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The Monkey Table, a Japanese lacquered table, was purchased at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 by the Bachelor Duke of Devonshire. It made £22,500 over an estimate of £3,000-£5,000. (click on image to enlarge)

IT took just four hours today for the three day auction at Chatsworth in Derbyshire to surpass the pre-sale estimate for the entire sale.  At barely one sixth of the way through the total realised stood at £3 million against a pre-sale estimate of £2.5 million for the entire auction. (see post for July 14 on antiquesandartireland.com)

The scene in the marquee. (click to enlarge)I

The top lot was a George II carved white marble chimneypiece designed by William Kent c1735 which made £565,250 against a pre-sale estimate of £200,000-300,000. Around 400 people attended at the sale on day one with another 1,000 bidding via telephone, over the internet or through absentee bids.  The sale comprises about 20,000 objects in 1,400 lots.

THE first day of the sale brought in £4.4 milion.  Among the fittings from Devonshire House in Piccadilly, London were five chimneypieces designed by William Kent, each of which sold well. The highest price of the day went to the chimneypiece from the saloon at Devonshire House, which sold for £565,250.  The Kent designed chimneypiece for the ballroom made  £457,250, a George II grey veined white marble chimneypiece, made £265,250, a George III Mahogany and crossbanded five pedestal dining table c1790, made £205,250 and a George III gilt bronze mounted library bookcase with a concealed door through which the Prince Regent (later George IV) would pass to visit Mrs Fitzherbert made £145,250. Bidding was from around the world.