The rare, printed cotton Masonic and agricultural panel that sold for £1,250.
A 17th century Italian walnut and bone-inlaid cabinet from a deceased estate in Wirral stole the show at a fine art and antiques auction on Wednesday.
Beautifully inlaid in the 'certosina' technique, widely in the Italian Renaissance period, the cabinet sold for £5,800 at Halls Fine Art’s auction in Shrewsbury.
The cabinet had a hinged top and fall front, inlaid with architectural motifs and trees and the fitted interior drawers and cupboards were inlaid with geometric motifs. It stood on a later mahogany stand.
“It was a really unusual piece and we don’t see them that often,” said Alexander Clement, Halls Fine Art’s senior auctioneer. “Beautifully inlaid with a huge of amount of detail, the cabinet was originally intended to sit on a table or had a different stand.”
Other items from the same Wirral estate also went under the hammer in the auction, including a 20th century Mahal carpet from central Persia which sold for £1,350, reflecting the current market demand for large rugs and carpets in good condition.
One of only three large bronze sculptures made by Bernard Winskill of racehorse Balidar and jockey Lester Piggott, winning the Prix de L'Abbeye de Longchamp in 1970, sold for £2,100.
Winskill, who died in 1980, was a modeller for the Royal Worcester porcelain works from 1968 onwards, producing sculpture for both porcelain and bronze production. His contract with the firm allowed him to use of the company foundry to manufacture his own commissions.
It’s believed that he kept one of the three examples of the bronze, with the others going to Balidar’s owner and trainer.
A pair of 19th century caned bergère library chairs sold for £1,400 and a rare, printed cotton Masonic and agricultural panel, dating to around 1800, achieved £1,250.
Alexander said the panel had been owned for many years by a Bridgnorth family who had kept it in a drawer and had no idea what it was. Based on a Masonic apron, the panel had the all-seeing eye flanked by the sun and moon with applique florets, over farming and Biblical figures and motifs.
The panel was inscribed with 'No man having put his hand to the plough and looking Back is fit for the kingdom of God . Go plough And till the land.'
One of the surprises of the day was a set of five Geissler glass discharge tubes which sold for £900, having been consigned by a Lancashire vendor.
Geissler tubes were developed in 1857 by Heinrich Geissler, a German physicist and glassblower, to demonstrate the principles of electrical glow discharge, forerunner to neon lights and central to the discovery of the electron.
Star of the pictures section was a pair of late 17th or early 18th century British School portraits of a girl and a boy which sold for £3,000.
A signed oil painting by Richard Ansdell (1815-‘85) of a flock of sheep resting on a hillside with a highland lake beyond, sold for £2,700, having been consigned by a Shropshire collector.
A 19th century British School portrait of Manchester merchant, philanthropist and patron of the arts, William Townend, found a buyer at £1,600 and ‘The Adoration of the Shepherds’, dated 1664 and attributed to Adrien Dassier (Lyon 1655-‘90), sold for £1,400.
Reflecting on the auction, Alexander said: “The market remains selective but the right objects are making good money. Rarity, quality and condition are the key factors across all disciplines.
“Our auction shows there is still an appetite for quality art and antiques which is pleasing to see. What is particularly nice is that there are still surprises, which is a sign of a healthy market.”
The cabinet had a hinged top and fall front, inlaid with architectural motifs and trees and the fitted interior drawers and cupboards were inlaid with geometric motifs. It stood on a later mahogany stand.
“It was a really unusual piece and we don’t see them that often,” said Alexander Clement, Halls Fine Art’s senior auctioneer. “Beautifully inlaid with a huge of amount of detail, the cabinet was originally intended to sit on a table or had a different stand.”
Other items from the same Wirral estate also went under the hammer in the auction, including a 20th century Mahal carpet from central Persia which sold for £1,350, reflecting the current market demand for large rugs and carpets in good condition.
One of only three large bronze sculptures made by Bernard Winskill of racehorse Balidar and jockey Lester Piggott, winning the Prix de L'Abbeye de Longchamp in 1970, sold for £2,100.
Winskill, who died in 1980, was a modeller for the Royal Worcester porcelain works from 1968 onwards, producing sculpture for both porcelain and bronze production. His contract with the firm allowed him to use of the company foundry to manufacture his own commissions.
It’s believed that he kept one of the three examples of the bronze, with the others going to Balidar’s owner and trainer.
A pair of 19th century caned bergère library chairs sold for £1,400 and a rare, printed cotton Masonic and agricultural panel, dating to around 1800, achieved £1,250.
Alexander said the panel had been owned for many years by a Bridgnorth family who had kept it in a drawer and had no idea what it was. Based on a Masonic apron, the panel had the all-seeing eye flanked by the sun and moon with applique florets, over farming and Biblical figures and motifs.
The panel was inscribed with 'No man having put his hand to the plough and looking Back is fit for the kingdom of God . Go plough And till the land.'
One of the surprises of the day was a set of five Geissler glass discharge tubes which sold for £900, having been consigned by a Lancashire vendor.
Geissler tubes were developed in 1857 by Heinrich Geissler, a German physicist and glassblower, to demonstrate the principles of electrical glow discharge, forerunner to neon lights and central to the discovery of the electron.
Star of the pictures section was a pair of late 17th or early 18th century British School portraits of a girl and a boy which sold for £3,000.
A signed oil painting by Richard Ansdell (1815-‘85) of a flock of sheep resting on a hillside with a highland lake beyond, sold for £2,700, having been consigned by a Shropshire collector.
A 19th century British School portrait of Manchester merchant, philanthropist and patron of the arts, William Townend, found a buyer at £1,600 and ‘The Adoration of the Shepherds’, dated 1664 and attributed to Adrien Dassier (Lyon 1655-‘90), sold for £1,400.
Reflecting on the auction, Alexander said: “The market remains selective but the right objects are making good money. Rarity, quality and condition are the key factors across all disciplines.
“Our auction shows there is still an appetite for quality art and antiques which is pleasing to see. What is particularly nice is that there are still surprises, which is a sign of a healthy market.”
The 17th century Italian walnut and bone-inlaid cabinet that sold for £5,800.
The Bernard Winskill bronze of racehorse Balidar with jockey Lester Piggott that sols for £2,100.
The oil painting by Richard Ansdell that sold for £2,700.
One of the pair of British School portraits that sold for £3,000.
