Auctioneer hails Balcarres House sale

AUCTION house Lyon & Turnbull has hailed its “Five Centuries” auction is Edinburgh as a “hugely successful”.

The auction included lots from Balcarres House in Fife, home of the Earls of Crawford & Balcarres since 1595.

A total of 206 lots from the house went under the hammer.

Lord Balniel, heir apparent to the 29th Earl of Crawford, said: “I was thrilled with the results of the Balcarres property included in Lyon & Turnbull’s ‘Five Centuries’ auction.

“It was a great surprise to find that pieces long-owned by the family, and hidden away in our attics, commanded such good prices – in particular the rare ‘Northfleet’ bicycle seemed to have proved a real hit with bidders.”

The bicycle sold for £5,250.

Head of sale Douglas Girton said: “The collection provided a rare glimpse into another world and a time gone by, and it truly captured the spirit we aim to achieve in our ‘Five Centuries’ auctions.

“From the rare and beautiful study of Bacchus and Ariadne by Giuseppe Piamontini to the barn-found objects such as a rare Victorian bicycle, buyers responded with huge enthusiasm.

“It was thrilling to witness such lively bidding across all collecting categories.”

The Piamontini piece trebled its estimate to sell for £16,250.

Girton added: “I was particularly encouraged to see so much interest in traditional 18th century furniture, which goes against everything we’ve been hearing recently.

“I’m delighted for our vendors, who’ve had to wait so long to see their items go under the gavel. It was worth the wait.”

Read more stories on Scottish Field’s antiques pages.

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