Bonhams Presents Early Devotional Art and Rare Metalwork in Piety and Pewter Auction

The market for early European devotional art and historic metalwork is highlighted in the upcoming close of Bonhams' specialized sale, Piety and Pewter: The Hayes Collection of Fine & Early Works of Art and The Palmer Pewter Collection. Scheduled to end on 27 October 2026, the auction brings together two distinct collecting categories: early Christian sculpture and paintings, and rare English pewter vessels. The leading works of art in the Hayes collection represent centuries of European craftsmanship, featuring carved alabaster, polychrome reliquaries, and devotional oil paintings that served as personal and liturgical objects of devotion.

Among the notable objects of early sculpture is a Nottingham alabaster fragment of the Trinity dating to the second half of the 15th century. Carved in deep relief, the piece depicts Christ on the cross between the knees of God the Father seated on a throne, retaining traces of its original painted decoration. Nottingham was the principal center of an industry specializing in the carving of locally quarried alabaster, and a comparable fragmentary panel depicting the Trinity is preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The fragment carries an estimate of £8,000^[7][6][5] to £12,000^[2][2]. Another significant devotional object is a fine Spanish carved gilt and polychrome decorated reliquary bust of Saint Agnes from the first half of the 17th century, estimated at £6,000^[9] to £10,000^[3][4][4]. Carved with dark wavy hair tied in a jeweled headdress, the saint wears a red and gilt decorated tunic painted with scrolling foliage and flowers, with a central niche holding a lamb in her left hand. The painting selection includes an early work attributed to Astolfo Petrazzi, titled The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist, estimated at £7,000^[8] to £10,000^[3], which features a landscape believed to depict Radicofani and the rolling hills in Siena.

The sale follows several recent single-owner and thematic auctions at Bonhams. In October, the house held Collected Visions, a private Nigerian collection part II., which realized £46,592^[1] across 35 lots sold. Also in October, the Scottish Art sale realized £526,280^[1] with 68 lots sold, while Autumn Treasures from Private Cellars - UK Edition realized £664,107^[1] across 511 lots sold.

In the broader market context, Bonhams has realized $429,726,396^[1] across all categories in 2026. Within the design category, tracked houses have realized a total of $171,455,550^[1] for 2026, with an average category sell-through of 81.2%^[1]. Christie's ranks first among the tracked houses in this category. For its own year-to-date performance, Bonhams has realized £118,737,078^[1], achieving a sell-through rate of 80.2%^[1].

This specialized auction provides a focused look at early European decorative arts, combining the religious iconography of the Hayes collection with the domestic metalwork of the Palmer pewter collection. The pewter section features rare late-17th-century vessels, including an important William and Mary pewter flat-lid tankard estimated at £5,000 to £8,000, and a very rare William and Mary pewter twin-handled loving cup with hallmarks to the side, also estimated at £5,000 to £8,000. These objects represent the survival of early domestic metalwork alongside the more formal religious carvings that lead the sale.