Country house gives up its delightful treasures
DERBYSHIRE is renowned for its country houses and I’m delighted to start our 2021 auction calendar with the sale of hundreds of exquisite antique and vintage furniture, paintings, prints and other collectibles from one of them.
On Wednesday, Hansons will be hosting an online-only auction of contents from The Old Hall at Burnaston, an impressive £1 million period property tucked away in the South Derbyshire village.
The home has a rich history. Originally a half-timbered 17th Century manor house, it was rebuilt in the Victorian era to create a threegabled front elevation. It stands resplendent in ample gardens awash with old-world charm.
And that charm emerges with abundance on the inside, too. The home provides a perfect setting for antique and vintage furniture, elegant decorative touches and artwork, all carefully amassed and lovingly cared for. More than 200 items will be gong under the hammer and I am privileged that
Hansons has been appointed to handle their dispersal.
The catalogue – available to view at www.hansonslive.co.uk - includes everything from a George III late18th century oak mule chest, circa 1790, walking canes, ceramics and lighting to a 20th century pine table and chairs, sofas, clocks and garden items. And, if you’ve dreamed of owning a special piece, it’s a perfect opportunity to buy as this is a no reserves sale. There are no guide prices and every lot starts at £5.
When it comes to the antiques on offer, I have too many favourites to mention but particularly like a George III joined oak settle, circa 1770, featuring five moulded panels. Then there’s lot 14, a George III elm dresser, circa 1780, featuring a fluted-edge rectangular top on a moulded cornice over three frieze drawers with later brass-moulded oval ring handles.
There are some unusual items, too, such as lot 16, a Chinese elm shoe shiner’s stool with a money slot above drawers.
In need of a new bookcase built to last? Lot 23 is a Victorian mahogany library bookcase, circa 1860.
Or perhaps you would like something with character to add a statement to your home. Lot 34 includes an early 20th century Dutch leather suitcase and four other similar suitcases featuring aged leather. Then there’s lot 100, a set of copper jugs gradually reducing in size.
Ceramics include Oriental, Royal Crown Derby, Denby and Churchill wares while lot 75 brings together a mix of popular blue and white ceramics including a cheese dish, meat plates, tureens, teapot and stand. Artwork shines bright with an eclectic mix featuring everything from Oriental to classical scenes such as lot 119, an oil on canvas featuring a man and a cart in a winter landscape, very apt bearing in mind the weather of recent days.
At the opposite end of the weather, and painting, spectrum we have lot 151, three framed oil paintings in the French Impressionist style, one showing children playing on a beach at the height of summer and two more featuring water lilies.
A variety of Chinese/oriental items are sure to catch the eye of bidders and include ginger jars turned into lamps, bowls, Chinese panels, embroidery and lot 130, a Chinese bronze Shang Dynasty temple figure. The sale is the first of more than 90 auctions scheduled to take place in 2021 which offer opportunities galore for buyers and sellers alike. Right now, we are inviting entries for our January 21 Toy Sale – deadline January 8 – and you have until January 15 to enter items into our Winter Derbyshire Fine Art Sale on January 28. It will include silver, jewellery and watches, British and European Pottery, Asian art and works of art, clocks and barometers. We are also collecting all manner of general items for our monthly Antiques and Collectors sales. Looking ahead to February, entries are invited for our coins, banknotes and antiquities sales and we have a special silver and jewellery auction curated by Kate Bliss.
So, if you’ve had a clear-out or unearthed some items you’d like to sell, do get in touch. Hansons is open for consignments and free valuations and offers a contactless drop-off service by appointment. You can arrange to leave items at Hansons’ saleroom for assessment/ consignment, arrange a virtual valuation or home appointment.
To find out more, or book an appointment, email service@ hansonsauctioneers.co.uk or call 01283 733988.