High value pieces from a Suffolk estate - including old master paintings from a collection which once belonged a soap tycoon - are set to go under the hammer.
A total of 30 items including furniture and collectibles from Chillesford Lodge at Orford - part of the Sudbourne Hall Estate - wil be sold.
Following the death of Michael Watson, the family which owns the lodge is selling its contents while retaining the house as part of the estate.
The sale through auctioneers Cheffins takes place in Cambridge on December 7 and 8.
The lodge was snapped up by Joseph Watson, 1st Baron Manton (1873 – 1922) of Compton Verney, in 1918.
He was also known as ‘Soapy Joe’ Watson, as he made his fortune as chairman of Joseph Watson & Sons Ltd, a soap manufacturer based in Leeds, famed for its ‘Matchless Cleanser'.
He was also a director of the London and North-Western railway. He was also a pioneer of industrialised agriculture and poured much of his fortune into his multiple estates at Sudbourne Hall in Suffolk, Selby, Manton Down, Compton Verney, Offchurch Bury and Thorney.
One of the highlights of the Chillesford Lodge collection is a portrait of the 18th century comedian Henry Woodward by Benjamin Vandergucht (1753 – 1794) valued at around £2,000 to £3,000.
The Chillesford Lodge Collection also includes a number of typical country house antiques, with items such as an Italian walnut commode from the late 18th century
Other items include a selection of Asian ceramics and a pair of 19th century Dutch Delft tea cannisters with an estimate of £100 to £150.
Cheffins director Jonathan Law said: “Joseph Watson, 1st Baron Manton, was one of the most important industrialists of the early 20th century, and amassed an incredible collection of paintings, furniture and antiques for his various estates throughout the country.
"The Chillesford Lodge Collection represents just the tip of the iceberg of what was once in his ownership and has been carefully put together by the specialists here at Cheffins to include a diverse selection of Old Master works as well as furniture and collectibles.
"This is a fantastic example of a traditional English country house sale, the type of which are few and far between.”
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