Max Rollitt's Top Picks

No. 1

Lot 10: Y An unusual Chinese export padouk metamorphic kneehole desk, circa 1770 | Est. £800-1,200 (+ fees)

"I always love padouk wood. This would have started life as an almost luminous, firelit orange, softening over time to the beautiful tone you see here. This is a beautifully drawn piece, with its caddy top and fine boxwood and ebony line detailing."

No. 2

Lot 53: A George II carved 'Red Walnut' open armchair, mid 18th century | Est. £1,200-1,800 (+ fees)

"This is a wonderfully quirky chair. The arms look like they were added later, almost as an afterthought by a provincial craftsman, and it’s that idiosyncratic detail that gives it real charm and hints at a story. You start imagining the character who might have sat in it."

No. 3

Lot 68: A pair of ormolu figural chenets, in the mid or early 18th century French manner, 19th century | Est. £200-400 (+ fees)

"Pure flamboyance to adorn your fireplace."

No. 4

Lot 97: A pair of Chinese export blue and white porcelain garden seats, 18th century | Est. £1,500-2,000 (+ fees)

"It’s the highly unusual octagonal design and delicate colours that draw me to this pair. The exquisite decoration on these stools are the perfect example of why the English and the Dutch so often mimicked this style of ornament."

No. 5

Lot 105: Y A stool, possibly constructed from a fossilised vertebrae, 19th century | Est. £200-300 (+ fees)

"This is the most extraordinary thing I think I’ve seen for a while – an item where natural history, furniture and art meet."

No. 6

Lot 182: A George II carved giltwood and gesso mirror, circa 1730 | Est. £800-1,200 (+ fees)

"I love a gilded sand-ground finish, and a kit-kat corner. You might say this is a purely decorative mirror, somewhat lacking in function but immensely beautiful. I just love its age – it has an untouched, frail air to it."

No. 7

Lot 242: An unusual carved wood walking cane, 18th century | Est. £400-600 (+ fees)

"An exquisitely carved item, no doubt with a fascinating history, which must have been made for someone of great ostentation and wealth. Just fantastic."

No. 8

Lot 248: A George II fruitwood open armchair, circa 1735 | Est. £600-800 (+ fees)

"There’s a sort of animalistic form to this chair that really appeals – it’s a confident piece, exaggerating in an almost bulldog stance the furniture from that period."

No. 9 

Lot 265: A George III mahogany and brass bound tray, circa 1780 | Est. £400-600 (+ fees)

"Modest yet elegant, with richly accentuated curves and those shapely elongated handles."

No. 10 

Lot 324: After the antique, a painted terracotta model of a foot, 20th century | Est. £200-400 (+ fees)

"Everyone needs a model of a foot."

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Auction Details

Wednesday 7 & Thursday 8 May 2025, 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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VIEWING:

• Viewing at Dreweatts Newbury: Donnington Priory, RG14 2JE
  • Friday 2 May: 10am-4pm
  • Saturday 3 May: 10am-3pm
  • Sunday 4 May: 10am-3pm
  • Monday 5 May: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 6 May: 10am-4pm
  • Wednesday 7 May: 9am-4pm
  • Thursday 8 May: 9am-1pm
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