DALLAS, TX.- A large and impressive Glazed Stoneware Bird Jar and Cover, circa 1898, by the famed Martin Brothers pottery (seen peering into a Tiffany Studios Bronze Fern Mirror), is expected to sell for $30,000-$40,000 as part of an important collection of Martinware birds offered Nov. 18 at Heritage Auctions. Considered pioneers in both practice and societal commentary, the Martin Brothers work represents the transition from decorative Victorian ceramics to 20th-century studio pottery in England.

Towering at an unusually tall 13-1/4 inches tall, the bird-form jar with a detachable head is modeled with blue, cocked eyes and raised brows in the Martin Brothers iconic human-like expression, said Nick Dawes, Vice President of Special Collections at Heritage Auctions.

"This is one of the largest collections of Martin Brothers birds to come to market in recent memory," Dawes said. "The signature, almost caricature-like expressions are instantly recognizable and collectors will be excited to see such diversity in one sale."

The Martin family began producing whimsical and glazed stoneware collectibles in 1873, and often is considered the first British studio pottery. Each piece of Martin Brothers pottery is hand-thrown and from the first to final stages. Each piece of Martinware pottery was completely the work of the family team.

The family's Victorian-age wares represented the period's great transition at a time when Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species set in movement a chain of events that challenged church teachings and divided the public mindset on evolution. Other English pottery houses were preoccupied with increasing trade with the east and adapting styles to create the Aesthetic Movement. But it was the astute and insurgent Martin Brothers whose anthropomorphic facial expressions both embraced and chided the public's fascination of Darwinian theories.

An unusual Triple Wally Bird Jar and Cover, circa 1906, (est. $20,000-$30,000) is composed of two birds huddled under the wingspan of a larger bird all with mottled cobalt blue and brown feathering, raised on a cream base with canted corners.

A Martin Brothers Glazed Stoneware Grotesque Bird Jar and Cover, circa 1893, (est. $20,000-$30,000) signed "Martin Bros 1893, London + Southall" along the base and lid is modeled with human-like, leering and squinted eyes with exaggerated beak.

A Hatter Bird Jar and Cover, circa 1888, (est. $20,000-$30,000) stands 11-3/4 inches tall and a Quizzical Bird Jar and Cover, circa 1904, (est. $10,000-$15,000) features a narrowed eyes and partly open beak.

Additional examples include:

· A Bird Jar and Cover with a lustre glazed beak and squinted eyes, circa 1901 (est. $10,000-$15,000)

· A Glazed Stoneware Bird-Form Spoon Warmer, circa 1900-10 (est. $1,000-$1,500)

· A Small, Comical Bird, circa 1913, with exaggerated beak and shifted eyes, hunched wings and puffed chest in cobalt blue and cream glaze, stands just 3-1/2 inches high (est. $5,000-$7,000)

The auction's group of Martinware is not limited to birds. A Glazed Stoneware Grotesque Double-Sided Face Jug, circa 1911, (est. $2,500-$3,500) is on offer and a stunning, Renaissance Revival-style Glazed Stoneware Jardiniere, circa 1889 (est. $2,000-$3,000) is a perfect specimen of the pottery's strength in fine illustration.