STAR SALES
Auction highlights grabbing Caroline Wheater’s a ention recently include an elegant Hepplewhite-style se ee and a glass posy vase
Don’t miss these highlights from recent auctions
1 Decorative Discovery
Estimate £50,000-£100,000 Sold £137,500
Fashion has for centuries dictated the way we furnish our homes and, from the mid 18th century onwards, the delicate, decorative Chinese style – termed chinoiserie in the West – was in favour, especially for feminine areas of the house such as bedrooms and drawing rooms. This suite of 24 Chinese wallpaper panels c1790-1810, made in China for export, was an exceptional nd by the valuation team at Sotheby’s, who discovered them rolled in a bookcase cupboard at Spetchley Park in Worcestershire. ‘ We were looking for books and initially assumed they were old rolled maps, so unearthing an entire, unused, never-before-seen set of panels depicting a Chinese garden of paradise was remarkable. The only known examples have been hung on walls for over 200 years, making this suite unrivalled in condition due to minimal exposure to light since it was acquired for the house in or before 1811,’ says David Macdonald, senior furniture specialist. The centuries- old wallpapers generated a huge level of interest at auction due to their rarity, provenance and exceptional condition, plus their potential to be copied for new textiles.
020 7293 5000; sothebys.com
2 Classy Glass Estimate £200-£300 Sold £180
In spriggy bright green, a 20cm-tall Monart Ware glass posy vase was an a !ordable buy at Woolley & Wallis’s Design sale. The Moncrie! glassworks in Perth launched Monart Ware in 1924 a "er the owner’s wife, Isobel, invited glassblower Salvador Ysart to create a modern art collection. The beautiful range continued to be made until the early 1960s, and this cutie, still with its paper label, came from a private collection.
01722 424500; woolleyandwallis.co.uk
3. Bookworm’s Buy Estimate £300-£500 Sold £850
In the early 19th century, the well-to- do prized private libraries and in those households lucky enough to have one, novels and reference tomes would have been on #oor-to- ceiling shelves. Library steps were an essential piece of kit, enabling readers to reach for a favourite Austen, atlas or prayer book. This Regency example, made around 1820, and elegantly inset with greentooled leather, sold at Drewea$s recently. The top step has a useful compartment inside.
01635 553553; dreweatts.com
4. Expressive Animals Estimate £1,500-£2,000 Sold £2,805
Sold at Bonhams, this % "h edition of A Voyage Round the World by George Anson, 1749, records his squadron’s circumnavigation of the globe. Inside are 42 engraved plates and maps, mostly folding and all hand- coloured. This charming illustration is entitled
A Sea Lion and Lioness, which Anson would have seen plenty of during his epic, four-year journey. The book was part of a collection amassed by a descendent.
020 7447 7447; bonhams.com
5. Elegant Lines Estimate £1,500-£2,500 Sold £3,750
Consigned to Lyon & Turnbull’s popular Five Centuries sale, this late 18th- century se"ee with mahogany frame would make a pre"y addition to a living room or bedroom. The piece is made in the restrained Hepplewhite style developed by London cabinetmaker George Hepplewhite in the mid to late 18th century. In 1788 his designs were published posthumously in The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide. 0131 557 8844; lyonandturnbull.com
6. Desperately Seeking Silver Estimate £300-£400 Sold £480
Silver ‘castle top’ card cases depicting monuments, manor houses and famous roo! ines were made in the relatively short period between 1830 and 1860 and are popular with collectors. Used by gentlemen to carry visiting cards, the subject ma"er of the cases is wide and this example, sold by Lawrences, features the gothic Sco" Monument in Edinburgh, a memorial to Sir Walter Sco".
01460 73041; lawrences.co.uk