George Farrow Collection proves popular – Antique Collecting

The fresh-to-market The George Farrow Collection sale ended recently with total sales of over £1 million.

Roseberys, London, reported that the private collection proved popular with buyers, recording sales totalling £1,071,000 and 68% of lots exceeding their pre-sale estimates.

The auction’s standout sale was a 17th-century North Italian marble relief of Marcus Curtius, acquired by a British private client for £91,240 against an estimate of £1,000-£1,500.

Another highlight was the institutional sale of a North Italian dorsal tapestry depicting an allegory of Fortitude, which has been acquired by the Museo di Palazzo Ducale in Mantua, Italy.

Highlight sales spanned the Asian, Middle Eastern and European art historical canon:

• An Italian specimen marble and micromosaic table: Attributed to Giacomo Raffaelli, the table sold for £62,640 against an estimate of £25,000-£35,000. The exquisite top (shown above)depicts a chaffinch guarding its nest of eggs from an inquisitive mouse, surrounded by 160 radiating specimens arranged in concentric tapering bands edged in Marmo Nero.

• A rare pair of large Chinese coral ground blue and white enamel painted octagonal lobed jardinières – With Shendetang Zhi marks and from the Daoguang period, the jardinières achieved £60,040 against an estimate of £20,000-£30,000.
• Two Flemish marble reliefs – Attributed to Gérard van Opstal, the reliefs depicting the Rape of the Lapith women by the centaurs at the marriage of King Peirithous and Tritons, Nereids and putti sold for £31,440 and £34,040 respectively, against their pre-sale estimates of £6,000-£8,000.

• Two voided crimson velvet and silk çatma panels – Two 17^th century voided crimson velvet and silk çatma panels from Ottoman Bursa or Istanbul, sold for £21,648.

Anna Evans, Head of Sale at Roseberys London, commented: “It has been a privilege to have been entrusted with the sale of George Farrow’s eminent collection. The sale provided a window into one man’s life-long passion for collecting beautiful works of art from across the globe.

“Clients responded with heated bidding throughout the sale, led by Lot 45, a North Italian relief of Marcus Curtius, which sold for £91,240. We are also delighted to see the return to Mantua of the North Italian dorsal tapestry, which will be displayed in the Museo di Palazzo Ducale’s Hall of Arms in the castle’s southeast tower, adjacent to the northeast tower that houses the Bridal Chamber.

“The sale is testament to effective departmental collaboration across the Roseberys team, reflective of the sought after pieces from China, the Middle East and Europe represented in The George Farrow Collection.”