Clevedon Salerooms held their latest Quarterly Fine Art sale on Thursday March 14th. With competitive bidding online, on the phone and in the room, the auction achieved fantastic results with a sale total well over expectations from over 400 lots on offer.
The sale also saw one of the most eagerly anticipated lots to be offered at Clevedon in recent years: a watercolour by His Majesty King Charles III. The unsigned and incomplete study of Lochnagar gained prominence through its appearance in the 1993 BBC production, ‘The Legend of Lochnagar,’ capturing a charming moment where he is depicted working on the painting amidst a group of children. The backstory of this watercolour is just as intriguing as its royal connection. Initially offered as a souvenir to a member of the production team, it spent the next three decades hanging in the upstairs landing before the decision was made to part with this unique, yet unsung treasure. Having attracted a great deal of attention in the national media, sustained bidding saw it quickly reach and then surpass its estimate, ultimately selling for £17,000, a testament to the enduring appeal of royal artistry. The regal theme was continued in the Jewellery section which opened the sale. An early 20th century Belle Époque diamond tiara, with the principal old round brilliant cut diamond weighing approximately 0.45 carats. Of all jewellery, the tiara has to be the finest, and this one certainly hit the right note, selling for £8,000. A diamond solitaire platinum ring, the round brilliant cut diamond weighing approx 2.0 carat, was the first of three high value rings, selling for £5,500, just ahead of a De Beers Allegria diamond platinum full eternity ring, and a single stone ring in white metal mount both of which sold for £5,000. Also bringing some sparkle, a diamond platinum line necklace, with 118 graduated modern round brilliant diamonds forming the links, sold for £3,000. Gold also performed strongly: a heavy gauge filed curb link yellow metal chain, stamped '14K Italy', weighing in at a mighty 359g, sold for an equally impressive £8,600, whilst a similar styled bracelet, weighing 105g tipped the scales at £2,500. Amongst coins, it was an interesting Elizabeth II Tristan Da Cunha 5 coin gold set, 2018, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Great War that got the buyers excited, the gavel finally falling at £2,700. One of the day’s big surprises came in the form of an early George III South Staffordshire enamel etui, circa 1770, of tapering form with gilt metal mounts and finely painted with two portraits, a lady and gentleman respectively, reserved on a bleu de roi ground, it raced passed its estimate to sell for £2,200.
Amongst ceramics it was a dinner service that set pulses racing. An extensive collection of Spode ‘Stafford Flowers’ dinner and tea wares, printed in colours and gilt, with botanical sprays, numbering over one hundred pieces, had been found on a local house visit. One of the most watched items prior to the sale, it soon left its estimate in the shade, selling for £8,000, from which we can only conclude that (to paraphrase Mark Twain) reports of the death of formal dining have been greatly exaggerated. A large dinner service is, of course, essential for a large dinner party, as is a large table. It was a very large table which took highest price in the Furniture section, a contemporary handmade steel and American black walnut table, the seven-plank top in two rectangular 2.1 metre-long sections. Although intended as a boardroom table it easily lent itself to dining use and a volley of bids saw it sell over estimate for £4,600. From the same source as the dinner service came a very appealing early 20th century oil on canvas, a three-quarter length portrait of a girl in a poppy field, which also eclipsed its estimate to sell for £3,600. This impressive result was not, however, the highest price amongst Pictures which was scooped by an Archibald Thorburn (1860-1935) watercolour- 'Male Black Grouse'. Despite being of modest size it came with cast iron provenance having been consigned by a direct descendant of the celebrated artist and it sold for £4,600. Asian antiques continued their upward trajectory. A Chinese watercolour scroll painting depicting peaches on a bough, symbolising longevity, inscribed and with red seal mark was the focus of a sustained battle between two internet bidders which finally saw the gavel fall, several times over estimate at £4,000, whilst a large repaired crack in an early 19th century Chinese blue and white porcelain yen-yen vase, painted with figures in a continuous mountainous landscape, did little to deter bidders and it busted its estimate, selling for £2,100. With Easter just around the corner, Clevedon Salerooms are looking forward to a busy Spring, with Interiors sales on April 11th and May 2nd and 23rd alongside weekly Monday valuations at the Saleroom and a Bristol valuation at Stoke Lodge on May 14th.