Autumn 2013 Fine Art Auction Review
Published 24th October 2013
The Quarterly Fine Art Auction held on 23rd and 24th October 2013 at our newly extended salerooms, offered around a thousand lots over the two days of the sale. Internet interest and telephone bidding was so great that on Day Two the auction did not finish until 7.30pm!
Day One of the auction saw the paintings being sold, which included some of the top lots of the sale overall. The top hammer price was paid for a painting by Franz Richard Unterberger (1838-1901) entitled The Gulf of Salerno, possibly Positano – All Saints' Day (FS20/473). This oil on canvas, which was signed bottom right, created quite a stir and with the provenance being from a West Country Private Collection, this super painting sold for £25,000.
Also within the painting auction of the sale was the charming painting by the ever popular Heywood Hardy (1842-1933). Entitled Riders on the Shore (FS20/408), it was a really good example of this artist's work, who is known as a painter and watercolourist of animals, hunting and sporting scenes, genre and portraiture. The hammer price for this lot was £22,000.
Another highlight was the Winifred Nicholson oil on canvas board of still life of garden flowers (FS20/520). This vibrant example of her work sold for £20,000.
The jewellery auction within the sale went under the hammer on the first day. Again, there were some sparkling results. An early 20th Century platinum faced gold, sapphire and diamond necklace (FS20/235) with graduated, circular sapphires and shades of various colours including pink, yellow, green and blue joined by single diamond set links exceeded expectations selling for £7,200 and a diamond five stone ring (FS20/280), with graduated round old brilliant cut diamonds approximately 0.5cts, 0.80cts, 1.10cts, 0.85ct and 0.45ct respectively sold for a very pleasing £6,600.
Day Two of the auction brought many excitements, particularly in the sections of Chinese porcelain and works of art.
A group of Chinese jade and hardstone pendants/discs (FS20/823) realised £23,000 and a pair of Chinese yellow glazed small saucer dishes (FS20/624) each with shallow curving sides and everted rims, apocryphal underglaze blue six character Jiajing marks realised £13,500. Also in the same section of the sale, a Chinese porcelain vase (FS20/563) of swelling cylindrical form finally went under the hammer for £11,000.
A rare early 20th Century narwhal tusk (FS20/888) mounted with two walrus tusks on a polished stepped base sold for £9,600; a fine and unusual Victorian carved walnut presentation wheelbarrow with plated mounts (FS20/1106) labelled J & W Cookes, Warwick, Manufacturers to Her Majesty sold for £5,200 and a rare pair of Regency carved giltwood and Chinese reverse painted convex mirrors (FS20/1150) sold for £17,500.
Overall, there were some superb prices achieved in every field of this prestigious auction.
Entries are currently being invited for the next Quarterly Fine Art Sale to be held on 21st/22nd January 2014.