Clarks continued their terrific start to 2023 with a sensational record sale, smashing their previous best handsomely & reaffirming their reputation as a major west country saleroom. The sale was littered with many highlights with diamond jewellery & miniature portraits capturing the main headlines. During the sale, filming of Salvage Hunters with Drew Pritchard added extra sparkle to a fantastic day. Our auctioneer Paul Clark said, “The sale was well received by bidders, especially with so many fine entries fresh to the market – some regarded it as the best sale they’d seen in the southwest for a number of years”.
Clarice Cliff started proceedings & achieved a top price of £270 for a small honey pot. A crocus biscuit barrel made £110 while a crocus candle holder & ashtray secured interest at £210, well over the estimate. Some smaller, more common pieces of Troika followed but this didn’t deter bidders. The Cornish pottery is red hot at the moment & this was reflected in the prices, despite some pieces having damage. A small wheel vase by Penny Broadribb saw an internet vs room battle max out at £170. A damaged vase by Louise Jinks also made £170 & a small slab vase by Linda Thomas made £230 online. Cornish pottery by Jennie Hale once again proved to be quite desirable with ‘cat jars’ making up to £210.
Decorative objects invariably prove popular. A malachite casket ticked boxes, being both decorative & useful & this attracted both collector & trade interest at £210. A Benin bronze of a leopard (£200), a pair of Don Powell of Slade drumsticks (£50), a part of a Sopwith Camel propeller (£170), a remnant of an exploded bomb (£70), an eel gleave (£50) & a David Inshaw print (£1000) were other items that caught collectors & dealer’s interest. A 19thC. French carriage clock secured bids of £2600 & another enamelled French carriage clock made £720. Of the furnishings, a late 20thC. designer copper topped table (£1850), a coromandel wood occasional table (£250) & a French cabinet (£820) all did well above estimate.
Paintings proved very popular with a small oil by Walter Sickert, a man thought by some to be ‘Jack the Ripper’, made bids of £1500 while a 17th/18thC. portrait of a cleric achieved £400. A pair of Theodore Rousseau pencil sketches saw internet interest at £340 while local artist Mary Martin, sold well at Clarks making £680. A Richard Simkin watercolour of military interest (£260) & a Thomas Carr watercolour of flowers & birds (£260) also caught bidder’s eyes.
The fine miniature portraits really lit up online interest. A tiny John Hoskins miniature of Charles I was one of a number of extended bidding battles, eventually achieving £4200 at the hammer. A Christine Zinke enamel of Thomas Betterton (£2200) followed by a Samuel Cooper style portrait of the Earl Of Fairfax (£2600) both warmed bidders to the task ahead. A pair of Thomas Flatman portraits really warmed the sale when making an impressive £10500 at the hammer before Nathaniel Plimer (£2700), John Smart (£2800) & two by Richard Cosway (£1900 & £2400 respectively) got in on the act. A tiny but superb 16thC. oil of Mary of Guise, mother of Mary, Queen of Scots achieved a whopping £5000 before exquisite portraits by George Engleheart (£3900) & Richard Cosway (£4200) closed that part of the sale.
Silver & jewellery has a very strong following at Clarks & this sale didn’t disappoint. A Victorian silver wine goblet by Daniel & Charles Houle made £310 & the same price was achieved for an 1884 ale goblet by John Septimus Beresford. A five-piece Elkington & Co. silver tea service (£940), a repaired Georgian spirit kettle by Sebastian & James Crespell (£640), a Benjamin Smith III footed tray (£340) & a Cooper Brothers tray (£680) also attracted lots of interest.
However, it was the diamonds that would set things alight. A diamond solitaire of just over 4ct achieved a superb price when making £25000 at the hammer followed immediately by a sparkling 1920’s diamond bracelet at £8400. An art deco diamond brooch then achieved a very impressive £13500 before a 2.3ct diamond ring made £10000 & another art deco diamond & onyx brooch achieved a whopping £5000. Two smaller diamond rings of approx. 1ct achieved £1650 & £1700 respectively. Gold also remains very strong with two cigarette boxes making £2600 & £3600 whilst all of the antique full sovereigns secured £350 each at the hammer. Entries invited for our forthcoming sales. Call 01579-349960 / 07756070198 or visit 2a2b Heathlands Road Ind. Est. Liskeard, PL144DH.
