January Sale news

After postponing the Saturday sale due to the snow, this months Antiques & Interiors sale started off this years sales with strong bidding through all sections. The English & European ceramics sold well with 124 of the 160 lots finding buyers, but it was the Oriental ceramics which provided the highest price. Lot 321, a pair of Chinese famille verte vases, came as part of a large consignment from Somerton Castle in Lincolnshire, and sold for £12,000. The `brown` furniture market seems to be showing the green shoots of recovery with strong bidding throughout the sale. 86% of the lots found buyers with £4,000 achieved for a set of ten 19th century dining chairs and £6,200 for a mid 18th century gilt mirror, another lot from Somerton Castle.

The new showroom for silver and jewellery showed this months collection off beautifully and helped achieve some very respectable results. But the surprise of the auction came this month in the Works of Art section with lot 1658, a plaster maquette of Frederick Lord Leighton`s Athelete struggling with a python, which was consigned as part of a collection from London, and with parts missing, nonetheless selling for £4,000.

The Saturday Sale was held the following weekend, with great success, as busy as ever and as usual, great fun to sell.