Born Elizabeth Pantin, the daughter of distinguished French Protestant Huguenot silversmith Simon Pantin, her first husband was French immigrant goldsmith Abraham Buteux, whom she married in 1720 and under whose surname she registered her first mark (which identified the date and location of the work) in 1731.
Her second registered mark in 1741 was as Elizabeth Godfrey after her marriage to another goldsmith, Huguenot Benjamin Godfrey, following the death of her first husband 10 years earlier – and she continued to supply high quality silverware to English nobility even after Benjamin’s demise.
A pair of 20th century Chinese porcelain panels depicting fruit and insects (Lot 872 ) was another item to finish well over its $800-$1200 catalogue estimate at $6500, while Austrian sculptor Theodor Ullman 1920s “Harlequin Dancer” cold painted bronze sculpture (Lot 809 ) brought a credible $5500.
Also solid was an early 20th century continental 14-carat gold vanity box (Lot 313 ) that sold for $5000, while an Omega De Ville gent’s wristwatch (Lot 296 ) reached $4800, almost at the top of its catalogue estimate.
Another winner was an impressive 18-carat white gold ring (Lot 173 ), selling for $4600, and an 18th century Georgian diamond pendant (Lot 133 ) finished well above estimate on $3300.
Two interesting lots – 770 and 680 – a Mona Lisa ivory miniature and the catalogue front cover portrait of a boy by an unknown artist from Newlyn School, established in the 19th century in Cornwall and home to ‘plein air’ style artists, ended with respective figures of $600 (twice its estimate) and $2000.