Anglo-Japanese mahogany table in the manner of EW Godwin in his sought-after Smallhythe design, £13,000 at Duke’s.
They are part of the Japanesque Aesthetic movement in art and applied arts that flourished in the UK and Europe at the time.
On February 29 in its Interiors sale, Duke’s (25% buyer’s premium) of Dorchester offered this 2ft 5in (76cm) high table.
While the auction house described it as a Smallhythe design, it was cautious in the cataloguing, describing it as an Edwardian figured mahogany occasional table in the manner of EW Godwin and also giving an estimate of just £500-1000.
Evidently though, bidders at the sale felt it was close enough to Godwin’s famous design to contest it well beyond that to £13,000.
While this is a substantial sum, Godwin’s Smallhythe tables have made much more at auction.
Sotheby’s sold a mahogany version from the collection of the Paul Reeves in 2008 for £36,500 including premium.
Back in 2008 Halls offered a walnut example that had been thrown on a skip and fortunately retrieved by its owners for a hammer price of £40,000.
Two years earlier another walnut example came up at Simon Chorley in Cheltenham. Initially thought to be an eastern table and estimated at just £150-200, it was identified as a Godwin piece, reappraised and the description revised and ended up selling for £80,000.
