SALE NEWS Autumn/Winter 2017
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AUCTION CALENDAR SEPTEMBER 12th
Old Masters, British & European Paintings
20th
Tribal Art & Antiquities
FREE AUCTION VALUATIONS We offer a free auction valuation service on the first Friday of every month, 10am – 1pm, no appointment necessary. For further information please call 01722 424 509 or visit our website. *All sale prices quoted include buyer’s premium at 26.4% inc. VAT @20%
OCTOBER 4th
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
17
Design
18
English & European Ceramics & Glass
24th & 25th
Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu
26
Fine Jewellery
th th
th
NOVEMBER 14th
Asian Art
22nd
Medals & Coins, Arms & Militaria
29th
Modern British & 20th Century Art
DECEMBER 13th
The Studio Pottery Collection of Professor Luke Herrmann
14th
British Art Pottery
JANUARY 10th
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
23 & 24
Silver & Vertu
25
Jewellery
rd th
th
FEBRUARY 20th
Fine Porcelain & Pottery
21
Tribal Art & Antiquities
st
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Front Cover.
A selection of Studio Pottery from the Collection of Professor Luke Herrmann. See page 24.
Opposite.
Back Cover.
A rare William & Mary walnut month-going longcase clock by William Clements, 202.5cm high. Estimate: £30,000 – 50,000 To be sold January 2018
Cheong Soo Pieng (1917-1983) A waterside village, 1960 Ink and colour painting on paper, signed, with a red seal, mounted on silk 43.5cm x 94.5cm Estimate: £10,000 – 20,000 To be sold 14th November
Issue 121
CONTENTS 4
Old Masters. British & European Paintings
6
Tribal Art & Antiquities
8
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
10
Design
12
English & European Ceramics & Glass
14
Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu
16
Fine Jewellery
18
Asian Art
20
Medals & Coins, Arms & Militaria
22
Modern British & 20th Century Art
24
The Studio Pottery Collection of Professor Luke Herrmann
26
British Art Pottery
28
Sale Review
32
Events & News
chairman’s introduction
2017 is turning out to be a very buoyant year for the salerooms. Our 18 auctions so far this year have almost without exception gone extremely well with strong prices and an average selling rate of over 80%. Recent highlights include: The two-day April Fine Silver sale which totalled £1,051,000 (the department’s best sale ever) and which was 84% sold. The June Modern British picture sale which made £1,007,840 the department’s best ever total. The top lot was a seminal oil painting by Keith Vaughan of two male nudes sunbathing which sold to a private collector for £151,700.
The July furniture sale where a wonderful George II giltwood mirror sold for £98,600 (see above). The July single owner sale of Burmantofts pottery where every lot sold. We already have some fine lots consigned for the second half of the year including a wonderful single owner sale of Studio Pottery including works by Lucie Rie, Hans Coper and Edmund de Waal. (see page 24). We also have four new members of staff joining us (see page 34) so all in all there’s a lot going on. But the old auctioneer’s adage ‘you’re only as good as your last sale’
remains a truism and all of us here in the Salerooms are very conscious of the need to give all our clients an outstanding service if we are to continue to prosper. Paul Viney
Woolley & Wallis Salisbury Salerooms Ltd. 51-61 Castle Street, Salisbury Wiltshire, SP1 3SU T: +44 (0) 1722 424 500 enquiries@woolleyandwallis.co.uk www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk Contents | 3
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OLD MASTERS, BRITISH & EUROPEAN PAINTINGS 12th September 2017
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SPECIALISTS: VICTOR FAUVELLE +44 (0) 1722 424 503 vf@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
JO BUTLER +44 (0) 1722 424 592 jb@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
1.Paul Sandby R.A. (1731-1809) An extensive landscape with elegant figures by a manor house Oil on canvas, 81 x 112cm Estimate: £8,000 – 12,000
Opposite.
Jan Frans Van Bloemen called Orizzonte (Flemish 1662-1749) Soldiers with a blacksmith shoeing a horse, a fort beyond Oil on canvas, 119 x 97cm Estimate: £4,000 – 6,000
2. Attributed to
John Riley (1646-1691) Portrait of a Lady and Gentleman of the Pennington Legh family of Norbury Booths Hall Knutsford, likely to be Peter Legh and his wife Ruth, A pair, both oil on canvas 119 x 96cm and similar Estimate: £5,000 – 8,000
3. Louise Rayner (1832-1924) A street scene in Chester Signed, watercolour 30 x 46cm Estimate: £6,000 – 8,000 4. Thomas Luny (1759-1837) Beached fishing boats with fishermen hauling nets Oil on panel, 20.5 x 25.5cm Estimate: £1,500 – 2,500
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The September sale is large and eclectic. As well as miniatures, prints, oils and watercolours there is a private collection of icons and devotional pictures assembled over a long period by the late Dr. Venetia Newall. The icons are mainly of Russian and Greek origin but also from Eastern Europe as well as Mexico and South America. In the sale is a rare large oil by Paul Sandby (image 1). He was a founder member of the Royal Academy and after his death was recognised as the father of landscape painting in watercolour. He was applauded by Gainsborough and other painters of the day and the influence of Gainsborough can 3
certainly be seen in this oil painting, which depicts an idyllic rural location with a distant castle by a river. Given that Sandby only painted a small number of oils in his career his mastery of the medium is exceptionally good, especially working on this large scale. The figures, traditionally a weakness for landscape painters, are numerous and shown in great detail with fluidity and correct proportion which transforms the appeal of the painting. Also shown here is a fascinating view of Chester by Louise Rayner (image 3), which is an accurate rendition of how the streets of this important city looked in the late 19th century. With each shopfront recognisable,
no other painter of this period went to such lengths to show city life in such detail. The oil section has five good examples of marine painting by Thomas Luny (image 4). He was a prodigious artist and is believed to have painted 3,000 works in his lifetime. Even after he began to get arthritis in his hands in the early 1800s his pace of production did not slow. He spent the first half of his career in London, exhibiting frequently at the Royal Academy. He also visited France in 1777 and possibly Madeira and Egypt at this time. In 1807 he moved to Teignmouth in Devon where he remained until his death in 1837.
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TRIBAL ART & ANTIQUITIES 20th September 2017
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Opposite. A Fiji chief’s
SPECIALIST: WILL HOBBS +44 (0) 1722 339 752
necklace, split sperm whale teeth, 29cm long. Estimate: £6,000 – 8,000
wh@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
1. A Kanak ceremonial axe,
New Caledonia, nephrite, wood and fibre, 63cm high. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
3. A Maori ceremonial paddle,
late 19th century, 157cm long. Estimate: £4,000 – 6,000
4. A Fon cockerel, Dahomey, Benin, brass and wood, 33.5cm high. Estimate: £300 – 500
5. A Benin memorial head, wood, late 19th early/20th century, 53cm high. Estimate: £1,500 – 2,000
6. A Roman marble
sarcophagus, 2nd–3rd century, 121cm long. Estimate: £10,000 – 15,000
2. A pair of Sotho pipes, South Africa, wood, brass and beads, 18.5cm and 25cm long. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
The late summer sale will include a wide selection of clubs, masks, jewellery, textiles, stools and headrests from different parts of the globe. From North America, an interesting Tlingit domed trunk and a Haida potlatch ladle, further south a small selection of Pre-Columbian pottery. From Africa, a good selection of Yoruba Ibeji figures, a collection of Ethiopian cross pendants, a variety of shields and Zulu staffs. A small collection of Pacific clubs from the Austral Islands, Marquesas Islands, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu. Maori pieces include nephrite tiki pendants, walking sticks, a staff, an early hand club and paddles. 3
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FURNITURE, WORKS OF ART & CLOCKS 4th October 2017
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Opposite. A large late 17th century turned lignum vitae Wassail bowl, 38.6cm high. Estimate: £4,000 – 6,000
SPECIALIST: MARK YUAN-RICHARDS +44 (0) 1722 411 854 myr@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
1. A Regency kingwood
and burr yew banded sofa table by George Simson, 92.3cm wide. Estimate: £8,000 – 12,000
2. A rare pair of George I giltwood side chairs, 93cm high. Provenance: By family repute Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire. Estimate: £4,000 – 6,000
Wassail bowls were made in the 17th and early part of the 18th century and used for communal drinking to celebrate saints days, holidays or at ceremonial gatherings. The term ‘wassailing’ derives from the Old English words ‘was hál’ meaning to ‘be whole’ or ‘be well’. Traditionally a celebratory drink was concocted of a mixture of mulled ale or wine, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar. At Christmas and New Year a bowl decked with ribbons and rosemary was carried around the streets by young ladies who sang carols.
of over thirty ivory carvings, 18th and 19th centuries, 51cm max. Provenance: from a distinguished naval family. Estimates from £300 – 8,000
4. A 15th century
Nottingham alabaster and polychrome decorated fragment depicting The Coronation of the Virgin, 27 x 29cm. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
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3. From a private collection
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Wassail bowls are exclusively made of the dense hard wood of the West Indian ‘guaiacum tree’, a tree of supposed medicinal qualities, also giving the reason why it is called ‘lignum vitae’ or the tree of life. Lignum vitae first began to be imported to England from South America in the late 16th/early 17th century and the dense nature and high oil content makes it resistant to liquids, so it was the perfect material to contain the hot beverage. The other benefit of lignum vitae was that the properties of the timber allowed
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the turner to produce a bowl of greater depth than English indigenous woods, thus making it less likely to split. The example pictured opposite is particularly large, standing at 38.6cm tall and 35.2cm in diameter and has a brass plaque engraved with the coat of arms of the White family of Weymouth and the date 1694.
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F urniture , W orks
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DESIGN 17th October 2017
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SPECIALIST: MICHAEL JEFFERY +44 (0) 1722 424 505 mj@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. Hans Coper
1. Three Clarice Cliff
Bizarre vases; Tennis, a large Mei Ping vase, 31cm high. Estimate: £6,000 – 8,000
(1920-1981), a large and early shallow bowl, 39cm diam. Estimate: £20,000 – 30,000
2. Friends Forever, a large patinated bronze and ivory figure by Demetre Chiparus, 64cm high. Estimate: £15,000 – 20,000
3. Dame Lucie Rie DBE,
(1902-1995), a large porcelain bowl covered in a gloss white glaze, 27cm diam. Estimate: £4,000 – 6,000
House and Bridge, a 365 vase, 19.5cm high. Estimate: £1,500 – 2,000 Orange Roof Cottage, a 365 vase, 19.5cm high. Estimate: £1,500 – 2,000
Covering all aspects of design including ceramics, glass, works on paper, furniture and metal ware.
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1 The sale offers one of the best selections of Clarice Cliff to come to auction in recent years. Drawn from four private collections the section covers her instantly recognisable designs - including the wonderful Tennis pattern vase (image 1) and the iconic House and Bridge pattern charger from the collection of Peter Wentworth-Sheilds and Kay Johnson, which adorned the very first monograph on Clarice’s work published by L’Odeon in 1976. Also consigned is a private collection of Robert Mouseman Thompson oak furniture from a house in Surrey. Virtually all of the furniture in the house was produced by the Yorkshire factory with receipts dating it to the 1970s.
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ENGLISH & EUROPEAN CERAMICS & GLASS 18th October 2017
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SPECIALIST: CLARE DURHAM +44 (0) 1722 424 507
Opposite. Examples from a selection of engraved English 18th century wine glasses from a number of private collections included in the sale. Estimates from £400 to £2,000
Spend even a short amount of time on social media these days and you will almost certainly find yourself bombarded with political news, views and soundbites - “fake” or otherwise. In addition to online profiles, politicos might show their colours with a branded T-shirt or window sticker – cheap, cheerful (sometimes!), and entirely disposable for when their preferred party performs a spectacular U-turn. No such tawdry sentiment for the 18th century gentleman with strong beliefs or loyalties, however; for him only a lasting memento to accompany his evening’s tipple of wine, ale or spirit.
But objects could show disdain as well as support. At the other end of the scale another political, somewhat macabre, glass is inscribed ‘Justice’ to one side, with a man hanging from the gallows to the reverse. This unfortunate creature is Admiral John Byng, a Royal Naval officer and an MP from 1751 until his death in 1757. During the Seven Years War Byng was sent to relieve a besieged garrison at Minorca. Following a poorly fought, inconclusive battle with the French he opted to return to Gibraltar to repair his ships rather than go to his comrades’ aid. On his return to Britain he was court-martialled and executed by firing squad – the engraving on the glass being symbolic rather than accurate – despite appeals to King George II for clemency. Byng was seen by many as a scapegoat for the Admiralty’s inefficiency and the execution in this way of such a high-ranking officer divided the country. Indeed, as recently as 2007 his descendants appealed for a posthumous pardon. Clearly the owner of this particular glass was not inclined towards leniency in this instance.
cd@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Several interesting examples of these political, royal and other commemorative wine glasses are included in the sale on 18th October. One inscribed ‘Liberty and Wilkes’ is also engraved with a bird flying free from a cage, symbolising the freedom of John Wilkes, who had been incarcerated following an attack on George III’s speech endorsing the Paris Peace Treaty in 1763. With his associations to the Jacobite movement and vocal liberal views, Wilkes became a popular figurehead for like-minded gentleman who showed their support with glasses of this nature.
1. A large documentary
pearlware jug, dated 1839, 26cm high. Estimate: £200 – 300
Other glasses in the collection commemorate the reign of William III, the American Revolution of 1776 and the Belfast Loyal Volunteers. One is inscribed for Captain Sands of the Prince of Wales, and would probably have been a gift to that sailor upon a particular voyage, while a cordial glass in the same collection is engraved with a band of grapevine beneath the slogan ‘Trade and Navigation’. Together the glass section of this sale brings together the artistry of the glass-maker and the engraving workshop, married to the social history of the time and the lifestyle and views of the object’s original owner. Those tiring of Brexit, Trump and endless elections might well find solace in reminding themselves of a time when politics and trade deals was a higher risk business which was more likely to result in death or incarceration than the embarrassment of a viral internet meme.
Corporate Gifts in the Early Victorian Era Inscribed Staffordshire porcelain or pottery mugs and jugs turn up at auction fairly regularly, but it is rare to be able to discover anything about the original owner or recipient – still less the giver of such a thoughtful present. This large pearlware jug is notable exception, as it depicts the jug’s commissioner aboard a steam-driven barge titled ‘J Yates Colton’. An 1834 Gazeteer of Staffordshire mentions John Yates of Colton, “an extensive maltster and corn merchant”, who probably not only provided malt for the beer sold by publican Joseph Tomlinson, but whose bargemen would have regularly refreshed themselves at Tomlinson’s inn (being the closest to the canals in the village of Little Haywood). No doubt the jug spent many happy years on the bar during Tomlinson’s time as landlord.
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FINE SILVER & OBJECTS OF VERTU 24th & 25th October 2017
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SPECIALISTS: RUPERT SLINGSBY +44 (0) 1722 424 501
3 rs@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
LUCY CHALMERS +44 (0) 1722 424 594 lc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. An early 17th
century German parcel-gilt silver tankard, by David Eckirch, Augsburg circa 1610, size 13.5cm. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
1. By the Artificiers Guild,
an Arts and Crafts silver hand mirror, London 1920, applied with four Celtic motifs, with a Chrysoprase cabouchon, length 35.5cm. Estimate: £400 – 600
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Selling a private collection is always a privilege and often offers the opportunity to see a variety of items in quantities that would never normally be seen. We are very pleased to be selling in the October Fine Silver sale, the Tom Lawson collection of hatpins (image 3). As both an item of function and fashion, their design had many social and political influences,
2. A George II silver
strawberry dish, by Christian Hillan, London 1739, diameter 23cm. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
3. A small collection of five
Edwardian silver hat pins, by Charles Holder, Chester 1908 and 1909. Estimate: £200 – 300
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Edwardian silver and enamel menu card holder, London 1907, the centre with a blue green enamel cabochon, length 8.5cm. Estimate: £300 – 400
5. A pair of late 19th century silver-mounted cut-glass claret jugs, by Shanks and Co, Moscow 1890, Assay master unknown, height 26cm. Estimate: £3,000 – 4,000
6. A presentation silver trophy bowl, by E. Barnard and Sons Ltd, London 1928, inscribed ‘The Stewards Bowl, Presented by Mashonaland Turf Club Ltd., Hack Race, Run for August 17th 1928’, height on stand 35.5cm, approx. Weight 79.6oz. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
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including the suffragette movement, the legislation against dangerous head-wear in public and various stylistic trends. As well as hatpins, one of Mr Lawson’s other passions lies in the work of Charles Horner, culminating in the publication in 2002 of his book Charles Horner of Halifax – A celebration of his life and work. Some of the most beautiful hatpins were created by Horner and the collection includes those seen in Mr Lawson’s book.
4 Arts & Crafts silver is one of the most attractive and collectible areas in silver, and the hand mirror by the Artificers’ Guild (image 1) is a good example of its type. The Artificers’ Guild was founded in 1901 by Nelson Dawson, with Edward Spencer as principal designer, and was one of the few commercially successful guilds. Following the death of Spencer in 1938, and the outbreak of World War Two, the Guild closed in 1942. 5
4. By Ramsden and Carr, an
Quality silver with interesting inscriptions are always popular and featured in the sale is a presentation silver trophy bowl, by E. Barnard and Sons Ltd (image 6). The Barnard’s name in silver has a long history, and they were often associated with producing the highest quality items, including the Lily font, used in the christening services of the members of the British Royal Family. The bowl is inscribed ‘The Stewards Bowl, Presented by Mashonaland Turf Club Ltd., Hack Race, Run August 17th 1928’. Founded in 1892 in Rhodesia, with its first race in February of that year, the Mashonaland Turf Club is still in existence today based at the Borrowdale Racecourse, Zimbabwe. The sale also includes regimental silver from the Royal Green Jackets and Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.
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F ine S ilver & O bject s
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FINE JEWELLERY 26th October 2017
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SPECIALISTS: MARIELLE WHITING FGA +44 (0) 1722 424 595 mw@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
JONATHAN EDWARDS FGAA +44 (0) 1722 424 504 je@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. A naturalistically formed flowerhead brooch with matching earrings. The brooch can be separated to be worn as two clips and a necklace. Family tradition holds that the suite was purchased from Bulgari. Estimate: £20,000 – 30,000
1. A 3.80ct pear-shaped
diamond pendant. D colour, VS2 clarity, type IIa. GIA certification. Estimate: £30,000 – 50,000
2. A Belle Epoque natural pearl and diamond pendant. Estimate: £4,000 – 6,000
3. A 3.14ct triangularshaped diamond, in an Art Deco emerald and diamond pendant. Estimate: £12,000 – 15,000
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4. An Art Deco diamond-set giardinetto brooch. Estimate: £6,000 – 8,000 5. An aquamarine, ruby and diamond cocktail ring by Mellerio. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
6. An Art Deco Tutti Fruiti gem-set clip by Chaumet. Estimate: £10,000 – 20,000
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7. A brilliant-cut D flawless diamond weighing 3.48cts, by Cartier. GIA certification and original invoice from Cartier dated 1962. Estimate: £100,000 – 150,000 8. A Burmese spinel and green garnet ring, the spinel weighs approximately 11.00cts. SSEF certification Estimate: £10,000 – 20,000
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Diamond mines in the specific region of Golconda Sultanate (1518-1687) in India produced some of the world’s most famous diamonds. Diamonds from these mines were cut, polished and sold around the Golconda Fort market. As the primary source of diamonds at the time, this region became renowned for the largest and best quality diamonds in the world. Some of the finest diamonds fall under the type IIa category, the most desirable of all with little to no impurities (nitrogen atoms) they are the purest. The October sale includes a diamond exhibiting the highest grading in colour and clarity: D, flawless, (image 7). It also includes a type IIa diamond with D colour, VS2 clarity (image 1). There is a strong possibility that this is a Golconda diamond.
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ASIAN ART 14th November 2017
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SPECIALIST: JOHN AXFORD +44 (0) 1722 424 506 jea@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. A Chinese blue
ground suit of ceremonial armour and helmet of the Eight Banner Troops, Qing Dynasty, 150cm approx. Estimate: £10,000 – 20,000
1. A pair of Imperial Chinese enamel jardinières with gardens, 18th century, 29cm. Estimate: £20,000 – 30,000
2. A pair of Japanese Komai vases, c.1880, signed Kyoto no ju Komai sei, 21.4cm. Provenance: from the collection of Hugh Gibson. Estimate: £6,000 – 10,000
3. A set of four Chinese
iron pictures, tiehua, Qing Dynasty, 80cm x 28cm. Provenance: the Hugh Malcolm collection of Asian art. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
Highlights of the sale will be available for viewing during Asian Art in London at 17 Clifford Street from 4-7th of November.
The Imperial Blue Guard The Chinese Eight Banner troops were organised by colour to guard the Forbidden City. The two yellow banners guard the north, the two white in the east, red in the west and the blue in the south. This arrangement was also used to defend the Imperial yurt on hunting expeditions. The current example (opposite) belonged to Col. William Glasgow Powell, USMC (1871-1955) stationed in the Forbidden City in early 1900s.
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The Best of Japanese Damascene High-quality Japanese Komai wares feature in this sale. The Komai family gave its name to this type of damascene work first produced in the 1850s, originally to decorate swords. Highly respected for the quality of their designs, the family held the official title of ‘sword-mounters to the Japanese court’ for several years. When the Meiji Restoration in 1868 forbid samurai from openly wearing swords, the Komai factory turned towards producing everyday objects for the upper classes, ranging from cigarette cases to jewellery, plates or vases. These vases (image 2) were produced circa 1880 at a time when their highest-quality items were made and demonstrate the same level of quality as the sword fittings the Komai family became renowned for.
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Painting with Iron The November sale will feature several objects from the collection of Hugh Malcolm. Mr Malcolm had been living in Japan in the early 1900s and worked as a Managing Director of the Rising Sun Petroleum Company (today known as Shell) between 1924-1936. Part of the collection is a set of tiehua, literally meaning ‘iron pictures’ (image 3). This art form is traditionally associated with blacksmith and painter Tang Peng (or Tang Tienchi) who lived in Wuhu Xian during the Kangxi period (1662-1722). Although a relatively recent craft, Chinese iron pictures have made their way into major museums around the world and can be seen in the permanent collections of Chinese art at the British Museum, the Musée Guimet and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
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MEDALS & COINS, ARMS & MILITARIA 22nd November 2017
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SPECIALIST: NED COWELL +44 (0) 1722 341 469 nc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. Napoleon
Bonaparte, a plaster death mask. Estimate on request.
1. A fine naval presentation
sword to Lieutenant Charles Peake, H.M.S. Euryalus, 1821. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
2. Horatio Nelson,
a lock of his hair. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
3. Ye Mingchen, a peacock feather cap ornament. Estimate: £600 – 800
Closing date for entries, 13th October
Relics of Great Men… Off Cape Trafalgar, October 21st 1805: the illustrious Vice-Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson is struck down by a French musket ball and dies at the height of his powers, even as the loyal and courageous men under his command set the seal on the last of his dazzling victories over Britain’s enemies at sea. After the custom of the time his hair is cut, and conveyed to his great romantic match Emma, Lady Hamilton. Throughout the remainder of her troubled life she bestows small locks of her beloved paladin’s hair on favoured friends, and their love child Horatia continues the practice.
The fall of Canton, China, January 5th 1858: the city Governor Ye Mingchen, principal opponent of the British during the early stages of the second ‘Opium War’, is run to ground by his sworn enemy Consul Harry Parkes and the dashing naval officer Astley Cooper Key of H.M.S. Sans Pareil, who takes as a prize, the peacock feather from Ye’s mandarin cap. A bogeyman to the British and disowned by the Chinese following his humiliating capture, Ye nevertheless looms large in the terrible annals of the clash between Victorian Britain and the ‘Dragon Throne’.
Saint Helena, the South Atlantic, May 5th 1821: the legendary Napoleon Bonaparte, hero and ogre, visionary and megalomaniac, draws his final breath. Compelled by the impulse to memorialise his features, those around him rush to find the materials to make a plaster facsimile of his rapidly decomposing face. In the years that follow this archetypal ‘Death Mask’ is used as a template for sculpture, paintings and further plaster masks.
Our November 22nd auction will present rare opportunities to possess tangible links to these great men and the history that they shaped: a lock of Nelson’s flaxen hair, trapped in a glazed locket and accompanied by a letter from Horatia Nelson Ward to a supporter; a Napoleon death mask, from an early generation of the type and known to have been at one time in the possession of his principal ‘jailer’, Sir Hudson Lowe; and the peacock cap feather of Ye Mingchen, by descent from Admiral Sir Astley Cooper-Key, the man who physically apprehended him.
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MODERN BRITISH & 20TH CENTURY ART 29th November 2017
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SPECIALISTS: VICTOR FAUVELLE +44 (0) 1722 424 503 vf@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
JO BUTLER +44 (0) 1722 424 592 jb@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Closing date for entries, 11th October
Opposite.
Harold Speed (1872-1957) The Heart of the City - depicting St. Paul’s Cathedral during the Blitz in WW2 Signed and dated 1942 Oil on canvas 89 x 102cm Estimate: £2,500 – 3,500
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Harold Speed (1872-1957) (opposite) was an English artist known for his technical and elegant portraiture of historical subjects. However, his background in architecture shines through in this striking 1942 work depicting the drastically altered landscape of London during The Blitz. In this remarkable image St Paul’s Cathedral is observed by the unmistakable figure of an Air Raid Warden. Entitled The Heart of the City, the familiar outline of one of the capital’s most recognisable landmarks stands defiantly against a bright night sky, in stark contrast to the devastation of the city streets below. Born in London, Speed studied architecture at the Royal College of Art, but instead took up painting, and continued his studies at the Royal Academy Schools between 1891 and 1896. In his last year he was elected as a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters.
1.Dorothea Sharp (1874-1955) The red ball Signed, oil on panel 30 x 40.5cm Estimate: £6,000 – 8,000 2. Dame Elisabeth Frink RA (1930-1993) Goggle head profile Signed and dated 71 Watercolour with pencil and silver paper collage 74 x 54cm Estimate: £5,000 – 7,000
3. Jonathan Kenworthy (b.1943) Genet cat Signed, dated ‘68 and numbered 4/7 Bronze on a stone base 18cm high Estimate: £1,000 – 1,500
4. Sir David Young Cameron RA, RSA, RWS (Scottish 1865-1945) View over moorland and mountains Signed, oil on canvas 51 x 92cm Estimate: £6,000 – 8,000
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Dorothea Sharp (image 1) excelled in portraying children in seaside settings and her depiction of light and breezy summer days was the envy of many a painter. Her impressionist technique is economical but still allows for detail and movement, typified here by the mother keeping an eye on her daughter and the child reaching for the ball. The glimpses of unpainted panel in the foreground create texture and depth and show her technical competence. She painted mostly in the U.K., especially in St Ives in Cornwall but also travelled in Europe in the 1920s and 30s.
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THE STUDIO POTTERY COLLECTION OF PROFESSOR LUKE HERRMANN 13th December 2017
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SPECIALIST: MICHAEL JEFFERY +44 (0) 1722 424 505 mj@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. Hans Coper
(1920-1981), a large and impressive thistle form vase, 30cm high. Estimate: £20,000 – 30,000
1. Dame Lucie Rie DBE,
(1902-1995), a fine porcelain bowl covered in an apple green glaze with bronze rim, 17cm diam. Estimate: £20,000 – 30,000
2. John Maltby (born 1936), a large spade form vase, 21cm high. Estimate: £800 – 1,200 3. Jennifer Lee (born 1956), a stoneware asymmetrical vase, 17.5cm high. Estimate: £3,000 – 4,000
4. Dame Lucie Rie DBE,
(1902-1995), a porcelain sgraffito bottle vase with flaring rim and blue bands, size 15.5cm high. Estimate: £20,000 – 30,000
5. William Staite Murray
(1881-1962), a stoneware vase, 25.5cm high. Estimate: £500 – 800
Bernard Leach (1887-1979), a stoneware leaping salmon vase, 28.5cm high. Estimate: £4,000 – 6,000
6. Shoji Hamada
(1894-1978), a stoneware hexagonal brush pot in original wooden box, 10.5cm high. Estimate: £1,000 – 2,000
A fine porcelain sgraffito bowl with bronze rim, 19.5cm diam. Estimate: £20,000 – 30,000
Professor Luke Herrmann was, in his own words, a collector born into a family of collectors. Like most he started small with horse brasses and in the mid1950s progressed to British drawings and watercolours. Whilst working at the Ashmolean Museum in the 1960s he was responsible for the considerable collections of European ceramics and it was here that he purchased his first studio pottery - visiting the legendary Primavera Gallery - where he would encounter the work of Lucie Rie. This is one of the finest private collections to come to auction and includes all the major British potters from both the Leach tradition (including Shoji Hamada) and the modern movement of Lucie Rie, Hans Coper and their followers John Ward, Jennifer Lee, Edmund de Waal and John Maltby. The auction coincides with the important travelling exhibition Things of Beauty Growing- British Studio Pottery showing at The Yale Centre for British Art (14th September-3rd December) and then transferring to The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge (20th March-18th June 2018). This ground-breaking exhibition promises to be the most important survey of 20th Century British Studio Pottery.
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BRITISH ART POTTERY 14th December 2017
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SPECIALIST: MICHAEL JEFFERY +44 (0) 1722 424 505 mj@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. Maureen Minchin (born 1954), a fine Black Rhino vase and cover, 2012, 35cm high. Estimate: £800 – 1,200
Closing date for entries, 20th October
1. A William De Morgan
Galleon tile, 15.5cm square. Estimate: £1,000 – 2,000
2. A Carter’s Poole Pottery tile panel designed by E.E. Stickland for Dewhurst butchers, 32cm square. Estimate: £300 – 500
3. A large Art Nouveau
6. A fine Pilkington’s Royal
4. Lustre Dragonflies on Wing,
7. Two early Carter’s Poole lustre vases designed by Owen Carter, 32cm high. Estimate: £300 – 500
Royal Doulton vase by Eliza Simmance, 50cm high. Estimate: £500 – 800
Lancastrian vase and cover, 15.5cm high. Estimate: £800 – 1,200
a unique Dennis Chinaworks vase, 40cm high. Estimate: £800 – 1,200
5. A Martin Brothers stoneware bird by Robert Wallace Martin, dated 1904, 26cm high. Estimate £8,000 – 12,000
This sale covers the development of studio pottery from the Victorian period to the present day. It includes work produced by the major British factories of the period Doulton, Minton’s, Wedgwood, Pilkington’s Lancastrian and also the work of individual studio potters.
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Following recent strong auction results for tiles, we are pleased to include the Carolyn Wraight collection. This collection of some 600 tiles includes individual and tile panels by William De Morgan, Carter’s Poole and Minton’s. The auction has a fine collection of Poole Pottery which covers the Dorset firm’s output from the early lustre wares of the 1900s to Art Deco designs from the 1930s and the Studio and Atlantis ware pieces produced in the 1960s and 1970s.
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SALES RE VIEW MARCH
Medals & Coins, Arms & Armour The Great War flying Military Cross group of eight medals to Squadron Leader John Tudor Powell Whittaker R.F.C./R.A.F. Sold for £7,585
APRIL
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
Fine Jewellery
An early 18th century and later Indo-Portuguese tortoiseshell and hardwood table cabinet, 26.5cm Sold for £10,110
A late Victorian diamond set floral tiara, designed with ginkgo leaves, 16cm wide. Sold for £69,500
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*All sale prices quoted include buyer’s premium at 26.4% inc. VAT @20%
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SALES RE VIEW APRIL Fine Silver & Vertu Horseracing is characteristically known as the ‘Sport of Kings’ and this notion was exemplified when King William III of the Netherlands presented a large centrepiece to William Stuart Stirling Crawfurd for winning a race not once, but twice, with the same horse in the years of 1851 and 1852. And 165 years later the centerpiece was the top selling lot from the Fine Silver & Vertu sale which also produced the highest total for the department in the 133 year history of Woolley & Wallis, realising £1.05m with 84% of all lots sold. The impressive trophy stands 71cm high, it was made by a London silversmith John Samuel Hunt, and is marked for London 1851. Acquired by the Rijksmuseum (a purchase made possible by an anonymous donor), for a price of £45,500, it will be returning to the country from which it was commissioned.
MAY
Asian Art
English & European Ceramics & Glass
A Chinese pale celadon jade rectangular-section vase, Qianlong 1736-95, 15cm. Sold for £73,300
A pair of Faenza maiolica albarelli, mid 16th century, 32cm. Sold for £7,585
*All sale prices quoted include buyer’s premium at 26.4% inc. VAT @20%
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SALES RE VIEW JUNE
Arts & Crafts
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks.
A monumental Pilkington’s Lancastrian vase by Gordon Forsyth, dated 1913, 48cm high. Sold for £17,700
Items from the collection formed by the late The Honourable Mrs Daisy Fellowes provided two of the top lots in the July sale. The important George II giltwood mirror, featured in the Chairman’s Introduction on page 3 sold for £98,600, one of the highest prices for a single lot for the department to date.
From the rugs and textiles section, and also from the Fellows collection, a large 19th century French Savonnerie Empire style carpet, with a central fan medallion sold for £15,170
JUNE
A Private Collection of Burmantofts Faience The Leeds based Burmantofts Pottery ran for 24 years between 1880 and 1904. During this time, the site comprised of 90 kilns and spread over 16 acres. Talented artists arrived from all over the country due to the factory’s popularity and output. Highlights were on view in the Mayfair office but the full variety of the sale in
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Salisbury drew collectors from far and wide, with the sale being described as ‘one of, if not the finest collection put together to come to the market’. With something for every enthusiast, 700 pieces were offered as 300 lots and every lot sold which in auction terms, is a ‘whiteglove sale’, the second for the 20th Century Design department in two years.
The star lot was a rare large Anglo-Persian charger by Leonard King, impressive at 63cm diameter, selling for £16,430. Another fun lot which was hotly contested to over three times the mid estimate were three mice, only 5.5cm, which sold for £885.
*All sale prices quoted include buyer’s premium at 26.4% inc. VAT @20%
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SALES RE VIEW JUNE
Modern British & 20th Century Art The paintings department also had their highest sale total in the firm’s history with their June offering of Modern British & 20th Century Art. Several highlights came from a private collection consigned by the executors of the late Keith Allison (1925-2016). Allison founded the firm of London solicitors Allison & Humphries and built the majority of his collection in the 1970s and 80s. The most sought-after work in the collection was Sunbathers by Keith Vaughan (191277) (top image) which sold for over double the high estimate at £151,700 to a private collector. Department head Victor Fauvelle
commented that ‘From 1946 Vaughan started to change his style and also adopted new subject matter, progressing to painting figures, mainly the male figure, as the main focus of his paintings, with landscape simply as a background. This is a very strong example of Vaughan’s later style and attracted competitive bidding in the saleroom.’ Another highlight from the Allison collection was Tropical Fruits by John Minton RA (1917-57) (bottom image). This large painting was one of a group of works inspired by the artist’s trip to Jamaica in the summer of 1950.
*All sale prices quoted include buyer’s premium at 26.4% inc. VAT @20%
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Signed and dated 1951, the rich deep colours and bold composition of this picture ensured strong competition with two phone bidders taking it to a final price of £107,450. This remarkable painting is due to be exhibited at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester in a retrospective of the artist’s work this summer to mark the Centenary of his birth. Later in the sale and from a different collection, a small oil on panel by Scottish Colourist John Duncan Fergusson RA (18741961) depicting a scene in Paris and titled L’Avenue de L’Observatoire sold for £75,850.
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EVENTS The Chalke Valley History Festival ‘Currently six countries are claiming the world’s most famous diamond’ This was the introduction by William Dalrymple to the 250 people at our sponsored lecture at The Chalke Valley History Festival on the 1st June. The Koh-I-Noor diamond has a history so dark and steeped in murder, misery and bloodshed, it is known by some as cursed. Currently it decorates the Queen Mother’s Crown in the Tower of London. How it got here is the subject of William Dalrymple and Anita Anand’s latest book, a collaboration which reveals previously unknown history. It was first ‘recognised’ as being in the Peacock Throne, built in the 17th century for the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who
also commissioned the Taj Mahal. After this it changed hands many times but those who encountered the jewel often suffered poor fortunes or horrific deaths. Eventually the stone came to the possession of Queen Victoria after the Act of Submission in 1849. Prince Albert decided to make the diamond one of the features of The Great Exhibition but it was mocked by the public for a lack of sparkle and its untraditional shape, so he arranged the stone to be cut. Its original form was jagged and pointed, thus giving it the name ‘The Mountain of Light’. Numerous gemmologists advised against cutting the stone because it was ‘flawed at
the heart’ which some say is exactly why so much carnage, heartache, jealousy and greed has followed this stone throughout its illustrious history. The new venue for the CVHF’s seventh year was an ideal choice. With each year the festival and its popularity grows, and we look forward to next year’s offering of historical re-enactments, guest speakers and living history through the ages – from the Romans to the Second World War.
The Tim Woolley Memorial Lecture By Paul Atterbury Women War Artists Friday 19th January 2018 at 7pm Attendees will have the opportunity to view the Silver and Jewellery auctions before the lecture. Paul Atterbury is one of the most recognisable faces on the Antiques Road Show. He was the Curator of the Pugin Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, in 1994 and the same museum’s Victorian Vision Exhibition in 2001. His books cover a variety of subjects including different ceramics, country railways and canals. His passion for World War I sees him visiting the battlefields of the Somme yearly and his lecture will focus on women war artists.
In both World Wars British and other Allied governments employed official war artists to produce paintings and drawings that documented all aspects of conflict, for purposes of record, and to try to explain the war to those left at home. Many of these artists were young women, some with established reputations and others at the start of their careers. Their collective experience, gained on many fronts and in many countries, was extraordinary, and their work offers a special insight into the process of war, and the stories of those drawn into the conflicts. Their legacy is a collection of paintings, held mainly at war museums and war memorials, that tell the story of the two World Wars in a particularly powerful, and often poignant way. Stylistically varied and very personal, the work of these women made a massive contribution to the story of 20th century art.
For further information and to reserve tickets please contact: Amanda Lawrence 01722 424509 al@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
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STAFF NEWS
Woolley & Wallis staff waiting for the bride to arrive, outside the cathedral.
Wedding Two departments have collaborated in a life-long partnership. Mark Richards, head of our Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks department and Freya Yuan from the Asian Art department celebrated their marriage with a beautiful service at Salisbury Cathedral on the 10th June.
Our Deputy Chairman John Axford was best man, with Jimmy Gale from the furniture department and Michael Jeffery from the Design department as ushers. We wish them a long, prosperous and happy life together.
Jewellery
Company Secretary
After 14 years as Head of our Jewellery Department, Jonathan Edwards has decided to go part time and will become a consultant as from September 1st. Marielle Whiting, who has worked so successfully with Jonathan over the last eight years, will become Head of the Department and has been appointed an Associate Director of the company. She will be assisted by Charlotte Glyde who joined us earlier this year.
Natalie Milsted has joined us as the new Company Secretary. Natalie worked for Woolley & Wallis Partnership twelve years ago and has returned after living and working in Scotland. Natalie is a Fellow of the ACCA and is taking on the role from her former mentor Jim Macarthur who has retired as company secretary after 28 years of loyal service.
*All sale prices quoted include buyer’s premium at 26.4% inc. VAT @20%
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STAFF NEWS
Asian Art – Senior Specialist
Consultant
Jeremy Morgan joins us as Senior Specialist in Asian Art after a 23-year career at Christie’s. This year he discovered an important pair of Chinese Imperial butterfly vases which sold for £13m, the second highest price ever recorded for a Chinese lot sold in the UK. Chairman Paul Viney said “Over the last decade John Axford has done a remarkable job in building up our Asian department to the point where we are now competing globally at the highest level. The addition of Jeremy to his team is an exciting one and I have a feeling they will prove to be a formidable combination.” Jeremy looks forward to hearing from old and new clients and can be contacted on 07812 601098 or jm@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Elaine Binning was brought up in Oxfordshire and studied ‘Valuation and Auctioneering of Fine Art’ at Southampton Institute. She followed this by working at Sotheby’s from 1988 in a number of departments before joining Dreweatts in 1992. There she ran the Furniture Department and was also an auctioneer until she became a consultant in recent years. Elaine has been a regular member of the BBC Antiques Roadshow team for 17 years and we are delighted that she has joined us as a consultant. Contact Elaine on 07801 666173 or eb@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Marketing & PR We are pleased to welcome Lyndsey Harvey as our new head of Marketing & PR. Lyndsey joins us from her most recent role as Communications Manager for the Salisbury International Arts Festival. Prior to this she held senior positions in several of London’s leading marketing and press agencies, working with clients including the Saatchi Gallery and the National Maritime Museum.
Tamzin Corbett, who has been in the role for nearly five years has now reduced her hours to dedicate more time to her horse livery business she runs from home. She will continue in the department to assist Lyndsey.
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SPECIALIST DEPART MENTS
Chairman
Insurance & Probate Valuations
Paul Viney ASFAV T: +44 (0) 1722 424 502
pslv@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Deputy Chairman
Managing Director
John Axford MRICS ASFAV
Clive Stewart-Lockhart FRICS FRSA
Victor Fauvelle
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 506
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 598
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 503
jea@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
csl@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
vf@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Paintings
Asian Art
English & European Ceramics & Glass
Jo Butler
Alexandra Aguilar DomĂŠracki
Clare Durham
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 592
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 583
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 507
jb@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
aad@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
cd@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
20th Century Design
Asian Art
Jewellery
Michael Jeffery
Freya Yuan-Richards
Jonathan Edwards FGAA
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 505
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 589
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 504
mj@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
fyr@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
je@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Jewellery
Tribal Art & Antiquities
Silver
Marielle Whiting FGA
Will Hobbs
Rupert Slingsby
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 595
T: +44 (0) 1722 339 752
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 501
mw@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
wh@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
rs@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Silver
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
Asian Art
Lucy Chalmers
Mark Yuan-Richards
Marta Olszewska
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 594
T: +44 (0) 1722 411 854
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 591
lc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
myr@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
mo@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Arms, Armour, Medals, Coins & Militaria
PA to the Directors
Marketing
Ned Cowell
Amanda Lawrence
Tamzin Corbett
T: +44 (0) 1722 341 469
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 509
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 590
nc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
al@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
tc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Asian Art
Paintings
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