David Winter (Born 1958) English, (4) Miniature Cottages and (1) Porcelain Lidded Pot. Each Winter piece made from a proprietary mix of gypsum and other minerals, and painstakingly crafted and painted by hand. Each piece has a signature carved into the back of the base, and all but one have original labels affixed to the bottoms with dates, titles, and information about the work as well. The porcelain lidded pot is marked "Crown Winsor" on the bottom and would likely be used to hold sugar, jam, or honey, as a small groove in the thatched roof lid would allow for a small spoon to be held in place. 

Size: 2 3/4 x 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. 

David Winter was born on December 18th, 1958 in Catterick, Yorkshire, England, and became a sculptor famous throughout the United Kingdom for collectible miniature buildings. Winter made his first cottage in 1979 with John Hine in his studio workshop in Hampshire, after going there to assist his sculptor mother Faith Winter and discovering a knack for it. His cottages were popular for their exquisite detail, eventually becoming collectors items once they began to export them to the American market. At the height of their popularity in the late 1980s one was sold for $42,000 and a collection of 146 was sold for $200,000 at an auction. A David Winter Cottages Collectors Guild was formed in the early 1990s which had 200,000 members at its zenith. Although production ceased in 2002, many of the pieces are still considered extremely collectible and are highly sought around the globe. Winter officially retired from sculpting in 2010, but now lives in Ireland where he occasionally produces new pieces at the studio he set up in Newton Millhouse. 

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