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Sale report – Christie’s, London
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Christie’s, South Kensington recent sale of the Roger Warner Collection was eagerly anticipated way beyond the shores of the United Kingdom. Indeed there was so much pre-sale interest the start of proceedings was delayed a full fifteen minutes by the sheer numbers of people registering.
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Described as "An exceptional start to Christie's 2009 season” the sale drew interest at home and abroad “with unprecedented levels of bidding, attendance and interest” said Andrew Waters on behalf of the auctioneers, and continued “This superb result is a fitting tribute to the discerning eye of the late Roger Warner”.
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In a packed saleroom throughout, buyers were treated to a genuine old-style auction of chattels from a highly respected Cotswolds dealer who had, he said, handled well over 70,000 items in his 50 year career. His shop was a mecca for all lovers of the unusual and antique, and in a heartening sale in these doom-laden times, it was an occasion that bucked the trend and realised almost double estimated predictions.
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With royal patrons and famous collectors on his books, Roger Warner, enjoyed wide ranging interests and had a fondness for juvenilia, like the early dolls or “baby” house circa 1750, that was secured by a British trade buyer for £14,375. The UK trade also secured a Queen Anne ebonised parcel gilt and ivory mounted siphon barometer by Daniel Quare for £18,750 but the £28,750 paid for the William and Mary miniature brass striking lantern clock by William Grimes was a private UK collector.
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An Elizabethan oak plank chest circa 1600 that was bought by Roger Warner in 1949 from Marjorie Pollard was another piece that proved too tempting to another private British buyer, having an unusual ribbed front and lid. Against an estimate of £2,000-£3,000 this made an impressive £5,000, yet this was dwarfed by the £15,000 offered for a mid 16th century oak counter table from the time of Henry VIII, despite the hinged top.
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Such pieces are named because they originally had tops marked out for calculating accounts with lines and squares, that then slid open to allow the coins collected to fall inside. Dating from about 1540, the table had triple carved parchemin-type panels and reverse channel moulded with a single panel, and stood 29in (73.5cm) high x 38.5in (98cm) wide and 22in (56cm) deep.
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Private interest was again to the fore in a contest over a Charles I oak child’s chair. With footrest supported by scroll brackets, it had a crest carved with strapwork and interlocking motif on the panel, and 33.4in (85cm) high. This was another piece to find a private home at £2,375 and although there was some doubt over the actual date of a full-bottomed wig of black horsehair, which was cautiously put at around 1660, the £9,375 hammer price was way beyond the pre-sale guide of £500-£1,000.
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With strong competitive bidding from a cross-section of new and seasoned buyers, provenance still brought rewards when a strong £2,000 secured a Charles I embroidered cushion, circa 1640, hailing from the Pitt family of Somerset. Five pairs of Edwardian miniature shoes and boots, possibly cobbler’s display models, was another lot that made an above estimate £938, this time being taken by the European trade but the home trade again proved too strong when offering £3,000 for an Elizabethan fruitwood and brass candlestick standing 11.5in (29cm) tall.
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All in all, a wonderful auction that had 233 registered clients in the saleroom as well as 1,083 telephone bids executed for 274 clients. On the books 1,191 absentee bids were executed for a further 340 clients and 109 clients registered to bid on line, in this sale of fine antiques that received a staggering 240,000 hits!
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“A superb result and fitting tribute to the discerning eye of the late Roger Warner” reported Christie’s, on a sale that grossed £2,023,975.
