OF all the many subjects painted by Harry Davis during his long tenure at the Royal Worcester factory, among the rarest and most desirable are polar bears in an Arctic landscape.
Only a handful of pieces carry this striking decoration – so there was great interest in this 9in (22cm) high vase and cover (shape number 1927) offered by Patrick Cheyne of Hale, near Altrincham on February 27.
Dated 1905, and signed H. Davis, it had been consigned for sale by a local lady who, having cleared out her mother-in-law’s house, had been pleased with the valuation of £200. “Mea culpa,” commented the auctioneer after it sold in the room to a Southport dealer against nine telephone bids for £8600 (plus 15 per cent buyer’s premium).
Recent price comparisons are not easy to come by, but Brigg auction rooms DDM sold a vase (shape 2256) with this decoration for £12,000 in June 2005 and Christie’s South Kensington have a polar bear pot pourri vase and cover (shape 1428) coming up for sale on April 20 as part of a private collection – the five-figure estimate yet to be decided.
|