Private Collections Captivate Buyers In Our Largest Ever Fine Art & Interiors Auction
Our summer Fine Art & Interiors sale was our largest to date, attracting strong interest and competitive bidding from collectors around the world.
Decorative furnishings proved particularly popular, reflecting a trend we are witnessing across the market. Private collections also enjoyed noteworthy success, objects with distinguished provenance continuing to capture the minds of our buyers. Selected lots from The Estate of an Antique Dealer: The Contents of a Kent Country Residence exemplified both trends, with several pieces linked to Colefax & Fowler deserving special mention.
The top-selling lot of the sale was The Thatcher Papers, a historically important archive documenting Margaret Thatcher's election as Leader of the Conservative Party. Alongside this, a personal archive relating to Diana, Princess of Wales, also performed well. Both attracted significant media attention and widespread press coverage, highlighting the enduring appetite for important documents connected to key historical figures.
Above: Lot 160 The Thatcher Papers.
We now look forward to our next Fine Art & Interiors sale on 3 November 2026, for which we are currently inviting entries. If you are considering consigning, please contact us for a free, no-obligation valuation.
James Bruce, Gorringe's Head of Valuations, London, shares his highlights from the sale below. All prices quoted include Buyer's Premium.
Furniture
As noted in the introduction, decorative furnishings and fresh-to-market single-owner collections continue to perform exceptionally well.
Within The Estate of an Antique Dealer were two lots associated with the ever-fashionable Colefax & Fowler, both comfortably surpassing estimates. Lots 326 and 332—a near pair of faux bamboo side tables and a chintz-covered settee—sold for £2,125 and £2,750 respectively. Also from the collection, Lot 327, a pine chest of drawers, complete with period paintwork, realised £1,875.
Above: Lots 326 and 332—a near pair of faux bamboo side tables.
Beyond this estate, other furnishings fitting the decorator’s schemata performed well. Highlights include Lot 388, a set of eight faux bamboo chairs in the manner of Colefax & Fowler (£1,875); Lot 389, a pair of obelisk-form open bookcases decorated with Arcadian scenes (£1,625); and Lot 401, a Tyrolean painted armour (£1,875).
Above: Lot 389, a pair of obelisk-form open bookcases.
Beyond the name Colefax & Fowler, other pieces linked to key maker’s attracted strong prices. Three excellent examples were Lot 387, an Edwardian armchair by Howard & Sons retaining its original green and white ticking (£2,375); Lot 420, a pair of étagères in the manner of Mallets of London (£3,750); and Lot 424, a George III mahogany wine cistern in the manner of Ince & Mayhew, which sold for £5,250.
Above: Lot 424, a George III mahogany wine cistern
Finally, two exceptional tripod tables demonstrated continued demand for the finest craftsmanship from across the globe. Lot 367, an Anglo-Indian table from Hoshiarpur, India, intricately inlaid with bone and ebony, sold for £2,750. Lot 405, an Italian pietra dura topped table, crafted from an impressive array of specimen stones and supported by an elaborate Gothic Revival base, realised £4,000.
Above: Lot 367, an Anglo-Indian table from Hoshiarpur, India.
Glass & Ceramics
Two notable collections featured within our Glass & Ceramics offering.
The first, a private collection of English drinking glasses, included rare and early examples dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. The eighteen lots were well received, achieving a combined total of more than £8,300.
The second collection comprised early English and Continental porcelain with provenance traceable to the esteemed Winifred Williams of Eastbourne, leading specialists in antique ceramics. Although many pieces had been restored or sustained damage—including a Sèvres-style cuvette mahon and a Samson turtle dove box, which sold together for £1,375—the distinguished provenance underpinned the collection's success. The twelve lots realised a combined total of £8,825.
Among this category’s standouts was Lot 35, a pair of Royal Worcester vases hand-painted with swans by Charles Baldwyn. Following fierce international competition, they sold to an Australian bidder for £5,000, illustrating the truly global reach of our auctions.
Above: Lot 35, a pair of Royal Worcester vases.
Sculpture & Works of Art
Fine sculpture also attracted strong international competition. Two standout lots exemplified the strength of the market for good quality works in both bronze and marble.
The first, Lot 153, an energetic bronze entitled The Tsar's Falconer after the Russian sculptor Evgeny Lancere (1848–1886), soared above estimate to sell to a bidder in France for £16,250.
Above: Lot 153, A bronze entitled The Tsar's Falconer.
The second, Lot 143, a finely modelled marble figure of Eros on the Shoulder of a Maiden by the studio of Orazio Andreoni (Italian, 1840–1895), also attracted spirited bidding before selling for £11,000.
Within the Works of Art section, a captivating private collection of walking canes was of particular note. This diverse single-owner collection again demonstrated the appeal of fresh-to-market property from a single source. The twenty-five lots included Meissen porcelain, jade and automaton examples, realising a combined total of more than £13,500. The leading lot was a silver-mounted carved ivory automaton cane modelled as a donkey's head, which sold for £2,500.
An extremely rare Shrapnel Patent corkscrew, Lot 100, deserves a special mention. Considered one of the great rarities of its type, it realised £12,500.
Above: Lot 100 A rare Shrapnel Patent corkscrew.
Pictures
Historical significance combined with strong decorative appeal characterised many of the highlights within the Pictures offering.
Among the numerous lots to surpass estimate, Lot 173 perfectly illustrated this combination. The set of four botanical plates after Basilius Besler (German, 1561–1629), originally from the celebrated Hortus Eystettensis, paired historical importance with exceptional decorative appeal to realise £2,250 against an estimate of £400–600.
Above: Lot 173 A set of four botanical plates
Similarly, Lot 195, a well-proportioned painting of The Annunciation after Luca Giordano (Italian, 1634–1705), attracted equally well-measured bidding, selling for £5,500 against the same estimate of £400–600.
Above: Lot 195 The Annunciation after Luca Giordano.
Continuing the theme of provenance, portraits depicting identifiable sitters proved especially popular. Lots 203, 204, 205 and 207 all reflected this trend, with the standout being Lot 205, Francis Alleyne's portrait of The Murdoch Family, which was the highest-selling picture on the day at £6,875.
Above: Lot 205, Francis Alleyne, portrait of The Murdoch Family.
Clocks
Fine timepieces remain a cornerstone of this auction, with one lot in particular standing as a testament to the work of one of Britain's most celebrated horologists.
Lot 341, an exceptional carriage clock by James McCabe of the Royal Exchange, London, is far more than a timepiece—it is a remarkable example of craftsmanship, precision and refinement. It therefore came as little surprise when it established a new house record for a carriage clock, selling for £25,000.
Above: Lot 341 An exceptional carriage clock by James McCabe.
