AUCTIONEER Martin Lawrence of Petersfield firm Jacobs & Hunt was not expecting much when asked to conduct a probate valuation in a top-floor council flat in a rundown part of Southsea.
Instead, he emerged with what he called the
best consignment of his career - over £200,000 worth of antiques
acquired by the deceased's parents who had been dealers in the
immediate pre- and post-war eras.
One of a number of valuable ethnographic
objects discovered during the clearance of the property was this
Haida grease bowl. It was found in a kitchen cupboard.
The fine example of (probably mid 19th
century) Northwest Coast American art would have been used for
serving rich foods such as oolachen or candlefish grease, a
butter-like condiment eaten with dried fish or meats.
A high-status object, it would have been
brought out during feasts or potlatches celebrating the rank and
lineage of chiefs. It is carved and painted in the form of a
stylised seal and measures around 12in (30cm).
On March 23 it look bids from buyers in
Canada, New York, Belgium and Australia before it sold in the room
to a collector at £56,000 (plus 20% buyer's premium).
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