In our upcoming Fine Interiors sale we are pleased to offer some forty lots of the late Baron John Mauger Langin's most prized pieces, demonstrating the wide breadth of his personal style and taste.
30 August 2024
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In the picturesque Oxfordshire village of Piddington, tucked away in a quiet corner beside The Old Rectory and the church, lies The Coach House, the former residence of Mr John Mauger Langin. The home presented an assortment of significant effects from all periods and subjects, and an insight into the world of a zealous and passionate collector, with every nook, cranny and surface filled with a diverse array of antiques from all eras and subjects.
Formerly a barrister, Langin traded his gown and wig for a life on the road, and followed his passion for antiques by forming R A Barnes Antiques. Running the business from his home, he traded weekly on Portobello Road and, having previously run a shop in Putney, he accumulated in excess of forty-five years in the trade. Although many pieces were begrudgingly sold (as is the dealer’s plight), his attachment to his purchases resulted in many items also being kept. In particular, his interest in Wedgwood became a major focus in his collecting habits, and will be well-reflected in the sale of the remaining contents in a future Homes and Interiors sale at Sworders.
In our Fine Interiors sale, we are pleased to offer some forty lots of John’s most prized pieces, demonstrating the breadth of his personal style and taste. Of particular note is a composite Royal Copenhagen porcelain part dinner service in the perennially admired ‘Flora Danica’ pattern and two other porcelain part dinner services by Herend, alongside many other pieces of fine quality furniture and decorative arts that Sworders hope the new owners will enjoy as much as John did.
fineinteriors@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778
A major highlight of our forthcoming 'DREAMS | A Unique Private Collection' sale on 9 July is a remarkable archive of letters and manuscripts by John Ruskin (1819–1900), the celebrated Victorian polymath. This unparalleled group – numbering in the hundreds – is believed to be the largest collection of Ruskin correspondence in private hands and spans a vast range of topics from art and architecture to politics, religion, and personal reflection.
2 July 2025
'The Scented Garden of Abdullah the Satirist of Shiraz' - also known as 'The Bagh-i-Muattar' - quickly caught the attention of our book specialists, when a copy bound in full vellum was brought in by a local client to our weekly valuation day.
2 July 2025
We are thrilled to launch The Glass Sale - a brand-new addition to our auction calendar! The inaugural sale will take place on Tuesday 28 October and will become a biannual fixture in our calendar going forward.
20 June 2025