Summary
Two Day Fine Art Sale with European and Oriental Ceramics, Glass, Pictures, Works of Art, Clocks, Watches, Jewellery and Furniture
This auction has 894 fine art lots.
Sale Notes
The forthcoming January Fine Sale has the largest offering of antique silver for several years, which includes several single owner collections – perhaps most noteworthy is a number of late 17th and early 18th century spoons. Commonplace now, they were once prized and high status items used for serving, eating and tea making. The pick of the bunch is a London seal top spoon (FS45/76), estimated at £300-£500 as the marks are worn.
Arguably, a little more frivolous are the miniature Dutch silver chairs amongst them a group of ten (FS45/125), which look to be good value with pre-sale expectations of £150-£200.
Meanwhile, wrist watches continue to be very much in demand with Omega, Vacheron & Constatin, Tag Heuer, Breitling, Cartier and Rolex all represented in the sale along with an 18ct gold Patek Philippe Elipse (FS45/208).
The first day of the sale rounds off with a healthy group of pictures, which includes three marine oils from local artist Thomas Luny that includes a view of the Teignmouth coast (FS45/365), another with beached vessels before Shaldon Bridge (FS45/366) and a dramatic view of a rescue party assisting a shipwreck beneath the Ness (FS45/364) - the latter comes with impeccable provenance as it was previously purchased from us.
The biggest estimate in the section is reserved for a seasonal snowy rendering of St. Buryan Church, Cornwall (FS45/321) by Joan Gilchrest. Also worthy of a mention, if only for his nom de plume, is James ‘Drunken’ Robertson (FS45/429) who died at the age of 21 suggesting that his vice rather shortened his artistic career.
The second day sees ceramics and glass start proceedings with a good volume of Oriental pieces including a rare early 18th century delft electioneering plate (FS45/629) captioned 'Rolle for ever', which was produced for John or his son Henry Rolle who were elected as MPs for Exeter and Barnstaple.
The Works of Art department contains a broad and varied offering and one can't help but be drawn to a collection of three and a half pairs of late 17th century embroidered silk ladies shoes (FS45/767), an unusual survivor, but I guess also something of a narrow field for collectors.
Something of wider appeal and certainly more affordable is a Malacca walking/tipple stick (FS45/866), which conceals within its interior a small bottle and a miniature glass – obviously it is one thing to have a surreptitious drink, but one can't be seen to drink straight from the bottle!
The furniture section includes a pair of Regency mahogany chiffoniers (FS45/1043) with expectations of £3,000-£5,000, which rather proves that the furniture market is still bullish for the right things. Elsewhere, there is an 18th century leather, brass and steel domed trunk (FS45/1058) with a pleasing colour and also in leather but harking from another era.
The sale concludes with an Art Deco burr maple and cream upholstered lounge suite (FS45/1114) attributed to Heals.
Order of Sale
The order of sale will be:-
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Tuesday, 21st January 2020 10:00am
Silver (starting at lot 1)
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Tuesday, 21st January 2020 12:30pm
Watches and Jewellery (starting at lot 200)
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Tuesday, 21st January 2020 2:00pm
Oil Paintings, Watercolours, Drawings and Pictures (starting at lot 281)
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Wednesday, 22nd January 2020 10:00am
Oriental and European Ceramics and Glassware (starting at lot 551)
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Wednesday, 22nd January 2020 12:30pm
Works of Art and Clocks (starting at lot 751)
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Wednesday, 22nd January 2020 2:00pm
Furniture (starting at lot 931)