Western Morning News (Saturday)
Interesting items sold at April auction
RENDELLS’ April sale was festooned with interesting and rare items on offer, with Chinese, Military and Naval antiques along with Books leading the top prices across the two day sale with bidders registered from Australia, China, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Slovenia, Switzerland, USA and all UK.
In furniture a late Georgian mahogany framed library reading bow elbow chair with brass mounted and railed sliding fold-down reading surface, set on turned and reeded tapered legs with brass caps and casters, had age related wear and minor damage, but still sold for a very healthy hammer price of £1,700.
The clock section featured a 19th century mahogany double cased marine chronometer by Litherland, Davies & Co., Liverpool – No. 702 – 16119, with ‘State of Wind’ and seconds subsidiary dials to the main silvered dial, single chain driven fusee two day movement and brass gimbal mount. It sold for £880.
Collectables really shone and with a selection of fine militaria which saw dealers and collectors ‘fighting’ it out for the numerous swords and other items with the top price of £1,800 being paid for a 19th century regimental dirk with carved and studded bog oak grip and white metal mounted red foil backed cut glass inset terminals and plug-in knife and fork, the white metal mounted leather scabbard with emblems for ‘Princess Louise’s Argyle & Sutherland Highlanders – sold with a matching skean d’hu marked for R. & H.B. Kirkwood, 66 & 68 Thistle St. Edinburgh.
Chinese ceramics continue to impress and the various lots attracting both domestic and Chinese overseas buyers the two top results were for an antique Chinese porcelain ginger jar with hand painted decoration depicting rotund figures in a landscape. The lid was missing and the base had been drilled, but after concerted bidding the hammer finally fell at £2,000 and an antique Chinese porcelain bowl decorated with panels depicting figures and landscapes on blue ground, together with another small bowl with blue painted figural decoration sold for the top price of the day at £3,100.
A selection of antiquarian books also attracted great interest with a 1640 copy of Parkinson’s Herbal: The Theater of Plants OR An Herbal of Great Extent, Folio, suede leather, Printed by Thomas Coates, London selling for £1,050.
In the Postcards, Stamps & Ephemera section a selection of first World War period postcards including numerous monochrome photographic examples sold for £480.
Rendells’ next sale will be held on May 18 and 19 and will include its bimonthly sections of Jewellery, Silver and Silver Plate. For more information visit www.rendellsfineart.co.uk.
Dirk and Skean D’hu