The auction followed the 25th Earl’s decision to declutter some of Dunrobin’s 189 rooms after he inherited the property following the death of his mother, Elizabeth, in 2019.
The 416-lot Bonhams sale started at 10am and finished just before 9pm, taking a marathon 11 hours to complete, with four auctioneers taking turns on the rostrum. It made a premium-inclusive £732,528, more than twice its modest pre-sale estimate, with 98% of the lots sold and 99% by value.
Among the highlights was a set of four carved oak armorial panels from The Queen Regent’s House, Edinburgh which sold at £14,000 (estimate £4000-6000). Although one of these roundels is later (18th century), three probably date from the 16th century. One shows the impaled arms of James V (1512- 1542) and Mary Guise, Duchess of Longville who were married in 1538 at Notre Dame. Their daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) displayed the same arms.
Charles Graham-Campbell, Bonhams managing director, Scotland, said: “With such impeccable and romantic provenance, we had many hundreds of people bidding from all over the world. As we hoped, it proved to be the sale of the season.”
