also specializes in jewelry and coins. She has a passion for vintage timepieces, in particular mid-20th century chronograph wristwatches.
Fergusson completed her MA Hons, MLitt and MSc all at the University of Glasgow, all with a focus on jewelry. Later she studied gemology at the Gemological Institute of Great Britain. She joined Lyon & Turnbull in autumn of 2020 with a decade of auction and market experience. In line with the exponential growth in the preowned watches market, in her previous role, Sarah spent several years focusing solely on watches, finding for sale several rare vintage Rolex pieces and setting several auction records. Sarah is also an accomplished auctioneer, having added this skill to her repertoire in 2016.
Katherine Wright is an accomplished auctioneer and specialist valuer with many years’ experience.
Wright studied History of Art at the University of St. Andrews, with a particular interest in architecture and furniture design. She went on to complete a master’s at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, focusing on 19th century British and French painting.
Wright joins the Lyon & Turnbull team after over 15 years with Bonhams auctioneers in both London and Edinburgh, where she progressed to become Head of Ceramics & Glass. With a main specialist focus on British, Scottish, Continental and Decorative Arts ceramics and glass, Wright also developed a breadth of experience working as cataloguer and valuer in the Furniture & Works of Art, Silver & Jewelry and Decorative Arts departments.
Lyon & Turnbull sold this 6-inch Lalique ‘Fougères’ frosted glass in 2005. Lyon & Turnbull image
New dedicated Lalique auctions planned for 2021
Lyon & Turnbull will launch biannual Lalique auctions starting in Spring 2021. These specialist sales will celebrate the work of the master glassmaker Rene Lalique, who, after a career as highly acclaimed Art Nouveau jeweler turned his creative energy to glass. His designs are recognized for their outstanding technical and artistic merit, as well as for their abundant variety. He is the father of the commercial scent bottle after he worked alongside the perfumer, Francois Coty, to create specific bottles for fragrances. He was also an artist creating unique pieces using the lost wax or cire perdue technique – a method more commonly associated with bronze casting.
The auctions will provide an opportunity both to sell and to buy pieces by Lalique, a brand synonymous with luxury and quality. Sales will include vases, bowls, tablewares, car mascots, paperweights, lighting, mirrors, jewelry, scent bottles, boxes and furniture.
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