Antiques Trade Gazette


9


to bring better results


bed-warmer modelled as a tortoise, dated to 1880 and measuring 11 x 5in (30 x 15cm). In excellent condition, made to a good size, bearing the Martin Brothers trademark grotesque features and pitched at an enticing £8000- 10,000, it sparked plenty of interest. Contested by both room and phone bidders, it eventually sold to the phone for £38,000. The holy grail for most Martinware


collectors are the Martin Brothers grotesque bird jars, one of which also fetched a top-ten price here. Dating from 1898, it sold for £26,000 against a £15,000-20,000 estimate. Despite their proven value in the


glass Serpent vase designed in 1924. Along with other examples in the sale, each of the three lots was accompanied by a duplicate in a different colour which failed to sell – demonstrating the selectivity of this market. “It’s quite often the case that a


particular buyer wants to fill a gap in their collection and will just go for the colour that they do not have in that series, and as a result casualties occur,” said Mr Oliver. Outside the Lalique, the sale also


yielded strong results, including the sale’s top lot. This was a rare and unrecorded Robert Wallace Martin early stoneware


Left: Ferdinand Preiss Art Deco figure – £15,000.


saleroom, this price still came as a surprise to Mr Oliver, who said: “Although it was a little larger than average and only a few are turning up at the moment, it was not a particularly captivating example and had some internal hairline cracks.” Elsewhere, poor condition did little to


deter bidders for two Ferdinand Preiss Art Deco figures which were both pursued beyond their estimates. The first was Spring Awakening, a 14in


(37cm) cold-painted bronze and carved ivory figure dated to c.1925, which had a crack along the torso but still fetched £18,000 against a £10,000-15,000. The second was a Con Brio model of a similar size which was missing some of the figure’s silver-patinated costume and had a crack down the face. It sold for three times the bottom estimate to make £15,000.


Left: an oak bookcase designed for Dromore Castle in Ireland by Edward William Godwin – £75,000 at Christie’s.


Godwin bookcase takes £75,000


CHRISTIE’S (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) hosted their 20th century decorative art and design sale on May 3 at the King Street saleroom. Performing strongly across the board


were the 16 lots of British decorative arts, which saw a solid take-up, with only two unsold lots and some big prices along the way. The top lot here was an oak bookcase,


designed for Dromore Castle in Ireland by Edward William Godwin. Probably manufactured by Reuben Burkitt, the 7ft 4in x 4ft (2.23 x 1.23m) example was one of six commissioned by the third Earl of Limerick in 1865, although Christie’s believe this to be the last one available on the market. It produced competitive bidding on the day, selling for £75,000 against a £30,000-50,000 estimate. Demand continued for the vernacular


Right: Lalique caramel coloured Archers vase – £19,000.


furniture of the Cotswold School with pieces by Ernest Gimson and the Barnsley brothers, Ernest and Sidney. Three of the lots offered came


from Ernest Barnsley’s own collection, probably designed specifically for his house in Sapperton, and had been passed down by descent. The highlight among them was a walnut chest with wrought-iron hinges, measuring 16in


x 2ft 10in (67cm x 1.37m) from 1896, which displayed the visible joinery strongly associated with the group’s style. Estimated at £6000-8000, it sold for £22,000 to a private buyer. The price was bettered, however,


outside this small collection by a larger and grander Sidney Barnsley cabinet which had been the property of the late Sir Simon Hornby, a major collector and patron to the Barnsleys. Completely market fresh, it too went above estimate, selling to a private buyer for £28,000. Silver pieces made for Liberty & Co by


Scottish Art Nouveau designer Archibald Knox were also popular at the sale, with three lots here selling comfortably above estimate. A pair of Cymric candlesticks from 1901, a vase from 1903 and a Cymric frame from 1905 fetched a combined £75,000. All these prices paled in comparison to


the prices Lalanne pieces are fetching at present, with two patinated bronze chairs from the Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum in Virginia fetching a combined £380,000 at the same sale (see this week’s International Events for more on Lalanne). The 171-lot sale was 55% sold, 83% by value, totalling £1.76m.


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