The ceramics highlight was an elegant pair of 19th century Wedgwood jasperware pot pourri urns with pierced covers. Decorated with white Grecian figures, the eye-catching vases would originally have been made for the hall or drawing room of a grand house and were an impressive 16in (41cm) high. They sold to the trade at £1750 despite slight damage to one jar.
Consigned from the same private Stourbridge source as the urns was a flow-blue decorated, Copeland late Spode, 19th century dinner service.
With an abundant decoration of ruined castles and an acorn border, it was unusually complete with 50 various plates, a massive soup tureen, four tureens and covers and a sauce tureen. Given that flo blue is a favourite with Americans, it will probably eventually find its way across the Atlantic having been bought by the UK trade at £920.
Other notable entries included an Indian tiger skin which made £1000 and a Persian steel bow damascened in gold and black. Expected to fetch £100-150, this decorative provincial oddity discovered at a local clearance was contested on the telephone by several bidders and secured by a specialist dealer at £1500.
One of the biggest surprises for the auctioneer was the bidding on a brightly enamelled, famille verte, two-handled oval dish. This turned out to be an 18th century Chinese vessel and was bought by the trade at £1350.
A large 21in (53cm) 1930s French chrome 'Jaz' shop advertising alarm clock, reputedly made for the 1936 Paris Exhibition, sold to a London buyer at £430.
Ceramics fire enthusiasm among the holiday crowd
ALTHOUGH many vendors decided to hold back some of their best furniture and paintings for the autumn sales, there was enough in Brightwell's (15% buyer's premium) 1266-lot August 11-12 outing to attract holidaymakers as well as some dealers who had not visited Brightwells for some time. As a result, it boasted a healthy 85 per cent take-up by lot and a total of £90,000.