Tennants’ Spring Fine Art Sale on 24th and 25th March showed very buoyant all-round results, with high prices achieved for both traditional and modern art and antiques. A busy saleroom, over 1200 bidders registered online, and telephone lines at capacity led to a total hammer price for the sale of £1,460,950, with 85.5% of the 1042 lots sold.
Managing Director Jeremy Pattison said of the sale: There was a real buzz in the saleroom over the two days, with consistently strong prices being achieved throughout.
However, there was a particularly strong demand for art and antiques made in Yorkshire, with both national trade buyers and local private buyers competing eagerly for lots.
A good private collection of pictures by the Weatherill family and other Yorkshire artists depicting scenes around Whitby and the Yorkshire Coast really caught the attention of buyers, with most lots selling high above their estimate. The top lot was a group of works by George Haydock Dodgson (1811-1880), depicting Whitby and its environs, which sold for £6,500 against an estimate of £600-900. A watercolour of ‘Whitby Harbour Entrance with Shipping’ by Sara Ellen Weatherill (1836-1920) made £2,500 against an estimate of £1,200-1,800, and a picture of Whitby Furniture maker George Varley in his workshop by Albert George Stevens (1863-1925) made £4,200 against an estimate of £400-600. Further Whitby paintings from the collection will be included in our Summer Fine Art Sale on 14th & 15th July.
The furniture and furnishings of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson are always a favourite in a Yorkshire saleroom, and this sale saw the largest selection of Mouseman at Tennants apart from the extraordinary contents of the Mouseman Library at Leeds Girls High School sold in 2008. With fine pieces and provenance from good collections, prices were exceptional. Select items from The Order of the Holy Paraclete, Whitby opened the sale, and the first lot exceeded all expectations – a 4ft oak bookcase achieved a hammer price of £6,000 against an estimate of £1,000-1,500. Also in demand were items from a private collection made for Patricia Kirk of Kilburn c.1948 – these small pieces were largely of unusual form, which greatly appealed to collectors of Mouseman. The top lot was an oak jar and cover, crowned with the trademark mouse that made an astonishing £3,400 against an estimate of £300-500. Again, an unusual bobbin-form candlestick created a stir too, reaching £1,700 against an estimate of £200-300.
Do you have a Yorkshire treasure? On 3rd & 4th April, Tennants are holding a Fine Art and Antiques Valuation event in The Auction Centre, Leyburn. We are currently accepting lots for the Summer Fine Art Sale on 14th & 15th July, please visit our website, www.tennants.co.uk or contact us on 01969 623780 for details.
