Christopher Marinello, lawyer and founding father of Art Recovery International (ARI) returning the wally hen to Dr Jonathan Oates, archivist for the London Borough of Ealing.
There had been two separate thefts of Martinware – one from the old Southall Library on May 23, 2005 (when 13 gadgets had been stolen) after which from Pitzhanger Manor (a museum) in Ealing on March 22, 2007 (when 24 gadgets had been stolen). Of the 37 losses, three have now been recovered – all with the assistance of Art Recovery International (two wally birds and one barrister jug since 2020).
In the latest return, a wally hen jar was consigned on the market by way of Kinghams Auctioneers in Moreton-in-Marsh for its July 2023 Fine and Decorative Arts sale.
Once its provenance was found ARI dealt with the negotiations on a pro-bono foundation and obtained an unconditional launch from Kinghams’ consignor to return the hen.
The hen jar was returned on September 8 to Dr Jonathan Oates, archivist for the London Borough of Ealing, which runs the museum.
Christopher Marinello, lawyer and founding father of ARI, stated: “This recovery was very much a team effort. We are extremely grateful for the expertise of British art pottery expert Nigel Wilson and to George Kingham, the director of Kinghams.”
Marinello additionally thanked Zurich Insurance Group which waived the requirement for the unique settlement to be paid again as “a gesture to the council and folks of Ealing.”
Marinello added: “Our means to get better stolen artworks a long time after the theft relies upon largely on museums reporting thefts to the police as quickly as potential regardless of the embarrassment over the loss.
“The other critical element is to disseminate a detailed list of the objects that were stolen so that they may be recorded on various art world databases.”
The council’s vital collections of Martinware replicate the situation of the Martinware manufacturing facility, which operated in Southall between 1877-1923.
