Items from famous Norfolk country house come to auction

10 January 2025 Holkham Hall is one of the great English estates. The 18th-century Palladian country house near the Norfolk Coast has a long history going back to the 1720s when it was built by Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester.

This elaborate Bow porcelain four-tiered sweetmeat stand dates from c.1755. With ten shells arranged on pillars of shell-encrusted and polychrome rockwork, the interiors are painted with chinoiserie foliate motifs. At the Holkham Hall auction it is pitched at £1000-2000. View the catalogue entry for this Bow porcelain stand.

Now Sworders is to offer contents from Holkham Hall at a dedicated auction on February 11.

The saleroom said it has been scouring the attics and cellars, corridors and storerooms of the estate since April 2024 alongside Holkham Hall’s collections team.

In total, 400 lots have been selected for auction by the Earl and Countess of Leicester which provide a glimpse into the history of the house.

Among the highest estimated items featuring in Holkham: The Attic Sale are a c.1800 Republican Sèvres porcelain ‘beau bleu’ dessert service and a group of c.190-200 Roman carved marble fragments depicting figures and sea creatures which carries an estimate of £10,000-20,000.

However, the sale also features plenty of lots further down the price scale. Here we pick out five lots that caught our eye which are estimated below £3000 to give you a taste of what’s on offer.

1. Bust of Commodus

This 18th century Italian School plaster bust of the Emperor Commodus (161-192AD) was recorded in the Old Billiard Room at Holkham Hall in 1910. At the Sworders auction it is estimated at £1500-2500. View the catalogue entry for this plaster bust of the Emperor Commodus.

2. Architect's table

This George II architect's table, c.1750, is among the pieces of mahogany furniture at the Holkham Hall auction. It is estimated at £1000-2000. View the catalogue entry for this architect's table.

3. Elizabeth II coronation chair

A Queen Elizabeth II silvered oak coronation chair features among the lots from Holkham Hall being offered at Sworders. The blue velvet upholstery is embroidered with the cypher 'EIIR', branded with 'Coronation ER' and a crown, and stamped '1953'. It is estimated at £300-500. View the catalogue entry for this Elizabeth II coronation chair.

4. House of Commons print

The Interior of the Old House of Commons, an engraving after George Hayter is estimated at £100-200 at the Holkham Hall. Coming in an oak frame, it measures 2ft 4in x 3ft 4in (76cm x 1.01m). View the catalogue entry for this House of Commons print.