Summer sales start at Lawrences

Lawrences in Crewkerne kicked off their week of Summer Fine Art sales this month with a huge variety of lots from their Decorative Arts, Ceramics and Glass section.

Included in the sale was a private collection of studio pottery and contemporary glass, collected by a couple in South Somerset.  It included two pottery vessels by world renowned potter Dame Magdalene Odundo, one of the world’s most valuable living ceramic artists. An early highlight was a large coil-built terracotta vessel, with an oval shaped neck inspired by exaggerated African angular coiffeur, with a globular body and 34cms high, that saw eager bidding to £117,500. A consecutive lot, also by Magdalene Odundo made £26,250.

In the Ceramics section: a rare Nantgarw porcelain square dish, beautifully painted and part of the famous Mackintosh service made £3,750 and a large Chelsea porcelain botanical dish by Hans Sloane, painted with various botanical specimens, a butterfly and caterpillars, attracted keen bidding to make £13,125.

The Oriental section included a pair of Chinese pale celadon jade octagonal cup stands that made £8,750; a Chinese blue & white porcelain phoenix vase that flew to £6,750 and a variety of Chinese export porcelain, mostly 18th century, that made £12,500.

From the private collection of a well known collector, a Chinese blue & white porcelain tripod censer, Kangxi period, made £6,250; another painted with a continuous scene of scholars conversing with ladies and Shoulao with a crane, within a rocky landscape made £6,875, and a rare Beijing pink overlaid white glass tripod censer, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period, carved to the side with a design of scrolling flowers attracted a lot of interest and was bid to £15,000.