The property of the late Joan Quennell M.P. who lived near Rogate between Petersfield and Midhurst was the source of many of the better pictures in Strides September auction.  Her picturesque country estate of a 7 bedroom house in 350 acres is about to come up for sale for the first time in 50 years through Strides Estate Agency.

Tucked away in the servants quarters was an oil of a Scottish coast indistinctly signed by George Hunter.  An early work of this artist measuring 53 x 76 cms (21" x 30"), the unintelligible autograph was picked up by two hawk-eyed bidders who pushed it up to £3200.  Probably the smallest picture in the house was an oil of the interior of St Mark's Church Venice by A Brandeis just 19 x 12 cms (7" x 5").  Church interiors are not the most commercial subject hence the pre sale estimate of £500-700, which was bettered when it sold for £1100.

A Bognor vendor was downsizing and no longer had space for two watercolours of a standing Indian lady wearing a saree in front of a lake and in front of a house, 68 x 38 cms (27" x 15").  These had been stored in an attic for many years and so had not suffered the usual watercolour malaise of fading.  Painted by the much travelled Horace Van Ruith, who worked in Bombay, Capri, Rome, Florence and London, they came with an estimate of £1000-£1200, but the rise and rise in demand for antique Indian (and Chinese) art meant that they sold for £2600.

They were followed by a large oil of a mythical Bavarian landscape with figures resting, groups of medieval houses and mountains in 1852 signed J W Carmichael, a Newcastle artist who is only known for his marine scenes.  The painting had been bought by the Vendor's father, a picture framer in Newcastle some 50 years ago and then he reframed it.  With an estimate of £1400-£1800 it went to a Scottish buyer at £2000.

An unframed Japanese drawn silkwork wall hanging of cranes standing in a lake with flowers behind 210 x 155 cms (6'11" x 5'1") was only expected to make £400-600 but sold to an Oriental specialist at £2900.  Textiles from the same estate included two Kashan rugs which were pursued by telephone bidders to £1300 and £2300 while a Kirman tree of life rug made £950.

Whereas brooches have not been the most popular form of jewellery recently, bidders could not let pass a coloured diamond horseshoe brooch, which almost doubled its reserve price of £900 to sell for £1700.  A mixed bag of jewellery including a coral necklace and a silver necklace set citrines provoked keen bidding up to £1400.

With buyers from Spain for a tiger skin by Van Ingen, Amsterdam for a painting and Japan for a box of silks, it was left to a Sussex man to buy the lot photographed on the auction catalogue front cover - a Swiss Empire ormolu mantel clock by Bautte for five times its estimate at £3600.  Another Sussex buyer gave the day's top price for an antique oak Welsh dresser.