A rare pair of carved Derbyshire veined alabaster spaniels by Bright And Sons of Buxton, circa 1835, of small size, on Ashford black marble plinths, each with a very rare printed paper label for ‘Bright And Sons’, Fancy Marble And Spar Manufactory, Centre Of The Crescent, Buxton, Inlaid Tables, Vases, & C., Of the Finest Workmanship and most Elegant Designs, Admirably Carved Animals, In great Variety.’ with black ink inscriptions.
In the 1820s, Isaac Bright & Sons was a merchant, watchmaker, jeweller, silverplater, and fine cutler in Market Place, Sheffield. In 1831, his sons Maurice and Selim took over the business, which also had a shop in Buxton; their partnership ended in January 1847. Selim Bright appears in the business directories in 1822 as ‘Bright and Sons, the Square’. By 1835 the business had moved to the Crescent. By 1857 they are listed in White’s Derbyshire Directory as Bright & Co, still in the Crescent. Bright exhibited an Ashford Black Marble table and numerous vases at the 1851 Great Exhibition, and in 1862, at the London International Exhibition.
A large pair of Ashford black marble urns, with a very similar label, sold Christie’s London 2010.
For a comparable tradition, see our (Sold) pair of John Mawe Alabaster Cows. Also a larger pair of Mawe cows sold Dreweatts, Robert Kime: The Personal Collection 4th October 2023 Lot 113.
