By Terence Ryle
Autumn has been the setting for so many specialist sales round the regions that an all-disciplines, quality sale such as that held by Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood (21% buyer’s premium) at Exeter on October 3 was almost a rarity.
Among the 900 lots, of which 80% got away to a hammer total of £490,000, some solid prices for English furniture and a decent Devon longcase emerged. However, these sales are generally a window on the wider world and the top bids came for continental silver, Russian, Persian and German ceramics and Chinese silks.