Not seen either of these before...

At the auction preview, first off is this porcelain figure about 7 inches tall, shield has possibly an armorial, photo is heavily cropped and best image I have:


Then there is a metal chess set, possibly bronze, and I took a photo of the knight:


Lot estimate is quite high, just wondering whether to indulge curiosity and maybe lose money!

 

the 1st one is neat.....but after owning it for a while....I'd get Boar-ed !

 

If you decide to bid on it, be sure to check for hidden damage.

I mention this due to the appearance of the lip of the vase in the foreground.

 

I don't think either piece is high enough quality to indulge in but that's just my humble opinion.

 

No idea at all, on this end, of values. I hope you get some usable parameters. With that not attractive Minotaur?? and a somewhat crudely made chess set it is the type of auction I would love to attend. But sit on my hands through most of it.

My advice, go and hope for a poor turnout.

 

Thanks for the responses.

Estimate on lot was £120-£150.

I was prepared to bid £100 (which would equate to c£120 with buyers commissions)

Commission bids meant I didn't get to bid at all, and I watched as bids went to over £300, just short of £400 including buyers commission.

Hmmmm..................

 

Smart move.

 

In context of not paying a full value, probably.

But multiple bidders don't ramp up the price for the hell of it.

Lot as a whole looked interesting, and the boar head figure especially so. Still, time to move on

 

I have seen bidders pay, knowingly, 4 or 5 times the value. Twice, (I know the bidders well) simply because they were competitive. I'm confident you have witnessed the same.

 

I've seen that chess figure and I wish I could recall where. Phooey.

 

On a chess board....???

 

I think it's based on a set of book illustrations. Just don't ask me which book.
The casting does look pretty crude; my late dad designed metal castings for a living, his were meant for power plants, and they looked better than that. Sometimes things go well over the odds because Grandma had one just like that, and only one grandkid could get the original. People don't care what it's worth retail, they just want Grandma's ugly planter or whatever.

 

That boar head cavalier is probably Prince Marcassin, "based on the character of Prince Marcassin from a fairy tale by Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy, a scandal-prone 17th-century French author, known for her marvellous, subversive and scathing fairy tales." I finally found the character who was known as the "Blue Boar" - "the universal theme of the man-beast." This figurine certainly isn't blue. Here is the character with a blue boar head done in blue & white. About the 3rd of the way down the page:
http://www.asiascot.com/news/2015/09/28/my-blue-china/

I believe the original tale, Nights of Straparola, was from what d'Aulnoy adapted her Prince Marcassin. I thought this porcelain piece might be something of value when I saw this thread of yours; however, I know very very little on this subject and could not venture a guess to value or age.

The plinth/stand looks original and old? Almost looks like writing on the top of the plinth.

--- Susan

 

Susan,
I should have posted more following the auction.

There was a paper scroll applied to the front of the plinth (it looked to be contemporary with the figurine) and the figure is, I think, linked to this image

 

Very interesting! Thanks for the update on the figurine.

--- Susan