Designer Desire: Mark Rickard

Large mural painting of tug-of-war by Mark Rickard

Each Sunday, local antique dealer, Alistair Dryburgh of West Wales Antiques runs a (nearly always) weekly fair over on his Instagram feed. A couple of weeks ago, he had up for sale a trio of HUGE paintings by Mark Rickard.

Large mural painting of sheep, cows and farmers by Mark Rickard

They’d originally been commissioned in 1976 for a local club in Aberystwyth and represent Welsh rural life.

Large mural painting of rural life by Mark Rickard

I instantly fell in love and proceeded to Google him to see if I could find any other artworks that he’d done. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a single artwork or any information about the artist himself… absolutely nothing at all!

Detail of large mural painting of tug-of-war by Mark Rickard

His style reminds me of Joseph Herman and Stanley Spencer, especially the latter’s Clyde shipbuilding series.

Detail of large mural painting of tug-of-war by Mark Rickard

I’ve messaged Alistair in the past few minutes and he’s said that the top two paintings – the tug-of-war and the sheep and cows – are still available, if you’re interested.

Detail of large mural painting of sheep, cows and farmers by Mark Rickard

Tragically, we don’t have a wall big enough in our old cottage to hang one – not to mention multiple – paintings of this size… otherwise I’d have to own them.

Detail of Mark Rickard signature on a painting

If anyone out there can shed any light on Mark Rickard we’d love to learn more about him. An artist this talented must have produced more masterpieces… and hopefully smaller examples that could fit on our walls!

Auction alert: Passion for Fashion, June 2022

A Thierry Mugler 'rainbow' wool-blend dress, 'Été Hawaii' collection, Spring-Summer 1990

This is the second time in recent months that we’re highlighting one of Kerry Taylor Auctions’ Passion for Fashion auction sales. The items that they’ll be selling are of such interest and quality, it deserves another visit.

There are lots that once belonged to Queen Victoria, the late Victoria, Lady de Rothschild; the late Countess Maya von Schönburg-Glauchau and Trinidadian actress, Nina Baden-Semper. Haute couture designers represented include Gucci, Balenciaga, Schiaparelli and Hermès. There isn’t just jewellery and clothing either – there’s a dog bed, shoe trunk, bundles of vintage fashion magazines and original illustrations of Diana, Princess of Wales outfits.

  • Lot: 1 to 230: Tue, 21st Jun 2022, 10am
  • Lot: 231 to 440: Tue, 21st Jun 2022, 2pm

There are 442 lots coming up in this sale. As usual, there’s a buyer’s premium of 25% (ex. VAT). If you bid live via the Invaluable website, the buyer’s premium is as follows:

  • up to £49,999: 28%
  • £50,000+: 23%

A Schiaparelli parure of faceted green glass stones, late 1950s-early 1960s

Lot 48: A Schiaparelli parure of faceted green glass stones, late 1950s-early 1960s
Signed, comprising necklace with droplets, approx 12-15.5in, 31-39cm long; cuff bracelet, 18cm, 7in long; and pair of clip-on earrings, 3cm, 1.2in diameter (4)
Estimate: £300 – £500

Gucci gold leather trainers

Lot 100: A pair of Gucci gold leather trainers with rainbow foam platform soles, Resort 2017 collection
Stamped, size 38.5, signature Gucci striped ribbon to uppers, 11.5cm, 4.5in platform soles, 25cm, 10in long; with a Gucci box (3)
Estimate: £200 – £300

A Balenciaga violet ponyskin and leather City bag, circa 2006

Lot 108: A Balenciaga violet ponyskin and leather City bag, circa 2006
Stamped, with zip pocket to exterior and another to interior, 46cm, 18in long
Estimate: £200 – £300

A Louis Vuitton shoe trunk

Lot 115: A Louis Vuitton shoe trunk
Signed with blank number label, of monogrammed canvas and leather, the brushed-cotton lined interior with twelve compartments
Estimate: £800 – £1,00

An Hermès suede and leather belt-bag, 2000

Lot 131: An Hermès suede and leather belt-bag, 2000
Stamped and signed, blindstamp D, waist approx 63x83cm, 24.5×32.5in; together with a Marc Zanardelli leather triangular ‘Musi’ backpack with three pockets to interior, modern, stamped, approx 53cm, 21in (2)
The collection of the late Victoria, Lady de Rothschild
Estimate: £200 – £300

An Hermès canvas cushioned dog bed, modern

Lot 132: An Hermès canvas cushioned dog bed, modern
Labelled, in signature shades of orange and brown, handle to each side, interior cushion with a removable cover, approx 32in long; together with two Hermès canvas storage cubes (4)
The collection of the late Victoria, Lady de Rothschild
Estimate: £300 – £500

A Tom Ford patchwork denim skirt, Autumn-Winter 2015

Lot 173: A Tom Ford patchwork denim skirt, Autumn-Winter 2015
Labelled, size 40, full-length, with jewel-toned velvet and satin insertions, waist 76cm, 30in; together with a patchwork Mongolian-sheepskin gilet, modern, unlabelled; Emporio Armani Ikat-grosgrain trousers, labelled, waist 71cm, 28in; Emporio Armani black velvet jacket/shirt, c. 2015, labelled, size 40, bust approx 86cm, 34in; and a Philip Treacy brown plush-felt hat with pheasant feather band, modern, labelled, circumference approx 53cm, 21in (5)
The collection of the late Victoria, Lady de Rothschild
Estimate: £250 – £400

A Thierry Mugler 'rainbow' wool-blend dress, 'Été Hawaii' collection, Spring-Summer 1990

Lot 191: A Thierry Mugler ‘rainbow’ wool-blend dress, ‘Été Hawaii’ collection, Spring-Summer 1990
Labelled, size 36, with curving neck and hemline and sheer mesh insertion, bust approx 81cm, 32in, waist 66cm, 26in
The collection of the late Countess Maya von Schönburg-Glauchau. Sale proceeds will be donated to Team Domenica, a charity for young adults with learning disabilities.
Estimate: £1,500 – £2,500

A changeant green/purple silk-chiffon evening gown, 1990s

Lot 197: A changeant green/purple silk-chiffon evening gown, 1990s
Unlabelled, the empire-line bodice pleated and gathered vertically, lightly boned and lined in satin, matching stole/sash, bust 86cm, 34in; together with a second example in printed silk, 2000s, unlabelled, customised with Lawrence Vrba flower brooch to hip, signed, busts approx 86cm, 34in (3)
The collection of the late Countess Maya von Schönburg-Glauchau. Sale proceeds will be donated to Team Domenica, a charity for young adults with learning disabilities.
Estimate: £300 – £500

Queen Victoria's stockings and shoes

Lot 214: Queen Victoria’s stockings and shoes, late 19th century
The stockings of black silk with ecru toes and tops, one stocking woven with VR 21 below imperial crowns, the other stocking woven with VR 10 below imperial crowns, embroidered black silk clocks; the black grosgrain silk shoes by Gundry & Sons, with original trade label to the insole ‘Gundry & Sons, Makers to the Queen, the Princess of Wales and Royal Family, 174 New Bond St, London’, flats with low heels, rounded toes, adorned with jet-beaded bows, 24.5cm, 9 3/4in (4)
Queen Victoria’s shoes were made by Richard Gundry from 1824 onwards. Gundry remained the Queen’s supplier and held the royal warrant as Boot and Shoemakers to the Queen until as late as 1898, although Gundry (‘Messrs. Gundry’) were only based at their premises of 1 Soho Square from 1831-1883.
Gundry probably made the shoes which the Queen wore at her coronation in 1838; the paper labels stuck inside the soles of Gundry shoes proudly read – beneath an engraving of the royal coat of arms: ‘Gundry & Son, Boot & Shoe Makers TO THE QUEEN, the Queen Dowager [Queen Adelaide], Their Royal Highnesses The Duchess of Kent & Princess Sophia, Soho Square, London’.
These black silk shoes are typical of those worn by the monarch towards the end of her life and bear the New Bond St address.
Estimate: £600 – £900

A Pierre Cardin choker necklace, 1969

Lot 304: A Pierre Cardin choker necklace, 1969
signed to the inside collar ‘Pierre Cardin, Made in France’, the choker with platelet chain and circular medallion enclosing layered rectangles, 34cm, 13in long
British Vogue photographed a necklace with similar choker collar, September, 1969.
Estimate: £800 – £1,200

A Westwood/McLaren 'Destroy' T-shirt, circa 1976

Lot 334: A Westwood/McLaren ‘Destroy’ T-shirt, circa 1976
Black Seditionaries label to left shoulder, of white cotton with screen-printed swastika roundel with inverted crucifix and a verse from the Sex Pistols’ ‘Anarchy in the U.K.’: ‘I am an Antichrist, I am an Anarchist, I don’t know what I want, But I know how to get it, I wanna destroy the passer by, I wanna be anarchy’; ‘Destroy’ in pink and black to the top, the fabric intentionally slashed from armhole to hem down both sides and with added holes front and back, chest 81cm, 32in; together with a model agency photograph of Martin Crowley (2)
Martin Crowley, drummer, guitarist and vocalist, born 1965 and died aged 49 in 2014. The proceeds of this lot will be donated to the charity Rock and Roll Rescue. Crowley performed in various groups including The Bevis Frond formed in Walthamstow (1986), The President’s Men, Underworlde (1991) with Dave Austin and Paul Barton, Raw Satellite (1994) with Dave Austin and Graham Childs. He also worked for a time during the 1980s as a roadie for the Clash.
Estimate: £600 – £900

Designer Desire: Robert P. Gersin

Montage of Robert P. Gersin posterscredit

Health & safety is a necessary but mundane topic. It takes a talented designer to create interesting and eye-catching educational materials in the subject. Frederic H K Henrion was one such person, Robert P. Gersin was another.

We’ve brought together a number of the posters he designed in the 1970s for the National Fire Protection Association – and another – a ‘Plan for New York City’ for the Department of City Planning. They’re all in the possession of the Cooper Hewitt Collection, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York.

I was unable to find any other work credited to Robert P. Gersin as an individual, although I found evidence of logo and branding (e.g. Simon Enterprises, Hackensack Medical Center and the Jamaican government) created by the organisation he founded.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, none of his designs were available to purchase. In addition, not a lot could be found about the man himself except for this short obituary below:

Robert P. Gersin, an award-winning industrial designer, died of cancer Wednesday at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. He was 60 years old and lived in Manhattan.
Mr. Gersin, a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and the Cranbrook Academy of Art, gained an international reputation through Robert P. Gersin Associates Inc., a company he started in 1959.
He received more than 350 awards for a wide range of designs, including interiors, products and corporate identity programs. In 1984 the company designed the logotype and corporate identity program for Sears, Roebuck & Company, and in 1988 it designed the interior for Casual Corner stores.
Mr. Gersin is survived by his wife, Ingrid; his mother, Belle, of Milton, Mass., and a brother, Barry, of North Cambridge, Mass.

New York Times, 20th October 1989

Designer Desire: Jack Dadd

Montage of Jack Dadd ceramic designs

We’ve been buying & selling vintage pottery for at least a decade and a half; however, we never stop learning new things. It was only this week that we discovered that some of the vintage Hornsea Pottery mugs we’d previously attributed to John Clappison were actually the work of Jack Dadd.

Dadd was responsible for Hornsea’s newsprint Zoo (1975) and Zoodiac (1977) series of mugs (shown in the montage above). We have a couple of them still available for sale in our web shop.

He also created designs for Staffordshire Potteries including the lovely Zoo children’s breakfast set (top of montage).

I was going to write a couple of paragraphs about his background, but I’ve found the following extract taken from Dynamic Design: The British Pottery Industry 1940-1990 by Kathy Niblett.

Portrait of Jack Daddcredit

Additional image credits