Tennants Auctioneers’ 20th Century Design Sale on 19th June will see a good offering of Mouseman and Yorkshire Oak furniture come under the hammer along with iconic pieces of 20th Century Design. Highlights of the sale include a Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre Poplar Trees, Elves and Bell Branch Imperial Bowl designed by Daisy Makeig-Jones (estimate: £600-800 plus buyer’s premium), and an English Pottery ‘Louis Wain’ Model of a Futurist Cat, designed in 1914 (estimate: £1,000-1,500).
Furnishing pieces on offer in the sale include a 1970s Charles and Ray Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, which was purchased from Heal’s on Tottenham Court Road in 1975 (estimate: £800-1,200), a 1950s Danish Teak Desk designed by Borge Mogensen for Søborg Møbelfatrik (estimate: £700-1,000), and a Bacio Rug designed by Atelier Fornasetti (estimate: £750-1,000).
The demand for Mouseman furniture and furnishings continues to grow, and a strong selection of lots are on offer in the sale. A bespoke panelled bar, complete with hinged door and overhanging glass rack is on offer with an estimate of £1,000-1,500 and was last used in Kirkgate House Hotel, Thirsk. Of interest to collectors is a good selection of small decorative pieces, which include several lots made for Patricia Kirk of Kilburn; an octagonal powder bowl and cover, which was made for Patricia for her 21st birthday in 1948 is offered with an estimate of £1,000-1,500, and a circular bowl made circa 1951 is offered with an estimate of £400-600. From other vendors come a pair of 1930s bookends with carved wave decoration to the tops (estimate: £800-1,200), a pair of ‘triple mice’ bookends (estimate: £1,500-2,000), and a carved owl standing on a rock-work base holding a mouse in its talons (estimate: £2,000-3,000).
A range of furniture by the Yorkshire Critter carvers is also on offer, with particularly fine examples by Thomas ‘Gnomeman’ Whittaker of Littlebeck. Highlights include an oak 4’6” bedstead, with panelled and finely carved headboard, finished with carved dogs to the posts.
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