Chorley’s 1500-lot 2-day sale on 26/27 Nov starts with a cork popping selection of wines. Among the Burgundy a case of 2006 1er Cru Chambolle Musigny ‘Les Gruenchers’ stands out at £400-600 along with vintage and non vintage Champagnes from Bollinger, Laurent-Perrier, Taittinger, Pommery, Louis Roederer, Pol Roger & others with estimates from £60 to £750. The sale includes fantastic selection of over 30 lots of enamel boxes, Lot 459 will appeal to collectors of early Royal memorabilia - this Battersea enamel box has a portraits of George III & Queen Charlotte est £5,000-7,000. Many of the boxes come from the important collection of The Hon. Mrs. Nellie Ionides (1883-1962), Lot 429 depicts Somerset House (£150-200). Mrs Ionides' collection was perhaps best known for the Chinese pieces, many of which are in the V&A & British Museum. The sale includes Lot 1197, an 18th Century Chinese enamel tea caddy & tray formerly from her collection, est £2,000-3,000.

The Oriental section has a strong array of items from China & Japan. Lots 1145 & 1146 are particularly fine examples of Japanese mixed metal ‘taka-zogan’ techniques. Lot 1145 is a pair of vases decorated with birds & chrysanthemums, est £1,000-1,500, & a single tall vase with similar decoration est £1,200-1,800, Lot 1146. Both lots were originally in the important collection of George Eumorfopoulos; much of his collection was sold to the British Museum & the V&A in 1934-5.

Of academic interest is a Chinese ‘magic square’ bowl, Lot 1184, made for the Islamic market, bearing texts from the Koran & the invocation 'There is no man but Ali, there is no sword but dhu 'l-fiqar'. These magic square bowls were meant to have healing properties & this example is est at £500-700. A particularly strong selection of European porcelain includes the collection of the late Captain Casper William Carnegie Swinley OBE RN with many rare Chelsea ‘blue anchor’ dishes; it is believed that a full service of blue anchor plates was owned by Captain Swinley’s grandmother, Albinia Crawley-Boevey, at Flaxley Abbey, Gloucs. Blue anchor pieces date from the same period as red anchor wares (1752-1758). Other highlights include Lot 1121, a rare Meissen trompe l’oeil plate, probably modelled by J J Kändler c1765-70, which naturalistically depicts a variety of fruit, flowers & ribbon on a plate, est £7,000-10,000. Also Lot 1076, a small Meissen patch box, c1750, is adapted from a Kändler snuff-box design; est £1,500-2,000. There is also extensive picture section with 3 paintings by Leon Morrocco (b. 1942) Lot 1484 entitled Chez Felix, £3,000-5,000. Lionel Edwards (1878-1966) remains ever popular at auction, Lot 1487 is a humorous oil entitled Last Man Shut the Gate est £6,000-8,000.