Hand-painted Chinese folding screen sells for £17,500 at Somerset auction

The Lawrences sale in Crewkerne began with some modern furniture: eight dining chairs by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen & Sons made £3,500 (lot 1501); a sideboard made by P Hensman (a pupil of Edward Barnsley at The Cotswold School) made £1,875 - nearly ten times expectations (lot 1508); and a stool by Robert `Mouseman` Thompson of Kilburn made £1,000 (lot 1531).

Lot 1501

A group of four stained glass panels made £550 (lot 1547) and a 'Winchcombe' jug by celebrated modern potter Michael Cardew took £1,625 (lot 1572).

In the antique ceramics, a Dresden breakfast set of five pieces on a tray made £1,125 (lot 1631); a pretty porcelain plaque of fruit, probably from the Derby factories, was bid to £935 (lot 1642); a pair of Meissen vases and covers, decorated with Venus and Psyche in the manner of Francois Boucher, made £2,375 (lot 1656); and a rare Spode pot pourri cover and liner in the `Groups` pattern made £1,875 (lot 1675).

Lot 1656

Elsewhere, Oriental pieces dominated the higher prices: a Chinese Canton famille rose armorial part service was eagerly contested to £5,250 (lot 1708); a Chinese famille rose 'Bajixiang' bowl, sold with a tankard, made £7,500 (lot 1749); a large Chinese Chia Ch’Ing blue and white jar and cover, circa 1800, made £8,125 (lot 1742); and a rare Chinese export tureen in an unusual Rococo design for the French market made £8,125 (lot 1711).

Lot 1711

A late highlight in a highly successful auction was a Chinese hand-painted folding screen.

Standing 208cm high and over 270cm wide, the brightly decorated panels appealed sufficiently to take £17,500 (lot 1743).