Golden Age for Oak: ‘A Life in Oak’ Sale Surpasses £1 Million
19th March 2026-
The Elizabeth I 'Lambert' oak draw leaf table, late 16th century, sold for £126,200* (incl. buyer's premium)
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One of an important set of four 15th-century oak and polychrome-decorated figural corbels from East Anglia, the set sold for £34,480*
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The Three Marys at the Tomb, one of two substantial mid-17th-century Brussels wool and silk tapestries, sold for £27,920*
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A superb 15th-century iron-bound dome-lid chest, English or possibly from the Low Countries, sold for £25,400*
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A Westminster Tudor gilt latten processional cross, dating from the late 15th to early 16th century, sold for £19,050*
The single-owner sale Paul Fitzsimmons: A Life in Oak, held in March 2026, delivered outstanding results, realising a total of more than £1,032,000* (including buyer’s premium) and achieving an impressive 95% sell-through rate. The sale comprised over 700 lots assembled across a thirty-five year career by Devon dealer Paul Fitzsimmons of Marhamchurch Antiques and the collection itself was guided by principles more akin to those of a private collector or curator, with a focus on acquiring rare, unusual, and historically important objects, particularly those that were undocumented or little understood.
The auction attracted strong international interest from both established collectors and new bidders, notably from the United States, drawn by the rare opportunity to acquire exceptional English and Continental early furniture and works of art. Bidding remained consistently robust across both sale days.
Mark Yuan Richards, Associate Director and Furniture Specialist, commented:
“The collection was one of the largest and most historically significant to come to market in many years, and we were honoured to present such an extraordinary array of early oak furniture and works of art.”
The standout lot of the auction was the Lambert Table dating from the Golden Age of the English Renaissance which sold for £126,200* (including buyer’s premium). Measuring over seven feet in length and extending to nearly thirteen feet, it is considered one of the earliest and most elaborate surviving examples of extending furniture from the Elizabethan period.
Notable results on day one included an important set of four 15th-century oak and polychrome-decorated figural corbels from East Anglia, which achieved £35,480*. Two substantial mid-17th-century Brussels wool and silk tapestries, The Three Marys at the Tomb and On the Road to Emmaus, sold for £27,920* and £20,320* respectively.
On day two, a superb 15th-century iron-bound dome-lid chest, English or possibly from the Low Countries (circa 1450–1500), realised £25,400*. An important Henry VII/VIII pre-Reformation processional cross, probably from Westminster, London, one of perhaps only twenty known examples, with related works held by the V&A and major UK cathedrals, sold for £19,050*.
“The sale’s tremendous success is a testament to Paul Fitzsimmons’s knowledge, eye, and enduring enthusiasm for early furniture,” added Mark Yuan Richards.
*All prices include buyer’s premium. Full results are available on our website.
