The Helen and David Milling Collection

Helen and David Milling’s Guide to Collecting

Where did the love of British Art Pottery and the Decorative Arts come from originally?

Robert Schmutzler's book, Art Nouveau, was published in 1962. As an architecture student in my home state of South Carolina, I learned of this book in Art History class, and its contents were revelatory to me. Growing up in the south, my world exposed me to antebellum architecture, oriental carpets, and Chippendale-style furniture. These influences and a familiarity with Frank Lloyd Wright designs had not prepared me for the organic enthusiasm of Art Nouveau and the charm of English Arts & Crafts.

For me and a few classmates, it was tremendously exciting to learn of the works of Tiffany, Gaudi, Burne-Jones, De Morgan, Mackintosh, Walter Crane, and so many others. I flew to New York expressly to see the collection of Tiffany glass at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; it exceeded my expectations. 

While my fiancée and I grew up 40 miles apart, we did not meet until we worked at the same architectural firm in Charlotte. Helen had seen Schmutzler's book while earning a BFA at Pratt Institute. Early on, we agreed that we loved Art Nouveau and English Arts & Crafts, and we favored items incorporating fantasy.

What do you look for when buying for your collection?

Moving to Cambridge, MA, for graduate school provided us with fresh opportunities to see the “New Art.” As a married couple, our initial collecting focused on English Art Nouveau tiles and American iridescent, decorated lamp shades by Tiffany, Quezal, and Steuben. In the early 1970s, excellent examples were relatively affordable compared to today's prices of multiple times as much.

We were always attracted to the most colorful examples. Eventually. we realized that English tiles had much more to entice us in addition to Art Nouveau, such as Arts & Crafts designs. Additionally, many of the same tile studios made wonderful vases that checked all the boxes for what appealed to us. While many English companies made Art Nouveau tiles, we expanded our collecting to include ceramics by De Morgan, Pilkington, Maw, Minton, Doulton, Wedgwood, and more.

After 50 years, we realized that much of the fun had been the joy of finding and winning the opportunity to buy rare and beautiful objects. The time has now come to share our collection with the rest of the world.

What advice would you give someone starting their own collection?

The key to successful collecting is communication. Don’t buy just for an expectation of profit; buy what you will enjoy living with. When you can identify a dealer who seems to specialize in categories and items that appeal to you, stay in contact. Eventually, that dealer will contact you when a choice item is available.

Make friends with others who share your collecting interests. There are many opportunities for fruitful conversations.  Sometimes another collector may choose to pass on a desirable item and may alert you to the opportunity.

You can advertise your interest in purchasing a category of collectibles, like Tiffany lamps, for example.  A fellow classmate from Clemson told everyone he knew that he was interested in genuine lamps made by Tiffany Studios. As a result, various acquaintances informed him of three different examples that might be available.

Most importantly, follow auction houses that consistently offer items of interest to you. Subscribe to auction aggregator websites that can connect you to your desired collectibles. Large auction sites, such as Bonhams, offer such a large assortment of collectibles that it is useful to subscribe and pay attention to individual sales.

Best of luck in the chase of your trophies and know that much of the fun is in competing and winning your trophies.

Stay updated with our auctions. Sign up to receive your weekly newsletter of global auctions, stories and more. Subscribe now

Viewings & Enquiries

London, Knightsbridge
1 December | By appointment
3 December | 11am to 3pm
4 December | 9am to 5pm
5 December | 9am to 11am

Gemma Sanders
gemma.sanders@bonhams.com
+44 20 7393 3860

New York
6–8 December: 10am – 5pm
9 & 10 December: 12pm – 5pm
11 December: 10 am – 5pm

Derya Baydur
derya.baydur@bonhams.com
+1 917 206 1615

Bonhams Skinner, Marlborough
14, 15 & 18 December | 10am to 4pm
Find us

Leah Kingman
leah.kingman@bonhamsskinner.com
+1 508 970 3250