TWO Italian commodes which belonged to former Conservative statesman William Whitelaw are expected to be sold for almost £30,000 at one of the biggest auctions to be held in the region.

The walnut and marquetry chests of drawers, being sold on behalf of Lady Whitelaw, have attracted interest from as far afield as Portugal, as auctioneers gear up for a huge sale of furniture, artwork and jewellery.

Bidders will be parting with hundreds of thousands of pounds when they descend on the autumn catalogue sale at Tennants, in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, next week.

And the competition will be at its most fierce when a work of art by the Prince of Wales - a lithograph depicting a scenic view of Wensleydale - goes under the hammer.

It is expected to fetch up to £600 and the Royal theme will be kept up by a pair of watercolours depicting Malton's procession and triumphal arch, which celebrates the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838.

The sale, which takes place next Thursday and Friday, has been swelled by hundreds of items from private collections in the North.

The work of British designers from the early 20th Century is also likely to be much sought after, particularly pieces by Christopher Dresser, of the Linthorpe Pottery, in Middlesbrough, and famous silversmith Omar Ramsden.

The outstanding lot in the furniture section will be an early 18th Century Beaumanor bed.

The bed has been sent in for sale by the Curzon-Herrick family, who owned Beaumanor House, in Leicestershire, until shortly after the Second World War.

The baroque bed was recently loaned to the Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, and will be sold with an estimate of £18,000 to £24,000.

Adam Schoon, of Tennants, said: "The commodes give people the idea that they have a potty inside them, but they are just chests of drawers and are both richly decorated in marquetry.

"We have a tray full of requests about them, including one from Lisbon."

Of the picture by Prince Charles, Mr Schoon said: "He is a keen watercolourist and has held exhibitions from time to time. It will be interesting to see what it makes."

Viewing for the sale takes place on Sunday, from 11am to 4pm, and between Monday and Wednesday, from 9am to 4pm