Traditional antiques prove popular

A recent Country House sale featuring an eclectic mix of fine art, traditional antiques and period furniture proved popular among bidders at Tennants Auctioneers in North Yorkshire.

With much of the lots sourced from private estates, paintings proved particularly popular, and the department provided some of the highest prices of the day. Of particular note were a set of three watercolours by Irish artist William Percy French (1854-1920), which piqued the interest of bidders in the artist’s homeland. Entered into sale with a modest estimate of £300-500, the trio of landscapes finally sold for £2,900.

Another trio of watercolours, this time by Cumbrian artist Edward H Thompson (1866-1945) depicting Lakeland views, attracted strong bidding too. Achieving a hammer price of £2,500, it was perhaps the rare inclusion by the artist of figures skating on the frozen lake in one of the paintings which helped reach such a high price.

Elsewhere in the sale, one of the top lots was a Persian copper and white metal inlaid brass tray, dating from c.1900. Heavily tarnished but highly decorated, the 68cm wide tray attracted competitive bidding in the room to sell for £3,800 – well over the bottom estimate. One of the prettiest lots in the sale was an early 20th century gilt-metal and enamel singing bird box. Attributed to Karl Greisbaum and decorated with pastoral scenes, this little gem sold for £2,400.