Among these were pieces of Royal Copenhagen ceramics. The Danish factory has been producing quality material since 1785 to the present day and has many quiet admirers.
“We are seeing increased interest in all things Copenhagen,” said Fellows senior specialist Mark Huddleston.
Last October he sold three lots of c.1930s dinner and tea wares in the signature underglaze blue Lace pattern to South Korean collectors at a hammer total of £6640 against hopes of around £500.
At the February sale, a 12½in (31.5cm) diameter tray with polar bear surmount and painted marks to the base 21-7-1924 was guided at £300-500.
“A handful of Copenhagen designers produced polar bears but the only one we found at auction was a double bear example which made £1250 in 2005,” said Huddleston. “We predicted that the market would have cooled since then, but from this result it appears not,” he added after a UK collector took the tray at £2300.
Like the tray, a 11in (28cm) tall porcelain Lace pattern mantel clock was also a rarity in good condition.
Inscribed W. Q. le Maire Kjobenhavn to the dial and with 1-10-17 painted in green and 39 in blue to the base, it sold to another UK collector at £2400, some five times the estimate.
“Along with our October results we are now seeing that the Lace pattern commands a real premium,” said Huddleston.
