The Age Of Design: Movements That Dared to Be Different


August 2026

There are design movements and then there are revolutions. The period stretching from the 1880s through to the 1940s gave us both, as artists, craftspeople and designers pushed back against the machine age, reimagined the relationship between beauty and function, and produced objects that still stop people in their tracks more than a century later. That is what The Age of Design is all about.

Following the popularity and strong results of our previous sale, we are delighted to be returning with a another edition and we are already inviting entries. 

But first, a look back at some of the pieces that have made our Age of Design sales so memorable. You might recognise some of them. You might even have something similar sitting at home.

Bold Colour, Brilliant Form
If there is one name that defines the sheer exuberance of the period, it is Clarice Cliff. A Clarice Cliff Autumn Crocus pattern part coffee service for six, complete with coffee pot, cups, saucers and milk jug, sold for £460. Vivid, hand painted and immediately recognisable, it is exactly the kind of thing that rewards a second look on a kitchen shelf or in a cabinet.

René Lalique's Ceylan pattern opalescent glass vase, model 905, designed circa 1924 and engraved beneath, sold for £2,000. Opalescent glass at its most ethereal, this is a piece that earns its place on any surface it occupies. A large Victorian Aesthetic movement stained glass leadlight window panel, hand painted with herons and other birds in a lake scene and measuring an impressive 82cm by 147cm, sold for £2,100. And a Shapland and Petter Arts and Crafts oak sideboard, with its signature pierced heart cut-outs, linenfold panelled cupboard doors and applied strap hinges, sold for £300.

Light, Metal and More Cliff
A John Dugdill brass anglepoise desk lamp, circa 1930s, with daisyhead joints and amber shade on a circular wooden base, sold for £180. One of those pieces that looks as contemporary today as it did when it was made. A Newlyn Arts and Crafts beaten copper jug, its planished exterior decorated with fish and stamped to the base, sold for £440. A Clarice Cliff Red Autumn vase, shape 187, circa 1930, hand painted with a stylised tree and cottage landscape in red, black and green with Fantasque and Bizarre marks beneath, sold for £800. And an oak Arts and Crafts fitted collector's cabinet with twin panelled doors and metal door pulls sold for £440.

Quiet Craft, Lasting Appeal
Not every standout piece commands four figures. A Keswick School of Industrial Art three stem bowl, with strapwork handles finished in leaf designs and marked to the base, sold for £95. A pair of early 20th century Theresienthal Art Nouveau hand painted glass champagne coupes, their bowls painted with flowers and rims lined in gilt, sold for £110. Modest results, but beautifully made objects that more than justify a place in any collection.

One to Watch: A Shapland & Petter Hallstand
Recently sold for £500 in our Country Living sale, this is a piece that perfectly encapsulates everything we love about this period. A Shapland & Petter of Barnstaple Arts and Crafts mahogany tile-backed umbrella and stick hallstand, model no.114, with its Art Nouveau embossed patinated copper panel, turquoise tiled back and inset metal drip tray. A comparable example is recorded in Daryl Bennett's authoritative study of Shapland & Petter, and the model is also listed in Bennett's Liberty's Furniture 1875-1915. Examples are known to have been retailed by Liberty & Co. themselves.

This is exactly the kind of piece we are looking for in our next Age of Design sale. 

Consign for The Age of Design


The next Age of Design sale will once again bring together fine examples of furniture, lighting, glass, ceramics, metalwork and decorative objects, from handcrafted oak furniture and repoussé copper to Art Nouveau glass, Art Deco lighting and stylish period furnishings. We are actively seeking works by makers including Liberty & Co., Morris & Co., Shapland & Petter, Archibald Knox, C.F.A. Voysey, Daum, Gallé, Lalique, Loetz, WMF, Susie Cooper, Heal's, Epstein, Hille and other leading names of the period. If you have something similar, now is very much the time to get in touch.

The last day for entries is Friday 2 October, contact us today for a free valuation.
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