The Country House Sale at Tennants Auctioneers proved a very strong start to what is set to be another year packed with exciting auctions. Buyers flocked to the North Yorkshire salerooms, helping achieve strong prices across the board and an impressive overall selling rate of 89%.
Asian Art and British Ceramics performed very well, with the two top lots of the sale going to a Chinese Porcelain Ginger Jar and Cover, which featured a less common pattern (sold for £15,000 plus buyer’s premium), and a Pair of Chinese Kangxi Style Porcelain Cache Pots (sold for £6,500).
A good deal of interest was generated, too, by a Private Collection of English Ceramics comprising Prattware, Creamware, Pearlware and Whieldon Type pieces, which was fresh to market. Every item in the 50-lot collection sold, with notable over-estimate results being seen for the likes of Two circa 1750 Whieldon Type Creamware Stands/Plates, which sold for £700 against an estimate of £80-120, and a circa 1790 Prattware Military Figure, which sold for £550 against an estimate of £100-150.
Interesting and unusual antiques saw strong bidding, too, with an 18th Century Scandinavian Fruitwood Calendar Stick (Primstav) selling for £2,400, and three lots of stained glass sold well including a set of Four Leaded Stained Glass Armorials made in the 1740s selling for £900 against an estimate of £300-400.
Notable results for an interesting array of rugs included an Ushak Carpet of unusual size from Central West Anatolia and a Serapi Carpet from North West Iran which both sold for £4,000.
Highlights from the clock section of the sale included an example by the rare provincial 18th century maker Jno. Ogden of Bowbridge, whose Oak Thirty Hour Longcase Clock sold for £1,700, and an Irish Mahogany Eight Day Longcase Clock made in 1780 by Hull of Dublin sold for £1,500.
‘Goshawk Studies’, a watercolour and gouache attributed to Archibald Thorburn led the Pictures section of the sale, selling for £2,600, more than ten times the estimate. Continuing on an avian theme, ‘A menagerie of waterfowl and other animals’ by the Circle of Carlo Crivelli sold for £1,900, and a pair of still lives of birds nests by Abel Hold sold for £700. ‘A Stag Hunt’ by a Follower of Jan Wyck sold well, too, at £1,900.
Also selling on the 14th January was the Jewellery, Watches & Silver Sale, which again saw confident bidding and strong prices throughout, achieving a matching 89% sold rate. The top lot of the sale was a Patek Philippe & Cie Fine Lady’s Gold, Enamel and Diamond Set Fob/Pendant Watch, made circa 1908, which sold for £8,500. Amongst the other watches in the sale, military watches performed well and a rare circa 1945 Heuer with an original dial in nice condition sold for £1,600.
The silver in the sale exceeded expectations to sell well above the total high estimate with a 98% sold rate. Top lots of the section included a Late 19th Century German Silver Centrepiece by Lazarus Posen Witwe of Frankfurt (sold for £7,500), a Charles II Silver Porriger with maker’s mark IW (sold for £2,700), a George VI Irish Silver Wine Cooler by Edward Power of Dublin (sold for £2,200), and a Large Chinese Export Silver Mug (sold for £2,200).
Amongst the Jewellery in the sale, notable results were seen for period pieces, including a Pair of Mid-19th Century Emerald, Pearl and Diamond Drop Earrings (sold for £1,100), A Late Victorian Enamel, Pearl and Ruby Locket (sold for £950), and an Edwardian Peridot and Split Pearl Pendant on Chain (sold for £900). Further highlights included a Ruby, Sapphire and Diamond Gate Link Bracelet (sold for £1,250), and a Diamond Brooch modelled as a Maltese Cross (sold for £1,200).
The Country House Sale achieved a total hammer price for 909 lots of £366,505, and the Jewellery, Watches & Silver Sale achieved a total hammer price of £235,610 for 434 lots.
Full sale results are available on their website here