Catalogued as Georgian or a little earlier at Batemans (20% buyer’s premium) April 10 sale in Stamford, the 4ft 7in (1.40m) tall oak chair had a hinged panel below the solid seat chair to reveal a useful storage compartment.
Pitched at £400-600, about what the vendor recalled paying 32 years ago, it sparked a four-way battle among online bidders before selling at £4800.
Strong result
Delighted with that result, the vendor then consigned into the auction house’s May 1 sale a 17th century German iron strongbox which he bought at Christie’s South Kensington in 1986 along with the receipt showing the hammer price of £450.
The 2ft 5in (73cm) wide box is of a type which, although produced in quantity in the Nuremberg area from the late 16th to the 18th centuries, later became known as ‘Armada chests’.
17th century strongbox – £1850 at Batemans.
With hammered riveted joints throughout and decorated with an engraved pierced frieze of four male profiles with rams’ horns, it had wrought-iron carrying handles and came with one working key to lift the lid – although the key for the internal strongbox with its elaborate and engraved mechanism was missing.
Again reflecting the original purchase price, it was pitched at £500-800 but went to a specialist dealer at £1850.
