Antiques Roadshow expert Will Farmer was left stunned when he came across one guest’s impressive collection of Italian ceramics – but after giving the valuation, the guest wasn’t too bothered about selling.
Fiona Bruce presents the classic BBC One episode tonight from Clissold Park in Stoke Newington, north London, where treasures include one of Lewis Hamilton’s racing helmets, Scandinavian jewellery and memorabilia from the movie Blade Runner.
Marc Allum hears the inspiring story of the British Reggae Artists Famine Appeal, a fundraising response to Live Aid in 1985, while Will Farmer inspects a perspex mermaid sculpture by Arthur Fleischmann.
Farmer lucked out with his finds during the day, as he also stumbled across some ceramics which were picked up at a boot sale, telling the guest: “What an amazing group of items that whilst intrinsically quite different sit together so fantastically.
“Of course what we’re looking at here is the collective work of one of the greats of mid-century Italian ceramics, Betosi. But tell me, where did it all start for you?”
The guest explained: “So about four years ago I was at a car boot sale and I just spotted this blue bowl out the corner of my eye, the colours really kind of captured me so, yeah I just had to go and see what it was. I paid £50 for it.”
Stunned, Farmed expressed: “Ok, I mean that’s quite an upscale car boot sale, £50! I thought you were going to go 50p then for a minute. From there it has become a little bit of an issue?”
“An obsession, yes,” the guest admitted before Farmer asked: “Ok! That is fine, that’s probably four pieces here, how many in total?
“The guest admitted that he had around 16 in total before Farmer delved into the history and revealed: “Let’s just have a quick look at the back of this, we have just got this number here and the word Italy so not terribly helpful but for me looking at the front, absolutely straight away I knew what this was.
“I mentioned the firm of Betosi, the firm was founded in 1921, by Guido Betosi, and the company had a reference in the manufacturer’s Ceramics but the real turning point for them was 1946, and that was when a certain gentleman stepped through the doors of Betosi and transformed them and that is Aldo Londi.
“Aldo Londi is this sort of Powerhouse, he’s a ceramicist, he’s a designer but everything about him transformed the fortunes of the firm. In particular, this is a very famous range called Remini Blue.
“Remini is named after the very famous Italian holiday resort and is sort of meant to evoke those ideas of sea and sun-filled holidays. And the thing with Aldo Londi is that he used to walk around and as the potters were throwing these dishes, he would have in his pockets bits of wire, bits of clocks, little bits of metal work and then would start pressing them into create these patterns.
“So of course each one of these is unique in its own way, each one tells its own little story but then on top of it you have got these three. These are quite special. You have got the Buddha here and you have got two interpretations of Guanyin.”
Pointing to the blue statue head, Farmer continued: “Now, this particularly is in a slightly different glaze and it is what is called a Shinee glaze. It was meant to replicate the idea of relics being dug up from the sea, so you have got this sort of bubbling and texture all over the body of it.
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“They are still made today but these are all circa 1960s, 65, that kind of era,” before he made his way to the valuation of the items. “Collectively, doing the quick math of it, you are looking somewhere between £2,700 and maybe even £3,000.”
The guest looked shocked but admitted: “Wow that is amazing. Well, their prices aren’t the issue, I just love them.”
