Variety is the spice of life at a country house auction
19 October 2022 Country house auctions are not as common as they used to be but when they do take place can provide a wide selection of varied lots.
This is a Scottish silver twin handled tray engraved with signs of the Zodiac, a substantial item with a guide of £1500-2000. Produced by Robert Scott, Glasgow 1897, it is hallmarked, 63.5cm long and weighs 105ozt/3260g. Bid for the Robert Scott Zodiac tray via thesaleroom.com.
The Adam Partridge auction on October 27 is a very good example. The One Day Cheshire Country House Sale offers the contents of a ‘substantial Cheshire country house’.
It features a range of silver, bronzes, ceramics, fine paintings, and furniture. The firm says: “The contents have been removed from the property for ease of sale at Adam Partridge’s Cheshire saleroom in Macclesfield and gives buyers a rare opportunity to purchase a wonderful piece from an exquisite home.”
The auction begins at 4pm with the silver section followed by a collection of ceramics, a good range of bronzes, a collection of paintings within the property that are “particularly strong” and concludes with a selection of furniture.
Here are five suggestions on what to buy (including photo top).
Chelsea vases
Among the ceramics, this eye-catcher is a very large (47cm) pair of c.1760 vases made at the Chelsea factory. They are both finely painted and encrusted with flowers and insects and have additional provenance from Lowther Castle. The guide is £2000-3000. Use thesaleroom.com to bid for the pair of c.1760 vases made at the Chelsea factory.
Horse sense
Eleven lots of Austrian cold painted animalia examples lead the way among the bronzes. However, pictured here – and quite possibly more suitable for the garden than living room – is a life size contemporary bronze of a colt horse measuring nearly 3m long, estimated at £3000-5000. View the contemporary bronze of a colt horse on thesaleroom.com.
Flower power
Six oils by Harold Clayton, a master exponent of the flowers still-life art form, feature in the auction. One of them is shown here: a study of flowers with an additional feature of a townscape vignette painted in miniature in the side of the vase. The estimate is £3000-5000. Check out the Harold Clayton still-life on thesaleroom.com.
Table service
Shown here is a mahogany campaign table dating to the early 19th century - an early forerunner of flat pack items we see today. The table was designed to be transported around for high-ranking military figures to still enjoy home comforts when in the field, and the table is designed with screw-off legs and has four leaves that sit in the frame of the table for ease of transport. The estimate is £2000-3000. Bid for the mahogany campaign table on thesaleroom.com.
