Tennants Auctioneers’ Autumn Sale on 14th November took place live online, as part of the North Yorkshire saleroom’s first set of major sales to take place with no members of the public in attendance. Strong bidding was seen throughout the sale, with buyer’s from around the world joining in the sale online and over the telephone.
The top lot of the sale was a pair of rare Verre Eglomisé pictures, made by Jonas Zeuner in 1786, which sold for £13,000 (plus buyer’s premium) more than doubling the lower estimate. One picture depicted a townscape with frozen river and figures skating and sledging, and the second more unusual scene depicted an ice-bound landscape with fur-clad figures, a dog sled and bears. Zeuner is regarded as one of the foremost practitioners of Verre Eglomisé; winter scenes appear rarely in his work, and Arctic scenes appear to be much scarcer.
Further items of interest in the Works of Art Section included a Miniature Portrait of Alice Fanshawe by Nicolas Dixon, which sold for £5,800, and a circa 1780 Enamel Plaque, probably hailing from South Staffordshire, which sold for £2,200. Of oval form, the plaque depicted a cherub holding a bunch of grapes and sitting on a barrel labelled ‘Nectar’, surrounded by the inscription ‘I Charm, Arm and Disarm’.
One of the highlights of the Ceramics Section was a George Jones Majolica Game Pie Tureen, Cover and Liner made circa 1875, which sold for £2,900 against an estimate of £500-700. This was followed by a large selection of Royal Worcester from two Private Collections, which sold strongly throughout. Highlights included a Large Royal Worcester Porcelain Vase by Paul English from the late 20th Century, which sold for £3,500.
A select group of Asian Art lots saw strong bidding throughout, and the section was led by a Chinese Gilt Bronze Figure of Guanyin from the late Ming Dynasty, which sold for £9,000. Selling well above estimate, too, were a Chinese Wucai Transitional Porcelain Jar and Cover from the mid-17th century, which sold for £3,800, a Matched Garniture of Five Chinese Porcelain Bottle Vases from the Kangxi period, which sold for £3,800, and a Pair of Chinese Porcelain Bottle Vases from the Kangxi period, which sold for £4,000.
Fine longcase clocks saw high levels of interest, and buoyant prices were achieved for attractive clocks in good condition with original fittings. Of note was a Rare Mulberry Eight Day Longcase Clock, made by Mark Hawkins of Bury St Edmunds in the early 18th Century, which sold for £5,000. A Good Mahogany Eight Day Longcase Clock made by William Hughes of London circa 1780, with a good flame mahogany case, sold for £3,200. Elsewhere in the Clock Section, unusual examples sold well, such as a Swiss or Bavarian Polychrome Painted Wooden Striking Alarm Wall Clock from the 18th Century, which had a wooden mechanism, and sold for £2,500. A 19th Century Mahogany Night Watchman’s Wall Timepiece stirred interest too, topping the £700-900 estimate to sell for £2,500. The clock, by repute, originally belonged to Kedleston Hall, and was subsequently sold to Rolls Royce, when it was first housed in their Derby works before moving to their Crewe plant before it was sold to a private buyer in Ireland.
Period oak and vernacular furniture continues to demand high prices, and good results were seen for the likes of a Matched Set of Six 19th Century Yew Windsor Armchairs, which sold for £3,000, and a Late 17th Century Oak and Feather-Banded Chest on Stand, which sold for £1,700. French furniture sold well, too, with a Louis XVI Transitional Style Kingwood and Gilt Metal Mounted Vitrine selling for £6,200.
Dining room furniture was also in demand, with high prices seen for suites and set of chairs. Notable results included an Early 20th Century Fifteen Piece Walnut Dining Room Suite, which sold for £3,200, and a Set of Ten Victorian Mahogany Balloon-Back Dining Chairs, which sold for £2,000 against an estimate of £400-600. Soft furnishings proved popular, too, for example a Carved Mahogany Two-Seater Sofa made in the late 19th/early 20th century sold for £3,000. Delicate Edwardian pieces that achieved good prices included a Pair of Edwardian Mahogany Crossbanded and Marquetry Decorated D-Shape Hall Tables, which sold for £2,000.
Finally, Rugs saw steady prices throughout, with highlights that sold well above estimate including a Good Tabriz Carpet (sold for £900), and two Kashan Carpets made in Central Iran circa 1970 (sold for £600 and £800).
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