10 17th December 2011 auction reports


Bidders respond to challenge of the middle market


Terence Ryle reports


THE November 23 sale held at Donnington Priory by Dreweatts was always going to be a bit of a challenge. It comprised 265 lots of good- to-middle-range furniture preceded by a fairly run- of-the-mill section of 127 assorted lots entitled garden furniture, works of art and textiles.


There were some happy surprises


and some very good individual results. The selling rates of around 72 per cent for furniture, which totalled around £216,000, and 70 per cent of the opening section (totalling around £46,000) were reasonably satisfactory. Best by a distance of the works of art


was something of a surprise, an Anglo- Indian bone and marquetry inlaid table cabinet catalogued as 19th century and later elements. Measuring 10½in wide, 6in high and


7¾in deep (27 x 15 x 20cm), the cabinet, illustrated on this page, was decorated all over with highly detailed floral and foliate reserves within borders of stylised flowerheads. The fall front, with further marquetry


to the interior, enclosed an arrangement of six drawers all with conforming


Above left: pretty c.1660 walnut, oak and chestnut chest of drawers – below-estimate £450 at Dreweatts. Above right: c.1770 mahogany tripod table – ten-times-estimate £3800 at the same sale.


marquetry and brass swing handles, which completed the overall good looks. There had been quite a lot of later


work – the back appeared to be a replacement and the veneers had some restoration – and the cabinet, was estimated at £200-300, but it sold at £8500. Intricate as the craftsmanship on the


table cabinet was, that on the best seller among the furniture was even more so. This was the mid-19th century ivory-


framed Dieppe wall mirror, also illustrated here. The 2ft 10½in (88cm) tall, cartouche-


shaped frame round the oval plate was carved with repeating leaves interspersed with putti playing instruments and


Left: Anglo-Indian table cabinet – £8500 surprise at Dreweatts’ November 23 sale. Right: Dieppe ivory- framed mirror – triple- estimate £9000 at the same sale.


surmounted by two mermaids flanking an armorial relief. The printed estimate was £2000-3000, but the full-page catalogue illustration and front-cover detail suggested more was hoped for. So it proved when the mirror sold at


£9000. Larger, at 5ft 2in (1.23m) tall, and


more restrained, a c.1740 walnut and giltwood rectangular wall mirror surmounted with Prince of Wales feathers carried a similar estimate and sold on the upper £3000 figure Among the traditional English


material there was considerable room for optimism to be gained from the reaction to larger items despite some disappointing casualties, including a c.1710 escritoire estimated at £4000- 6000 and a c.1810 silver table in the manner of Chippendale chinoiserie estimated at £5000-7000. On the lower slopes, bidders even


baulked at the £500-800 on a very pretty and handily sized, 3ft 2½in (98cm) wide c.1660 chest of drawers in walnut, oak and chestnut. It sold at £450. By contrast, another modestly


estimated lot was a c.1770 mahogany tripod table with piecrust edge to the 2ft 3½in (70cm) diameter top, baluster stem and triple downswept acanthus carved legs on stylised lions’ paw feet. Estimated at £300-500, it sold at £3800. Among the larger pieces was a c.1720


walnut chest-on-chest standing 6ft tall by 3ft 5in wide (1.82 x 1.05m). Such chests have been quite difficult


to sell for a while now, but this one, complete with brushing slide and parquetry starburst decoration to the lowest of the three base drawers, breathed quality. Cautiously estimated at £2500-3500,


it sold at £9000. Also doing well against what appeared


Above left:William IV rosewood library table – £8500 at Dreweatts. Above right: one of a pair of c.1770 Louis Foureau marble-topped tulipwood marquetry corner cabinets – £8000 at the Donnington Priory sale.


reasonable expectations was a William IV rosewood library table. With a 5ft


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