A RARE antique clock worth £54,000 stole the show at a Dorchester art auction.

The 18th-century French clock came from a Dorset family and was the highest-selling item at Duke’s Auctioneers fine art sale, held in Weymouth Avenue.

Fine arts valuer Andrew Marlborough said: “The clock was a really exciting result and we had lots of people interested.

“We were quite cautious when we first saw it because it was in a poor condition but it’s such a rare survival that it proved to be very popular.

“We often get maybe a few lots with six or seven phone lines booked but for this lot we had 14, which is quite unusual.”

He added: “The clock was probably made in Paris in the rococo chinoiserie period, which focused on oriental designs.

“One of the top buyers in Paris was bidding on the lot but they were outbid by a collector from the UK.

“The new owner came to collect it himself and was very pleased with it.”

Other interesting items at the auction included a working model of a prisoner of war guillotine made of sheep’s bone, which was sold to a private collector for £4,000.

Mr Marlborough said: “The opportunity to see such an item outside of a museum, let alone be able to purchase it, is rare and caused a lot of excitement at the auction house.”

There was also an 18th-century barber’s bowl which was valued at £400 to £800 but sold to a Port-uguese buyer for £5,500.

The blue and white glazed tin dish was a good prospect for a collector, despite having been dropped and repaired in the past.

Mr Marlborough said: “At the sale in general we had a lot of Asian art.

“The clock was made in Europe as an interpretation of Chinese art but we also had a lot of pieces that really were Asian and we got great results from them too.”

Duke’s next fine art sale will be held on Thursday, April 12.