Alvar Aalto chairs make thousands in Somerset

Demand for mid-century furniture was evident in a recent sale in a Somerset auction when an elegant pair of ‘Model 31’ armchairs by the distinguished Finnish designer Alvar Aalto sold for a hammer of £6,500.

The sought-after armchairs had a pre-sale estimate of £4,500 at Lawrence’s of Crewkerne.

Elsewhere in the sale, a good selection of Decorative Arts and Furniture saw over 90% of the lots sold.

Ceramic items were popular, with two collections of the ever-popular Moorcroft pottery realising a total of £6600, with the top price of £1060 paid for a small (9cm) salt glazed vase decorated with fish.

A separate collection  of studio pottery included works by David Leach, Alan Caiger-Smith, Rosemary Wren and Seth Cardew. The collection totalled £10,860, with £2000 paid for a celadon glazed teapot by the celebrated ceramicist Edmund de Waal.

A pair of Wedgwood `Fairyland` lustre vases designed by Daisy Makeig-Jones exceeded hopes of £1500 to make £4250. An Arts & Crafts silver bowl, made by George Lawrence Connell in 1912 to commemorate a speech made by Queen Elizabeth in 1601, made £500.

The sale was led by an interesting selection of furniture, including an Aesthetic movement table, possibly designed by Stephen Webb for Collinson and Lock that made £1060.