A first hint of Spring...in West Sussex

One of the undoubted highlights of this three-day event will be the early 19th century Spode blue and white earthenware part-dinner service, transfer-printed with the Indian Sporting pattern after Samuel Howitt’s illustrations for Captain Thomas Williamson’s Oriental Field Sports, Wild Sports of the East (a monthly publication by G. Orme of Bond Street, which commenced in 1805). A small selection of pieces from the service is illustrated right.

The lot consists of 94 pieces in all, decorated with various scenes, including two large meat plates depicting Shooting a Leopard, 46 dinner plates of Death of The Bear and 24 side plates of Common Wolf Trap.

Consigned for sale by an elderly private vendor, the service lay at the back of a kitchen cupboard for 30 years before Rupert Toovey viewed it at the property. It has been estimated to fetch upwards of £5000.

Other items of interest in the sale include an 18th century Scottish treen bicker/quaich, crossbanded in willow, each handle mounted with a silver plaque, one engraved with the crest of Sinclair, the other with the crest of Annand/Bruce, 93/4in (25cm) wide, and estimated at £600-1000.
Four items of Wedgwood Fairyland lustreware are also offered: a Sycamore Tree pattern vase, 83/4in (22.5cm) tall (£2000-3000); a pair of Jewelled Tree pattern vases, 8in (20.5cm) tall (£1200-1800), and an octagonal bowl with the Fiddler in the Tree pattern to exterior and Ship and Mermaid pattern to interior, 8in (20.5cm) diameter (£1500-2000).

One of the main draws of the furniture section is likely to be the Edwardian mahogany and satinwood-crossbanded writing desk by James Shoolbred & Co, profusely inlaid with foliate scrolls. Estimated at £2000-3000, it could make somebody an attractive Christmas present.

And finally, of particular local interest will be the William Lee-Hankey oil on canvas, titled At Pulborough (Pulborough is only a few miles from the new Toovey salerooms), estimated at £4000-6000.