World record paid for Royle painting at Ilkley auction

The magical moment in the art section was the highest price ever paid at an auction for a Herbert Royle painting. This was a large canvas showing a snowy landscape in the Lake District.

In the auction this item succumbed to a battle between two private buyers with the winning bid a stunning £13,500.

In the sale as a whole, it was business as usual where demand was concerned, except that furniture seemed to be on the 'up'; middle to low value 'secondary' pictures were even less desirable than before, while silver like furniture seemed easier to sell after months of bumping along the bottom.

The ceramics section was smaller than usual but nevertheless had an interesting spectrum of items and consequent prices. Most interesting perhaps was a large Doulton Lambeth ware jardiniere decorated with horses by Hannah Barlow which was quite seriously damaged to its rim.

Nevertheless, the price was well over estimate at £1,200.

An art dcor Clarice Cliff bizarre tea for two in Solomon's Seal pattern sold for £700, a pair of Staffordshire porcelain huntsmen figures reached £640 and an art deco figural table lamp £700.

A Royal Worcester vase painted with lilies by Cole reached £620, as did a small Moorcroft vase and a Chinese famille rose meat plate, found £600.

The best glass price was an addition to the catalogue, a pair of Victorian cranberry lustre drop vases which also fetched £700.

The main metalware prices were obviously centred round the decorative pieces. Work by Georges Omerth included a pair of girl tennis players at £1,550, a boy and girl playing croquet £1,550 and a turn of the century girl £1,500.

A Japanese bronze tiger led the field at £2,400. Illustrated on the front cover of the catalogue was a Japanese ivory and wood figure of Sarumawaski signed Ryuun, which justified the attention at a price of £3,600.

A modest little needlework panel dating to the late 17th or early 18th century, but later remounted on a piece of silk, surprised the assembly when two local trade buyers pushed its price up to a quadruple upper estimate of £520.

The best silver price in a buoyant section was a canteen of flatware dated 1929 in Windsor pattern which reached £1,800. Also notable were a pair of Georgian silver wine coasters which sold for £1,250 and an Irish silver sugar basket dated 1787, selling for £660.

A pair of Georgian silver candle snuffers on matching tray, stamped 'London 1814', sold for £500, and Victorian card case chased with a view of the Scott Memorial £600. Four Edwardian silver menu holders in the form of artists' pallets set with semi-precious stones reached £680.

There were several nuggets in the jewellery section, some of which did not get away. Those that did included an art deco diamond brooch with emerald ends which reached £3,800, a pair of single diamond stud earrings at £7,000 and a solitaire diamond ring selling for £1,450.

In the picture section amongst Yorkshire artists was a lively farm scene by Ernest H Rigg, deserving its price of £1,700.

An oil study of figures in an extensive landscape by George Boyle sold below estimate at £1,200, while a view of Fairy Dell, Middleton, by Joseph Mellor reached £1,000.

A 'sleeper' amongst the watercolours was a small work 'Dusk over the Wetlands' catalogued as P French, but judging from the sale interest attributed to Percy French, which quadrupled the lower estimate at £1,650. A charcoal sketch of a nude woman by August John reached £1,000.

There were just three high prices in the clock section. A longcase by Clark, Epworth found £1,400, a very pretty French gilt metal mantel clock reached £1,250 and in the same section a symphonium disc musical box sold for £2,600.

There were 22 prices above £1,000 in the main furniture section, the best being £5,200 realised for a pretty Regency rosewood drum top table with very bright gilt metal feet. Another excellent price for rosewood went to a large 19th century carved stool which rose to £2,900.

Several little Victorian work tables, Sutherland tables and other similar drawing room prices sold readily at around £1,000 to £1,400 and a Georgian brass-bound oval mahogany wine cooler in distressed condition reached £1,150.

A walnut tallboy, described as 18th century, was later sold for £2,100, an art deco style 1920s walnut dining table and six chairs £1,250, and an Arts and Crafts copper wall mirror with turquoise roundels £1,250.

A stunning 19th century stained glass panel depicting Saint George and his much maligned dragon doubled its estimate at £1,200.

A small Regency rosewood chiffonier sold for £1,650, an excellent walnut and ormolu-mounted writing desk in the style of Louis XV, reached £2,300, and a French Kingwood commode found £2,000.

An item which turned up no bid at a previous event was a Dutch 17th century oak draw leaf table. This time competition pushed it well past lower estimate to reach £3,800.