Statue sells for £35k after being hidden in garden for 40 years
A statue made by royal craftsmen which lay undiscovered in a garden for more than 40 years has been sold for £35,000.
The 4ft lead figure, which bears the stamp of the prestigious Bromsgrove Guild, had a guide price of between £4,000 and £6,000.
But it smashed its estimate when it went under the hammer at Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge.
"The estimate was between £4,000 and £6,000 so it's quite a good return," said auctioneer Andrew Mayall.
"Its such an iconic piece. The Guild was renowned for its quality so it's great to be able to sell it here today."
The statue was erected at the bottom of a family's garden but was hidden by undergrowth and spent four decades gathering moss. When the owner of the detached country home in north Worcestershire died in November last year, auctioneers went to the site and made the incredible discovery.
The one-and-a-half tonne sculpture was in undergrowth at the bottom of the garden bearing the stamp of the prestigious Bromsgrove Guild – a renowned arts movement of skilled craftsmen.
The bidding opened at £8,600.
A number of interested parties made offers over the phone but in the end it was an unnamed bidder inside the auction room who saw off the competition.
"It was always difficult to say how much it was going to make," added Mr Mayall. "When something like that comes in, you don't really know how to gauge it.
"We knew there was a lot of interest. People had travelled from London and further afield."
The Bromsgrove Guild was founded by Walter Gilbert in 1898 based on the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement.
The Guild worked in a variety of mediums – bronze, lead, glass, wood and textiles – employing highly skilled craftsmen, and was famous for making the main gates at Buckingham Palace.
Other famous works include the Terpsichore at Covent Garden's Fortune Theatre, the statue of Hygieia at Chequers – the Prime Minister's country retreat – and the Trim on the RMS Queen Mary.
