Auction Reports

The Fine & Decorative Interiors sale at The Pedestal (25% buyer’s premium) included a pair of Regency white painted and gilt sofas with a rich provenance.

There were many massive English country house sales in the 20th century but the largest by volume was the contents sale at Lowther Castle during April, May and June 1947.

Mother of pearl and olivewood devotional objects were made in Jerusalem in large quantities as tourism to the Holy Land took off in the late 19th and early 20th century.

The sale at Young’s (25% buyer’s premium) in Farnham, Surrey, on November 25 included jewels and objects of vertu with royal provenances.

A bronze from Frederick Edward McWilliam’s (1909-92) Women of Belfast series of sculptures sold for £37,000 at Halls (24% buyer’s premium) on December 6.

Corporate collection of British American Tobacco includes choice antique items related to the habit

The small German beakers known as monatsbecher (‘month beakers’) were made in sets of a dozen: one for each month of the year.

While mustard pots and caddy spoons made up much of the silver smallwork in Anderson & Garland’s (25% buyer’s premium) silver sale on November 28 (see ATG No 2619), it did also contain one notable example of a Dutch miniature.

Small is considered beautiful in many sectors but increasingly so when it comes to collecting traditional antiques with space often at a premium.

This silver and enamel vase by Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927), the great master of Japanese cloisonné, sold to an English collector for £11,000 at Halls (24% buyer’s premium).

Among the most desirable of all ‘Prattware’ transfer printed wares are the series of very rare and highly decorative exhibition-style advertising plaques produced for firms such as Crosse & Blackwell and Huntley & Palmers.

Decorative Highland dirks from the late 19th century, often mounted in silver and set with cairngorms, appear for sale with some frequency.

Sixth instalment of single-owner collection on offer in west London features wonderful workshops

Although originally trained as a goldsmith, Dirck Van Rijswijck (1596-1679) developed his own characteristic style using less rarefied material.

Porcelain from short-lived Staffordshire firm comes from collector and dealer who revived the market

In Chinese symbolism, three goats shown together are representative of the New Year, bringing a change of fortune (sanyang kaitai).

Yabu Meizan (1853-1934) is considered the ‘prince’ of the so-called Satsuma medium.

Like many English joiners of the period, not a great deal is known about the private life of Gerrit Jensen.

A 43-lot private collection of Pilkington’s ceramics from Manchester opened Tennants’ (24/22% buyer’s premium) sale of 20th century design held in Leyburn on October 7.

A Chinese ‘dragon’ box fashioned in the prized Asian wood zitan sold for £110,000 at Sworders (25% buyer’s premium) on November 3.