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Lot 75

A pair of English 19th century large red stoneware sphinxes by Felix Austin

9 July 2015, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

£10,000 - £15,000

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A pair of English 19th century large red stoneware sphinxes by Felix Austin

with imbricated and foliate decorated breast-plates and embroidered backcloths including anthemion motifs, on rectangular plinths, each impressed 'PUBL. BY F. AUSTIN OCT. 1833', 120cm wide, 44cm deep, 92cm high (47in wide, 17in deep, 36in high). (2)

Footnotes

Felix Austin established his business in 1828 with premises in New Road, London. His various self-styled titles included 'artificial stone maker, architect, sculptor and statuary mason'. The recipe for the terracotta-like medium that he used was a mixture of Portland cement, broken stone, pounded marble and coarse sand, as recorded in The Builder, 1868. Austin formed a partnership with John Seeley an artificial limestone maker in 1840, a year before publishing his first catalogue: 'Collection of Ornaments at Austin & Seeley's Artificial Stone Works for Gardens, Parks, and Pleasure Grounds, etc' from their address in New Road.'

Additional information

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