PREVIOUS NEWS

Sunday, May 02, 1999

Fellow Belleekers !!  (lettre # 3.2)

** Sotheby's Irish Sale
   London May 21st, 1999 !! **

Sotheby's Estate Services, et. all., will again be 
conducting an Irish Sale at their London Galleries on,
actually, the same date they did last year !!  
Catalogues may be ordered by contacting them by 
post at :

    Sotheby's
    Marketing Department
    34 - 35 New Bond Street
    London W1A 2AA
    Great Britain

Or you can call them direct at 0171 293 5289
or you may FAX them direct at 0171 293 5940 !!

Please NOTE : Apply the proper long distance and 
country code for your outgoing call, i.e., for the 
U.S. you would dial the number as :

              011 44 171 293 5289 !!

If you are Unfortunate enough to have Internet access, 
You can find the lot descriptions thru Sotheby's Web 
Site at http://www.sothebys.com or alternately from my 
Web Site below off the EVENTS page !!  Pictures are 
NOT available on line as the legal ramifications of 
folks 'using' said pictures is yet to be worked out !!

** Belleek Millennium Convention ** 
   ** Washington, D.C.**
      ** September 24th.thru 26th. 1999 !! **

WOW !!  I hope all of you Belleekers out there in 
Belleek land have either finalized your plans for the 
upcoming Millennium Convention or if not are well on 
your way to doing so !!

As usual, I haven't made my arrangements as yet but 
don't be a procrastinator like myself !!  SIGN UP NOW !!  

REMEMBER, the deadline for ordering the marvelous 
Woven Millennium Plate is May 28, 1999 !!  This is a 
STRICT limited edition of 350 plates and NO MORE will 
ever be offered for sale, other than on the secondary 
market !!  This plate, in my opinion, will appreciate 
in collectors' value the moment it is produced !!

As is the FAIR policy, with Belleek Pottery Limited 
Editions, if orders are received in excess of 350,then 
a drawing will be held to determine the recipients of 
the available stocks !!

If LESS than 350 orders are received, then those 
requesting multiple purchases will have a similar 
opportunity to receive additional plates !!  Does 
ANYONE out there believe there are snowballs in Hell ??

** Belleek Collectors' Fair **

Well, the 3rd annual Belleek Collectors' Fair is 
history and those of you who were unable to attend 
really missed a wonderful experience !!  But, you can 
relive some of the moments as I have a video that 
should be available in like a week !!  It is STRICKLY 
amateur video, but I attempted to capture the major 
and many of the minor items that were for sale at the 
fair !!  If you would like a copy they may be obtained 
by sending $15 (US$'s) cheque or M.O. to my address 
below !!  PLEASE don't forget to include your return 
or shipping address !!

** THE PRISONER (the continuing saga) **

So, the Prisoner of Love was located ….(end part # 1) !!
And we continue now with our story !!

As Sydney Reynolds wrote in his leaflet "Romance of ...
Irish BELLEEK" (cc 1930) :

          "Prisoner of Love"
        After Giovanni Fontana
A Figure of great beauty and extremely
skilful modeling by Thomas Campbell,
Belleek Studios.
        - (Sydney Reynolds Collection) 
   
Well, I didn't meet either Sydney (Sr. or Jr.) this 
trip, but that magnificent statue was burning up my 
mind just as what I felt it was worth would burn up 
my pocket.  Over time, I somewhat forget about the 
Prisoner but on occasion I would remember her beauty.

Then a couple of years later, I decided to take a 
somewhat inventive route and I sent a Christmas card 
out to Sydney.  I briefly mentioned my visit to his 
shop a couple years earlier and wished him and family 
joyous holidays and also just happened to mention the 
fact that if he ever felt like parting with the 
Prisoner to please keep me in mind.  At this point 
I virtually went into remission about her with
little or no further thoughts of her.

Then it happened !!  Low and behold, about 1979 Sydney 
Jr. (I have since learned that his name was actually 
GEOFF and will use that from here on out !!) rings me 
up and says that his father has passed away and that to
settle the estate the Prisoner of Love will be sold !! 
He further explains that he came about my name from an 
"old Christmas card" that his father had saved for 
these many years !!  This may be my opportunity I'm 
thinking !!  I arrange to meet with him at his shop on 
a Saturday morning and off I go to visit with him and 
the Prisoner !!

Now the story turns a bit weird, for lack of better 
term.  Sydney (GEOFF) begins to relate a story to me 
which goes back to around 1938 (yes, several years 
before the U.S. entered the Second World War !!)  It 
seems that the pottery was very concerned regarding 
several of their larger more elaborate pieces of art.  
They therefore decided that for safekeeping they would
ship these items over to their largest dealer in Canada
for safekeeping until the War ended !!  It's at this 
point that Geoff relates to me that the International 
Centerpiece was one of the items but had been sold 
years earlier to a gentleman from the states, yes you 
guessed it Mr. Horace Manning Mann !!  Then as I am 
admiring the statue of the Prisoner, which is still on 
the end of the banister, he further tells me that this 
is not the one that is for sale !!  This has me 
dumbfounded but he then elaborates that the Pottery 
had shipped his father two of the Prisoners of Love 
and his father had kept the second one over his 
fireplace mantle all these years !!  I am, too say the 
least, amazed !!  No one else has a single Prisoner
and this chap has two of them, yes two of them !!

                   (to be continued !!)

 

              A RARE view of the Love Birds !!
                (from the Coloured Statue !!)

Belleekingly,

Del E. Domke, Belleek Consultant
16142 N.E. 15th. Street
Bellevue,  WA    98008-2711
U.S.A.

Telephone :  1 (425) 746-6363
Message :    1 (425) 746-6363
FAX :        1 (425) 746-6363 
E-mail :     delyicious@comcast.net
Web-site :   The Beauty and Romance of Irish Belleek  (or) : 
              http://delyicious.magix.net/public/index.html