Still Life Stunner bought for £81,250...
3rd February 2025
Our Winter Fine Art Auctions in January kicked off 2025 in spectacular style, with a host of impressive results across paintings, jewellery, furniture, and decorative arts. With strong bidding throughout, we saw some remarkable prices achieved—here are just a few of the standout lots that made the sale a great success.
One of the most thrilling surprises of the auction came from Lot 306, a striking still life painting attributed to Willem Claesz. Heda (1594-1680). Featuring a beautifully composed arrangement of glassware, a pie on a pewter dish, a peeled lemon, and an upturned cup, the painting soared past its modest £15,000 estimate to achieve an astonishing £81,250*
We had high hopes for Lot 348, a captivating oil on panel by Eugène Boudin (1824-1898), titled Deauville, Le Bassin et Le Quai au Bois. Signed, inscribed, and dated 1897, this delightful harbour scene carried an estimate of £35,000 and found a new owner at £46,250*
Jewellery collectors were out in force, with Lot 278, a classic diamond three-stone ring, shining bright as it achieved £21,250* against an estimate of £15,000-20,000. Meanwhile, Lot 277, an exquisite late Georgian/early Victorian suite of topaz and gold jewellery, far exceeded expectations. Estimated at £6,000, the elegant collection of bracelet, brooch pendant, cruciform pendant, and earrings were hot for bidders participation before it was bought for £11,750*
Among the furniture highlights, Lot 481, a George III mahogany library breakfront bookcase (circa 1780), surpassed its £8,000 estimate to bring £10,000*. Another standout was Lot 479, a substantial mid-19th-century mahogany breakfast table, whose royal provenance helped it achieve £8,750* on the day - Dramatically exceeding its £800 estimate! Originally purchased by the vendor from St James’s Palace and Buckingham Palace in 1967, the piece came with handwritten letters from Mark Millbank, Master of the Household, adding to its fascinating history, which helped it climb to new heights.
Decorative pieces also had strong interest, particularly Lot 581, a charming Martin Brothers grotesque ‘Wally’ bird jar, which was bought for £8,125* against an estimate of £5,000.
Finally, collectors of fine silver and glassware were drawn to Lot 103, a George V suite of six 9ct gold-mounted cut-glass dressing table bottles and jars by Finnigans Ltd. Originally estimated at £4,000, this elegant set achieved a final price of £6,250*
With such strong results across multiple categories, our January Fine Art Auction proved to be an exciting start to the year. Thank you to all our buyers and sellers for making it a fantastic success—we look forward to bringing you more exceptional auctions throughout 2025.
(All *sold prices include buyers premium)
