One was the 2ft 4in (72cm) tall Liberty Arts & Crafts mirror, pictured, with a copper backplate in copper planished frame embellished with enamel roundels. Estimated at up to £800 it had that vital decorative appeal and sold at £1300.
More of a surprise was the reaction to an early 20th century, possibly Russian, purple heart box inlaid in green and rose metal feathers and the head of a woman wearing a
diadem. The box with a sprung lid released by a cabuchon sapphire carried expectations of £100-200 but sold at £1500.
The top seller was a 5ft 11in (1.80m) wide Victorian Gothic Revival oak bookcase with architectural glazed doors above a frieze drawer and double moulded panel doors, flanked by single lancet arched panel doors. Against a £400-600 estimate it sold at by £2200.
Arts and Crafts reflect decorative tastes
UK: THE 900-lot sale held at Ambrose (12.5% buyer’s premium) at Loughton, Essex, on May 10-11 was an event for bidders on budgets, with only three lots going into four figures. But there was active bidding, with a 75 per cent success rate, and the best sellers were all of interest.
