The Stanley F Goldfein Collection

When Stanley F Goldfein finally gave in to the passage of time, dying peacefully aged 100 in July 2023, it was after a life fully lived and ruled by passion – passion for his family, for classical music, for jazz, for good food, and, above all, for English ceramics - Wedgwood in particular. 

Family lore has it that the unexpected gift of a miniature Wedgwood tea service is what started a college-aged Stanley F Goldfein on the road to collecting. In fact, his daughter recalls that her parents did not become serious collectors until the early 1970s, after she and her brother had left home and her parents had the time and energy to devote to Stanley’s passion. A board member of The Wedgwood Society of New York, Stanley F Goldfein was instrumental in seeing that The Buten Collection of Wedgwood was placed with The Birmingham Museum of Art, joining the Beeson Collection to make the museum’s holdings in that category one of the best in the world.

Much of the Goldfein Collection was acquired at auction from a variety of different houses and with guidance from specialized British ceramic dealers such as Peter Williams, the late Jonathan Horne and Alistair Sampson in Britain and Alan Kaplan in New York. 

I learned a lot from Stanley F Goldfein in the over twenty years I knew him – about his love for British ceramics, about his passion for history and the historic context in which his collection was at home, about his philosophy as a collector, about the objects themselves.  He felt that a collection was never complete - by definition, it couldn't be. It was alive and breathing even when the collector was no longer with us. Having given pieces to museums during his lifetime, it was Stanley F Goldfein’s wish that the bulk of his collection be sold on the open market, allowing a new generation of collectors to find the same joy as he had in owning and learning about these extraordinary works so linked to classical studies and history, two of his aforementioned passions. It is an honour to be able to help realize that dream.  

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Dreweatts Auction Details:
Thursday 27 June, 1pm BST
Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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Bidding:
Bidding is available online, in person, by telephone or you can leave commission (absentee) bids.  To learn more including details on registering to bid, payment and shipping, click here. To register to bid, click here.   

On View:
Viewing at Christie's London (highlights): Christie's, 8 King St, St. James's, London SW1Y 6QT
Wednesday 29 May - Tuesday 4 June
Visit Christies.com for viewing times and further information.

Newbury (full sale): Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE
Friday 21 - Thursday 27 June

Further information:

Dreweatts enquiries: + 44 (0) 1635 553 553 | ceramics@dreweatts.com
Christie's enquiries:+ 44 (0) 207 752 3026 | mburn@christies.com

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Learn more about the collection