Once the preserve of dealers and vintage collectors, auction houses have now become an astute method for any interior lover to acquire unique pieces of furniture, artwork and objets infused with a sense of history. The last few years have seen a major shift within the industry, with many auctioneers now embracing the digital era and becoming more attractive to online bidders across the globe as a result. While one of the most trusted pieces of advice when it comes to buying in auction is to buy for love, there is no harm in keeping half an eye on something that may increase in value over time. But with such an overwhelming offering covering art and antiques, making a discerning choice can be a herculean task. So Busola Evans spoke to Nicolas Martineau, director of Cheffins, one of the UK's leading auctioneers and valuers which hosts more than 30 auctions annually, to discover 10 investment pieces to make an instant beeline for if spotted.
1. A Regency mahogany bergère library armchair
The term bergère originates in 18th century France and was used to describe an enclosed armchair with upholstered back and armrests, the remainder of the frame being exposed. ‘Here we see a very British interpretation of that idea with its back and sides being caned, upholstered in buttoned leather and the frame elegantly decorated with reeded arm supports and front legs,’ says Nicolas.
‘As with many things in life its value is driven by fashion, together with its quality and condition. Armchairs such as these have seen a steady rise in prices of late and although originally intended for a library now have a much more diverse appeal no longer needing to be banished to a room full of books. An armchair such as this would now be equally as at home in a drawing room, sitting room, study or even a bedroom. This is a classic piece of early 19th century British furniture and despite the continued knocking of ‘brown furniture’ generally, we are finding there is a real resurgence in interest with pieces like this. For things like this good quality, condition and comfort are key. Original examples tend to have a nicely worn look to both frame and upholstery but if buying at auction there should always be plenty of free, informative and helpful advice from the specialists in charge of the sale who can show you what to look out for. Bergère chairs such as this are fairly commonly found at auction, with values tending to range from mid-hundreds to mid-thousands for the finest examples.’
2. A George I walnut cabinet on chest
This charming cabinet on chest was made in the early 18th century during the reign of George I (1714-1727) and is both functional as well as decorative. ‘Originally designed as a desk with its pull-out writing slide, multiple pigeonholes and drawers, it once would have graced the study of a wealthy gentleman,’ explains Nicolas. ‘Unlike furniture made in the later part of that century from imported mahogany this is constructed from indigenous walnut chosen for its beautiful figuring. Furniture such as this is not as fashionable as once upon a time, but the market is seeing a resurgence with buyers focused on properly crafted things which have been recycled over generations and have no carbon footprint. To ensure it is genuine, look at the underside for replacement parts as well as the inside of drawers as handles are more often than not replaced to suit the fashion of later periods.On the whole, it is worth mid-hundreds to low thousands with items of the best quality making more. This market is all about colour condition and originality.’
3. Clarice Cliff ceramics
Clarice Cliff was an untiring talent; she created a stream of new designs which kept her at the forefront of the development of ceramics throughout the 1920s and 1930s. ‘She was known to create hundreds of different designs, with tens of thousands of pieces created throughout her career,’ says Nicolas. ‘Where she really stood out was that she devised things which were useful; vases, plates, candlesticks, tea sets, all with modernist shapes, bright colours and visible brushstrokes, with clear inspiration from the Cubist and De Stijl movements.
‘As Clarice Cliff items were created in high volumes and bought via mail order throughout the 1920s and 1930s, many of these can still be seen on kitchen dressers up and down the country with their owners not knowing their potential value. Indeed, prices are varied, with examples of the less popular and later patterns which were more mass-produced selling for a few tens or hundreds of pounds, whilst a rare piece from one of the more valuable patterns could easily make into the tens of thousands. The market for Clarice Cliff ceramics peaked in 1999 as it was her centenary year, since then prices have plateaued somewhat, however premiums are still being paid for the rarer pattern and shape combinations. The current auction record for a Clarice Cliff work is £39,950, set at Christie’s in 2003, when a 1933 charger decorated in the May Avenue pattern was sold from South Kensington.
‘When looking to start a collection, there are patterns and shapes to suit most budgets. With their bold colours and geometric shapes, some of the rarest patterns include May Avenue, Bowling, Applique Lucerne and Tennis as well as the incredibly rare Age of Jazz figures. However, there are also opportunities here for those with less deep pockets, and patterns such as Crocus and Gay Day can present a more affordable option. When it comes to originality it is important to purchase from a reputable source, as fakes and forgeries do exist, and some are very good indeed. Look at the quality of the decoration and the colours of the pigments, are they as strong as they should be? Look at the price, if something looks to good to be true, then the chances are, it is! There are often more nuanced discrepancies with fakes too, but these are rather more difficult to spot, particularly to the novice collector.’
4. Decorative landscapes
‘This wonderful painting by Edward Seago was sold for £7,000 at the Cheffins Fine Sale in September 2022,’ says Nicolas. 'Edward Seago (1910 – 1974) is easily one of Britain’s most popular and widely collected 20th century landscape painters. This picture shows the close links Seago had with East Anglia, having been born in Norwich and spent the first 21 years of his life living in East Anglia, before later settling down in Ludham, Norfolk, after WWII. This painting was sold via a collector based in Australia and found a new home in a Norfolk private collection. ‘Depicting a view of Ely Cathedral from the River Great Ouse, this painting was typical of Seago’s atmospheric East Anglian works. Seago stands with the likes of Sir Alfred Munnings who gave him some guidance, Bertram Priestman who encouraged him to paint quickly, and Sir John Arnesby Brown, as perennially popular artists at auction and his works always draw international attention. However, we have definitely seen an uptick in interest in traditional, decorative landscapes from artists throughout all periods. As much as provenance and the profile of the artist is important, buyers are now placing just as much emphasis on aesthetics and are looking for beautiful works as well as those which will hold their value.
‘Many of Seago’s works were signed ‘Ted’ and any good paintings valuer could easily spot if a piece is genuine or a copy. For more complex works, unsigned or seemingly without any provenance, we consult with the Portland Gallery who represent the artist’s estate. For would be collectors of landscapes, this is all about buying what you love. Beautiful pieces which will look stunning in your home, rather than buying for investment.’
5. Grand Tour Collectibles
‘As some of the biggest names in design popularise classical motifs such as busts, columns, chariots and seahorses, we are seeing a growth the number of buyers in Grand Tour type items at auction including historians and specialist collectors and more increasingly now, the interior design set. Grand Tour antiques and collectables encompass everything from genuine early antiquities to 19th century bronzes and models, urns, vases, micro-mosaics, antique models of ruins or important architectural sites and paintings or etchings of famous European views, particularly Venice and Rome.
‘The market for these types of items has always been present amongst antiquarians and collectors, however there is now a marked increase in the number of private buyers or designers looking to pick these up at auction or through specialist dealers. With these types of motifs now being brought to attention by the likes of Luke Edward Hall, Ben Pentreath, Nicky Haslam and some of the biggest names in interior design, such is the growing market that modern examples are now available through high street chains.
‘For those looking to build a collection of genuine Grand Tour collectables, these can range from a few hundred pounds for a small, unmarked, 19th century bronze into the thousands for iconic sculptures or models of key architectural sites. Intaglio cases are also a good place to start, with plaster cast or stone medallions which would have embellished the libraries and cabinets of the well-to-do of the 18th and 19th centuries, now available to buy at auction from around £500 into the thousands, depending on quality and condition. Mostly these can be bought at auction or through specialist dealers, such as Jamb on Pimlico Road or Lassco. At the really top end of the market, there are examples which can sell for serious money, such as a cork model of "Templo Della Sibilla in Tivoli" by Antonio Chichi which Cheffins sold for £56,000 in 2018. Or this bust of Aphrodite which made £54,000 in April 2021.’
6. Howard & Sons sofa
Founded in the 1820’s, Howard & Sons furniture soon became a must-have for members of Victorian society in both the town and country. Known for their simple classic designs produced to the highest quality these timeless pieces of furniture are about as comfortable as you will ever find. ‘The example here was found in the Suffolk country house of an old aristocratic family and was heavily disguised under a well-worn and faded satin loose cover,’ says Nicolas. ‘What made this example so interesting was its exceptional original condition complete with Howard & Sons ticking, labels, stamped legs and castors. Furniture such as this is now rare to find and as a result greatly sought after. This particular sofa sold for over £21,000 when sold at Cheffins in September 2021. Anything by Howard & Sons tends to sell well with chairs starting at around the £1000 figure and upwards. It isn’t always easy to tell if a piece which on the surface appears to be by Howard is actually genuine. As with all things that are highly prized there are the inevitable fakes and copies. Much of Howard furniture bears a stamp to one of the rear legs but there are items with forged stamps around. Often the castors carry the makers name and the underside of the furniture has a makers label which tend to point to pieces being genuine.’
7. Inlaid hall table
The main construction of the table is English, from imported mahogany while the hardstone specimen top is believed to have been made in Europe. Furniture of this nature was a bit of a statement piece of the day and seen as something exotic, sophisticated and highly decorative,’ says Nicolas. ‘The stone often coming from the quarries of Italy was used as a way of showing what marble was available to the Grand Touring English gentry of the late 18th and early 19th centuries who were keen to acquire and commission furniture and pictures which would show them as being educated and well-travelled once they had returned home. The table can be worth anywhere between £1,000 and at times many hundreds of thousands for the finest examples. However be aware of fakes. ‘It is not always easy as being highly decorative these tops continue to be made and then fitted to suitable pieces of Regency and Victorian furniture,’ says Nicolas.
8. Chinoiserie desk
This handsome desk dates from the very beginning of the 18th century during the joint reign of William III and Mary II. The expansion of British trade from the mid-17th century with the far-flung territories of Asia brought with it new designs and ideas for interior decoration to an increasingly curious market back home,’ explains Nicolas. ‘This desk has been decorated in the chinoiserie style so popular of the day in gilt on a black japanned (lacquered) base making the scenery and figures depicted stand out for full effect. Of its day this was an extremely stylish piece of furniture, and we are now seeing a resurgence in interest in items of this nature. There are pieces of furniture decorated in this way dating from the early part of the 20th century when the style made something of a comeback, but their hard clean finish lacks all the charm of the earlier 18th century forebears. They are also still very affordable with items selling mainly from mid hundreds to low thousands.’
9. Ancient tapestries
This is a large-scale 18th century tapestry, which measured almost five metres wide and was created after the great painter and designer, Jean Pillement. Large-scale tapestries have graced the walls of some of the country’s largest and most important homes since the Tudor period, and the real heyday of tapestry-making was from the second half of the 14th century to the end of the 18th century,’ explains Nicolas. ‘It is recorded that Henry VIII had at least 2000 tapestries to adorn the walls of his palaces, some of which can still be seen at Hampton Court Palace today. They remained popular in the 17th century despite aristocratic growing interest in paintings, however, tapestries became less fashionable towards the end of the 18th century when they did not suit the Neoclassical and Romantic tastes of the time and wallpaper was also becoming increasing en vogue. There was a revival of interest in tapestries in the 19th century with Morris & Co. producing a series for domestic interiors, with tapestries suiting the Arts & Crafts movement and the architecture of 1930s buildings, such as those designed by Edwin Lutyens. As fashions moved on, tapestries fell out of favour in the 1960s, when tastes turned towards the more minimalist Danish and Scandinavian furniture-makers and when clean lines became the order of the day. However, we are now seeing a revival for these wall hangings, with tapestries featuring in recent projects by the likes of Robert Kime, Martin Brudnizki and Carlos Garcia, and this has led directly to an increase in values at auction. For people buying an antique tapestry, it is important to be understanding that many of these have not weathered the tests of time too well, so less than perfect condition can be forgiven in a lot of circumstances. However, do look out for a good element of colour, with a piece which ideally hasn’t been too bleached if it has been hung in direct sunlight, or more detrimental damage such as moth. Values are varied, but in general you can expect a large-scale tapestry to sell for at least £1,000, with the best-in-class examples selling for into the tens of thousands.’
10. Asian ceramics
These Chinese famille verte porcelain rouleau vases from the period of the Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722) depict with exceptional detail images of scholars, court dignitaries and generals. Originally made for export to a Western market hungry for such items, vases such as these would have graced the rooms of the European Royalty and aristocracy,’ says Nicolas. ‘Demand for Kangxi famille verte porcelain of this period has boomed of late with tremendous interest coming from mainland China fascinated in its Imperial past. When it comes to price range, you can expect them to be worth from the high hundreds for examples in poor condition to many thousands of pounds for those in the best condition. But to ensure a piece is genuine, always consult an expert in Chinese porcelain.’