Furniture

A Japanese Meiji period shibayama inlaid lacquer shodana will feature in the Asian works of art section of Weschler’s Capital Collections auction on December 13 in Rockville, Maryland.

It’s been a challenging couple of decades for classic English furniture but early winter has witnessed a few stars across the provinces, be it classic English or more exotic overseas material, to offer some gleams of encouragement.

Rising in inverse ratio to the decline in classic English furniture has been the interest in 20th century design pieces such as the silver birch table and four chairs sold at Spicers (20% buyer’s premium) in Driffield on November 29.

Collectors who missed out on a rare late 19th century cabin trunk at auction last week have the chance to buy another in West Sussex this coming Friday.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

One of the rarest pieces in Suffolk House Antiques’ Christmas selling exhibition is a Georgian candle stand in fruitwood and elm. The back would have protected the flame so that the person using it would have uninterrupted light even in a draughty house. Examples bearing the original backs do not always show up intact.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

Furniture dealer Christopher Howe is hosting a Christmas shopping event at his new Battersea warehouse on December 6-7.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

Even during his lifetime Edward William Godwin complained that ebonised tables to his textbook ‘Anglo-Japanese’ design c.1867-68 were being copied by a number of different manufacturers.

This small-scale wall mirror by Line Vautrin from c.1950 measures approximately 15in (38cm) in diameter.

Ceramics, furniture, glass and figure highlights from a range of sales under same banner.

Chinese barber’s bowl is a stand-out item at event now running in a revamped format.

The final instalment of the three annual Pavilions of Harrogate Decorative Antiques & Fine Art Fair includes this small naive hedge or country chair, c.1820, from Ireland’s County Antrim.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859- 1930), author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, was so keen to work during his extensive travels that in 1925 he commissioned a case-maker to create a trunk that transformed into a writing desk.

Last week’s on-the-premises sale at Athelhampton House in Dorset was a near sell-out with a hammer price of close to £1.2m.

Nottingham auction house Mellors & Kirk (20% buyer’s premium) added to the cautiously feel-good mood created by some highly successful autumn sales in the provinces when strong private buying brought impressive results across the board.

Made in Gujarat or Sindh in the 18th century, a sandalwood table cabinet profusely inlaid with ivory flowers and tendrils throughout was a fine example of Mughal craftsmanship and led the way at a recent sale at Chiswick Auctions (25% buyer’s premium).