New Auction Record for a Mouseman Carving Set at £15,000

A new auction record for a Mouseman oak carving was set in Tennants Auctioneers’ 20^th Century Design Sale on 4^th October, when “Fighting Stallions” sold for a remarkable £15,000 (all figures exclude buyer’s premium). “Fighting Stallions” is one of the rarest model carvings produced by the Workshop of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson; oak is extremely difficult to work with, and the intricate and delicate work seen in this carving is a testament to the skill of the master Mouseman carver Stan Dodds, who later went on to carve under his own signature critter of a Woodpecker. The carving was part of one of the most important private collections of Mouseman to appear at Tennants. Comprising over forty lots of Mouseman and ten lots by other Yorkshire Critter Carvers, the collection was carefully curated by Colin and Doreen Stott of West Yorkshire, and every piece has been immaculately cared for. The collection realised a total hammer price of £84,240 and included further outstanding pieces such as carved “Draught Horse”, again carved by Stan Dodds, which sold for £5,500.

The entire section of Mouseman in the sale saw very strong levels of interest and competitive bidding throughout, realising a total hammer price of £201,090. Further notable results included a 1929 English Oak Bureau commissioned by Thomas Mallen (1901-1982), owner and manager of R.C. Mallen Gentleman’s Outfitters in Vine Place, Sunderland (sold for £13,000), a circa 1980s English Oak Mantel Clock carved to either side with elephants (sold for £14,500), and a possibly unique diminutive English Oak Octagonal Table measuring just 29.5cm high, likely made for a child (sold for £4,800).

Aside from Mouseman, other outstanding lots in the sale include the last ever pot made by Monica Young, master potter. Measuring almost 1.5m high, the pot sold for £7,000. Monica Young (1929-2004) was an extraordinary potter; self-taught, she created monumental sculptural pots from her studio in Reeth, in the Yorkshire Dales.

The sale achieved a total hammer price of £291,750 for 345 lots, and an 93% sold rate.

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