Lay’s Auctioneers

Lay’s Auctioneers (previously known as David Lay) are a firm of fine art auctioneers and valuers based in Cornwall. Founded in 1979 by David Lay, they hold regular auctions at the grade II listed Penzance Auction House.

The business often deals with private collections such as the contents of the Pendarves Library which they sold in 2013. Other areas of expertise include Oriental works of art, prints, collectables and books.

In September 2022, the firm changed its name to Lay’s Auctioneers and opened The Lanner Auction House in a former Methodist church in the village of Lanner, near Redruth in west Cornwall.


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Arts & Crafts courtesy of jeweller Ella Naper and mentor Frederick James Partridge

04 September 2023

Jewellery from the estate of Ella Naper (1886-1972) was offered at Lay’s (21% buyer’s premium) in Lanner, Cornwall on August 10-11.

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Pearce peppers up a Penzance auction

17 July 2023

In the oeuvre of ‘primitive’ painter Bryan Pearce (1929-2006), still-lifes are significantly rarer than his marine and harbour scenes.

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Pick of the week: Joanna ploughed on as Reginald

03 July 2023

Works by Reginald Pepper (fl.1970s-90s) are not very common at auction – and this is not just because he doesn’t exist.

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Silver owned by the 'Golden Ball' gambler who frittered away a fortune comes to auction

29 May 2023

This pair of silver wine decanter stands or bottle coasters by Philip Rundell (1746-1827) for Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, (London 1819 and 1820) sold for £10,500.

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Letters reveal heartbreak of Princess Di

01 May 2023

A collection of 32 letters and cards written by Diana, Princess of Wales to two friends came for sale at Lay’s (18% buyer’s premium).

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Shipwreck Lutine surfaces again as tabletop souvenir

27 March 2023

La Lutine, launched by the French in 1779 and later requisitioned into the Royal Navy, is today best known for its sinking.

Lay's saleroom

Second saleroom for Lay’s

03 October 2022

Lay’s Auctioneers (previously known as David Lay) has expanded with a second saleroom in its home county of Cornwall.

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O’Casey crow sculpture attracts a flurry of bids

03 October 2022

Simple, nature-inspired motifs and geometric shapes run through the work of St Ives artist Breon O’Casey (1928-2011).

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Cheers! Harold Knight portrait takes £46,000 at David Lay auction

08 August 2022

A combination of artist, sitter, date and quality ensured a compelling Newlyn school portrait caught the eye at David Lay’s latest auction in Penzance.

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Watches: Sherpas on the rise

18 July 2022

ATG reports on the market for the Enicar series of watches that were taken to Everest

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Portrait bust provenance with Peel appeal

06 June 2022

This late 18th century portrait bust of a gentleman by a sculptor from the circle of Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823) is traditionally thought to depict the prominent British Whig statesman Charles James Fox (1749-1806).

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Delft teapots belie humble origins and are now popular and pricey

04 April 2022

Teapots made in delftware were never particularly functional nor popular in either England or the Netherlands.

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Art market: Further reflections on rare Stanhope Forbes sales in Penzance auction

28 February 2022

Works also sold in Penzance but not for six figures help to understand this market

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Emms dog portraits rear their heads in different parts of the country

28 February 2022

A couple of dog portraits by leading Victorian canine painter John Emms (1844-1912) brought a flurry of bids at separate auctions held just a day apart.

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Messum bangs drum for Newlyn school

14 February 2022

A rare opportunity to gauge the market for a major Newlyn School painting came at David Lay’s latest auction in Penzance when a lively and clamorous scene by Stanhope Forbes (1857-1947) was offered with a £120,000-180,000 estimate.

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Exceptional examples of Victorian metalwork come to the fore at David Lay

17 January 2022

Christopher Dresser created a number of daring geometric designs for silver and silver-plated toast racks in the late 1870s and early 1880s, both for Hukin & Heath and for James Dixon & Son.

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Park's portrait of wife Peggy impresses

03 January 2022

An artist’s painting of his wife turned heads at a recent David Lay (18% buyer’s premium) auction in Penzance, selling over 10 times above estimate.

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Cryséde shawl in demand

27 September 2021

Alec Walker (1889-1964) created Cryséde fabrics as a small experimental silk-printing firm in Newlyn in 1920.

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Mathematician’s descendant adds up to a new highest sum in the saleroom

27 September 2021

A small flurry of recent good prices for Australian artist Herbert Ivan Babbage (1875-1916) continued at David Lay (18% buyer’s premium) in Penzance, Cornwall.

William Black

St Ives artist re-appears at auction in Cornwall

21 June 2021

William Black is a little-known member of the St Ives artist group who, having been an architect after the Second World War, worked as an artist in the town following an inheritance in the early 1950s.

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