28 12th March 2011 auction reports A Royal cheese follower
THE coat-of-arms carved on this sycamore cheese press or ‘follower’ suggests it was once used in the Royal household. Somerset auctioneers Tamlyns (15% buyer’s premium) of Bridgwater could establish little of its history prior to the sale on February 8 although subsequent information from the underbidder (a family member who owns the pair to this example) suggested an 18th century date was probable. It measured just over 13in (34cm) across and was finely carved, while its original condition and the estimate of £80-120 were happy bonuses. An object of great interest to treen collectors, it prompted a bidding battle won by a phone bidder from London at £1800.
Above: a cheese ‘follower’ with Royal coat of arms – £1800. China’s taste for honey
SINCE as early as the 7th century the Chinese have admired rhinoceros horn for its spiritual and artistic qualities – a symbol of longevity and a medicinal aid and beautiful for its strength and translucent honey colour. The market has surged in recent times,
and the many Ming and Qing dynasty libation cups that found their way into English country houses are enjoying a purple patch. A well-carved 17th century cup
provided the highpoint of Duke’s (19.5% buyer’s premium) sale of Oriental ceramics and works of art on February 10. It was spotted by one of the
Dorchester firm’s valuers at the back of a display cabinet in a Somerset manor house. The vendors – as with all the best stories – held it in low regard and had no idea of its value. Measuring 5 x 2¾in (12 x 7cm) and
displaying several chips to the carving, it attracted multiple bidders at its £10,000- 20,000 estimate before selling in the room for £62,000. Kensington Church Street dealer Richard Peters was the delighted buyer. “The cup is a masterful piece of carving that closely follows the 15th century Chenghua decoration on Palace bowls with a design of musk, mallow, lily and camellia skilfully carved
Above: rhino horn libation cup – £62,000.
around its exterior.” He said the carver had used the very best honey-colour horn and speculated that its quality might indicate it was made for special order.
The cost of coromandel
THE runaway star of the Furniture & Works of Art sale held by Dreweatts (22% buyer’s premium) at Donnington Priory on January 26 was provided by a pair of George III cabinets, one pictured left. Made by an English cabinetmaker
c.1760, these press cupboards with shelves and drawers had been fashioned from earlier Chinese coromandel lacquer screen panels decorated with figures amongst pavilions. The practice of recycling highly regarded Oriental lacquer was not uncommon at the time: Thomas Chippendale’s accounts suggest he made a number of pieces in this manner.
Godwin turns the tables
BACK in 2006, Gloucestershire auctioneers Chorley’s (17.5% buyer’s premium) were surprised to see an Anglo-Japanese walnut table – a type sometimes referred to as Smallhythe tables by the English architect-designer Edward William Godwin (1833-86) – sell for £80,000. Their estimate had been just £150-200. E.W. Godwin was the name on a
number of minds when the Prinknash Abbey rooms included the Aesthetic Movement oak drop leaf side table,
right, in their sale on January 27. It created a bit of a stir when it sold for £7000. While unmarked and with some modifications, the table is similar to an example made by William Watt to a Godwin design. The suggestion was it had been made for Liberty’s. An octagonal rosewood centre table
to a known Godwin design was the highlight atMealy’s (20% buyer’s premium) of Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny on December 1. Marked for Collinson & Lock (who
paid Godwin a retainer to produce exclusive designs for the company from 1872 to 1874) this 3ft 7in (1.01m) table sold to one of many interested UK buyers at €16,000 (£14,200), against a very attractive €1800-2200 estimate.
This pair, standing 6ft 1in high by 4ft
2in wide (1.85 x 1.27m) had come from Paul Paget, of Seely and Paget Architects who had inherited them from his uncle, Samuel Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood, MP for Chelsea in the 1920s and 1930s. Estimated at £4000-6000, they were
much admired as highly decorative period pieces but Dreweatts were surprised to see such strong bidding coming from the internet. Indeed, underbidding at £26,000 was the highest internet bid Dreweatts has received in a furniture sale (higher sums have been taken in Asian sales) but it was pipped by a bidder in the room at £27,000.
Above: a late 18th century court suit, £1850 at Brightwells.
Georgian flower power
REPRESENTING the work of the finest tailors and embroiderers of the period, this Georgian court suit sold for £1850 at Leominster saleroom Brightwells (17.5% buyer’s premium) on January 12.
The cut and striped velvet gentleman’s coat was embellished to an unusually high standard with lavish bands of floss silk embroidery overlaid with lace – a detail replicated on the brocaded satin waistcoat made in the shorter fashionable style of the late 18th century. It was sold with a wig and a pair of bright pink breeches. In contrast, a countryman’s smock was of interest both for its very large collar embroidered with stylised flowers and its history as a garment made and worn at Bransford Court Farm in Worcestershire in the 19th century. It sold at £230. A wardrobe archive of mirror-, bead- and sequin-decorated theatrical costumes worn by the dancer Ram Gopal (1917-2003) known as the Nijinsky of India sold for £620. Theatrical costumes, even with an interesting provenance, are not always easy to place, especially at a time when museum buyers are thin on the ground, but the archive was purchased by a client associated with dance. Among the couture, an attractive printed chiffon 1920s full-length dress in unusually good condition sold at £340, while an elegant bead-embroidered yellow silk velvet jacket labelled Becker Fils Paris sold at £210. Consultant Constance King, who catalogued the sale, commented on the volatility of this particular niche of the antiques market: “Just a few months ago linen was selling well, whereas in this sale it was hard to find buyers. However, fashion of all periods is popular and there are many buyers for items that encapsulate the style of a period.” These included an elegant ration book cover for the fashionable wartime woman with everything, that sold for £55.
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