Measuring 18in (46cm) in diameter, an unusually large 18th century beech serving dish is priced at £1150 from J Collins & Sons, specialist dealer in treen and wooden bygones in Bideford, north Devon.
Made in England in c.1760, the pale honey-coloured dish has spasmodic historic worm holes and no knife marks, which suggests that it was probably used on the table for bread or vegetables.
This hand-spun Kashmiri shawl above, dating to 1872, comes from the private collection of the free-spirited aristocrat Lady Constance Stewart (1882-1932), a professional dancer and author whose semi-clad dancing incurred the displeasure of Edward VII, who barred her from court.
Woven in the twill tapestry technique with coloured wools and swirling decoration, the oblong 11ft 1in x 4ft 5in (3.4 x 1.36m) shawl was brought back from Stewart’s solo trip in 1902 to Kashmir, where she purportedly kept warm by sharing a room with her yak.
The shawl has been with her family since and will be offered in an Islamic & Indian Art sale at west London saleroom Chiswick Auctions on May 3, estimated at £500-700.
chiswickauctions.co.uk or see this item on thesaleroom.com
This oil above forms part of a private collection of more than 20 paintings by the Cheshire painter George Sheffield (1839-1892) that once hung at Witanhurst, the large Grade II-listed Georgian Revival mansion in Highgate, London.
The works, bearing labels detailing the rooms they were hung in, were commissioned by the artist’s major patron Arthur Crosfield, a soap magnate who built Witanhurst in the early 20th century.
On Crosfield’s death, the collection passed to a relative at Oakley Hall in Shropshire. When this house was sold and its contents dispersed, the new owner of the hall tracked down the paintings at an auction in Market Drayton in 1984 and re-hung them. The group have remained at Oakley Hall since.
The group will be offered at Cranbrook saleroom Bentley’s in Kent on May 4, with this 2ft 10in x 4ft 2in (87cm x 1.27m) seascape oil on canvas estimated at £1000-2000.
bentleysfineartauctioneers.co.uk
For jewellery collectors, the name ‘Kutchinsky’ is likely to bring to mind images of sculptural pieces set in yellow 18ct gold with diamonds, perhaps further embellished with colourful gems such as turquoise, tiger’s eye and coral.
The firm was originally established in the late 19th century in the East End of London by Hirsch Kutchinsky. Its move to Knightsbridge in 1958, where it remains today, coincided with the loosening of wartime restrictions and a return to luxury and acceptance of spontaneity in the world of jewellery and fashion.
A Lyon & Turnbull auction of jewellery and watches on May 2 in London features three pieces of diamond-set jewellery by Kutchinsky. This 18ct gold diamond set rope-twist ring, marked for London 1972, is estimated at £600-800.
lyonandturnbull.com or see this item on thesaleroom.com
