Tryhorn Porcelain Collection Highlights - Bow, Champion, Chelsea and Plymouth's Cookworthy

Published 28th February 2013

One (FS17/3) of the two Bow Porcelain bottle vases in the Tryhorn collection, which was sold at auction in the January 2013 Fine Art Auction, achieving £3,100.

The dispersal of the late Donald Tryhorn's porcelain collection proved to be well received by the trade and collectors alike, with every one of the 154 lots finding a buyer, with a sale total a shade over £100,000. Many pieces were originally purchased from the London trade and were well provenanced, so it was pleasing to see some of them find their way back home.

The top lots of English porcelain were both Bow bottle vases decorated in the Kakiemon manner achieving a hammer price of £3,100 (FS17/3) and £2,700 (FS17/8).

A Chelsea Tea Bowl, decorated in the 'Lady in a Pavilion' style attracted a winning bid of £1,600. (FS17/60).

Of academic as well as commercial interest was the Chelsea tea bowl (FS17/60) decorated in the Lady in a Pavilion pattern, circa 1752, that was matched with an earlier Japanese prototype and fetched £1,600, demonstrating that people will overlook a little restoration for rarity.

The Tryhorn Collection also comprised of French porcelain, including this Chantilly porcelain mustard pot from from 1740-50. (FS17/120).

The Tryhorn Collection also included French porcelain, including this Chantilly porcelain mustard pot from 1740-50. (FS17/120).

Whilst the Tryhorn collection was predominantly Kakiemon influenced and particularly favoured Bow, there was a strong presence of other early porcelain manufactories, both domestic and from France. A Chantilly porcelain mustard pot (FS17/120), delightfully decorated with Japanese boys at play, made £940 and a Saint Cloud treumbleuse cup and saucer (FS17/133) sold on reserve at an affordable £500.

The Japanese Kakiemon attracted strong bidding with this pair of 17th century saucer dishes realising £3,000 at auction in our Exeter salerooms on the day. (FS17/141).

Bidding was particularly strong for the Japanese Kakiemon with a crisp pair of 17th century saucer dishes (FS17/141) attracting a bid of £3,000 and the one surprise from the sale was the last lot a repaired Arita dish (FS17/154) estimated at £100-£200 and considered to be late 17th century. A bid of £1,850 rather suggests it may have been earlier and perhaps produced for the Chinese market.

The West Country was also represented in the Tryhorn Collection with this Champion's Bristol teapot selling for £1,900. (FS17/41).

Much closer to home, Donald Tryhorn was a West Country man so couldn't help but acquire a few pieces for his collection and the top sellers here were a very crisp Champion's Bristol teapot (FS17/41) and a large treumbleuse and saucer (FS17/53), which fetched £1,900 and £1,450 respectively. Meanwhile, a Cookworthy Plymouth rococo sauceboat (FS17/46) made a respectable £680, despite a glue repair to the handle, but a simpler Plymouth porcelain sparrow beak cream jug (FS17/50) painted in blue, but heavily smoke stained landed a surprising bid of £640.

Amongst the West Country porcelain was a Cookworthy Plymouth rococo sauce boat (with a glue repair to the handle), which fetched a respectable £680. (FS17/46).