The sleeper at Dreweatt Neate Bristol Salerooms' (15% buyer's premium) 732-lot August 24 sale was a Willliam IV cast-iron fire basket from a local house clearance.
Although it was catalogued correctly, its quality had been overlooked and it was entered with modest pre-sale hopes of £120-180.
“It has been ages since we had any decent fire baskets, but this was a particularly nice one and was contested by the London trade,” said Dreweatt Neate specialist David Rees.
The 2ft 2 1/2 x 2ft 3in x 11 1/2in (67 x 69 x 29cm) basket had a back panel cast with anthemion-centred foliate scrolls, a lozenge lattice openwork front panel and tapered front uprights with lion’s- paw feet.
It sold to a London dealer at £2700.
Selling more in line with expectations was the most expensive entry – a matched pair of 1913 12-bore shotguns which made £4400.
Among the furniture, a Victorian D-shaped credenza fetched £3900 and a Sheraton period satinwood-banded and inlaid mahogany Pembroke table was knocked down at £2500.
Overall the sale totalled £120,250 and saw a selling rate of 70 per cent by lot.
Room warms to quality fire basket which goes at ten times the top hopes
BEING part of a large company such as The Fine Art Auction Group has its benefits when it comes to sourcing consignments and sharing expertise, but, on a day-to-day basis, it does not always make the specialist’s life any easier when it comes to spotting sleepers.
