Shropshire-made porcelain sells for more than £20k at county auction
Historic Shropshire-made porcelain sold for more than £20,000 at a county auction.
Collections of Caughley and Coalport porcelain sold for a combined total exceeding £20,000 at the Halls Fine Art’s auction of British and Continental ceramics and glass, antiques, clocks and Asian art, held at the company’s Battlefield saleroom in Shrewsbury.
Online bidders from Japan, Germany and Turkey competed with the packed saleroom for the ceramics on offer.
The Caughley collection, owned by the late David Waterhouse, sold for more than £11,000 with a rare 'Fan-Panelled Landscape' dessert tureen with cover and ladle, circa 1776-‘85, selling for £850 and a large 'Pine Cone' cylindrical mug or tankard, circa 1780-’85, achieving £500.
A combined Coalport and Caughley collection, which was assembled by the late Chris Pilkington and exhibited previously at the Coalport China Works Museum, sold for nearly £9,000.
Top Coalport collection prices were £700 for a 19th or early 20th century group of cabinet cups and saucers and £420 for a set of named view dessert plates, circa 1900, retailed by Ovington Brothers.
Royal Worcester was also in demand, with one Shropshire collector selling eight lots of blush ivory for nearly £3,000.
Top prices for Royal Worcester lots were £700 for a pair of vases painted with Highland cattle by Harry Stinton, dated 1911, £500 for a pair of plaques painted with Scottish sheep by M. Holloway.
“It was really interesting to see the interest from Continental Europe and the Far East in the highly decorated Coalport and Royal Worcester blush ivory pieces,” said Caroline Dennard, Halls Fine Art’s ceramics and glass specialist, who reported a 95 per cent sale rate in her section.
A large and rare Whitefriars architectural rectangular fused glass panel, attributed to Paul Jeffries, circa 1969-‘75, found a buyer at £850.
The panel was given to the Bristol vendor's mother, who worked at the Whitefriars gift shop, when the factory closed in 1980.
There was also a £550 bonus for the owners of a Shrewsbury house who dug up an iridescent, early 18th century, onion shaped wine bottle intact during excavations.
Top price in the auction went to a “a large and important” Sublime Harmony orchestral music box by George Baker, Geneva, circa 1895, which sold for £7,500 for a Wolverhampton seller.
Alexander Clement, Halls’ antiques and Asian Art specialist, said: “It’s very unusual to find a free-standing orchestral music box of exhibition quality. This was the best one I have ever handled and it was in super condition, working beautifully and the sound was fantastic.”
Star of the Asian Art was a fine quality Chinese Qing Dynasty blanc de chine figure of Guanyin modelled seated on a double lotus, which found a buyer at £6,500.
The seller was from the West Midlands.
A pair of Chinese famille rose vases, which both had rim damage and were discovered in a house clearance in Kidderminster, sold for £1,700.
Leading prices in the furniture section were £2,800 for a 19th century mahogany square back three-seat sofa from a Ludlow seller and £1,300 for a 19th century mahogany triple pedestal dining table from a Gloucestershire vendor.
A Kashan carpet made in central Persia was full of Middle Eastern promise as it sold for £980 and a Kieninger lacquered brass musical mantel clock struck the right note at £440 on a mixed day for clocks.
“We are starting to see encouraging signs in the furniture market, with buyers realising that they can buy quality pieces for reasonable prices,” said Alexander. “There is strong activity in antiques, something of a renaissance in British ceramics and a softer market in areas such as clocks.
“It’s the perfect time to buy a clock as an investment because they don’t carry a capital gains tax liability.”
Halls Fine Art is now accepting entries for its next British and Continental ceramics and glass, antiques, clocks and Asian art auction on June 17.
Closing date for consignments is May 15.
People can contact the fine art team on 01743 450700 for more information.
