Auction recap / Bonhams
Bonhams Homes & Interiors Auction Realizes £309,018 with 82.7% Sell-Through
The London sale featured distinguished private collections, led by a Napoleonic Wars archive and historical portraits.
Auction highlights
Estimate£4.5–6.5KSold£12,800
Estimate£2–3KSold£10,240
A Gilbert Islands shark tooth staff 131cm, 126cm and 109cm long, 3
Estimate£500–700Sold£5,632
An Elizabeth II canteen of silver cutlery Garrard and Co., London, 1966
Estimate£3–5KSold£5,376
Estimate£3–5KSold—
Estimate£2.5–3.5KSold£4,864
Estimate£1–1.5KSold£4,864
An Indonesian 800 silver tea and coffee service Some pieces stamped 800, and with makers mark PI
Estimate£2–3KSold£4,352
A collection of Hanoverian pattern flatware J B Chatterley & Sons Ltd, Sheffield, 1973
Estimate£1.5–2KSold£4,096
An 18th century ebonised and walnut bohemian table cabinet
Estimate£500–800Sold£4,096
A Chinese celadon censer Ming (4)
Estimate£600–800Sold£4,096
A German small flintlock rifled sporting carbine perhaps for a child, Circa 1750
Estimate£3–4KSold—
Estimate track marks the pre-sale range; the tick marks the sold price. Lot photography: Courtesy Bonhams.
Contextual data provided by Pricing Culture Analytics; this is not an exhaustive list. Pricing Culture Analytics organizes publicly available auction data to analyze and produce insights.
In a sale that closed on 17 September 2026, international auction house Bonhams held its Homes & Interiors, Including Two Distinguished Private Collections auction. The auction realized a total of £309,018[1], with 239 of 289 lots successfully finding buyers, resulting in a sell-through rate of 82.7%[1]. Bonhams published the official results page confirming these final figures for the sale, serving as the primary source for the event's overall performance. The auction presented a diverse selection of fine art, antique furniture, silver, and ethnographic objects, drawing interest from collectors of historical artifacts and decorative arts.
Among the primary highlights of the sale was a fascinating historical archive from the Napoleonic era. The collection relates to the life and career of Dr Louis-Vivant Lagneau, who served as a military surgeon in Napoleon's army[2]. This lot includes a manuscript draft of his autobiography, titled Journal d'un chirurgie de la grand armée, which consists of closely written text in French with numerous deletions, corrections, and insertions across 267 numbered pages. The manuscript shows signs of its age and historical journey, with dust-staining, marks, frayed edges, and some torn pages. Additionally, the archive features a manuscript diary titled "Journal de Voyage" written in both French and Italian, detailing his travels with the French military forces.
Fine art offerings in the sale featured notable portraiture with deep historical associations. A portrait of a lady, said to be Charlotte de la Tremoille, later Countess of Derby, was presented from the Graeme Collection, which is known for its property with Jacobite associations. The oil on canvas portrait measures 58 x 51cm and is executed in the style of a follower of Sir Anthony van Dyke.
The ethnographic and tribal art category was highlighted by a selection of items from the Jim Lennon collection, which were offered to the market without reserve. This group included a Gilbert Islands shark tooth staff featuring a shaft mounted with shark teeth in spiralling rows. The lot also included a Solomon Island canoe paddle with a handle carved with heads and painted with fishing birds, alongside a Yoruba dance staff carved with figures and half nut bells.
For collectors of fine metalwork, the auction featured an Elizabeth II canteen of silver cutlery manufactured by the celebrated makers Garrard and Co. of London. The canteen is designed in a feathered Old English pattern and comprises a comprehensive service including table spoons, soup spoons, dessert spoons, table forks, dessert forks, table knives, side knives, carvers, a knife sharpener, sauce ladles, sugar tongs, teaspoons, coffee spoons, and salt spoons, totaling 110oz of weighable silver.
Auction highlights
Sale file- NAPOLEONIC WARS – DR LOUIS-VIVANT LAGNEAU Collection relating to the life and career of Dr Louis-Vivant Lagneau (1781-1867), military surgeon in Napoleon's army, comprising manuscript material, medals and portrait miniatures (collection) | estimate £4,500 to[2] £6,500 |[2] sold for £12,800[2]
- Follower of Sir Anthony van Dyke (1599-1641) Portrait of a lady, said to be Charlotte de la Tremoille, later Countess of Derby (1599-1664) | estimate £2,000 to[9][3] £3,000 |[9][3] sold for £10,240[3]
- A Gilbert Islands shark tooth staff 131cm, 126cm and 109cm long, 3 | estimate £500 to[4] £700 |[4] sold for £5,632[4]
- An Elizabeth II canteen of silver cutlery Garrard and Co., London, 1966 | estimate £3,000 to[6][5] £5,000[6] |[5] sold for £5,376[5]
- The Myrton Castle Suite: A George III carved giltwood suite to include a pair of sofas and a pair of armchairsIn the manner of John Linnell (1729–1796) (4) | estimate £3,000 to £5,000
- A collection of Victorian fiddle and thread pattern flatware By George Richards Elkington, London, 1862 | estimate £2,500 to[7] £3,500 |[7] sold for £4,864[8][7]
- Scottish School (17th Century) Portrait of a gentleman, bust length, wearing armour (in a carved giltwood Sunderland style frame) | estimate £1,000 to[8] £1,500 |[8] sold for £4,864
- An Indonesian 800 silver tea and coffee service Some pieces stamped 800, and with makers mark PI | estimate £2,000 to £3,000 | sold for £4,352[9]
The results of this Homes & Interiors sale demonstrate a steady interest in well-provenanced private collections and historical memorabilia. The successful sale of 239 of the 289 offered lots highlights the consistent appeal of decorative art, silver, and unique historical documents among active buyers in the current market.
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