Elegant living - five to buy from the contents of a Bath townhouse

28 July 2022 The Dreweatts auction on August 9-10 starts with the selected contents of 8 Great Pulteney Street in Bath.

A particular highlight from the collection is a kingwood and gilt metal bureau plat, 75cm high, 91cm wide, 59cm deep. Typically French and of high quality, it bears a stamp to the drawer for the firm of BERTRAM & SON. William Bertram has been recorded as a furniture dealer based at 100 Dean Street, Soho, London from 1839 onwards. The firm is noted by Christopher Gilbert as retailing various pieces in the French style and 19th century French oeuvres of fine quality. It was purchased by the vendor from Hallidays in September 2002. Estimate £2000-3000.

Bid for the kingwood and gilt metal bureau plat via thesaleroom.com

Comprising nearly 80 lots, the collection was put together by the vendor at the turn of the 21st century, with items from some of the UK’s best known antiques firms including Hallidays, Eton Antiques and Witney Antiques.

The property featured a classic Bath stone façade in Neoclassical taste. The contents were skilfully chosen to accent these features to give the collection a feel of timeless elegance. The collection includes items of furniture, carpets, lighting, and George III silk work pictures.

Here are five ideas on what to buy from the Great Pulteney Street property featured in the Summer Sale held in Newbury.

Comfortable and stylish

Estimated at £1000-1500 is a pair of armchairs in George I style. Of high quality manufacture and probably made during the late 19th or early 20th centuries, these armchairs are designed with tapestry type upholstery. They could quite possibly have been made by the firm of Charles Tozer who specialised in such revivalist pieces until the mid 20th century. Most pieces by that firm are labelled but these chairs sadly are not. The armchairs, 96cm high, 69cm wide, 68cm deep, were purchased by the vendor from Eton Antiques in August 2000.

See thesaleroom.com to view the pair of armchairs in George I style.

Geography lesson

County map samplers are an intriguing view into the past, sometimes showing counties which have since come and gone. These popular works of art would have been done by young ladies often by fire or candlelight. The V&A in London notes that geography samplers showed a combination of academic knowledge and needleworking skills and were therefore a highly suitable subject. This map appears to be unfinished, with large areas of the text not stitched over, showing the original ink guide lines. It would have been drawn and annotated by either the student or her teacher, with ready-printed examples available later. It is mounted with a verre-eglomise slip and a simple cavetto gilt frame. The map was purchased by the vendor from Witney Antiques in November 2000.

Estimate £300-500.

See the county map sampler on thesaleroom.com

Booking needed

Guided at £500-800, this George III mahogany and glazed bookcase cabinet c.1800 is 2.29m high, 1.28m wide, 58.5cm deep. It was purchased by the vendor from Harp Antiques, August 1990.

Bid for the George III mahogany and glazed bookcase cabinet via thesaleroom.com.