A single oak bookend made by a craftsman in the Workshop of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson sold for an astonishing £7,000 (all figures exclude buyer’s premium) in Tennants Auctioneers’ 20th Century Design Sale on 14th June. The bookend was carved in the form of an elephant, always a popular subject, and was carved by Mouseman craftsman Stan Dodds, who later made fine carvings under this own ‘Woodpecker’ signature critter. Amongst strong prices for Mouseman and Yorkshire Critter furniture and decorative bowls and accessories overall, a further stand-out lot was a Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson English Oak Chest of Drawers, which sold for £4,200.
Highlights of the decorative arts made in the early 20th century included a striking and iconic piece of Art Deco pottery, a Ceramic Wall Mask of ‘Fate’, designed circa 1921 by Richard Louis Garbe for Doulton & Co. The striking green mask sold for £2,800. Selling well, too, was and Stoneware Pouring Vessel made circa 1960 by Dame Lucie Rie and Hans Coper, two of the most influential studio potters working in Britain in the mid-20th century, which sold for £1,200, and a Glasgow School Pewter Wall Clock made circa 1900 sold for £1,500.
Amongst the more contemporary pieces in the sale was a colourful and vibrant collection of glass by contemporary glass-maker Ruth Dresman. Being sold from a Private Collection of Glass and Studio Pottery, each piece of Dresman’s glass is engraved using a unique sandblasting method. One of her favourite subjects is underwater life, and the pieces in the present collection included a Lobster Vessel (sold for £850), and an Octopus Bowl (sold for £650). Also of interest was a Head Form in bronze by sculptor Peter Beard (sold for £3,000), and an Eames Lounge Chair by Charles and Ray Eames (sold for £2,500).
The sale achieved a total hammer price of £128,530 for 260 lots, and a 93% sold rate.
