Oct 11, 2017
The excitement of this two-day sale was very much an extraordinary collection of Maori artefacts with an unbroken provenance dating back to their acquisition in 1837 by one of the earliest English missionaries to New Zealand.
The collection, is the remains of a larger shipment of artefacts sent back to England by Philip Hansen King (1813-80), son of John King, one of three lay missionaries sent on the first mission to New Zealand in 1814 under the direction of Samuel Marsden, the senior Anglican minister in New South Wales.
We received many pre-sale enquiries from the UK and overseas, as well as Radio New Zealand doing a big splash on this lovely story. People online and on the phone were all bidding for the individual Lots. Such was the enthusiasm of the bidders that one actually whooped with joy when he realised he had won the bid! It always makes this job fun and exciting when a bidding war ensues over something historical and with an interesting back story. The Maori collection, including Hei Tiki Green Nephrite and Lure Hooks, from early 19th century, fetched in excess of £48,000.
Some other highlights include an 18th Century two-division Tea Caddy inlaid with mother of pearl. With an estimate of £200-400, it fetched £3600. Also a small Louis Vuitton leather box, stamped Louis Vuitton, fetched a huge £14,500 with an estimate of £300-500.
On day two, The Marquis of Rockingham Silver, a superb collection of George II and early silver given to his chaplain Dr William Knowler as a gift in 1749, sold for £16,000.
Knowler, who was educated at St John’s College, Cambridge, graduated B.A. in 1720, M.A. in 1724, and LL.D. in 1728. On leaving Cambridge, he became chaplain to Thomas Watson Wentworth, then Lord Malton, who was created Marquis of Rockingham in 1746. Lord Malton had inherited the papers of his great-grandfather, Thomas Wentworth, earl of Strafford, and charged his chaplain with the task of publishing a selection from them. This appeared in 1739 under the title of ‘The Earl of Strafford’s Letters and Despatches,’ London, 2 vols. folio. They were selected, says Knowler, in the dedication he addressed to his patron, by Lord Malton himself, and published according to his instructions, in order to vindicate Strafford’s memory from “the aspersions of acting upon arbitrary principles, and being a friend to the Roman catholics”.
Also included in the sale was a silver and ivory paperknife, an inscribed gift from Oscar Wilde To Arthur Fish (his Editor). Dated 1890, it fetched £1100 plus premium.
The next Fine Antique sale will be 9th November. Details online nearer to the sale.
Oct 6, 2017
There were a few surprises at our October Oriental auction on the 4th. Japanese and Chinese Lots sold really well including a fine quality signed Japanese gold wire Cloisonne vase by Hayashi Kodenji, the silver foot rim with an impressed Jungin ‘pure silver’ mark and an inlaid maker’s mark to the base. Standing at 11.1in high overall on the stand and the vase itself 9.7in high. It fetched £5000 against an estimate of £2000-3000. Also a very fine quality signed Japanese gold wire cloisonne vase, the base with an engraved and onlaid silver-metal maker’s plaque and standing at 9in high sold for £6600 against an estimate of £2000-3000.
Also, a good early 20th century Japanese lined silver bowl, the base with a maker’s mark and a Jungin ‘pure silver’ mark, standing at 9.7in wise at widest point and 5.6in high sold for £1100.
In the Chinese section, a 20th century Chinese famille Rose porcelain plate by Zhang Song Mao, dated 1951, the base with a seal mark and 9.6in diameter, sold for £4000. Also a good quality late 19th/early 20th century Chinese Famille Rose rectangular porcelain plaque standing at 9.25in x 6.1in sold for £4600.
The next sale will be 8th November. Keep an eye out for previews and the catalogue nearer the sale on our website. For any enquiries regarding consignments, please call our main office on 01428 653727.
Sep 12, 2017
The first Oriental sale of the Autumn was a great success. It is hard to predict how the sales will go at times. Of course, online bids and sales are by far outweighing activity in the room (where would we be with the power of the internet?), but all in all, a busy sale.
Among the highlights were a good large moon Chinese Qianlong/Jiaqing period dragon and phoenix cloisonne moon flask, a preview of which has been on our website. Standing at 26.7in high, it fetched £7500. Probably Ming Dynasty was a large pair of Chinese coppered bronze figures of seated officials which fetched £3400.
Also a large 19th/20th century mirror pair of Chinese blue and white celadon ground porcelain vases reached £1100. Also along the same lines was another pair of good quality Chinese blue and white celadon ground porcelain vases, which fetched £2600. Also a good quality Chinese coral ground porcelain vase and cover, the base with a Jiaqing seal mark took hammer of £2600.
From the Japanese Meiji period was a pair of fine quality signed ivory tripos Koros, each base with an engraved signature, one base also bearing a seal. At 4.35in high to top of handles, it fetched £1100.
Our next Oriental sale will be on October 4. Keep an eye out for previews.
Aug 15, 2017
What a fantastic turnout we had last Saturday. The saleroom was so busy that we had to write on more paddles so that everyone who wanted to, could bid! The big draw was the collection of pots and garden furniture we had taken from a house clearance in Wimbledon. The timing was spot on to meet the demands of those who wanted to spruce up their gardens. Added to which, the weather was being kind and most items found a new home. Please keep spreading the word about us and we can continue to offer up more of these quality items. Our next sale will be a general sale on August 26th (bank holiday weekend). Put it in your diary!
