Monarch of the Glen

This auction features all the trappings of the classic Scottish country manor with period furniture and works of art to add that old world touch to any interior, be it a sprawling manor or city-centre apartment.

Lot 800, a large and impressive taxidermy stag’s head, is a staple of country house interiors and would not have looked out of place in any of the baronial mansions described in Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley novels.  This example hails from the historic Glencalvie Estate nestled in the Caledonian Forest, renowned as one of the finest sporting estates in the Highlands, and was surely a great prize when mounted over 100 years ago and remains just as impressive a specimen today.  In fact, we know from the inscription to the shield mount that this stag was mounted in 1912, two years after Glencalvie Lodge was purchased by C. W. Dyson Perrins of Lea & Perrins sauces fame; that this specimen hails from some of the mostly highly prized acres in the Highlands surely adds to its credentials.

 An excellent selection of period and traditional style furniture encompasses everything from a burgundy leather wingback Chesterfield to a good 19^th century flame mahogany mirror-back sideboard and a handsome 18^th century oak dresser with boarded plate-rack.  With period furniture slowly but surely on the comeback trail, there has never been a better time to set your sights back to a golden period of cabinetmaking.

Of course, these items need to be dressed and there is plenty to choose from in this regard.  Lot 808 is a fine and large bronze cold painted bronze attributed to the great Austrian sculptor Franz Xavier Bergman.  The production of cold painted bronze involved using layers of unfired ‘dust paint’ to achieve a remarkable vibrance of colour; Bergman was very much the master with many imitators never quite able to achieve his mastery of this technically complicated technique.  Cold-painted bronzes proved very popular among the growing bourgeois classes of late 19^th century Europe and were produced in many different forms and renderings: this impressive example, depicting an Arab slave trader, is perfect for those seeking that touch of Orientalist exoticism.

In addition, the auction showcases a strong selection of 19^th century ceramics and glass including a Sunderland Bridge ‘Frog’ mug, Royal Worcester, first period Beleek and a good Regency decanter bearing wheel-engraved hunting scene perfect for that special claret or single malt.

Whether recreating your own Tully-Veolan mansion or simply looking for that signature centrepiece, the Fine Furniture & Works of Art auction offers a wealth of choice – sometimes, it is no bad thing to keep one foot back in the past.

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James Spiridion 

For a complimentary, no-obligation valuation, visit our Glasgow Galleries or contact a specialist on 0141 810 2880 or auction@mctears.co.uk.