Skip to main content
Read page text
page 12
AUCTION Sales round-up A ROUND the HOUSES A Sèvres cup and saucer sells for more than 80 times its estimate in Derbyshire and Margaret Thatcher’s desk defeats its low guide price in London Bonhams, New Bond Street A late 17th-century silver-inlaid ebony clock by the French clockmaker and conspirator, John Joyne (b. 1647) sold for £16,640 at the London auctioneer’s fine clocks sale, beating its low estimate of £10,000. The “pendule miniature religieuse” clock, dated 1680 from Paris, stands 30cm high. As well as a clock maker, part-time spy Joyne was instrumental in the arrest of John Scott whose capture, for murder and slave-trading, had been ordered by the diarist Samuel Pepys. The 17th-century clock by the French maker John Joyne sold for £16,640 Gildings Auctioneers, Market Harborough A set of four Hillestak chairs by the renowned British furniture designer Robin Day (1915-2010) purchased for £14 in 1954, sold for £550 at the Four Hillestak chairs by Robin Day (19152010) were bought for £14 in 1954 Day’s recliner chair sold for a mid-estimate price of £650 Leicestershire auction house, almost twice its low estimate of £350. The chairs were part of a suite of furniture bought in Northampton 70 years ago, including a recliner chair, which sold for a mid-estimate price of £650, and a Hilleplan unit B sideboard, with a receipt for £26, which was also sold for a mid-estimate price of £900. All were made by Day for the furniture maker Hille in the early 1950s, and acquired from Hemming Brothers store in Northampton. Day rose to prominence in 1951 when he designed the seating in the Royal Festival Hall in London, which is still in use today. That year he also won plaudits for two open-plan living and dining room settings designed for the Festival of Britain. Kinghams, Moreton-in-Marsh An 18ct gold beaker by the contemporary goldsmith, Rod Kelly (b. 1956) sold for a mid-estimate £24,120 at the Cotswold auction house’s recent sale. Berkshire-born Kelly graduated from the Royal College of Arts in 1983, having studied under the well-known gold and silversmith Gerald Benney. After setting up his workshop in Norfolk, Kelly undertook a number of high-profile commissions, with his work appearing in the V&A. Latterly, he was commissioned to design the £5 crown to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth I, in 2008. He now lives in the Shetland Islands. A Hilleplan unit B sideboard came with a receipt for £26 and sold for £900 Rod Kelly studied under the well-known gold and silversmith Gerald Benney 12 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
page 13
Martel Maides Auctions, Guernsey A George III carved mahogany ‘silver’ table, with a possible attribution to Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779), expected to make £7,000-£10,000 sold for £154,000 at the Channel Islands auction house. The table had possible links to the famous maker Thomas Chippendale The table, dated 1765, has a rectangular top with fretwork above a carved frieze on four foliate carved legs with scroll feet. In the 18th century when drinking tea was a pastime of only the very rich, furniture and silverware was designed and commissioned around the ceremony. Silver tables were designed to stand the full tea service on and would most likely have been positioned centrally, allowing them (and what they held) to be admired from all sides. The hyper realistic painting features faces of Klimt’s family Bonhams, Sydney A cap worn by Australian cricket legend Don Bradman sold for $479,700 Australian dollars (£245,000) at an auction in Sydney. Bradman wore the cap, known as a “baggy green”, in the 1947-1948 home Test series against India, during which he scored his 100th first-class century. Bonhams described the cap as “sun faded and worn”, with “some insect damage” and “loss to edge of the peak”. Bradman, who died aged 92 in 2001, is regarded as cricket’s greatest-ever batter, averaging 99.4 runs per Test innings. Don Bradman is considered cricket’s great- est-ever batter Chiswick Auctions, London A first edition of John Keats’ 1818 work Endymion: A Poetic Romance sold for £23,300 at the London auction house’s Roslin Square saleroom, beating its guide price of £6,000-£8,000. The book contains a number of original illustrations by John Buckland-Wright, including 136 full-page and six unfinished in pencil, pen, ink and wash. Endymion was so badly received by contemporary reviewers it has been argued that it contributed to Keats’ death from tuberculosis. The reviews even caused Byron to write: ‘Tis strange the mind, that very fiery particle / Should let itself be snuffed out by an article’. Shelley also attributed Keats’ early death directly to the reception of the book. The book sold for close to four times its low estimate in London Sotheby’s, London A large-scale and highly-detailed painting by Ernst Klimt (18641892) that was completed by his more famous brother, Gustav, (1862-1918) after his sudden death sold for £2.2m, beating its guide price of £300,000-£500,000. Ernst, two years Gustav’s junior, started the work in 1892 but died of heart illness in December that year at the age of 29. In a touching tribute to his brother, Gustav completed the painting and introduced Klimt family faces, and those of Ernst’s in-laws – the Flöge family – into the Bavarian street scene. Gustav signed the painting with Ernst’s signature. When the painting last sold at auction 40 years ago, it made £140,000. Sloane Street Auctions, London A mahogany desk belonging to the former Tory prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, sold for £60,000, some 60 times its low estimate. The 1.37m (4ft 6in) wide, five-drawer desk came from the Thatchers’ home at 19 Flood Street in Chelsea where many of her speeches as leader of the opposition were written. It was one of 39 Thatcher-related lots which sold for a total of £330,000. A vanity case given to the former PM by King Hassan II of Morocco in 1989 fetched £55,000 off a £6,000-£8,000 estimate, while a silver letter opener by the Australian silversmith designer Stuart Devlin inscribed It was a famous victory.....3rd May 1979 made £22,000, beating its £300-£500 estimate. Margaret Thatcher’s desk was used during her time in opposition and made 60 times its estimate ANTIQUE COLLECTING 13

Page Text

View plaintext

AUCTION Sales round-up

A ROUND the HOUSES

A Sèvres cup and saucer sells for more than

80 times its estimate in Derbyshire and Margaret Thatcher’s desk defeats its low guide price in London

Bonhams, New Bond Street A late 17th-century silver-inlaid ebony clock by the French clockmaker and conspirator, John Joyne (b. 1647) sold for £16,640 at the London auctioneer’s fine clocks sale, beating its low estimate of £10,000. The “pendule miniature religieuse” clock, dated 1680 from Paris, stands 30cm high.

As well as a clock maker, part-time spy Joyne was instrumental in the arrest of John Scott whose capture, for murder and slave-trading, had been ordered by the diarist Samuel Pepys.

The 17th-century clock by the French maker John Joyne sold for £16,640

Gildings Auctioneers, Market Harborough A set of four Hillestak chairs by the renowned British furniture designer Robin Day (1915-2010) purchased for £14 in

1954, sold for £550 at the

Four Hillestak chairs by Robin Day (19152010) were bought for £14 in 1954

Day’s recliner chair sold for a mid-estimate price of £650

Leicestershire auction house, almost twice its low estimate of £350.

The chairs were part of a suite of furniture bought in Northampton 70 years ago, including a recliner chair, which sold for a mid-estimate price of £650, and a Hilleplan unit B sideboard, with a receipt for £26, which was also sold for a mid-estimate price of £900.

All were made by Day for the furniture maker Hille in the early 1950s, and acquired from

Hemming Brothers store in Northampton.

Day rose to prominence in 1951 when he designed the seating in the Royal Festival Hall in London,

which is still in use today. That year he also won plaudits for two open-plan living and dining room settings designed for the Festival of Britain.

Kinghams, Moreton-in-Marsh An 18ct gold beaker by the contemporary goldsmith, Rod Kelly (b. 1956) sold for a mid-estimate £24,120 at the Cotswold auction house’s recent sale.

Berkshire-born Kelly graduated from the Royal College of Arts in 1983, having studied under the well-known gold and silversmith Gerald Benney. After setting up his workshop in Norfolk, Kelly undertook a number of high-profile commissions, with his work appearing in the V&A. Latterly, he was commissioned to design the £5 crown to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth I, in 2008. He now lives in the Shetland Islands.

A Hilleplan unit B sideboard came with a receipt for £26 and sold for £900

Rod Kelly studied under the well-known gold and silversmith Gerald Benney

12 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

read next page

My Bookmarks

Buy this Book
Skip to main content