22 12th March 2011 auction reports Two heads are better than one
■ One year on, exceptional items in all disciplines at merged Exeter saleroom
Roland Arkell reports
FROMPhillips to the Fine Art Auction Group, many expansion-minded auctioneers have discovered that merging two or more firms into a single entity is rather more difficult than it first appears. One plus one does not always equal
two. In fact, for reasons of tradition, technology and personnel it does not always equal one and a half. But merging two salerooms in a single
town can be a little easier, and since Bearnes and their local rivals Hampton & Littlewood joined forces in late 2008, the combined team have seen Exeter’s saleroom moving in the desired direction. One full year on and the £701,227
January 26-27 sale saw outstanding items across all the disciplines. The most overtly commercial entry to
the opening silver session was a late 19th century silver mounted wooden ‘gadget’ cane hallmarked for JB, London 1890 and stamped for the retailer Clark of 33 New Bond Street. The silver handle opened to reveal
a silver-gilt vesta case, whistle and condiment pot while the sectional wooden stick unscrewed to reveal a metal corkscrew, a steel-bladed knife, a silver-plated two prong fork and another condiment pot. An object of obvious cross-over collecting appeal, and attractively pitched at £400-600, it found many suitors before selling to a local private collector at £3000. Enthusiasts of period silver migrated
towards a Queen Anne or George I tazza, 12in (30cm) diameter, that carried marks for Edinburgh and the assay master’s mark of Edward Penman plus indistinct marks for the maker and the date (possibly 1710). Of typically plain circular form, on a trumpet foot, the centre was engraved
Above: silver mounted ‘gadget’ cane, £3000.
Above left: a George III mahogany chest, £3200.
Left: silver and tortoiseshell pocket watch, £6000.
Right: Qianlong doucai altar candlestick, £68,000.
with a large coat of arms for Spottiswoode and Aberbuthnet. It sold to a Home Counties private buyer at £4200 (estimate £2000-3000). Attached to an ancient gold and gem-
set ring was the label reading: Ring dug up in excavating foundations of Royal Exchange, (considered to be Roman) set with emeralds, garnets and sapphire. This was worn by Lady Tite, wife of Sir William Tite, the architect of The Royal Exchange and was exhibited to the members of the Archeological Institute March 7th 1862. On the reverse of the label, dated
February 1918, was written Sir William Tite was my great Uncle and this ring descended to my sister Bertha who gave it into my keeping. Alfred James. With little to doubt either the
provenance or a 4th century date, it sold to a London based buyer at £2900 (estimate £1000-1500). The same vendor was the source of
two early 19th century circular ivory tokens for William Tite (1798-1873): his Royal Academy Antique School pass dated July 8, 1818 and another inscribed New Royal Exchange MDCCCXL (1840) William Tite Architect. They took £360 and £300 respectively. Sold at £6000 was an 18th century
Above: Roman gold and gem-set ring dug up during the building of the Royal Exchange, £2900.
silver and tortoiseshell pair-cased open- face pocket watch with a fusee movement inscribed Joseph Foster London 40. In horological terms the watch had some interesting features – the single hand denoted the minutes while a blued steel moonphase aperture included the hour indicator – but from its engraved champlevé dial signed Foster to a silver
inlaid tortoiseshell outer case, it was splendidly decorated. It was probably made for the Turkish market at a time when the export trade in English clocks accounted for a large portion of the business of a number of London makers. Sold together with a wooden watch stand in the form of a miniature mantle clock, it doubled hopes of £2000-3000 when selling to an overseas buyer via the internet. As prices for standard European
antiques show little sign of improvement, success for the regional auctioneer rests upon the luck and the judgement necessary to uncover the more unusual chattels that can still be relied upon to generate competition. The most eagerly contested clock in
the sale was an oak longcase with an eight-day striking movement by perhaps Derbyshire’s most celebrated maker, James Woolley (c.1700-1786). The Woolleys of Codnor are renowned
for their distinctive individual approach: James produced a large number of 30- hour longcase clocks but not many eight- day clocks. This example, signed within a heart-shaped cartouche Ia Wolley, Codnor, featured a break-arch dial with a penny moon phase and the date and time of high water. Housed in a later carved case, it nonetheless realised £6600 (estimate £1200-1400) selling to a North Country private buyer. Dreweatts sold a oak 30-hour clock by
the maker in September 2010 for £2200 (in Newbury) and an eight-day clock by either James or his nephew John Woolley for £5500 in 2008 (in Nottingham).
The preceding lot was a more urbane
ebonised regulator by George Prior (the son of the clockmaker John Prior) who is recorded working in London from 1793 until 1830. This precision eight-day timepiece included a movement with dead-beat escapement, maintaining power and a compensating pendulum, a break-arch silvered dial with a subsidiary seconds dial and hour aperture and an austere ebonised case with a distinctive caddy top. It sold to a local private buyer at £8300 (estimate £4000-6000). A furniture session led by a 17th
century Italian ebony, ivory and brass inlaid cabinet depicting scenes from Noah’s Ark sold to a Midlands dealer at £5800 was also notable for the attention afforded two George III mahogany chests. Both were of comparatively small size
but the better of the two, a bachelor’s chest with a rectangular hinged and baize- lined top, measured just 2ft 7in (79cm) wide. It sold at £4900 (estimate £1000- 1500) followed at £3200 (estimate £800- 1200), by a chest with a brushing slide measuring 3ft 2in (98cm) wide that was unusual for the single short drawers fitted to either side. Both pieces were bought by a Cheshire private buyer. The right piece of ‘brown’ can still
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