The June auction includes a wide ranging, highly eclectic group of 20 lots acquired to furnish a large and rambling country house, where many of the rooms were decorated according to themes, such as China and Persia. The pieces were sourced from regional auction houses and dealers, where the collector’s wide-ranging and curious eye landed on interesting and eccentric pieces.
The collection features a magnificent Elizabeth I and later carved oak, ebony, sycamore and boxwood marquetry tester bed, (lot 38, est. £8,000-12,000 +fees). Its double panelled back is inlaid with marquetry ‘Nonsuch’ palaces, which are in turn flanked by male and female turns, the palaces reinforce the sense of being taken to other, imagined worlds through sleep and dreams. The bed’s two front posts take the form of Doric columns which sit on panelled plinth bases. There is something deeply romantic and special about retiring to a bed of such a construction and with grand proportions.
The late 19th century Gothic style painted and gilt carved reredos, (lot 98, est. £2,000-3,000 +fees) sets the tone for the altar room within the manor house. It is rich in motifs – crockets, fleur-de-lys, quatrefoils, trefoils and stylised leaves with panels painted with angels and inscriptions. Although the reredos is of course associated with and seen in churches it acts as a backdrop to the altar, this piece with its bright colouring and Gothic styling would look wonderful dividing up a room or mounted on the wall in a triple height contemporary space. The Gothic style in church furniture is also seen in the late 19th century polychrome painted wood and metal giltwood tabernacle (lot 100, est. £300-500 +fees) and the painted and gilded pine canopy, (lot 101, est. £200-300 +fees), and, a distinctive multi-sided, crenelated tower, examples of which are frequently seen in Gothic architecture, is a striking component within the structure of the manor house.
The work of three 19th century artists is offered within the selection: George Barret Jnr (1767-1842) was a son of an Irish artist, also named George Barret, who was probably responsible for his art tutor too. Not much is known about Barret’s early life, however, he exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1800-1803 and was one of the first members of the Society of Painters in Water Colours, founded in 1804, where he consistently exhibited for 38 years. The watercolour in the auction, Arcadian Landscape, (lot 105, est. £300-400 +fees) dates from the period when Barret was moving away from his depictions of the Thames Valley and Home Counties in oil and was increasingly inspired by Claudian-type romantic views whose location was less discernible. The painting was previously owned by Captain Edward Spencer-Churchill (1876-1964), a distinguished Army Officer and a significant art collector, through his father he was a cousin of Winston Churchill. Spencer-Churchill inherited Northwick Park, in Gloucestershire, the property was associated with the Northwick Park art collection created by John Rushout, 2nd Baron Northwick, and Spencer-Churchill added to the collection through the acquisition of coins, antiquities and Old Master Paintings. A year after his passing the collection was sold at auction, with items now to be found at the National Gallery, London and the Metropolitan Museum, New York.
The Victorian artist William Underhill (1808-1908) was known for his genre and sporting subjects, coastal scenes and mythological themes, and his oil on canvas, The Bathers (lot 109, est. £1,200-1,800 +fees) is a fine example of his oeuvre. The third painter represented in the group is John Gray (fl. 1885-1904), and Shepherd and flock, (lot 112, est. £400-600 + fees), is an intriguing oil on canvas. The gentle, undulating rural setting with sheep grazing is disrupted by a large pine tree which dominates the central foreground, it appears to have sustained damage, possibly through a lightning strike, and it clings precariously to shallow ground.
Oriental influences were also seen in the choice of ornamental objects at the manor house. Lot 28, (est. £200-300 +fees), is a charming 20th century Dresden porcelain pair of Chinese jugglers. The figures wear traditional dress, and the sense of movement is fashioned through their articulated heads and hands. Lot 153, (est. £250-350 +fees), a late 19th / early 20th century Chinese red lacquer hexagonal longevity box on stand is profusely decorated with lotus blossom flowers, birds, fish, bats, cranes and Shou characters (indicating long life), its stand has cabriole legs and paw feet. Decorative longevity boxes, usually made of lacquer, symbolise long life and good fortune, they were popular during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) and were given as gifts or used in ceremonies during birthdays or at Chinese New Year. Lot 154 (est. £500-800 +fees) is a substantial late 19th / early 20th century Japanese Satsuma koro and cover; koro are both practical and beautiful items, designed to hold burning incense and its ash, when the cover is later applied the koro becomes a fine work of art. This koro is decorated with figures and exotic birds and the domed cover is topped with a protective, seated Dog of Fo.
Finally, lot 166 is a large 20th century taxidermy male peacock, with plumage in full display, (est. £150-250 +fees). Peacocks, with their loud, distance-carrying calls, are often seen roaming the grounds of large country houses, their cry can often alert their owners to intruders. With its highly attractive and distinctive appearance the peacock commands a unique, symbolic role in a number of cultures and belief systems. Motifs from peacock’s plumage are seen in textiles, architecture, jewellery and fine art, and when Shah Jahan commissioned a jewelled throne for the Mughal emperors of India in the early 17th century it was known as The Peacock Throne, named after the dancing peacocks at its rear. Our peacock at auction this June may be inanimate but he is certainly a majestic creature.
Fine & Decorative Interiors and Jewellery | View the full auction here
Bidding closes from 5pm, Tuesday 24 June 2025
For all auction enquiries: +44 (0)207 281 2790 or info@thepedestal.com