A ceramic sugar bowl stunned bidders at a Nantwich auction when it fetched a staggering £45,000.
The three-inch lidded bowl, sold at Peter Wilson auctioneers, turned out to be an extremely rare example of French Vincennes porcelain, the earliest incarnation of Sèvres.
This led collectors and dealers on both sides of the Channel to engage in a bidding war.
It went to a private UK collector who was prepared to pay a multiple of the guide price.
“It was a remarkable price for a fairly unremarkable object,” Nantwich auctioneer Chris Large said.
“However, we subsequently learned very few pieces like it have survived and the contest to buy it proved the point.
“Both the Shropshire private owner and I were overwhelmed by what it fetched.”
The bowl proved to be the top lot in a one-day auction of fine art and antiques.
Other big sellers included a group of signed L.S. Lowry prints, a pastel by the Middlesbrough artist Mackenzie Thorpe, and a number of works by Manchester artist William Turner, including this view (right) of the famous landmark, the Sandbach Crosses.
Vintage wristwatches also sold well, including items from Swiss maker Patek Philippe and a Cartier white gold ‘Love’ wristwatch.
Most valuable piece of antique furniture was a William and Mary period bureau book case which sold for £4,500.
Entries are now invited for the auctioneers’ two-day fine art and antique sale on September 16-17, which can be accepted up to August 7.
Contact Peter Wilson LLP, telephone 01270 623878 or [email protected]
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