Here, Adrian Rathbone, associate director at Hansons Auctioneers, reviews the Christmas Country House Fine Art, Wine & Library Auction held at Bishton Hall, Staffordshire, on December 12-13, 2019.
Bishton Hall provided the archetypal English country house setting for our Christmas Fine Art & Library Auction. Appropriately decked with holly, festive lights and roaring log fires, this charming atmosphere allowed clients to view the fine books, paintings, furniture, silver, ceramics and works of art amid period splendour.
Day one – fine paintings, the library auction and wines.
Some 90 paintings were hand-picked and catalogued by myself and consultant Andrew Bowyer. John Charles Maggs (1819-1896) is highly regarded for his evocative Victorian coaching scenes. Lot 2, a work titled ‘White Horse Cellar (Hatchetts) Piccadilly’ conveyed more humour than normal for the artist. Discovered on a valuation day in Sutton Coldfield, it sold for £1,100.
Portraiture provided the highest grossing Lots in this section. Lot 52, an oil portrait of Christiane Eberhardine (1671-1727) of Brandenburg-Bayreuth ad Electress of Saxony had been discovered on a routine home visit in Gloucestershire. Thought to be a 19th Century version, it sold for £2,100. Lot 86, an oil portrait of William Carr Beresford, who fought alongside The Duke of Wellington, had an old label attributed to Reuben T. Sayers. Two phone bidders battled for it with the gavel eventually falling at £9,500.
The Library Section overseen by Jim Spencer was a resounding success. An archive of Staffordshire books and ephemera provided the backbone of the section. The department has handled over £100,000 worth of Harry Potter editions in the last five months so it was fitting to see a number of rare and signed editions appear here. The highest single price here was £3,600 for Lot 110, a 1997 first edition/issue paperback of Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone which was purchased by an American collector.
Elsewhere in the Library section, Lot 114, a Victorian Guide to the Brothels and Prostitutes of London received much pre-sale publicity in the national press. This no doubt helped propel the final bid to £4,000 courtesy of a London-based buyer. Jim Spencer has built a reputation of sourcing antiquarian erotic literature.
Signed Lowry prints are also performing well at auction and a collection of five editions discovered at a free valuation event in Wilmslow, including the rare ‘Beach 1947’, totalled £15,700.
Highest single price in the Library section was £4,800 bid for one of Sir Winston Churchill’s cigars which came with Downing Street provenance dating back to 1953.
Appropriately for the festive season, there was a good selection of fine wine and whisky on offer with the extensive catacomb of cellars at Bishton Hall providing a fitting environment. Highest single price was £1,050 for Lot 1019, four bottles of 2001 Rene Engel Clos Vougeot Grand Cru.
Day two – silver, ceramics, works of art, clocks, furniture and a classic car
Lot 2,000, a circa 1930s Jaeger Le Coultre steel Reverso wristwatch got things off to a promising start at £2,100. The was swiftly followed by some excellent results in the silver section. Lot 2003, a Dr Christopher Dresser letter rack made by Hukin & Heath sold for £700 with all proceeds going to Cancer Research UK. It had been spotted by an eagle-eyed shop assistant at a Cancer Research shop in Cardiff who drove 144 miles to bring it to our Cheltenham valuation event.
Two items of more traditional silver discovered at our Stratford valuation days also did well. Lot 2013, a Victorian silver claret jug with St Ledger inscription, sold for £1,900 and Lot 2017, a George III silver Irish baluster coffee hallmarked for Dublin 1768, sold for £2,200.
Elsewhere on day two, a pleasantly distressed 1920s Louis Vuitton cabin trunk sold for £1,900 and Lot 2169, a Howell & James champlevé enamel carriage clock brought into a valuation day at Bishton Hall, soared past the estimate to bring £1,800.
Furniture also showed promising results, especially antique oak with a good patina. Lot 2216, an 18th Century oak standing dresser consigned by a Lichfield client, totalled £2,600 and Lot 2194, a late 17th Century joined oak long table, made £2,400.
However, the undisputed highlight of the auction was Lot 2301, a stunning 1938 Alvis 25 sport saloon motor car consigned by the family of the deceased owner who bought it 40 years ago. Displaying classic Art Deco good looks, the vehicle was in need of some attention. Estimated at £15,000-25,000, a phone bidder and two room bidders battled for it . It finally sold to one of the room bidders for £24,500. The buyer was even more delighted when he managed to start it up and drive it home.
Entries invited for our Spring Fine Art, Decorative Art & Library Auction
We are now sourcing entries for our Spring Fine, Decorative Art & Library Auction in lMarch. Nationwide home visits for large/multiple collection, estate clearance or downsizing advice can be arranged. For further information, please contact Adrian Rathbone on 01889 358050 or email [email protected]
***Note: all prices quoted exclude the 20% plus VAT buyer’s premium and any additional online bidding fees***
