1. An Edwardian gadget walking cane
Estimated £250-300 at Lockdales in Ipswich on October 9-10 is this Edwardian gadget walking cane.
Concealed in the malacca shaft and white metal knop is a pepperbox revolver capable of firing four shots and a detachable blued steel stiletto blade stamped Briggs for Thomas Brigg & Sons of London.
View the auction on thesaleroom.com.
2. Eames chairs
Chairs designed by Charles and Ray Eames and Jens Risom, previously on loan to the London Design Museum, form part of Sworders’ October 8 sale of 20th Century Design. All were bought in Philadelphia in 1949, when the vendor’s father Johan Polak was working for the United Nations as a graphic designer.
Danish industrial designer Risom produced Hans Knoll’s first furniture designs in 1943. Due to wartime restrictions, his 652 lounge armchair used simple wood frames with seats originally made using discarded parachute webbing.
Two examples from the immediate post-war period are included in the sale, one with a webbed rush seat, the other with the original brown fabric and stuffed upholstery. Both labelled Knoll Associates Inc 601 Madison Avenue, New York 22 NY, they are estimated at £400-600 each.
The sale includes a pair of DCW (Dining Chair Wood) chairs of the same date labelled Charles Eames design Herman Miller, Zeeland Michigan. They are also estimated at £400-600.
View the auction on thesaleroom.com
3. A Russian ballet costume design
The Art & Design sale at Cheffins in Cambridge on October 10 includes this characterful 13 x 10in (33 x 25cm) gouache and gold paint costume design by Pavel Tchelitchew (Russian, 1898-1957).
The Tzar, created for Diaghilev's ballet Coq d'Or, formed part of an exhibition of Tchelitchew theatre designs held at The Alpine Club, W1 in 1976 by the late art advisor Richard Nathanson. It comes for sale from his estate. Estimate £1500-2000.
View the lot on thesaleroom.com.
4. A studio pottery collection
At Cheshire-based Adam Partridge specialist consultant Jason Wood is curating an auction of contemporary ceramics in Stoke-on-Trent on October 10 timed to coincide with the final days of the 10th British Ceramics Biennial.
The sale will feature works by current and former exhibitors with the proceeds from the sale helping support The Clay Foundation, the charity which runs the Biennial.
Among the lots is this 16in (39cm) earthenware plate signed by Bruce McLean (b.1944), dated 2015 and numbered 40/100. It is estimated at £500-700 at the October 10 sale held by Adam Partridge at the British Ceramics Biennial. The auction is being held at the original Spode factory in Stoke-on-Trent.
Partridge’s regular Studio Ceramics & Modern Design auction will be held the following day on October 11 in Macclesfield.
You can view the auctions on thesaleroom.com.
5. A pitman painting
Pit Road with Colliery, Winter is one of a number of works by mining artist (‘pitman painter’) Norman Cornish (1919-2014) in Tennants’ Modern & Contemporary Art Sale on October 12.
The three-mile Pit Road leading from Cornish’s home in Spennymoor to the Dean and Chapter Colliery at Ferryhill is one of his most familiar subjects – and a route he himself walked every day for over 33 years. The pastel on paper is signed and inscribed and was given to the vendor’s father by the artist.
Estimate £8000-12,000. View the auction via thesaleroom.com.