Commenting on the collection, Head of Modern Design, Gemma Sanders said, “Dame Stephanie Shirley’s eye for design was unequivocally modern, a reflection of her personality, her trailblazing career and a real celebration of the 20th Century. With a strong desire to support British design craftsman in her furnishings, alongside pieces by iconic 20th Century designers, the resulting environment was a very personal capsule of serenity, beauty and modernity.”

On Tuesday 10 March, Dreweatts is proud to be offering the collection of Dame Stephanie, in a landmark single-owner sale. Ahead of the sale, we take a look at some of the modern design pieces on offer. 

The Allen Studio

Known for his post-modernist stool in the V&A permanent collection and latterly his sculptural pieces inspired by the natural world, Nick Allen has six Guild Marks for furniture design, a host of other awards, short listings and prominent commissions including the National Gallery Sainsbury Wing, House of Lords reading room and a chair for the late Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Cathedral, he has exhibited widely including London, Paris, Milan, and L.A.

Nick runs Allen Studios in West Sussex with his long-term design collaborator and wife Sarah. With an international list of notable clients and collectors Allen Studios is a craft-based, mixed media, multi-disciplinary designer maker practice, which produces aesthetically beautiful functional objects as well as making architectural elements and providing design consultancy.

They previously had a studio in Battersea, London. Nick studied Fine Art at Epsom College, while Sarah studied Ceramics and Glass at Buckinghamshire College.

Their work caught the eye of Dame Stephanie Shirley (Steve) who became a pre-eminent client, who’s devotion to her charities inspired dedication to her.

Nick and Sarah worked on furniture and lighting for Dame Stephanie for almost 30 years, as well and reworking the entire interior of her apartment, to provide a special place and sanctuary where she could work, plan and conjure her campaigns.

Nick worked to create a sense of flow within her duplex, studded with sculptural and painted gems, for which his work became a back-drop and occasionally the main focus.

Nick and Dame Stephanie had wide ranging homilies most Sundays, discussing design, her projects and to arrange visits, but the conversation always came back to the sense of calm she felt at home surrounded by her art and the charities she supported due to her life experiences.

We are pleased to be offering a number of pieces which Nick created for Dame Stephanie's home.

Dame Lucie Rie (Austrian/British, 1902-1995)

Much like Dame Stephanie, who arrived in Britain aged just five as an unaccompanied Kindertransport refugee from Nazi Germany, Lucie Rie too had to flee Nazi Austria and emigrated to England. Here, she settled in London. However, her reputation which was wide-reaching in Europe, did not extend beyond a few admirers. During the war, she was unable to get a licence to produce pots, and so she made ends meet by producing ceramic buttons and jewellery for high end fashion retailers. Some of these are now part of the collections held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as the Lisa Sainsbury Collection at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. In the immediate post-war years she found it hard to re-establish herself as a potter of note. Rie’s style was relentlessly modern and experimental, a quality that would permeate her work for the rest of her life.

Throughout her career, right from the beginning, Rie she seems to have taken an unusual approach to her work, as she would apply her glazes by brush directly to the dry and unfired clay. This meant that her work only required firing once, and thus excluded the usual biscuit-firing prior to glazing, employed by most potters of the period. This gave Rie enormous artistic freedom, allowing her to manipulate the texture and surface of the vessel to push the boundaries of what was possible. As a woman working on her own, she forged an independent path, producing works that were uniquely her own. She left a legacy of innovation and what is arguably one of the most important bodies of work in the field of studio ceramics.

Offered in this auction, we are pleased to present this bottle vase with flared lip by Dame Lucie Rie. It was purchased by Dame Stephanie in 1998, from Adrian Sasoon, one of the UK's leading dealers in contemporary works. The elegant form of this bottle vase is a shape that Rie returned to over and over. This example is particularly successful, a full globular body and large flared rim, on a narrow (gently squeezed) neck. The pitted glaze with integrated pink tones, offset against grey, is a visual spiral (and treat for the eyes) to the top of the full flare. As with most masterpieces, the more time you spend studying it, the more there is to see. This piece showcases so much of Rie’s mastery of form, texture and colour, all in one vessel.

Pablo Picasso (Spanish 1881-1973)

In 1947, while visiting the Madoura pottery studio in France, Picasso discovered a new medium that would expand his artistic legacy: ceramics. What began with decorating plates and bowls quickly grew into something extraordinary, transforming everyday objects into works of art.

Inspired by Spanish folk ceramics, Picasso created designs featuring bullfights, roosters, suns, and human faces. These pieces revealed his playful side and his mastery of storytelling through form and decoration. Once overlooked, Picasso’s ceramics are now highly sought after by collectors worldwide.

The collection of Dame Stephanie presents this wonderful painted and partially glazed earthenware pitcher by Picasso, titled Pichet Espagnole, conceived in 1954.

Further Auction Highlights

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Auction Details

Auction:
Tuesday 10 March 2026, 10.30am GMT
Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

Browse the auction

Catalogue:
To order a catalogue, please click here.

UK: £40
Rest of World: £60

Bidding:
This is a live online auction with an auctioneer. Bidding is available in person at our salerooms, online, by telephone or you can leave commission (absentee) bids. Learn more. 

On View:
Dreweatts London (highlights): 16-17 Pall Mall, SW1Y 5LU
Monday 23 February: 10am-4pm
Tuesday 24 February: 10am-4pm
Wednesday 25 February: 10am-7pm

Dreweatts Newbury (full sale): Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE
Saturday 7 March: 10am-3pm
Sunday 8 March: 10am-3pm
Monday 9 March: 10am-3pm 

Further information:
General enquiries: + 44 (0) 1635 553 553 | housesales@dreweatts.com
Press enquiries: press@dreweatts.com
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About Autistica

Autistica is the UK’s leading autism research and campaigning charity, founded in 2004 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Dame Stephanie Shirley CH. Their mission is to create breakthroughs that enable autistic people to live happier, healthier, longer lives. They do this by funding research, shaping policy and working with autistic people to make more of a difference.

The total hammer price for lots being sold by The Estate of the late Dame Stephanie Shirley CH will be donated to Autistica, in accordance with Dame Stephanie's wishes. This does not apply to lots in the auction being sold by other beneficiaries, as indicated in the sale catalogue and online.

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