0:00:31 > 0:00:35A great estate and a magnificent house -
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Woburn Abbey stands in 3,000 acres of Bedfordshire countryside.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Inside the abbey, the finest French and English porcelain,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47fabulous paintings, and vaults of silver and gold,
0:00:47 > 0:00:52all gathered during a family history which stretches back nearly 600 years.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57We have two shows from Woburn,
0:00:57 > 0:01:02so for openers, allow me to take you on a grand tour of the estate.
0:01:14 > 0:01:20An abbey was established here in 1145, but was later confiscated by Henry VIII,
0:01:20 > 0:01:25who left the building in his will to the first Earl of Bedford, John Russell, in 1547.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29The Russells didn't actually move in until 1619,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32but it's been their postal address ever since then.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36What you see of the abbey today
0:01:36 > 0:01:39is largely due to the efforts of a couple of 18th-century Henrys,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Messrs Flitcroft and Holland, designers to the nobility.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47The fourth Duke employed Flitcroft to build the grand state rooms,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51and the fifth Duke commissioned Holland to build the south wing,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53the Chinese dairy,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56and the sculpture gallery.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Since those additions, the house has seen some major subtractions -
0:02:00 > 0:02:03it's now only half its original size.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07The east wing, an indoor riding school and a real tennis court
0:02:07 > 0:02:10succumbed to dry rot and eventually disappeared.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15The grounds are home to nine species of deer,
0:02:15 > 0:02:20including the Pere David, which originally came from the Imperial herd of China.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25The 11th Duke, Herbrand by name, saved the deer from extinction,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29and, in 1985, 22 were donated to the Chinese government.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Now, there are 400.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40Woburn Abbey, like all grand and glamorous estates, earns its keep.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44In 1955 John, the 13th Duke, opened the estate to the public.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49Feature films were made here - there was even a brief glimpse of a nudist colony -
0:02:49 > 0:02:52and then, in the late 1960s, an antique centre was opened.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58This was soon followed by Woburn Safari Park,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00but for lovers of sport everywhere,
0:03:00 > 0:03:05Woburn means just one thing - the famous golf tournaments.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11For today's Roadshow, we're all off to the sculpture gallery.
0:03:11 > 0:03:17This is a very English setting for a very Japanese doll,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and here she stands in her kimono looking, I have to say,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24slightly overdressed for today's conditions - this hot sunshine.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27And in my hand I've got a card, a business card,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30which says Mr Takayuki Eguchi
0:03:30 > 0:03:34from Nagoya, Japan - any connection? I'd like to hope there is.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37That was my father.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39He wasn't 17 years old,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42because that was the age when he left Japan,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46to finish his education in Great Britain.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51- Give me a date for that.- He arrived in 1914, just before the Great War,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54when Japan and Britain were allies.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56And had very close...close ties.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00- So, your father came to England - did he bring the doll with him?- No.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04- Ah, there's more to this, is there? - Well, there's my father,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08and he fell in love with this English lady - my mother.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13- Yes.- And this is my grandfather, Kumaichi,
0:04:13 > 0:04:19who was outraged that his eldest son was going to make a marriage in England.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23So this wasn't the plan. The plan was for him to get his education,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27- go home and marry some...?- Well, there was a marriage arranged,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30- so grandfather lost face. - Of course.- It was an outrage.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34He said, "Come home, or I will cut off your allowance".
0:04:34 > 0:04:37So, my very stubborn father said, "I'll get a job."
0:04:37 > 0:04:40He was very distressed, because he loved his father,
0:04:40 > 0:04:44and his father had always been most loving, and, er...
0:04:44 > 0:04:47They had their first daughter, Alma,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51but she died when she was nine, of meningitis.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54- Tragedy.- It was a terrible tragedy,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58and Kumaichi was so shocked to lose a child that he relented,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01forgave his son and invited the whole family to Japan.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03So that is what this is about -
0:05:03 > 0:05:06it's about the reconciliation of my father,
0:05:06 > 0:05:10and my mother meeting for the first time the Japanese family.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Then the doll, you got in Japan?
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Well, grandfather, very generously -
0:05:18 > 0:05:21he loved my mother, he loved his grandchildren -
0:05:21 > 0:05:26and he commissioned this doll to be made by the master doll-maker in Kyoto.
0:05:26 > 0:05:32- How amazing.- He commissioned the most beautiful doll for my brother, which was a Samurai on a horse,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35which I always preferred to this rather pretty doll.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40- Yes, I would have been in your camp.- I loved that. - But she is just gorgeous.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44He also commissioned kimonos for my mother and myself, too,
0:05:44 > 0:05:49so we came back embarrassingly loaded with many, many, many boxes of gifts.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52How wonderful. A kimono like this?
0:05:52 > 0:05:56- Was it similar? - Oh, yes, it was very similar,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00with the darker colour outside and then this radiant sort of...
0:06:00 > 0:06:02- Oh, yes.- ..colour showing through.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07- My petticoat was the same golden orange colour.- Fantastic.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12These dolls are actually known as Ichimatsus - play dolls -
0:06:12 > 0:06:17and they were very popular through the whole of the Meiji period,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19which was 1868 through to 1912.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23The head is made out of papier-mache
0:06:23 > 0:06:26which has then been covered with a kind of gesso,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30which has taken an extraordinary sort of...
0:06:30 > 0:06:34It almost has a feel and finish of porcelain.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37It's an incredible finish on the surface of the face, there.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41The hands are also papier-mache and similarly finished,
0:06:41 > 0:06:45and, of course, this glorious costume,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49made as the full-sized costume would have been.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53- She really is the symbol of the family reunited, isn't she?- Yes, yes, she is.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Well, she ought to be priceless,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58but everything has a price.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03I would say that her value, to a collector, would be something around £1,000.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08Which, in the light of what it represents to your family, seems like a snip.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12The latter part of the 19th century saw revivals
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- of periods and styles that we'd had from the Tudor period onwards.- Right.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20The greatest of all, I suppose, was the Rococo revival -
0:07:20 > 0:07:23the period of shapes and designs up to 1760.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27Then came the Sheraton revival, so everything kept being repeated,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30but with every revival there was always a difference.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34These enable you to tell, and obviously the value is considerable.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37This is a roll-top desk,
0:07:37 > 0:07:44which was first introduced into high society in London in the 1750s, 1760s,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46and it came from France.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49You then saw it go out of fashion by about 1810, 1820,
0:07:49 > 0:07:54and then revive again at the end of the century, when this was made.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56This is a Sheraton revival piece.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59One of the differences is that, you know, if you see it across the room,
0:07:59 > 0:08:04in the 18th-century version, this side part followed the front contour of the cylinder,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07rather than being set back.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10This version has, I think, a more interesting profile -
0:08:10 > 0:08:14it looks more architectural, with this overhanging cornice.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Another nice feature of this desk -
0:08:16 > 0:08:21I've lifted this out to see... When it opens,
0:08:21 > 0:08:26then you've got a pair of little inkwells, and the desk comes forward to write on.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Now, before we go into it any further, tell me the family history.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34My wife's grandfather bought it. He was a nurseryman,
0:08:34 > 0:08:39used to go to London on his horse and cart in the '20s and '30s.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44- Right.- And he used to buy furniture for his home.
0:08:44 > 0:08:50The earliest that we think that he bought it was probably in the late '30s, early '40s.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54- Right.- It's been in the family as long as my wife's been part of it.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59That was considered sort of second-hand, then. He probably bought a bargain,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03but it's... Of its type, it's as good as you will find -
0:09:03 > 0:09:09it works, it's smooth, and it's the most beautiful bit of wood.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14The quality of the inlay is another guide to its value
0:09:14 > 0:09:19and its price when new, and this is all highly precision-made, with bright colours.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23When this was new, this would have been a richer, darker colour,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26and this would have been bright yellow, white, green, red.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30You can still see the colours. It must have been quite outstanding.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Could have been made - I don't think there's a mark,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37- have you ever found a stamp on here anywhere - any of the drawers?- No.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42- Inside the main drawer, there's... - Ah, wonderful! Oh, that's great.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Jewells of Holborn - that's fabulous!
0:09:46 > 0:09:49- We wasn't sure whether it had been repaired, or...- No, no, no!
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- This is fantastic! - It has an original plate in.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Well, well, well.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Little Queen Street. Oh, this is great!
0:09:59 > 0:10:05Well, just looking at it led me to say that it should bear a maker's mark,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08and this company was working
0:10:08 > 0:10:12in the latter part of the 19th century,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and they supplied the great stores -
0:10:15 > 0:10:20- Gillows, Maples, Heals all sold Jewells furniture.- Ah.
0:10:20 > 0:10:26- Wonderful. That adds considerably to its historic value and to its commercial value.- Really?
0:10:26 > 0:10:29What you should do is to take a photograph of that,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32and send it to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
0:10:32 > 0:10:38- Really?- Yes, because they like to keep a record of all stamped pieces of furniture.- Gosh.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- That's a great find, a great find. - Excellent.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Value-wise, for insurance I was going to say
0:10:45 > 0:10:49somewhere in the region of £2,500 to £3,000,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53but I think you should think of more near £4,500 to £5,000,
0:10:53 > 0:10:57as an academic piece and a historical piece of great interest.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00We're appreciating quality rather than just age.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Every time I come on a programme, there's something new.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08Something we've never seen before, and something that stimulates you.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11This has got at me -
0:11:11 > 0:11:13I think it's a great object.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- Good.- Do you know what it is? - No idea.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Well, we're kind of assuming it's something like a shaving bowl,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23but that's a complete guess, really.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25So, how do you think it works?
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Um, chin here, I presume,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- but I'm not sure what the small holes are.- Small holes.- Yeah.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35- Chin.- Mm-hmm.- Now what do you do?
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Get a bit... Not being a man, it's not for me to guess.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41OK, OK, I hold this up here,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45and I try and get the bubbles under here -
0:11:45 > 0:11:49- is that what I do?- That's true. That's a good point.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52They're always called shaving bowls,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56but there's another theory which is gaining ground,
0:11:56 > 0:11:58that they're not shaving bowls.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03And when you go back to the 17th and 18th century, men had beards.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- They didn't shave!- That's true.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09This is a beard washing bowl.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- Right? That's what it's for.- Ah!
0:12:13 > 0:12:17And when you've finished, there's a piece of string here,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19- and you hang it on the wall. - Hang it up.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24This particular one... I mean, they're well known, they come from China, largely, and Japan,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27and then you get English Delft ones,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and a few other things as well.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33- This one is Japanese.- Right.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36It was made at Arita,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40..and it's a very unusual one.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Normally, they're just Imari patterns - gold, blue and red,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48flowers, baskets, something like that.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51This one has been moulded with these waves.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54We've got carp leaping through it,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57we've got these wonderful shells on here, and coral,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01and it's been decorated with extraordinary colours,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04with this emerald green,
0:13:04 > 0:13:11and then a pink and blue which almost suggest iridescence,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15- which is very, very uncommon.- Right.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17This is fascinating.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- See that crack?- Right.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23That happened in the firing - the first firing -
0:13:23 > 0:13:26and they tried to repair it at the time.
0:13:26 > 0:13:32- It's not worked, because the crack has gone even further across there.- Yes.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Now, what date are we talking about?
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Couldn't even guess.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- It's about 1700.- Oh, right! Gosh.
0:13:41 > 0:13:47It's 300 years old. It's a really, really nice object. I love it.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Um... It's very rare, and...
0:13:50 > 0:13:54We have three of them. My parents actually have three of them.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57- They all look very similar, so... - Never!- Mm.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01There must have been a barber's shop in the family. How wacky!
0:14:01 > 0:14:06- That's extraordinary! - They inherited them, so I've no idea how they got hold of them.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08I can't believe it.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13Well, I think, you know, this one, even with its damage,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17- is going to be worth close on £1,000.- Wow!
0:14:17 > 0:14:24A perfect one I would think would be nearer £1,500 to £2,000.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27- Gosh. We'll check the others over. - Absolutely.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31- Thank you for coming in with it. - You're welcome.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36- I have no idea. - It's to do with farming.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39- It's to do with farming. - Give you a clue.- OK.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Give me a clue.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45- I just did. - Well... That's the clue?
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Well, I thought it might have a veterinary application,
0:14:49 > 0:14:53- but it looks a bit too gruesome. - Bit dangerous for that, yes.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58- It's obviously for pulling something.- You're getting close.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02- Put me out of my misery.- Hayrick. - Hayrick.- You put it in.- Yeah.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07Extend it into the middle of a hayrick, and you pull a piece out.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10- Right.- To see if it was damp, and then it would sweat.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13That's when it would catch fire.
0:15:13 > 0:15:19So, it's a tool that's used to gauge whether your hayricks are going to spontaneously combust or not?
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- Basically, yes. What age would it be?- It's a Victorian one.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26I might not have known what it is, but I can tell by the way it's made.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31The style of the case, and also the script on the sections themselves.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34- Right.- This is certainly Victorian.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38If I said to you it was 1870, 1890, around that kind of period,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40I'm sure I wouldn't be far wrong.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45- Now, if you were in a darkened room, you would know that was a Ruskin vase.- Would I?
0:15:45 > 0:15:48You would. You would!
0:15:48 > 0:15:53First, the shape would tell you that this is an incredibly sophisticated potter,
0:15:53 > 0:15:58and the other thing is - go on, close your eyes, and then just feel from the top down. ..Yeah?
0:15:58 > 0:16:02- Mm-hmm.- It goes from glossy to matte.- Yes, glossy to...
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- Yes.- That is a good glaze.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08- I think my mice live in it. - How much rent do they pay?- None.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- So, this cost you nothing?- No.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15It's probably worth, in the present market, between £300 and £500.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Really? I shall have to start charging the mice rent, now.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25I bought this in the Caledonian Market, many, many years ago.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29I know nothing about it, but I've always wondered.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31I think it comes from Goa,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35and that's really all I... I've worked out.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38I think, in part, you're right.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41What we have here is a writing slope.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46Something that would have been made for the British taste,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50for the British market, and probably made in India.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55It's a really beautiful visual object.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00The fall opens out, and then inside, here,
0:17:00 > 0:17:05you have this lovely, deep purple velvet slope.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08I think this is quite important, because, actually,
0:17:08 > 0:17:13the colour will tell us the date, because this is a chemical dye.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Up until the 1850s, you had vegetable dyes,
0:17:16 > 0:17:22and then with the invention of these wonderful new chemical dyes, you get these vibrant colours,
0:17:22 > 0:17:27and the purple appears in about 1850, 1855.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31It is veneered in ivory, this wonderful sort of milkiness
0:17:31 > 0:17:35which, because this part is completely protected,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39it hasn't seen the light of day as much as the top,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42so it's not cracked. It's not damaged in any way.
0:17:42 > 0:17:49All these tiny little pieces of pewter cut like little tiny mosaics,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53and they're set together in the most minutely delicate fashion
0:17:53 > 0:17:57to produce this incredible decoration over the whole box.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02Inevitably over a period of time you do get areas of damage here,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and it is almost impossible to repair.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10Your buy in the Caledonian Market was extremely, extremely good -
0:18:10 > 0:18:14- can you remember what you paid? - No, but it wouldn't have been very much.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Long time ago, but even so,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20I think probably £10, something like that. Not more.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24So your £10, over a period of 40 years,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27has moved up to £1,500.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31That's very satisfactory.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36- The problem with this book is that it's falling to pieces.- Yes.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40Now, it's got a binding on it known as gutta-percha.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42This was an early form of glue -
0:18:42 > 0:18:46a rubberised glue, but it wasn't vulcanised -
0:18:46 > 0:18:51and of course it ALWAYS falls apart. Every book that had gutta-percha falls apart.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56But fear not - it's not an expensive job to do, and the rest of this book...
0:18:56 > 0:19:00I mean, these lovely plates of ships are all there,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03and all in fairly good condition.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06So the bookbinder would clear out the gutta-percha,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10and use another form of glue and stick it all back together again.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12- Right.- Super binding.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16Lovely binding. A little bit of rubbing here and there.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20- Lovely copy, worth somewhere in the region of £500.- Right.- Very nice.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25- Very, very nice.- Now, this book here is a superb binding.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29Niger goatskin, red Niger goatskin with the royal coat of arms on it.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34But this binding, with these wonderful gilt dentils,
0:19:34 > 0:19:40this lovely coat of arms, fabulous, fabulous spine...
0:19:40 > 0:19:44I couldn't let it... I would have to mark it £200 at the very least.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46That's very, very nice.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Finally, last and by no means least,
0:19:48 > 0:19:53a really fine piece of 19th-century binding,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55on an 18th-century book.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Designs For Household Furniture, by Chippendale.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Lovely large folio,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05and this is all calf with little gilt fillets round the edge.
0:20:05 > 0:20:11It comes from the library of Archibald Philip, Earl of Rosebery.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- Yes, at Mentmore.- At Mentmore.- Yes. - You went to the sale?
0:20:14 > 0:20:19Yes. I used to work there, and I was there for about 20 years,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22and I used to do all the carpet work and upholstery work there.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27I've been in the furnishing trade all my life.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32- And after the contents...- You thought you'd like a pocket book.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Lady Rosebery said I could pick something from the library.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- She actually gave it to you?- Yes.
0:20:38 > 0:20:44Because I helped them, getting the sale together, and she said I could have that.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48This is a first edition of the "Gentlemen and Cabinet-Makers Director".
0:20:48 > 0:20:52It is the most - one of the most famous books on furniture.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56In fact, I'm sure John Bly would be tickled pink to have a look at this.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58- We might show it to him later.- Yes.
0:20:58 > 0:21:05It's full of delightful illustrations for making beds -
0:21:06 > 0:21:09canopy bed there.
0:21:09 > 0:21:111753, the date.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15It's all absolutely perfect and in absolutely superb condition.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Normally, this book - because it is so large - is in appalling condition.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24But this is absolutely perfect, and in superb condition.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27What about value?
0:21:27 > 0:21:29That, I don't know. It's, er...
0:21:29 > 0:21:35- Well, I think it's the finest copy. I think £6,000.- Ooh!
0:21:36 > 0:21:41She gave you that and was very kind. She probably knew all about that.
0:21:41 > 0:21:47I could have had the Hepplewhite and Sheraton books as well, but I thought that would be greedy.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51You should have had them. Yes, absolutely.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54So, two scientific instruments, both apparently genuine.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58If I had to guess one was a fake, I would say that one.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Yes, I mean this is the obvious sort of bright, shiny,
0:22:02 > 0:22:07- new-looking scientific instrument. In fact, they're both fakes.- Ah.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12But different sorts of fakes. This I would say, if I was pushed,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15was a sort of honest reproduction, really.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18It's a boxed sextant, made pretty well -
0:22:18 > 0:22:22it's got all the components on it that you'd expect.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25A little telescope, and things.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28One of the giveaways is when you try and put it together,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32you find that the threads cross very easily, so, you know, the actual...
0:22:32 > 0:22:36- It's missing something in the quality.- It doesn't actually work?
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Exactly. It doesn't actually work.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43But it looks the part, and it comes in a nice little box.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47How much would you pay for that, if you were in the collecting mood?
0:22:47 > 0:22:54- I should think about £75 to £100. - Well, exactly, and these are being sold at £25.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56And they're being sold at a profit,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59so what they're costing to make is a tiny proportion of that...
0:22:59 > 0:23:03- So it's sort of above board, but... - Exactly. SORT of above board -
0:23:03 > 0:23:09they're not stamped "reproduction", but they're bright and shiny, and they're being sold cheaply.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12This is, if you like, the dishonest reproduction.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15This is really a fake.
0:23:15 > 0:23:21It's been made to deceive, because the whole thing is a total fabrication.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25It's been put in this box that makes it look very old.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28It's got a name here, Tobias Volchmer,
0:23:28 > 0:23:33who is a known scientific instrument maker from this date, 1581,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37and it's really pretending to be something old and wonderful.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41I have to say the guy who actually made this
0:23:41 > 0:23:44spent a little bit of time at Her Majesty's Pleasure.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48- So this is a criminal act? - Yeah, absolutely.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51This is something that was designed to deceive,
0:23:51 > 0:23:56and was sold for a lot of money because the person who bought it
0:23:56 > 0:24:00thought that they were buying the original 1581 object.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05And there's a market for these, otherwise they wouldn't bother to do this.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10Yes, I mean the market for something as old and potentially as valuable as this,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14if it was right, is tiny. It's the top of the pyramid of collecting,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17there are perhaps half a dozen people at the top interested there,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21but loads of people are interested in these scientific instruments.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24The craftsmanship is good quality,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27and so what they're producing is an honest reproduction, which is fine.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29I'm very happy with that today.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33What's to be done with the other nasty piece of work, as it were?
0:24:33 > 0:24:35I borrowed it from a private collection.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39It is in very safe hands. It will never escape again.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44- The one thing that appeals to me is this.- I've had it a long time.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48- You've had it a long time?- A very long time.- Do you know what it is?
0:24:48 > 0:24:52- Some lady singing in church. - Yeah, but what do you do with it?
0:24:52 > 0:24:57- I just put it in the cupboard. - But what's it FOR?- I don't know.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01- It's an ashtray.- Oh, it's not! - It's an ashtray.- Really?
0:25:01 > 0:25:05These were made in Germany, in the 1930s,
0:25:05 > 0:25:09when you get a whole lot of strange figures with wide open mouths.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14- Ugly.- I think they're great fun. - Yes.- Somebody would like that.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17- That would fetch in the region of £30 to £40.- Oh.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21- But it is the most expensive thing on the table, I'm afraid.- Oh, right.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24My maternal grandmother,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28in her late teens, was a nurse
0:25:28 > 0:25:32around about the Boer War time.
0:25:32 > 0:25:39The story goes that she saved the life of a lord and he was so grateful when he recovered,
0:25:39 > 0:25:45he went to London, he had this bracelet made and gave it to her as a thank-you gift.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49- Do we know who this lord was? - No, I'm afraid I don't.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54I just know that when I was young, I used to sit with my grandmother
0:25:54 > 0:25:58and because it's got a peculiarity in how you wear it,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02she said, "When you can put it on your wrist, you can have it."
0:26:02 > 0:26:05It took me about six months to work it out.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10Well, let's see if we can just - what you might use the word of -
0:26:10 > 0:26:14dismantling it, because, as snakes go,
0:26:14 > 0:26:21that is the most sinuous coil - articulated tube -
0:26:21 > 0:26:25that you would ever see. It is a complete one-off, isn't it?
0:26:25 > 0:26:31- Yes.- Can I ask you, as it took you so long to learn how to put it on, can I ask you to put it on?
0:26:31 > 0:26:36Certainly. You start with the head, hopefully, and you hold that there.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40- I'll put that in place there. - Then you wind it on.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45My goodness me! It's so articulated, it's not really like metal, is it?
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- It's like a ribbon going... - I'm afraid my wrist
0:26:48 > 0:26:53has got fatter and I can't fasten it now, but that's how it goes.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55But what we're looking at here
0:26:55 > 0:26:58is that the tail crosses over
0:26:58 > 0:27:03and fits snugly into that hole in the body of the snake itself.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08Extraordinary. It really is a piece of Victorian practicality in a piece of jewellery.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Tremendous. If it were to come up for auction,
0:27:11 > 0:27:16it's going to make in the region of about £800.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20I'm happy to see a fan any day, particularly a warm day like this.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23These are very interesting and those are stunning.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27- What colour would you call that? - Turquoise.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32- Going from the pale down to the dark.- Ostrich, of course.- Yes.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35- They look as if they've been taken from the Folies Bergeres.- Mm.
0:27:35 > 0:27:42- What do you know about them?- Well, they came from my husband's side of the family, but that's all.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47And do you bring them out for special occasions? You waft around the garden on summer evenings?
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Not very much, no.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51No, they live in the box, which is rather sad.
0:27:53 > 0:28:00I have to say I don't know much about cats, but I do know something about this artist, Henriette Ronner.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05She was the queen of the cat painters and I just love her work.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09What she does so well is capture
0:28:09 > 0:28:11the whole character of a cat
0:28:11 > 0:28:17and I think this is a superb portrait of, dare I say it, a bit of a moggy.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21But perhaps not - I don't want to offend every cat-lover in the land.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25- How did you come by this?- Well, it belonged to my grandparents.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Originally, it belonged to Mary, Duchess of Bedford, the flying duchess.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31She was the lady that disappeared?
0:28:31 > 0:28:38- That's right.- Didn't she, in her 70s, she took off in a Tiger Moth from here and was never seen again?
0:28:38 > 0:28:42- That's right.- Oh! - And my grandfather actually waited for her that evening
0:28:42 > 0:28:45and she of course never came back.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49But she was very fond of my grandfather and after she died
0:28:49 > 0:28:54it was apparently wished that three members of the staff
0:28:54 > 0:28:57should have a memento of their choice.
0:28:57 > 0:29:04My grandfather said he was taken to, I think, her room, allowed to pick something and he chose this.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07What a wonderful story!
0:29:07 > 0:29:09Her work has been in huge demand.
0:29:09 > 0:29:15In fact, when she was painting these pictures in the late 19th century,
0:29:15 > 0:29:21- a lot of her clientele came from the aristocratic families of Great Britain.- Really?
0:29:21 > 0:29:24So that's a lovely tie-up with the Bedfords.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28And what is interesting about the whole phenomenon of 19th-century... You would NEVER find
0:29:28 > 0:29:34- a cat portrait from the 18C or the 17C. They were just part of an incident, you know...- Yes.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38..in a tavern scene or something, they'd be seen skulking along.
0:29:38 > 0:29:43But to have a portrait of one was interesting and it was to do perhaps more with the fact
0:29:43 > 0:29:47- that in the 19th century people had more leisure and more time on their hands.- Yes.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50And therefore they would actually have pets,
0:29:50 > 0:29:52and therefore there were artists
0:29:52 > 0:29:57who catered for their rich patrons who wanted their cat or dog painted.
0:29:57 > 0:30:02And so it's very interesting to see Henriette Ronner painting really...
0:30:02 > 0:30:08She's really one of the only painters of cats - or certainly the best - that I know of
0:30:08 > 0:30:12and I just think it's wonderful to see her work.
0:30:12 > 0:30:18- I think if it was to be really, really valuable, it would have more detail in the background.- Yes.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22- This cat would be on a sofa.- Yes. - Or sometimes playing around a harp
0:30:22 > 0:30:26or something like that - quite an interesting sort of idea.
0:30:26 > 0:30:31Now, what's it worth, that's the interesting question.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34- You've never had it insured or valued?- No, no.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37Well, I think it's wonderful and her work is certainly collected.
0:30:37 > 0:30:44- I would say that if it came up for auction, it could make between £12,000 and £18,000.- Really?
0:30:44 > 0:30:47And I would insure it for perhaps £20,000.
0:30:47 > 0:30:53- So I hope that's a surprise, and what a wonderful, generous present from the Duchess.- Indeed.
0:30:54 > 0:31:00I've seen lots of punch bowls, but never with such decoration.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02It really is remarkable.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04What do you know about it?
0:31:04 > 0:31:08It's been in my parents' household since the '40s.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11But they lived in a little village
0:31:11 > 0:31:15and the original owner of the house had been related to the Thynnes
0:31:15 > 0:31:22- and um, way back...- Like Longleat. - Yes, Longleat and the Marquis of Bath's younger son,
0:31:22 > 0:31:24so whether it came from there originally, we're not sure.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28But where did it come from before it was in Longleat?
0:31:28 > 0:31:30I would think it's Chinese.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33Yes, it is Chinese
0:31:33 > 0:31:38but it was made in China in about 1750, very close to 1750,
0:31:38 > 0:31:41for the European market.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46The decoration on it is really remarkable.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Just the whole thing is extremely inventive,
0:31:49 > 0:31:56and then these scenes - the level of the enamelling in these landscapes is as good as you'll ever see.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59- Technically, it's marvellous. - Is it gilding?
0:31:59 > 0:32:03That's all gilding. The gilding is very, very good.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07It's Rococo gilding, exactly what you get in Europe at the time.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12- There is a problem - somebody bust it.- A picture dropped on it.
0:32:12 > 0:32:17I can't believe it! Anyway, it's been very well put together.
0:32:17 > 0:32:22Obviously, value has been grossly diminished, greatly diminished.
0:32:22 > 0:32:27But still, because it is so good - I mean, this is lovely -
0:32:27 > 0:32:34so although it's had an almighty crash and been duffed up and restored, I mean it's still worth...
0:32:36 > 0:32:39- ..£500 or £600.- Lovely!
0:32:41 > 0:32:45It's a cracking good table and the exceptional thing is that the frieze
0:32:45 > 0:32:48and here along the front edge, you've got this sort of trellis
0:32:48 > 0:32:54pattern which is ebony, but it's the leg - now the top part of that leg would expect to continue with
0:32:54 > 0:33:00this fluting right to the bottom, that would be the normal model,
0:33:00 > 0:33:031800-1810, 1815 at the very latest.
0:33:03 > 0:33:10But this one stops - then a little bit of ring turning, continuing down to the base and then these amazing -
0:33:10 > 0:33:15and I'm just going to tip it back slightly - just look at those feet.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20It's not a castor, it's a ball foot and that type of cast foot
0:33:20 > 0:33:24is typical of a maker called John Linnell.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26Now, I'm not saying it's by him or from his workshops,
0:33:26 > 0:33:33but it's by somebody who copied or admired his work and they've put this type of foot on.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37Very rare. I have not seen a better D-shaped card table than that,
0:33:37 > 0:33:41because of that feature here
0:33:41 > 0:33:44and then that particular brass foot, which is all original.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47And the value today, for insurance?
0:33:47 > 0:33:51- £3,500 to £4,000.- Lovely. I didn't think it was anything like that.
0:33:51 > 0:33:58Now here we have a Distinguished Service Medal to Frederick Burges - now, who was he?
0:33:58 > 0:34:01- He was the father of my son-in-law. - Oh, right.
0:34:01 > 0:34:08Well, now, the interesting thing about it is that it's HMS Belfast, he served in the gun turrets.
0:34:08 > 0:34:15- That's correct.- And it was destroying the Scharnhorst - on the 26th December 1943.- Yes.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18- This is real history, isn't it?- Yes.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23- Because the Belfast - we still have one.- And that we can relate to. - She's still in the Thames.- Yes.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27Something that you ought to take to the Belfast at some time and show the existing captain.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29Oh, right, I'll pass that message on.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33Well, normally, Distinguished Service Medals to the Navy
0:34:33 > 0:34:38- are valued around about £500 to £800.- Very good.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42But this one, because it's the Scharnhorst and the Belfast,
0:34:42 > 0:34:46I would go for the top figure, £800.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50- Thank you for bringing it in, it's great just to handle it.- Thank you.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53- Well, the word is majolica...- Yes.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58..a very colourful, decorative Victorian pottery developed in the 1850s by many manufacturers,
0:34:58 > 0:35:00- and this is an oyster dish.- Oh!
0:35:00 > 0:35:06So you could have your six oysters and your sauce, and this is a very standard majolica form.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09If we flip it, this is the magic
0:35:09 > 0:35:14because here are all the glaze numbers and names identified
0:35:14 > 0:35:22and so what this is, is a factory test piece where they've tried out and recorded various glazes.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26This is the biscuit, the single-fired, unglazed pottery.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29They've then put on the glazes. And this was regular factory practice.
0:35:29 > 0:35:35- But what is fascinating is that they rarely come out. - They're thrown away.- Exactly!
0:35:35 > 0:35:38But it is a rarity on two counts - one that it's majolica,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41and two, I've never seen a majolica test piece.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44I've seen hundreds of test pieces, but never a majolica piece.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48- How does £800 sound? - Oh, my goodness! Yes.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52- Wow!- And that's very much an American-driven market.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56- Yes.- They are wild about oyster plates and a lot of majolica
0:35:56 > 0:36:00and, to an American oyster-plate collector, this would be heaven.
0:36:03 > 0:36:08- FRENCH ACCENT: - They are family heirlooms and they were bought pre-war -
0:36:08 > 0:36:101920, I think.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14From your accent, you are French?
0:36:14 > 0:36:18- Yes, I am.- So, are you telling me they were bought in France?
0:36:18 > 0:36:20Yes.
0:36:20 > 0:36:26That doesn't surprise me because the French together with the rest of Europe and Britain and America
0:36:26 > 0:36:29were very keen to import Chinese porcelain.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32There was a great Chinese porcelain craze
0:36:32 > 0:36:37throughout the 18th and especially the late 19th century.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Now, looking at your pair of vases,
0:36:40 > 0:36:46from a distance anybody would be forgiven for thinking they were 18th-century,
0:36:46 > 0:36:49because they're in that style.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54They're in the famille rose style, to take a French phrase.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58The composition is basically flowering peonies.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02You have branches which incorporate twin birds -
0:37:02 > 0:37:06there's a symbolism here, which is marital bliss.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09And if you notice the blue enamel...
0:37:09 > 0:37:14If this was an 18th-century example, if you turn it into the light,
0:37:14 > 0:37:18you would probably see a slight iridescence around the blue enamel,
0:37:18 > 0:37:25but because we're looking at something from around about 1870, you'll find it is iridescent-free.
0:37:25 > 0:37:33A nice composition - the only thing that lets it down is the material on which they're painted,
0:37:33 > 0:37:36because it's far from perfect porcelain.
0:37:36 > 0:37:41- So, I suppose it's a case of combien?- Combien? How much?- Mm.
0:37:41 > 0:37:47I would say you're looking at the best part of £800, should you wish to replace them.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49Gosh! That's lovely. Thank you.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53- You can translate that into euros later.- Oh, yes, definitely!
0:37:53 > 0:37:57- That's very nice. Thank you.- Merci bien.- Merci beaucoup, monsieur.
0:37:57 > 0:38:05One of the most popular exports from Japan in the 19th century was bronze elephants.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09They really appealed to the Victorian mind.
0:38:09 > 0:38:16I think there's the sort of link with Africa and India and the Raj and all that -
0:38:16 > 0:38:21the Empire - and the elephant really epitomised that perfectly well.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25In India, the East India Company nabobs
0:38:25 > 0:38:28were shooting tigers from the top of elephants,
0:38:28 > 0:38:32so this is the kind of scene they would have seen out there.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35- Where did yours come from? - This came from my father.
0:38:35 > 0:38:40- I don't know any more of its history than that.- And you've now got it?- Yes.- Do you like it?- Yes.
0:38:40 > 0:38:46- Did you know it was Japanese? - Oriental. - Oriental was as far as you'd got.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49It would have to be Japanese -
0:38:49 > 0:38:55nobody else was capable of casting as well as this, at that time.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58They were absolute masters of it.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02The way they've textured the skin on here
0:39:02 > 0:39:07and contrasted it with the tiger with his stripes here,
0:39:07 > 0:39:15slightly in relief and burnished against a slightly matt ground,
0:39:15 > 0:39:17it's a virtuoso bit of metalwork, really.
0:39:17 > 0:39:23But this is big, of its kind, and this is by a good maker.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27- And if we turn it up... Are these loose?- Yes, they are.
0:39:27 > 0:39:28- Do they come out?- Yep.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31I don't want them to drop off.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Oh, it's incredibly heavy!
0:39:38 > 0:39:43We've got here a mark which says...
0:39:44 > 0:39:48..Dai Nippon - which is Great Japan.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51Genryusai Seiya.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Now, Seiya was the major, or one of the major,
0:39:55 > 0:40:02casters of animal groups in the 19th century, and here we're looking at about 1880, something like that.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06Now, if we put him back again...
0:40:07 > 0:40:09He's a terrific group.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13I think this would easily make £3,000.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15- Happy with that?- Very.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18It's probably been in our family for about 80-90 years.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22- It came from my great-grandmother to my grandmother.- Yes.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25It bypassed my mother and came straight to me.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29It will become evident when you open the box why I inherited it.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31Well, I can't wait to open up.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35- Oh, isn't that absolutely beautiful?- Yeah.
0:40:35 > 0:40:40The first impression is a lot of attention to detail.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44- Look at this lovely scrollwork on the hatpin box here.- Yeah, it's...
0:40:44 > 0:40:47Again, lovely condition, beautifully done.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52- Now, is their relevance...?- CA is my initials.- Oh, that's wonderful.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56- And that's just pure chance?- Well, I don't know if you manufactured...
0:40:56 > 0:40:58Absolute chance...
0:40:58 > 0:41:05Well, cases like this were essential kit of ladies travelling in the 19th century.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08They had to have protective boxes
0:41:08 > 0:41:15to keep all the perfume and the paste and powders and what have you, and they're nearly always silver.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19So we'll just see if this is marked, yeah...
0:41:21 > 0:41:25- It's got a series of marks here. TW for Thomas Weller.- Right.
0:41:25 > 0:41:32He was a specialist case maker and has a date letter "l" there for 1866.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36So pretty much mid-Victorian,
0:41:36 > 0:41:42and this sort of engraving is just what you would expect from a piece of that date.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46Very high quality, lovely condition.
0:41:46 > 0:41:51So here we've got a mixture of scent bottles and paste pots
0:41:51 > 0:41:54and one here, I see, has a push button.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58I've always wondered why that one's different.
0:41:58 > 0:42:03Well, that was to hold something of liquid and so it has a seal there.
0:42:03 > 0:42:04I see.
0:42:04 > 0:42:10- The main thing is about these dressing sets is that the glass is not damaged.- Yes.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13The more complete, the better.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17And I see we've got a couple of pieces of the manicure set missing,
0:42:17 > 0:42:21but basically, most of it is all here.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26It's actually quite rare to get one in a mother-of-pearl box like this.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30Normally they're made of coromandel wood with brass corners.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34I have to ask whether it's on your insurance valuation.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38- No.- It's on the house insurance. - On the house insurance?- Yes.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42I think you need to speak to your insurers.
0:42:42 > 0:42:49- Right.- Because I think you ought to have that insured for £8,000 or £9,000.- Oh, gosh.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52Oh, my goodness!
0:42:52 > 0:42:58Well, it is such a rare box, to have one so beautifully done like this.
0:42:58 > 0:43:03- Thank you so much for bringing it along.- Thank you, great.
0:43:03 > 0:43:08I was talking to a man here earlier at Woburn who is head verderer - he looks after all the deer.
0:43:08 > 0:43:14And he said that he likes it to rain every other day to keep the grass nice and sweet.
0:43:14 > 0:43:19I think it'll have to be tomorrow. It's been a scorcher here.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd