Preview: Country House Sale 10th & 11th January

Always a treasure trove of beautiful and unusual antiques, Tennants’ Country House Sale on 10^th and 11^th January will combine over 700 lots of paintings, ceramics, glass, works of art, furniture, rugs and more. Good private collections add an extra dimension to the sale, and in this sale Tennants are offering part of The Selected Contents of Eden Lacy, Lazonby, from the estate of Victor Gubbins.  Highlights of the collection include a 19^th century Qajar Fritware Large Tile (estimate: £300-500 all figures exclude buyer’s premium), a depiction of Lucretia in the Manner of Guido Reni (estimate: £400-600), and a Regency Rosewood, Brass-Inlaid and Gilt-Metal-Mount Circular Breakfast Table (estimate: £300-500). Further pieces from the collection will be offered in the Spring Fine Week sales on 15th March.

An interesting group of treen from a private collection will be offered in the Works of Art section of the sale. Comprising wonderfully patinated items from the 18^th and 19th centuries, highlights of the collection include a mid-19^th century Welsh Fruitwood Love Spoon (estimate: £400-600), an early 19^th century Treen Pistol Snuff Box (estimate: £400-600), and an 18^th century and later Turned Wood Wassail Cup, Cover and Stand (estimate: £500-700). Also coming up in the section are a Private Collection of Artist’s Boxes, and a range of animal bronzes by David Cemmick (b. 1955); amongst the bronzes are “La Chase” A Bronze of a Running Wild Boar (estimate: £800-1,200), and a Cold Painted Bronze of a Gyr Falcon (estimate: £6,000-8,000). This impressive sculpture is a portrait of Sheikh Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s favourite falcon, ‘No1’, created after Cemmick was invited to Abu Dhabi to draw the Sultan’s falcons at his Sweihan Falconry training ground in the Al Ain desert in 2000.

A good body of Sporting and ornithological works lead the Pictures section of the sale, which also offers portraits, landscapes, and still lifes all at affordable estimates. Interesting lots include “Thomas Rounding on Spankaway” after Abraham Cooper (1787-1868) (estimate: £200-400), a Pair of Costal Capriccios in the Manner of Antonio Joli (1700-1777) (estimate: £800-1,200), and a selection of works by notable Scottish artist William Miller Frazer (1864-1961) from a private collection, including Sheep in a Moorland Pasture (estimate: £200-300).

A selection of good furnishing rugs is also on offer. A Kazak Rug made in the Central Caucasus circa 1890 will be sold with an estimate of £400-600, a Caucasian Soumakh from the 2^nd quarter of the 20^th century with an estimate of £400-600, and a South Caucasian Rug from circa 1910 with an estimate of £400-600.

One of the earliest clocks in the sale is an Oak Thirty Hour Alarm Hooded Wall Clock, signed Whitehurst, Derby; made circa 1800, it is estimated to sell for £300-400. Dating from later in the 19^th century is a Burr Walnut Mantel Timepiece, signed Simmons, Stoke Newington, circa 1850 (estimate: £300-500) and a French Patinated Bronze Striking Elephant Mantel Clock, Late 19^th Century (estimate: £300-500). Also of note is a French Ormolu and White Marble Striking Mantel Clock Garniture with floral cherub three-branch candelabra (estimate: £400-600), and a 1970s Lucite “Marina” Mantel Timepiece by Jaeger LeCoultre (estimate: £300-500).

A tranche of 18^th century Delft from the Mobbs Collection will be offered in the Ceramics section, along with a selection of 18^th century English Porcelain in polychrome and blue and white. Notable lots include a Chelsea Porcelain Scent Bottle, circa 1755 (estimate: £700-1,000) and a Chelsea Porcelain Figure of a gardener, circa 1760-5 (estimate: £100-150). A cross-section of British and European ceramics from the 19^th and 20^th centuries, including a group of Spode porcelain in pattern 1166 comprising a Pastille Burner and Cover and a Miniature Potpourri Pedestal Urn (estimate: £150-250). A good pair of Wedgwood Jasper Twin Handled Urns and Covers from the 19^th century will be offered with an estimate of £300-500.

Good early oak will feature amongst the furniture in the sale, a category of collecting increasing in popularity in recent years. Further interesting furnishing pieces on offer include a Near Pair of George IV Reclining Armchairs, stamped R Daws Patent, from the second quarter of the 19^th century (estimate: £1,000-1,500), a Queen Anne Walnut, Oyster-Veneered and Tracery-Strung Straight-Front Chest on Stand (estimate: £700-1,000) and a George III Mahogany-Framed Hump-Back Sofa from the late 18^th century (estimate: £500-800). Also of interest are a Pair of Victorian Mahogany and Stained Pine Pharmacy Display Cabinets, from the 3^rd quarter of the 19^th century (estimate: £600-800). The pair of cabinets are stencilled ‘The Guildhall Pharmacy, 3 St Giles Street, Norwich’.

View Sale Details