March 2022 sale report

 

Our triple auction weekend in March comprising Twentieth Century Art & Design, Music, Film & Sport Memorabilia, and Fine Art & Antiques included some excellent and surprising prices, despite the worry of the war in Ukraine, cost of living fears, interest rate rises, and the lingering spectre of Covid…

 

First up was our bumper 600+ lot Twentieth Century Art & Design auction, which included a large collection of ceramics to include pieces by Royal Doulton, Clarice Cliff and Moorcroft, alongside jewellery by Georg Jensen, Art Deco silver, paintings by Lucy Harwood amongst others, followed by a selection of ever-popular mid-century Scandinavian furniture and much more.  

 

The auction included several lots by eccentric Suffolk artist Lucy Harwood (1893-1972); the highest priced painting being this oil on canvas still life with mushrooms which sold for £3,700.  Harwood overcame early disappointment and disability to dedicate her life to art as a lifelong student of the East Anglian School of Drawing & Painting.  You can read more about her here.

 

Elsewhere in the sale was this rare Royal Doulton model of an eagle which sold for £1600, and this Louis Wain (1860-1939) 'The Lucky Pig' pottery figure which achieved £1300.  While this pretty Art Nouveau Tudric pewter bedside clock retailed by Liberty & Co sold for £680.

                   

The Scandification of our living rooms continues, with this c1960 teak rocking chair by Norwegian designer Fredrik A. Kayser (1924-1968) for Vatne Møbler selling for £650, although this 1940s Scottish 'cloud' coffee table by Neil Morris for Morris of Glasgow also proved popular for £620. 

      

 Full Twentieth Century Art & Design results

 

Our Music, Film & Sport Memorabilia auction comprised 300 lots ranging from musical instruments to rare vinyl, celebrity autographs to movie posters and sporting ephemera. 

Despite not being fully marked up, this beautiful classical violin by important 18th century instrument makers Longman & Co secured several telephone bids and sold for £5400.   

Not to everyone's taste, but this Simone Mirman red fox fur hat, which Shirley Bassey donated to an auction back in 1982 sold online for £360.

 

A more traditional form of memorabilia, this autograph album containing over 33 autographs of world entertainment figures on photographs, letters, cheques and USA film studio restaurant bills including such stars as Burt Lancaster, Charlton Heston, Mae West, Tony Curtis, Vera Lynn, Peter Cushing etc.  It sold for £800.  

            

One from a collection of original film poster concept art this mixed media design for the 1961 film Goliath And The Vampires sold for £750.

Full Music, Film & Sport & Memorabilia results  

 

The following day saw our first Fine Art & Antiques auction of 2022. This 500 lot strong offering included everything from antiquarian books to fine porcelain, high quality silver and jewellery, designer watches, objet d'art and Asian works of art, paintings, clocks and antique furniture. 

 

The auction got off to a great start with this 1868 copy of Geographical Fun: Being Humorous Outlines of Various Countries by William Harvey and Lilian Lancaster which sold for £1600.  These witty & imaginative maps portray their country's as an anthropomorphic design depicting contemporary figures, historical elements and national symbols.  The drawings were apparently created by a 15 year old Lancaster to cheer up her sick brother and are a great insight into the Victorian British mindset, you can read more here.

 

This impressive cased Mappin & Webb silver extensive part cutlery suite sold for £3300, and this unusual early Victorian silver teapot of hexagonal form and in the Chinese taste achieved almost 10x estimate of £2000.

         

 

Elsewhere, this George III silver gilt pair-cased doctor's watch by little-known maker Peter Silverland & Co of Liverpool sold for £2000, while this more modern, but no less beautiful lady's Piaget 18ct white gold diamond cocktail wristwatch sold for £5000.

                    

 

Unexpected price of the day has to go to these Por Larranaga Don Carlos cigars in sealed box, which caused a bidding war online and sold for an incredible 15x estimate at £3100, closely forwarded by this 19th century Chinese Canton export tusk brush-pot which secured four telephone lines and eventually sold for £2000.

       

 

This wonderfully crafted late 19th/early 20th century French articulated walnut artist's lay figure of a rider with later horse made £4000 online.   Another gorgeous example of workmanship, this early 19th century Italian 'Grand Tour' specimen marble topped centre table attracted five telephone bidders and became our top-selling lot at £11,000.

 

 Full Fine Art & Antiques results

 

Results for all three auctions and previous sales can be found here.  Please don't hesitate to contact our offices if you have anything suitable for consignment into future auctions. 

 

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