Michael Bowman, Chudleigh
Michael Bowman's December auction at Chudleigh Town Hall turned out to be a double record breaker to end the year for the auctioneer. A new high for a piece of jewellery was set when a 7.5 carat diamond solitaire took £40,500, generously contributing to a record auction total in his 23 years of business!
Demand was buoyant across the board. In the picture section a portrait of a Plymouth based schooner Advance by Ruben Chappell attracted several admirers. Worked in watercolours and suffering some old staining and a small tear, the image remained nonetheless a cheerful and brightly coloured prospect, tempting a Plymouth telephone bidder to win this lot at £800.
A typical Victorian oil painting by the Nottingham artist Lucy Ann Leavers, entitled Catching a Tartar, measured a hefty 48in (122cm) across and must surely rank as one of the artist's larger works. Her trademark chicks were accompanied in this rowdy scene by a mother hen, dogs and a mischievous kitten, all in a farmyard setting. This was consigned to auction by a Torquay vendor and despite several telephone bidders, this has returned to Torquay courtesy of a regular buyer in the room for a top bid of £3,700.
Carrying an estimate of £2,000-£3,000 and coming from another Torquay vendor was the modern oil on board by Joan Gillchrest. Depicting Poppies, Early Morning' and measuring 19 x 22in (48 x 56cm), this had originally been purchased for £60 at a Newlyn summer exhibition in 1985. A friend had alerted the vendor to the fact that her cheerful oil was by an artist who has gained considerable popularity in recent times! A local collector fended off telephone bidders to secure her prize for £3,800.
Ceramics were not without interest at this sale. A Royal Doulton figure - Madonna of the Square - by Phoebe Stabler was spied over the internet by a very keen American collector, who fought off all contenders to secure a winning bid of £1,050. Stabler had other factories make her models. A cruder version by Poole was offered as the following lot, selling to a local collector for a more predictable £240.
A small 4.5in (11.5cm) oval Royal Worcester plaque was consigned for sale from one of the auctioneer’s monthly Plymouth valuation days. Depicting a still life of fruit and signed by the well-known Worcester artist R Sebright, some in the room were surprised to see such a diminutive object live up to expectations as a Kingsbridge collector obliged with £1,450.
A 12in (30.5cm) high early 20th century Moorcroft Macintyre Florian Ware vase showed off a bold design of blue poppies. It had suffered a small restored chip to the base, but was nevertheless appreciated by a collector for £950.
An octagonal Wheatstone concertina attracted several telephone bidders with its conservative £400-£600 estimate. One of their number securing it for three times its pre-sale guide at £1,550. Arguably one of the most popular items in the sale, however, was the 3in (7.5cm) diameter pocket terrestrial globe. Arriving at one of the weekly Chudleigh valuation days from Brixham owners, this Newton's Patent model dated to the early 1800s.
Bearing a modest £600-£900 estimate, this small collectable produced five telephone bidders on the day from as far afield as Belgium and Holland. Eventually a London telephone buyer triumphed at £2,700!
Two Art Nouveau 18ct white gold floral brooches aroused a lot of interest in the jewellery section. Made with carved crystal leaves and petals and set with small diamonds, one a pansy design suffered slight damage, selling to a London telephone bidder for £470. A daffodil brooch was in good order, however, and the local trade put up greater resistance, forcing a keen London bidder to pay £1,000.
Apart from the floral brooches, most of the running was made by local buyers in the jewellery section. The main talking point was undoubtedly the 7.57ct emerald cut diamond ring of certified J colour and VS1 clarity. It fell between a Hampshire dealer but a determined Torquay couple in the room had other ideas, taking their rock home for staggering £40,500 - and in so doing setting a new auction record for a piece of jewellery at Chudleigh.
Two lots later they were in action again, securing a flawless, pear-shaped 2.12 carats diamond solitaire for £9,500. Their keenness encouraged others when £4,000 bought a 2.3 carat diamond solitaire as an investment for another private collector, leaving the local trade with a 2.4 carat diamond pendant for £3,200 and a two stone diamond crossover ring for £2,900.
