Fine Art & Interiors 11th November 2025
The high calibre of lots in our Fine Art & Interiors sale on 11 November attracted interest from buyers around the world. Quality sculpture, metalwork and clocks proved particularly popular, while numerous items of period furniture, specifically decorative
pieces in rosewood or walnut, also far exceeded their estimates.
Paintings and etchings also performed extremely well. Several works by, or associated with, notable artists including Rembrandt, Thomas Daniell and George Romney sold for considerably more than their estimates.
Dan Bray, Gorringe’s Valuations Director and Head of Asian Art shares his highlights from the sale:
Works of Art
We were delighted to see strong results for paintings and etchings, particularly those with a clear and significant provenance.
Our top lot of the sale was Lot 197, a dramatic 19th-century half-length study of a classical nude man. This sold for the exceptional sum of £36,250, reflecting its powerful decorative appeal.
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Lot 166, portrait of a young lady attributed to a follower of George Romney, came from the collection of the prominent Bickersteth family, which includes no fewer than six former Church of England bishops. Keen interest in the work, with multiple bidders booking telephone lines, meant it achieved a remarkable price of £33,750. The outstanding price achieved points to the market’s belief that despite being apparently unrecorded, its creator is likely to have been Romney himself.
Lot 128, an etching by Rembrandt, sold for £4,250 against an estimate of £800-1,200. The work, 'Beggar in a High Cap, Standing and Leaning on a Stick', dates to around
1629.
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Another lot that considerably exceeded its estimate was Lot 192, a preparatory study depicting Lord Metcalfe (1775-1846) and his staff in a series of vignette portraits. Metcalfe was the late governor-general of India, governor of Jamaica, and governor-general of Canada, and strong bidding from national and international buyers led to an impressive result of £18,750.
Sculpture
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The standout item from our sculpture lots was Lot 253, a bronze bust by Auguste Rodin titled Suzon. The work was produced in 1872 in the style of Rodin’s employer at the time, the decorative sculptor Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse. It was Rodin’s first commercially successful piece, selling in multiple copies. From the estate of cartoonist Ian Scott Parker, the bust had an estimate of £5,000-8,000 and sold for £8,750.
Lot 239, an Italian bronze model of a toad dating to around 1600 and probably from Padua or Florence, had an estimate of £1,000-1,500. With a removable cover to its back, this amusing and intricate piece sold for £4,250.
Furniture
Several items of fine antique furniture greatly exceeded their estimates, reflecting a high level of demand for decorative pieces of exceptional quality.
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Lot 337, a George II giltwood mirror in the manner of William Kent, sold for £16,250. The highly ornate mirror features a swagged scallop shell and scroll pediment over a rectangular bevelled plate within a roundel and fruiting leaf border.
Lot 361, a George IV collector’s cabinet, also sold for £16,250 against an estimate of £600-800. This boxwood-strung mahogany three-section cabinet is fitted with over 100 small drawers with ivory handles, and stands on ogee bracket feet.
Lot 319, a primitive ash and elm Windsor armchair dating to the 18th or 19th century, had an estimate of £300-500. Demonstrating a continued demand for one-off antique pieces full of character, it sold for £2,250.
Ceramics
The auction included a wide range of ceramics, including Lots 33-36, a set of four KPM Berlin plates finely painted with botanical studies after the French botanist Étienne Pierre Ventenat. With estimates totalling £1,200-2000, the plates sold for a combined total of £5,625.
A large selection of Meissen porcelain included our cover lot, Lot 11, an exquisite late-19th century 'Elements' ewer emblematic of air (estimate £3,000-5,000), which sold for £6,875.
Clocks
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Several antique clocks featured in the sale, including Lot 290, a mid-18th century musical bracket clock by George Bennett, which had an estimate of £800-1,200. This fascinating item plays six different tunes of 13 bells and has an automaton scene within the arched top, including moving rowing boats and a windmill with turning sails. Signed by Bennett, the clockmaker to the Royal Observatory during the reign of George III, it sold for £5,500.
In light of these impressive results, we’re excited for our next Fine Art & Interiors sale on 24 February 2026. If you have items of antique furniture, ceramics or works of art, please contact us for a free, no-obligation estimate.
