Strong sales at Halls’ Christmas Auction
Shrewsbury auctioneers Halls’ recent Christmas Auction attracted a flurry of bidders for items ranging from fine furniture to paintings and jewellery.
One of the sale’s top lots was an 18th-century, Italian commode sitting on cabriole legs. With figured walnut veneer, the three-drawer commode had inlaid shaped panels and boxwood stringing and cross banding on the top, sides and drawers. It sold for a hammer of £5,500.
Elsewhere in the sale, a 15th-century Tibetan gilt copper alloy figure of Shakyamuni Buddha, finely modelled seated in dhyanasana on a shaped base fetched £5,400. The Buddha had hands at the chest in dharma chakra mudra and was wearing a sanghati draped over the shoulder and over the legs in folds, the face with serene expression, the long ears cut with vertical holes, and hair arranged in tight curls surmounted by a domed ushnisha.
Other standout lots were:
An art deco walnut dining suite, ‘The Celerity’, in the manner of Epstein, circa 1935. Comprising an extending dining table of canted form, raised on angled and cross-banded supports with scroll feet, eight ‘cloud’ chairs having cream leather upholstery and a pedestal sideboard, with an associated and well matched demi-lune two-tier cocktail cabinet. It sold for £5,000.- A Fope Virgina 18ct white gold necklace and bracelet suite sold for £3,600. Its white gold woven link chains were suspended alternating yellow gold and diamond set rondels, each with ‘Fope’ tag stamped ‘750’, with retailers certificate of authenticity. It came with a Fope catalogue and original boxes.
- A Victorian two-handled silver tray by John Round & Son Ltd, Sheffield 1898. Of oval form with chased scroll and floral decoration with cast shell and scroll border and two loop handles, raised on four scroll bracket feet. It sold for £2,600
- A George III pedestal bowl by Paul Storr, London 1804, of circular form with gadrooned rim and later embossed decoration and with engraved presentation ‘Presented to Col E.D.W Sibthorp M.P…Aug 9th 18**‘, sold for £2,500