The plates had been noticed in wire hangers on a routine furniture valuation call to a local house, the owner being totally unaware of their significance. Estimated at £3000-5000, they were sold to a London dealer, underbid by an Arabian collector, at £22,500 (plus 17.5 per cent buyer’s premium and VAT).
Rare Sevres Etruscan red ground dessert plates from the Prince Napoleon Service
UK: One of this year’s most stunning finds, a group of four rare Sèvres Etruscan red ground dessert plates from the Prince Napoleon Service, 1854-6, offered at Mellors and Kirk, Nottingham, on April 5.
