Merry Monarch makes top price at antique paintings auction

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Charles II was crowned King of the Sale at an auction of antique paintings and books in Cirencester last week.

A portrait of the Merry Monarch achieved £4,000 – the top price of the day – at Moore Allen & Innocent’s selected picture sale on Friday, October 25.

The 1.2m-tall full length portrait was attributed to the School of Sir Peter Lely, and bore a striking resemblance to the famous 1675 portrait that hangs at Euston Hall in Suffolk.

From the king of the castle to the king of the cattle, the number two slot was filled by a pair of studies of prize-winning cows in the 19th century naïve style.

Horned Cow in Stable Interior and Horned Cow Beside Thatched Barn by W Luker comfortably exceeded their guide price of £1,000 to £1,500, selling for £2,500.

From the 17th Century Italian School, Family of the Satyr at Play, painted in oils on canvas in the manner of Filippo Lauri, came in third at the top end of its £1,500 to £2,000 estimate, with a hammer price of £1,900.

And an 18th century German portrait of Hanns Christoph von Oppell aus dem Hause Leuthen far exceeded its £400 to £600 estimate, settling at £1,650, while a study of a young girl with rabbits, painted by Eduard Kurzbauer in the mid-1800s, also exceeded its £500 to £800 estimate, achieving a hammer price of £1,550.

A large collection of antique books, sold on behalf of Gloucestershire Library Service, also performed well.

A large and full 19th century scrapbook containing engravings, newspaper clippings and drawings burst through its £300 to £500 estimate, making £1,400, while Italian Scenery Representing the Manners Customs and Amusements of the Different States of Italy, by M Buonaiuti, and published by Edward Orme of London in 1806, made around ten times its £50 to £80 estimate, selling for £650.

A large collection of various volumes on the subjects of the arts, galleries and antiques realised £620, against a £500 to £800 estimate, while another large collection of books on the subject of architecture and buildings made £500 – the top end of the auctioneer’s estimate.

Gloucestershire County Council’s library service was at pains to point out that none of the books related directly to the county’s history or heritage, and that they had been languishing in various library basements – without being requested by library users – for many years.

All of the money made at auction will be ploughed back into the county’s library service.

For more information about buying and selling at auction, log on to http://www.mooreallen.co.uk

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