Shop The Twelve Days of Christmas on The Saleroom
12 December 2022 Feeling whimsical this holiday season? Don’t worry, we won’t tell you to buy your true love 184 living birds.
It’s almost 12 Days of Christmas time and that means…lots of birds. This 5th century AD Sasanian scaraboid stamp seal in black serpentine features a dove and ibex above three running partridges. It goes under the hammer at German auction house Gorny & Mosch on December 14 with an estimate of £400-500.
Instead, cosy up under the Christmas tree with one of these gifts, a little off the beaten path, that might appeal. We’ve based our list on the 12 Days of Christmas, but encourage you to cast your net wide this holiday season. Let yourself be surprised and delighted with the variety on offer at the-saleroom.com.
We’ll start at 12, which is traditionally drummers drumming. This is a 4/5th Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers Side Drum by Carlton with a steel rim and rod, emblazoned to the front with the regimental device and title. It could be decorative – it could be practical. Either way it has an estimate of £150-200 at Bosleys Military Auctioneers on December 14.
For pipers piping we chose this set of six Tang-style Sancai musician figures, 40cm high, each of which plays a different instrument. The auction is in Singapore with bids starting at SGD150-300 on December 18.
Get in touch with your inner child with this 1930s CK Kuramochi novelty clockwork Wonder Acrobat toy. It might not quite be a lord-a-leaping, but you get the idea. The Japanese figurine is offered boxed at Bamfords Auctioneers & Valuers on December 13 with an estimate of £40-60.
British artist Sven Berlin (1911-99) depicted these three women (ladies if you like) dancing in ink on paper. It is offered with another ink drawing by the same artist (Couple under Umbrella, 1980) at Roseberys on December 14 with an estimate of £100-150.
Offered with an estimate of €50-100 at De Eland of Amsterdam, this Delft pottery milkmaid decorated in blue was probably made in 19th century France. It is part of the auction house’s Winter Auction which runs from December 12-15.
We know, you really wanted to see a picture of a swan placidly paddling around a lake. But stretch your imagination a little and consider this Edison Home Model A phonograph which features a cygnet (or swan’s neck) horn. It’s another European lot offered in Dutch Auction Company’s sale of December 17 with an estimate of €2000-3000.
Skip the geese and go for the eggs with this 19th century pendant necklace. Each ‘egg’ is a mineral specimen (rhodocrosite and rhodonite, amazonite, red jasper and lapis lazuli) polished and suspended from a woven chain necklace. Elstob & Elstob offers it on December 16 with an estimate of £600-800.
One gold ring might do it when it’s this glitzy. Offered at William George’s timed online Luxury Gemstone Jewellery sale ending December 21 this natural alexandrite ring is offered with a starting bid of £4250. The stone and accompanying diamonds are set in 18ct gold.
This watercolour of four calling birds and their mother is part of Swan Fine Art’s Antiques & Interiors auction on December 16. The lot, estimated at £30-50, includes several other late 20th century British watercolours, signed and unsigned of local wildlife and topography.
There may not be four hens here and they certainly aren’t French, but this original vintage London Underground poster for City Farms is still sure to delight. Dating to 1990, it was designed by Lizzie Riches for Art on the Underground and is catalogued as being in very good condition. London auctioneer and gallery AntikBar offers it with an estimate of £120-240 on January 28.
In its Christmas Sale on December 13, Cotswold Auction Company offers this Lalique Sylvie art glass dove vase with an etched mark to the base with an estimate of £70-100.
Archibald Thorburn’s pencil, watercolour and bodycolour drawing of a Partridge in flight goes under the hammer at Dreweatts in Newbury on December 14.
