The Paris trade swarm down to Dijon whenever they sense a bargain, and there was plenty of interest at Vregille-Bizoüard in a pair of elegant but unstamped Louis XV marquetry encoignures that quadrupled estimate on Fr175,000 (£16,200), outselling a more sober Louis XVI pair in mahogany, stamped Garnier, that merely doubled hopes on Fr137,000 (£12,700).
Biggest surprise at the sale was the Fr198,000 (£18,300), against a £400 estimate, paid for a rustic, sturdy 18th century dining or ‘community’ table, while a pair of late 19th century wooden jardinières, embellished with enamelled troubadour plaques and gilded metal corner colonettes, shot ten times past a hesitant estimate to Fr72,000 (£6700).
Top price at Philippe Sadde’s sale in Dijon the same day was Fr265,000 (£24,500) for an early 17th century panelled Vue des Abords de Rome Animée de Bergers et leurs Troupeaux, 10 x 14in (25.5 x 35.5cm), by Willem van Nieulandt.
Exchange rate: £1 = Fr10.8
Dijon cuts the mustard, again
FRANCE: DIJON’S trio of auction firms like to cash in on the presence of antiques collectors at the Dijon fair (see Fairs Sales Analysis, "Dijon cuts the mustard") and one of the highlights at the Vregille-Bizoüard sale on May 20 was this pair of early 18th century Italian engraved rococo mirrors, 3ft 11in (1.20m) tall, that tripled estimate on Fr142,000 (£13,100).
