The pick of the seven lots consigned to Hyperion Auctions in Cambridgeshire on November 26 was this 8½in (21cm) high green and blue-glazed grotesque spoon warmer modelled by Robert Wallace Martin.
The characterful form with gurning mouth, squinting eyes, hoofed feet and a curling tail is signed twice to both the underbelly and the base. It was thought to date to c.1882.
Estimated at £10,000-15,000, it found many admirers at the St Ives sale before selling to a UK collector at £24,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium).