The furniture and works of art sale of the following day was more interesting. A 16th-century Spanish silver incense burner of typical design made €5000 (£3675), while a curious carved, polychrome wood dragon’s head of a type traditionally carried in Corpus Christi processions in Madrid was catalogued as 18th century and made €5500 (£4045).
Segre regularly offer Oriental ceramics, and in this sale a pair of 221/2in (57.5cm) high lidded jars in blue and white porcelain with a paired design of peacocks, described as Qing, made €9000 (£6615).
A good example of French goldsmiths’ work was the soup tureen and charger in silver-gilt made by Tetard Frères in the 1930s, inspired by the style of Paul de Lamerie. This sold well over estimate for €16,000 (£11,765).
Among the more homely, Spanish fare, a provincial, carved walnut table with sturdy turned legs sold for €4200 (£3090), while a Hispano-Moresque lustreware charger of 16th century Manises manufacture was a good buy at €2100 (£1545). The top lot (and cover lot) of the sale was an English walnut and marquetry commode of around 1690 of good colour and with pretty, geometrical inlay. This sold on estimate for €18,000 (£13,235).
Segre’s jewellery sales quite often feature interesting lots. A pair of Art Deco carved jade earrings in the form of suspended discs sold for €5100 (£3750), while a late 19th century diamond rivière with 40 stones mounted in gold made €22,000 (£16,175). Surprisingly, a modern, painted metal musical box with a singing bird sold for €12,000 (£8825). The bird seemed to have a complex mechanism enabling it to move in various different ways.
Subastas Segre sale
Subastas Segre (16% buyer’s premium) held their monthly sale from May 20 to 22. In the picture catalogue, top price was the double-estimate €30,000 (£22,060) for a complete set of Goya’s Caprichos, catalogued as First Edition but not in ideal condition. A 3ft 3in (1m) square abstract oil on canvas of 1982 by Fernando Zobel (1942-1984), whose work is highly regarded in Spain, made €23,700 (£17,425).
