07/12/2024 General News
November saw our third and final Fine Sale of 2024. Across three days, over 750 lots went under the hammer in every category of item, from ceramics to jewellery, paintings to glassware, furniture to medals and militaria, books to silver, writes Tim Blyth.
These Fine Sales are our flagship auctions, in which the top quality and most highly sought-after items attract bidders from all around the world. We once again had a large crowd in the saleroom, supplemented by an even bigger number of online bidders, commission bids and telephone bidders.
It is always difficult to pick out highlights, but at the same time we recognise that there is keen interest in the results: what the prices were when the hammer went down. Full results are published on our website, but here are some of my favourites. All results indicated are hammer prices, exclusive of buyer’s premium.
We always start the Fine Sale with a selection of glassware, and we had ten stunning Lalique pieces this time. The very first lot was a 1930s ‘Tête d’Aigle’ car mascot, which had a pre-sale estimate of £100-£200, but which sold for £750 – setting the mood for a sale which saw many estimates comprehensively smashed.
Ceramics always play a big part in the Keys Fine Sale. Here the star lot – and in fact the most expensive item in the sale – was a Ming Dynasty style Chinese porcelain dish decorated with a dragon chasing the flaming pearl. This attracted fierce bidding, taking the hammer price to £9,000, many times its estimate of £300-£400. Similarly sought-after was a large Satsuma jardiniere dating from the late 19th century, which sold for £1,500 (estimate £100-£150).
European ceramics were also in demand. A group of three late 19th/early 20th century Meissen plates sold for £3,000, ten times their estimate of £300-£400, while a Quentin Bell Fulham pottery dish – one of four pieces by the famous 20th century potter – sold for £2,300 (estimate £250-£350).
As ever our Fine Sale had an extensive collection of Lowestoft porcelain, including some very rare pieces. A rare jug and cover, finely painted in puce camaieu with a mandarin style, made £3,000 (estimate £1,500-£2,500), whilst a rare named tankard dating from 1765 went for £3,500.
Silver, jewellery and watches now account for a significant part of our Fine Sale, with 161 lots in this category this time. Highlights included an early 19th century Italian silver and silver-gilt mounted micro mosaic box which sold for £2,350 (estimate £250-£300) and a Rolex Submariner 16610 wristwatch which sold for £5,500.
Sculpture played a greater part in the Sale than usual, with more than two dozen pieces going under the hammer. Here the star was an cold painted bronze model of a woodcock by Austrian artist Franz Bergmann (1861-1936), which went for £2,600 (estimate £400-£600).
The third day of our Fine Sales is given over to pictures and fine art, including the East Anglian Art Sale, one of the most important showcases for artists from our region anywhere in the world. It was indeed regional artists which starred, including Claughton Pellow (1890-1966), whose watercolour of a Norfolk landscape sold for £2,800 (estimate £1,250-£1,500), and an oil painting by Norwich School of Artists giant John Berney Crome (1794-1842) entitled ‘Wayfarers at the Smithy, Hingham, Norfolk’, which sold for £1,250 (estimate £700-£1,000)
Keys next Fine Sale is in March; we are already accepting consignments.