It’s widely believed that the market for antique furniture is in the doldrums, and most of the time that’s true. But every now and then, a special piece comes along and sets the market ablaze – and this was the case at Trevanion Auctioneers’ October auction, when a 17th century Chinese coromandel lacquer and polychrome japanned cabinet came up for sale. ‘The cabinet was decorated in Bantam work, a process by which a mixture of brick dust and pig’s blood is layered into incised lacquer,’ says auctioneer Ashley Jones, who sold the cabinet. ‘The exterior of the piece was impressive, decorated with exotic birds, floral sprays and figures, but the interior was just amazing! Because the doors had been closed for most of its life, the decoration had hardly faded and was so vibrant it almost glowed’.
The cabinet was made in China for export to Europe through the Dutch East India Company, and was probably specially commissioned. ‘The reverse of the doors carry the inscription “Sarah Eades, Anno Dom 1691”, suggesting that the cabinet was made to commemorate a special occasion, perhaps Sarah’s birth in 1691,’ notes Ashley, ‘and with secret drawers hidden in the interior, it was clearly intended to secure the owner’s most precious possessions.’
‘I was contacted by a gentleman who’s mother had recently passed away and they needed to clear the house prior to it going on the market’ commented Managing Partner of the firm Christina Trevanion, ‘The property was in Pembrokeshire, but this was certainly not the type of piece that you would expect to find in an old stone Welsh cottage – nonetheless, there it was!’
Having attracted enormous interest prior to the auction, the cabinet swiftly flew past its estimate amid frenzied bidding online and in the room, selling for a very impressive £31,000 plus fees. ‘We have sold similar cabinets to the Pembrokeshire cabinet before,’ commented Christina, ‘but what really set this piece apart was the fact that it was a ‘documentary’ piece. In all my research, very, very few of these cabinets bear the name of the person they were made for, let alone the date. It really is very special, and clearly the buyers thought so too!’
The bidding lasted nearly ten minutes before the cabinet sold to a Dutch buyer online – ‘given its Dutch East India provenance in a way it’s going home,’ says Ashley.
‘I am so thrilled for the sellers of the piece, who came to watch the auction.’ Says Christina ‘Following the sale, they said to me, ‘To think that we were in two minds whether to bother you with all our ‘stuff’ at all – thank goodness we did!’.
Trevanion Auctioneers will hold their next auction on 26th November. The closing date for entries is 6th November. To book a valuation appointment call 01948 800202.
