VIOLIN AND BOWS PLAY A HAPPY TUNE

AT PETER WILSON AUCTION

Auction record for instrument and £7,000 for its bow

There’s many a fine tune played on an old fiddle and when a 20th century violin and the two bows that came with it were sold at Nantwich fine art auctioneers Peter Wilson, their owner was dancing all the way to the bank.

The violin, made in 1912 by Ernst Heinrich Roth as a copy of an instrument made in 1724 by the famous Antonio Stradivarius, sold for £3,000, a figure more than double the estimate. But it was the bows that caused the greatest surprise.

More valuable of the two proved to be an example by Paris maker Eugene Sartory, which sold for £7,000, while the second, by the English maker W.E. Hill, sold for £2,700, both prices being multiples of their pre-sale estimates. Sartory is considered one of the greatest bow makers of the 20th century and his bows are highly sought after. He was born in Mirecourt in 1871 and was taught the craft by his father.

Said Peter Wilson specialist Chris Large: “The three lots caused enormous pre-sale interest and were sold to three different trade buyers. There were eight telephone bidders competing for the pieces and we believe that the price paid for the violin is an auction record for an instrument by Roth.” (Previous record £2,400 Sotheby’s, 2007).

He added: “The price paid for the Sartory bow was excellent given that it had a cracked frog. Several members of the trade told me they thought the prices achieved were way above what would have been achieved in a specialist London sale.”

Only a fine lady’s diamond-set 18 carat gold wristwatch by Patek Philippe and a painting, an oil on board titled “The Delivery, Stockport, by Manchester artist William Turner (b. 1920) came close to beating the violin bow, each selling for £5,700, both prices being above their respective pre-sale high estimates.

Geoffrey Key (b. 1941) another Manchester artist was represented by a number of works, the most valuable of which proved to be an oil on board titles "3 Riders", signed and dated '89, from the artist’s series depicting horse racing. It sold for £3,500, while “Friendship”, an oil on canvas by the artist showing lovers in an embrace, sold for £2,900.

Also of note in the Modern British section of the sale was a watercolour and pencil drawing of a circus horse, its leader and a clown by Dame Laura Knight (1877-1970) which sold for £5,300 against an estimate of £1,500-2,000. Born in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, Knight fell in love with the circus in the 1920s and travelled with the Mills and Carmo’s circus and became their official artist. She studied at Nottingham School of Art under Wilson Foster and at the Royal College of Art. A founder member of the Staithes Group, she was a prolific exhibitor with numerous hangings in the Alpine and Leicester Galleries, London, Liverpool and Manchester Art Galleries, the Royal Academy, Royal Watercolour Society and Society of Women Artists.

Eighteenth and 19th century paintings also sold well, pick of which was a view of Alfriston, Sussex, an oil on canvas by Alfred Augustus Glendening (1840-1910), which was signed and dated ‘93, and sold for £4,600.

More valuable of two Isle of Man views by Manchester-born artist William Edward Webb (1862-1903) was a signed oil on canvas of Peel Harbour, which sold for £4,400, while his “Entering the harbour in stormy weather” sold for £2,500. A Yorkshire view of Bolton Abbey from the Wharfe by William Mellor (1851-1931) sold for £4,000.

In jewellery, an emerald and diamond floral brooch, possibly by Garrard & Co, composed of two florets of brilliant and marquise stones, within ribbons of baguette diamonds and calibre-cut emeralds sold for £5,400 and an emerald and diamond ring, possibly by Cartier, circa 1935, the central square stone, approximately 2.27ct, flanked by six graduated emerald-cut diamonds, in a platinum mount sold for an above estimate £3,800.

In ceramics, specialist Chris Large noted that post 1950s Royal Worcester with black printed maker’s marks was fetching higher prices than earlier pieces from the factory. A miniature coffee set signed T. Nutt, painted with fallen fruit, consisting of a coffee pot, sucrier, cream jug, trio and circular tray sold for £1,300 against an estimate of £700-1,000 and plates signed Smith, painted with fallen fruit within moulded and gilded gadrooned borders sold for £900 against an estimate of £400-600.

Octar Copson worked as a painter for Royal Worcester between circa 1872 and 1880, and two oval plaques by him dated 1881 and 1886 respectively sold for £2,200. One was painted with a girl and boy on a swing within a woodland landscape, while the other showed a girl nursing her cat.

A charming picture of three kittens and a vase of roses, painted on opaline glass by Birkenhead artist Bessie Bamber, who specialised in such sentimental views, sold for £1,500.

A Chinese blue and white square section vase painted with figures and the six character mark of Kangxi was judged to be period by the London dealer who ignored the pre-sale estimate and parted with £4,500 to buy it together with a blue and white plate decorated with auspicious objects and another 18th century plate painted with a garden scene in the Japanese manner.

A Japanese ginbari red translucent enamel vase, dating from the Meiji period and decorated with cloisonnè branching white prunus blossom with birds amongst foliage on a figured silver ground sold for £3,200 against an estimate of £800-1,200.

The sale raised a total of £240,000.

Entries are now invited for Peter Wilson’s next sale of fine art and antiques, which is on July 7-8 and for the weekly Gallery Sales held every Thursday. For further information, please contact the auctioneer on 01270 623878 or auctions@peterwilson.co.uk.