Circa 1960‘s/70‘s
Unused and of oval form with the mouse carved in high relief on the handle. Lightly adzed, free from cuts and staining.Lovely medullary rays visible in the wood and finished in a warm chestnut brown colour. From a sale provenanced by R. Thompson’s.
Size: 36.5(w) x 18(d) x 4(h)cm
{gallery}DS1068{/gallery}
Circa 1960‘s/70’s
No longer made, this mouseman ashtray appears to be unused and is in superb condition with a large and finely carved mouse. The oak is a deep honey colour, the wood displaying particularly fine medullary rays. From a sale provenanced by R. Thompson’s.
Size: 10(w) x 7.5(d) x 3.5(h)cm
{gallery}DS1067{/gallery}
Circa 1970‘s/80’s
No longer made, this mouseman ashtray appears to be unused and is in superb condition. It is golden oak coloured and features visibly distinctive hand tooling to all upper surfaces including the prominent mouse. From a sale provenanced by R. Thompson’s.
Size: 10(w) x 7.5(d) x 3.5(h)cm
{gallery}DS1066{/gallery}
Circa early 1930’s
Authenticated by a Director at R. Thompson’s Craftsmen Ltd and considered to be a unique bespoke item, probably made as a gift by a mouseman craftsman for it’s original owner William Buckley, who knew Robert Thompson personally via his lifelong
friendship with the Kirk brothers, farmers and butchers in Kilburn, whose decendents still reside in the village. Acquired directly from the original owners grand daughter Mrs P. Maynard, who, as a young child in the 1940s remembers it fondly as ‘
grandpa’s curly walking stick’. She also vividly recalls annual Easter holiday visits and meals with her father and grandfather at the Kirk’s farm in Kilburn. The stick is made from a single branch, not oak but possibly elm. It looks
to have warped in usage early on and has had a light woodworm infestation into the handle at some point in the past, not surprising as it has lain unused for over 60 years. Immensely tactile and suitable for left or right hand use the mouse is
carved looking towards the user on the bend between the handle and shaft. The mouse carving is especially fine and distinctive and the consensus amongst the older ex mouseman craftsmen who have seen the stick is that it is the work of George (Dod) Weightman,
one of their finest carvers ever. His greatest work for Thompson’s is probably the bas-relief interpretation of Christ’s crucifiction transposed to a WW2 battlefield, to be found in The Green Howard’s Chapel within St Mary the Virgin
church, Richmond, Nth Yorkshire.
Size: 92.5(h) cm
{gallery}DS1071{/gallery}
Circa late 1960’s
One of a pair from the same ownership & bought new at the same time. Adzed and tooled all over, both inside and outside to reflect the light and the figuring of the oak. The lid features lovely medullary rays in the oak and a finely executed mouse.
In lovely aged condition, free from any significant staining, other than a small green mark to the inside. The wood is waxed and a lovely lustre, now a deep honey colour. There is a natural wood split to the sides of the box, along the grain. This has
been caused by stresses within the wood after the centre was carved out and the wood dried out fully. More noticeable to one side, a hairline on the other. Marked with an owners initials GC in felt tip to the base.
Size: 17.7(w) x 11(d) x 9.6 (h) cm
{gallery}DS1091{/gallery}
Circa late 1960’s
One of a pair from the same ownership & bought new at the same time. Adzed and tooled all over, both inside and outside to reflect the light and the figuring of the oak. The lid features lovely medullary rays in the oak and a finely executed high
backed mouse.
In superb condition, free from any staining or damage. The wood is waxed and a lovely lustre, mellow bown in colour. Marked with an owners initials GC in felt tip to the base.
Size: 18(w) x 11(d) x 9.5 (h) cm
{gallery}DS1090{/gallery}
circa 1970’s
No longer sold and rare to the market, so always keenly sought after, both by Mouseman and Ronson collectors. The hand carved oak surround is octagonally shaped, each facet adzed to reflect the light and highlight the grain. The finely carved mouse is carved in high relief to one facet. Lovely chestnut colour tones of the aged oak compliment the polished chrome finish to the Ronson gas lighter. The lighter has been cleaned, is in pristine condition and full working order, featuring a red stone inset flame adjuster. The lighter is removable from the surround for re-gassing, removal of the flint etc.
Size: 7(dia) x 7(h) cm
A Mouseman Ronson Table Lighter sold at Tennants for £ 629.20 incl, Spring 2012, making this great value at:
{gallery}DS1086{/gallery}
Circa 1990
A pristine example of the more modern fruit bowl. Tooled to the inside and adzed to the outside, with a large and beautifully carved trademark mouse to the centre of the bowl. Superb waxed condition with little evidence of use as a fruit bowl as there
is no staining or damage within the bowl. Medium fumed with a wonderful honey colour that is now deepening with age, highlighting the graining of the wood.
Size: 30(dia) x 5.3(h) cm
{gallery}DS1087{/gallery}
Circa 1860-1880
Victorian, patented self closing adjustable book rack, patent number 14914.. Made in solid oak with hinged arched ends which feature trefoil cut-outs, decorative brass detailing with inset polished ‘tigers eye’ agates, in the gothic revival style of the early Arts & Crafts period.
Lovely patinated colour and original condition, complete with original velvet/felted base, the makers marks and patent number stamped onto the brass stabilisers. As is usual the springs for the self closing mechanism have broken. Small wood chip to one corner.
Size each : 34.5 to 53.2 (w) x 15.2(d) x 17 (h) cm
I’ve seen these selling at £600. Great value at:
{gallery}DS1088{/gallery}
Circa 1890-1910
In lovely original condition and of good heavy weight, the dark oak hand tooled to the front and carved with leaf & flower head forms to the sides. The front face is overlaid with triangular pewter panels, hand tooled and repousse worked in stylised
leaf forms and each inset with a single large yellow ceramic cabochons. One cabochon has a hairline crack, otherwise in super original condition.
Size each : 10 (w) x 9.2(d) x 16.6 (h) cm
{gallery}DS1083{/gallery}
Circa 1890-1910
In lovely original condition and of good heavy weight, the dark oak hand tooled to the front and carved with leaf forms to the sides. The front face is overlaid with pewter panels, hand tooled and repousse worked in stylised flower forms and inset with
emerald green glass cabochons.
Size each : 10.5 (w) x 9.5(d) x 16.6 (h) cm
{gallery}DS1082{/gallery}
1977
An unusual and rare chair, in superb condition, to a design by Bob Hunter ‘Wrenman’ for Colin Almack. Features a carved and lightly adzed solid seat supported by 4 adzed & splayed octagonal legs, joined with X stretchers. The chair back
is pegged in the traditional manner through the seat & features wonderfully detailed and intricate guilloche banded and floral shaped carving. The date 1977 is incised into the top corners of the carving. The beaver carved in high relief to the front
leg is unusual. David Clegg at Beaver Furniture and Bob Hunter have seen the chair & both believe it is a Beaver Furniture made piece, but who crafted it is the subject of some intrigue. Bob himself carved many of the backs on these Jubilee chairs,
but he believes this was done by a Beaver craftsman. Beautiful waxed condition, in an aged deep honey colour and free from staining. It would cost in excess of £600 to make this chair with this carving detail today.
Previously owned by Mark Stacey, the well known antiques dealer and regular guest expert on TV programmes Bargain Hunt, Antiques Road Trip.
Size: 42.5(w) x 42(d) x 91(h)
{gallery}DS1077{/gallery}
