Wiltshire

A collection of works by Samuel John ‘Lamorna’ Birch (1869-1955) formed by an expert on Newlyn artists is coming to Salisbury saleroom Woolley & Wallis this summer.

A rediscovered naïve painting showing Marlborough College in the years before the school was founded has been sold by a dealer to the college itself.

Woolley & Wallis is conducting a single-owner sale of early furniture and sculpture over two days on March 10-11. The auction, titled Paul Fitzsimmons – A Life in Oak, offers 708 lots from the proprietor of specialist oak dealership Marhamchurch Antiques that opened in Devon in 1991.

A painting by Modern British artist George Hammond Steel (1900-60) which was discovered in an RSPCA charity shop in Royal Wootton Bassett drew strong interest at auction earlier this year.

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A pocket watch belonging to a first-class passenger who lost his life on the Titanic was hammered down at £1.5m, or £1.78m including 22.5% buyer’s premium.

A group of antiques dealers and interior designers, alongside fashion designer Lulu Guinness, have got together to launch St Andrew’s Church Decorators’ Attic Sale while Dore & Rees will also host an auction in support of the church.

The second part of the Michael Baggott collection was a white-glove affair at Woolley & Wallis.

A pair of late 17th century delftware shoes that were stolen six year ago have been reunited with their owner thanks to the actions of a Wiltshire auctioneer.

Lot 586 at Henry Aldridge’s (22% buyer’s premium) latest two-day sale was one of the more curious lots to appear at auction in recent times.

Two Dutch and Flemish Old Masters offered fresh to the market and with a sense of rediscovery drew notable competition at Woolley & Wallis’ latest Old Masters, British & European Paintings sale.