The Curious Collector Sale, an extraordinary single-owner collection of fine art, antiques, natural history, curios, and collectables attracted bidders from across the world when it sold at Tennants Auctioneers on 27th March. Despite not being open for public viewing, high levels of interest resulted in an impressive 95% sold rate and fantastic prices across the board.
Assembled over a 15-year period by a Gentleman to furnish a private residence, the Collection had been curated with an eclectic eye and a great sense of humour. Each piece was carefully sourced and displayed in themed rooms around the Collector’s home with a touch of theatricality. Each room in the house was brought to life with unique decorative pieces ranging from antique maritime memorabilia to neon and vintage enamel advertising signs and anatomical models.
Both fine antiques and quirky collectables were in demand, but the top lot of the sale was a pair of George III Silver Wine-Coolers, Collars and Liners by Thomas and James Creswick of Sheffield that sold for £13,000 (plus buyer’s premium). Made in 1813, the coolers were engraved with the coat of arms for Admiral Sir James Hawkins-Whitshed (1762-1849) who had a distinguished career in the navy and commanded the HMS Temeraire, the ship later made famous by Turner in his masterpiece ‘The Fighting Temeraire’. With a strong maritime theme running through the sale, a carved and painted wood figure of a Naval Officer wearing a uniform of the Napoleonic Wars sold for £5,500, and a 12-Bold Mark V MOD-1 Untied States Navy Diving Helmet by Desco sold for £3,500.
