A rare black forest figure group of a fox and hare astonished buyers at Anthemion Auctions Fine Art sale by going under the hammer for £14,000. The, at first glance, relatively unassuming treen figurine was discovered amongst a box of assorted items destined for a monthly general sale. It later transpired that had the item not been collected by the auctioneer’s hauliers, it was likely to have been taken to the tip the following day. Instinctively, the auctioneer removed it from the mixed lot for further investigation, deciding to enter it instead for a prestigious quarterly Fine Art Auction. “The piece had a certain quality about it” said auctioneer Ryan Beach “A really unique but inexplicable charm; and when our first photographs were released for the catalogue and online auction, the interest went through the roof. “ Due to its condition the auctioneer had estimated the lot at £2000 to £3000, as the last similar piece was recorded as selling at auction for £4,200; he then went on to achieve the remarkable figure of £14,000 on auction day, much to the disbelief of the delighted vendors. The piece depicts a standing fox with a gun in his belt, arm in arm with a hare holding carrots; the heads tip back to a vacant interior, which would originally have been used for holding spices or tobacco.
The Autumn auction at Anthemion was one of the largest to date, with other stars of the show including a pair of Daum Salammbo glasses “Night and Day”, which sold for £4,500, a solitaire diamond ring, which sold for £3,200, and a continental silver jug which sold for £8000. Anthemion are now accepting items for future Fine Art Auctions.
