Thornycroft’s work is seen on many public commissions, including the statue of Oliver Cromwell outside the Houses of Parliament and Boadicea on the Westminster Bridge, but this was a more intimate affair.
Depicting a nude admiring her reflection in a mirror, the 81/2in (22cm) high piece was signed and indistinctly dated 1910. It caught the attention of several interested parties who took bidding to £2300.
Among the ceramics was an unusual pair of Victorian Staffordshire seated greyhounds, one reclining before a spaniel and the other before a dead hare, which took £1300.
A pair of early 18th century Bow figures, modelled as a shepherd accompanying his dancing companion on the bagpipes, sold at £1900. Appealing to collectors was an 80-lot collection of cigarette lighters.
Although the dispersal boasted no exceptional entries, with most selling for less than £50 each, neither did it field any casualties, with a Dunhill double-wheel, chromium-plated lighter the highlight at £140.
Sculptor’s allure on a smaller scale
Lays, Penzance, March 17-18. Buyer’s premium: 15 per cent A BRONZE statue, Vanity by Sir William Hamo Thornycroft R.A. (1850-1925), was the most sought-after entry at this Cornish outing.
