Sotheby’s ‘Ivy auction’ makes tasty sales

There was a chance to acquire a piece of culinary history when items from the legendary London restaurant The Ivy went under the hammer.

Sotheby’s ‘Made In Britain’ auction, which included lots from the renowned London eaterie, achieved double its high estimate of £3,377,068.

Money made from the sale – ahead of the restaurant’s revamp this month – went to Child Bereavement UK.

The Ivy’s legendary oak doors, estimated at between £800 – £1,200, made £27,500 on the night (including a buyer’s premium of 25 percent) while six place settings achieved £6,875 (more than six times the low

estimate of £1,000). Ten napkins, with an estimate of between £60 and £80, made £2,750.

The highest price for a work displayed in the restaurant went to Bridget Riley’s The Ivy painting, which sold for £413,000, while Maggi Hambling’s painting George Always I soared above the low estimate of £4,000, selling for £23,125 representing an auction record for the artist.