Furniture

A relatively unfamiliar name in Nordic works is under the spotlight at Bruun Rasmussen in Copenhagen in its Nordic Design auction on Thursday, June 8.

A rare ebonised framed armchair after the original design by Edward William Godwin (1833-86) sold for £44,000 (plus 18% premium) at Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester on April 21.

One of the highlights of Mossgreen’s sale of Decorative Arts to be held in Armadale, Melbourne, on May 8-9 is this 11in (26.5cm) diameter 17th century terrestrial table globe with its original mahogany cradle.

Primary provenanced Arts & Crafts furniture comes up for sale at Mallams in Oxford on May 25.

Ken Garrard runs Origin Antiques with his father Steve. Their business is based in The Barn on Turkey Cock Lane near Colchester and sells antique, vintage and contemporary furniture.

Three high-quality sales from the north to the south gave a cheerful air to spring. The catalogue at Tennants in North Yorkshire pretty much covered the range but in Sussex and Buckinghamshire the emphasis was on furniture.

“Seeing the vans arrive and all the wonderful things being unloaded and then built into something beautiful on their stands is a real buzz: we can’t wait.” These are the words of Richard Burgoin, director of Arthur Swallow Fairs, when talking about his ‘summer of salvage’.

A record sale total, the trade in buying mood and traditional furniture selling well – all further evidence that 2017 so far is proving rather less catastrophic than some had forecast.

Decorative furniture from the 19th century was in keen demand at Guernsey auctioneers Martel Maides (17.5% buyer’s premium) on March 15-16 including a pair of satinwood demi lune commodes.

In Kent, the Design Gallery’s largest-ever furniture warehouse sale, including a basement clear-out, takes place on Saturday and Sunday, April 22-23.

With the major names of the pioneers beyond the purses of most admirers of Cotswolds School furniture, works by Sir Gordon Russell are steady sellers and 16 pieces offered at Mallams (20% buyer’s premium) all found buyers on March 16.

At the end of an article penned for the Regional History Society titled Furniture Terminology in Post-Medieval Middle Class Inventories, the late Victor Chinnery wrote that any full glossary on the subject should include, not just furniture, but also pottery, glass, metalwork and architectural fittings.

Justin Evershed-Martin is the former director of Mallett who has launched a business specialising in 20th century decorative art and furniture. This week he exhibits at the Decorative Art Antiques and Textiles Fair in Battersea with a selection of privately sourced pieces all priced under £8000 (see right).

From minimalist lamp to starry chandelier

Blackminster Business Park, near Evesham

Two pieces of early oak furniture deaccessioned from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York far outstripped modest expectations when offered for sale in California last month. The two tersely catalogued lots – both bequeathed to the museum in 1964 – appeared at Clars in Oakland on March 18. They sold to New York buyers.