Nicolas Martineau's top picks from The Fine Sale

Many of the items in this sale have come from three private houses, two in the country and one in London. From Stanley Crescent in Notting Hill come the remnants of an aristocratic collection, while the items from Tanners, a country house in Suffolk and Old Oaks in Buckinghamshire represent classic English country house collecting taste.

Working as an auctioneer puts you in contact with many beautiful things and I often find I come up with mental shopping lists of the items I would love to have if only I could afford them! Pity I wasn’t the lucky winner of the £107 million prize on the Euromillions this weekend!

Here is my shopping list for the Fine Sale on the 26^th and 27^th March.

Lot 120 – The Praya Grande, Macao, Chinese School (circa 1830)

This to me is simply a gem of a picture and has somehow (rather unusually) avoided being cleaned or restored over the last almost 200 years of its existence which is rare for paintings of this nature and comes to us in totally original condition. It is a good quality and relatively early view of the Portuguese trading post which of course now would be unrecognisable today.

Lot 426 and 430 – Large blue and white Delft drug jars, 18th century

These are fantastic and would look great in a kitchen on an 18^th century oak dresser. It’s pretty unusual to find them on this scale (normally being smaller in size) and in such good condition as the pottery they are made from is fairly fragile.

Lot 457 – A George III yew wood collector’s cabinet on stand

This lot is both unusual in the material of its construction as well as its condition. Yew wood was not often used to make such large pieces of furniture mainly down to the knotty nature of the wood and the difficulty in working with it as well as the fact that large usable pieces of yew are rare to find. This in turn would have made a piece of furniture like this expensive in its day.  It is especially unusual to find a collector’s cabinet of this date with its original stand, the legs often having been broken or damaged by standing on damp stone floors.  

Lot 468 – A pair of large George III cut glass double magnum decanters

I found this pair of wonderfully large decanters tucked away and forgotten in the back of a large wardrobe in a house in Stanley Crescent. Not only are they impressive in size and would probably hold four bottles of claret (a double magnum) each, but they are beautifully decorated with cut stars surrounded by foliage and have ground glass stoppers as an added sign of their quality. This pair would make a real statement at the grandest of dinner parties.  

Lot 482 – A large blue and white Spode Italian Pattern two-handled foot bath, circa 1820

This is fabulous foot bath is a wonderful thing and again not only for its sheer size but also its pretty Italianate decoration. In its day it would have come as welcome relief having kicked off your boots following a long day’s walk or ride.

Lot 503 – A carved mahogany wine cooler on stand, 18th century

This elaborate and beautifully carved wine cooler would be (and will have been) very much at home in the dining room of the grandest of English Country Houses. In the style of William Kent and adorned with gilt metal goat mask carrying handles it appears to still have its original lead lining and is a piece of furniture which I’m sure could tell a few stories not only of the dinners that have used it but the fine wines it has held.  

Lot 544 – A French gilt metal three light hall lantern, 19th century

A splendid hanging lantern which would make a great statement in a hall.  Formed of beautifully cast and gilded metal work it is decorated with generous scrolling acanthus leaves and lion head masks. 

Lot 546 – A pair of Louis XV walnut armchairs

These charming and elegant mid-18^th century French walnut armchairs appear to be covered in what is quite possibly their original needlepoint tapestries making them rather unusual and as a result are in nicely worn but good condition.

Lot 564 – A George III Hepplewhite period mahogany tub chair, circa 1780

Of superb quality with finely caned seat and back panels this Hepplewhite tub chair was featured as one of a handful of items to be illustrated in Christie’s Art Treasures Exhibition catalogue of 1932 which comprised 1380 fine works of art from a wide range of disciplines and dates.

 Lot 628 – A Shipbuilder's model of 'HMS Ardent' for Thornycroft, circa 1893

Since the 17^th century the British Admiralty required a detailed model to be made of each new class of vessel it commissioned in order to aid the design and construction process. This fine shipyard model of the first of the three initial Ardent Class Torpedo Boat Destroyers built by John I Thornycroft & Co in 1894 is no exception.   On completion HMS Ardent was despatched to form part of the Mediterranean fleet during the 1890’s and was the tender to the flagship HMS Ramillies.

To view the catalogue for The Fine Sale, please click here