Sideboard

Furniture designed by Charlotte Perriand (1903–99) and produced by Steph Simon éditeur, raised some stiff start-of-year prices in the Piasa (17.94/11.96% buyer’s premium) saleroom on January 28.

Halls Fine Art of Shrewsbury discovered this ornate carved oak sideboard, valued at up to £35,000, at a home in the Welshpool area and will offer it at auction on September 24. The sideboard was commissioned by John Naylor for the dining room at Leighton Hall, near Welshpool and made by famous furniture makers J. D. Crace after a design by Pugin. 

Fresh quality stock may be thin on the ground at present, but the early 19th century mahogany sideboard and the mid-18th century oak dresser, pictured, which provided the single highlights of their respective sales, were proof that hope should not yet be abandoned.

FURNITURE brought the biggest money at the Northern and Southern branches of (at this point) Phillips’ provincial empire with Leeds taking the honours netting £146,000 from 250 lots against a Sevenoaks total of £100,545 from 886 lots.