Country Living: Traditional Interiors with Personality


November 2026

The Country Living Sale celebrates the warmth and character of traditional country interiors, bringing together period furniture, sporting art, sculpture, ceramics and decorative pieces with a distinctly rural feel.
Oak, mahogany and aged surfaces sit alongside animal subjects, country house pictures and objects shaped by generations of use. Some pieces make an immediate statement, while others offer the sort of detail and patina that gives a room a more collected, lived in feel. Here are nine pieces that caught our eye from the wider catalogue.

Furniture with Country House Character

There is real variety among the furniture, from substantial early oak to more refined Georgian forms. One of the strongest pieces is Lot 8774, a Charles II and later carved oak servery or dresser base, estimated at £2,000 to £3,000. Its triple plank top sits above an arcade carved frieze, with lozenge and flowerhead decoration across the panelled doors and further carved trefoil ornament below. Rich in surface and detail, it has exactly the sort of presence associated with an old country house interior.

Earlier domestic furniture is represented by Lot 8507, an early 18th century provincial oak bacon settle, estimated at £300 to £600. The tall cupboard section retains meat hooks within, while swept arms and a hinged box seat give the piece its distinctive combination of storage and seating. Functional by design, it now has considerable architectural and decorative appeal. A more elegant note comes with Lot 8552, a George III mahogany wine cooler or cellarette, estimated at £700 to £1,000. The sarcophagus form opens to a lead lined interior, while carved lion mask handles and substantial paw feet give it a sense of weight and occasion.
Charles II and later carved oak servery or dresser base, the rectangular triple plank top...Charles II and later carved oak servery or dresser base, the rectangular triple plank top...Estimate £2,000-3,000Early 18th century provincial oak bacon settle, the projecting cornice over twin fielded-p...Early 18th century provincial oak bacon settle, the projecting cornice over twin fielded-p...Estimate £300-600Fine George III mahogany wine cooler or cellarette of sarcophagus form, the hinged rectang...Fine George III mahogany wine cooler or cellarette of sarcophagus form, the hinged rectang...Estimate £700-1,000

Sculpture and Decorative Objects

Animal subjects feature strongly across the decorative side of the sale, appearing in forms ranging from monumental garden sculpture to finely modelled bronze. Among the most striking is Lot 8505, a late 19th century Val d'Osne cast iron greyhound, estimated at £3,000 to £5,000. Cast in Paris around 1875, the recumbent hound rests with forelegs outstretched on a naturalistic base, complete with the foundry plaque to the front. Its scale and strong silhouette make it particularly suited to a hall, garden room or country house setting.

Equally expressive is Alfredo Pina's A Tired Workhorse, Lot 8840, a bronze estimated at £2,000 to £3,000. The dark brown patinated figure carries the Meroni Radice foundry stamp and was previously sold by Sotheby's in 2003. Rather than idealising the animal, Pina captures a quieter moment of fatigue, giving the sculpture real emotional weight. For a smaller piece, Lot 8500 is Ian Greensitt's Flying Snipe III, a patinated bronze signed and numbered 8 of 12. Estimated at £1,500 to £2,000, the sculpture captures the bird in motion and brings a more contemporary interpretation of sporting and wildlife art into the catalogue.
Val D'Osne, Paris - large and impressive late 19th century French bronze-patinated cast-ir...Val D'Osne, Paris - large and impressive late 19th century French bronze-patinated cast-ir...Estimate £3,000-5,000Alfredo Pina (Italian 1883-1966): 'A Tired Workhorse', bronze with dark brown patina signe...Alfredo Pina (Italian 1883-1966): 'A Tired Workhorse', bronze with dark brown patina signe...Estimate £2,000-3,000Ian Greensitt (British 1971-): 'Flying Snipe III', patinated bronze signed and numbered 8/...Ian Greensitt (British 1971-): 'Flying Snipe III', patinated bronze signed and numbered 8/...Estimate £1,500-2,000

Pictures of Rural Life

The pictures in the sale move between portraiture, sporting subjects and scenes rooted in the countryside. Lot 8501 is a portrait after George Gower, depicting Lady Elizabeth Seymour Knightley with a dog, estimated at £300 to £500. Painted on panel and inscribed with her age in Latin, the work has the formal character of late Tudor portraiture, softened by the presence of the dog at her side. A very different interpretation of animal portraiture appears in Lot 8508, a naive study of a saddled horse in the manner of Clifton Tomson, estimated at £400 to £600. Painted on canvas and presented in a maple frame, the horse is given the direct, slightly stylised quality that makes naive sporting pictures so distinctive.

Country life takes centre stage again in Lot 8843, E Hartry's Swaledale Sheep and Lamb, an oil on panel signed and dated 1892. Estimated at £200 to £400, it is a simple rural subject with strong regional character, and one that feels particularly at home within the wider tone of the sale.
After George Gower (English 1540-1596): Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Seymour Knightley and D...After George Gower (English 1540-1596): Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Seymour Knightley and D...Estimate £300-500Manner of Clifton Tomson (British 1775-1828): Naive Saddled Horse, oil on canvas unsigned,...Manner of Clifton Tomson (British 1775-1828): Naive Saddled Horse, oil on canvas unsigned,...Estimate £400-600E Hartry (British fl.1883-1909): Swaledale Sheep and Lamb, oil on wood panel signed and da...E Hartry (British fl.1883-1909): Swaledale Sheep and Lamb, oil on wood panel signed and da...Estimate £200-400

Browse the Country Living Sale

These are just a handful of the pieces featured in the Country Living Sale, with much more to discover across the full catalogue.

From early oak and period furniture to sporting pictures, sculpture, ceramics and decorative objects, the sale offers plenty for collectors and anyone looking to bring more character, history and individuality into their home.
Browse the full catalogue, register to bid and place your bids ahead before the auction ends on Friday 20 November from 11AM.
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