Head of Department, Alexandra Aguilar, with an extensive set of Japanese miniature lacquer furnishings for the Hina matsuri (Girls’ Day or Dolls’ Day) Festival, Edo/Meiji, 19th/20th century
Provenance:
From the Estate of a Collector, Heath House, Hampshire
Estimate £1,000 - £2,000
Back cover:
Charles Ginner ARA (1878-1952)
The Game Keeper’s Cottage, Epping Forest
Signed C.GINNER (lower left)
Oil on canvas
56.1 x 43.3cm
Estimate £10,000 - £15,000
Chairman’s Introduction
John Axford MRICS
Our January ‘Age of Oak’ auction, led by our consultant David Houlston, launched the New Year with an exciting three-day sale. The results reflect the continued growth and strength of our Furniture and Works of Art department and plans are underway to expand the auction calendar with new quarterly interiors sales - see page 40.
Meanwhile, our Jewellery department achieved remarkable results again, selling a diamond bracelet given by Michael Jackson to Elizabeth Taylor for £120,000, and a stunning sapphire ring for £233,000 see page 30.
And last but not least, in our ‘Sale Highlights’ pages 30-36, we can boast of three Artist Auction Record prices!
Ned Cowell, the Head of our Arms & Armour department, is pleased to be offering a superb and rare pair of pistols in June, made for Prince Augustus Frederick, 1st Duke of Sussex (17731843).
Our Specialists will also be sharing their expertise at two prestigious events in June and July: the Chalke History Festival, and an exclusive evening event at Arundells, the former home of Edward Heath, set in the heart of Salisbury’s Cathedral Close, see page 39.
Natalie Milsted, the Managing Director and I, are also pleased to announce that Alexandra Aguilar has been appointed as a Director of the company.
John Axford holding a rare Chinese blue and white ‘nine dragon’ vase from the Jiaqing period (1796-1820) from the collection of Sir Richard Henry Chenevix Trench (1876-1954).
Furniture, Collections & The Age of Oak
Winchfield House
We are delighted to be offering for sale selected contents of Winchfield House in our April Furniture sale. Winchfield House exudes Georgian elegance and was originally built c.1767 by Lord George Beauclerk, 6th son of the first Duke of St. Albans and was the Beauclerk family seat until the 1850s when it was sold to Spencer Charrington. The fifty-one lots in the sale are from the Charrington Family Collection and include a wonderful George II giltwood side table and an impressive large-scale giltwood wall mirror.
Estimate
Estimate
Mark Yuan-Richards
+44 (0) 1722 411854
myr@woolleys.live
Neil Grenyer +44 (0) 1722 446974
ng@woolleys.live
Estimate
Estimate £8,000 - £12,000
A set of ten George III mahogany dining chairs in the French manner
A large-scale George III giltwood wall mirror
£10,000 - £15,000
A fine George II giltwood console table
£20,000 - £30,000
An Italian bronze Grand Tour figure of the Dancing Faun, cast by Sommer
£500 - £800
We are excited to have been entrusted with selling the collection of the late Bruce and Margaret Howard. The Howards had been dealing for over 50 years, initially in St. Ives (Huntingdon) and then in Cambridge where they began to specialise in oak furniture, treen, pottery and metalware. In their retirement they continued to deal mainly at antique fairs and were regular
exhibitors at Harrogate, Buxton, the NEC in Birmingham and at the Olympia fair in London. The sale comprises their personal collection with almost 250 lots, the highlights include: a rare 16th century Welsh clampfront chest, a 15th century Nottingham alabaster sculpture and a Charles II stumpwork mirror.
The Howard Collection of Oak and Works of Art
Furniture Specialist, Neil Grenyer, with a selection of items from the Howard Oak Collection
Estimate £60,000 - £70,000
Fine Jewellery
Marielle Whiting FGA
+44 (0)1722 424595 mw@woolleys.live
Jonathan Edwards FGAA
+44 (0)1722 424504 je@woolleys.live
An unmissable piece in our upcoming April sale is this exceptional pair of Van Cleef & Arpels natural pearl and diamond earrings. Dated c.1950, their elegant design closely relates them to a pair of earrings beloved by one of the most iconic couples in history, HSH Prince Rainier III of Monaco and Grace Kelly. The romance started in 1954, the year the Hollywood star was on the Côte d’Azur to film Alfred Hitchcock’s film To Catch a Thief. Upon their engagement in December 1955, Prince Rainier commissioned a lavish parure of diamonds and pearls, chosen with Louis Arpels ‘to match Grace’s delicate beauty’. A famous photograph of the couple on their honeymoon in Puerto
Pollensa, Majorca immortalises Princess Grace wearing the necklace and the earrings from this set, which is still today in The Princess Grace of Monaco Collection at the Palais Rainier, Monaco, and illustrated in Van Cleef & Arpels, The Art of High Jewellery (Les Arts Decoratifs, 2012), pp.284-285. However, there is an important difference between the royal earrings and the piece offered in our sale. While the Princess of Monaco’s pair featured cultured pearls, the earrings in our upcoming sale are set with natural pearls, making them exceptional in their materials as much as in their design.
Van Cleef & Arpels, a pair of natural pearl and diamond earrings, c.1950
Exceptional materials can also be seen in other highlights of our sale, the 8.112ct emerald and diamond ring and the 3.91ct early 19th century emerald and diamond brooch. Emeralds have long been a favourite stone in our department, and we were proud to offer in April 2023 a superb Victorian 5.66ct emerald and diamond bangle, which sold for £500,000. Both our Victorian bangle and the upcoming ring and brooch are set with emeralds that show no indication of clarity enhancement.
A pair of fine emerald and diamond drop earrings, the emeralds weighing 2.914cts and 2.908cts, with certification from SSEF
Estimate £25,000 - £30,000
Estimate £70,000 - £90,000
Provenance: Alexander Perceval (1787-1858) and thence by descent to the current owner
Estimate £20,000 - £30,000
A fine 8.112ct emerald and diamond ring, the emerald with certification from SSEF, Colombian, no oil
A fine 3.91ct emerald and diamond brooch, the emerald with certification from SSEF, Colombian, no oil
Right:
We are delighted to offer in our sale the private collection of the late Michael and Margaret Susands, spanning over a century, from a pair of converted George III diamond buttons, to a late 19th century ruby and diamond brooch. Also included are a range of other pieces, from the Etruscan Revival style to the Art Nouveau of Child & Child enamel, this collection showcases in its variety the sheer creativity of jewellery production in the 19th century.
The private collection of the late Michael and Margaret Susands
Estimate £8,000 - £12,000
Two Arts & Crafts pieces by the jewellery designer Sibyl Dunlop will be offered, which we are particularly excited about: the multi-gem and enamel bracelet, estimate £8,000-12,000, and the other, a multi-gem brooch, estimate 2,000-3,000. Dunlop’s use of semi-precious stones such as chalcedony and opal, which she juxtaposed with amethyst and other precious stones, to create the ‘carpet of gems’ - a vibrant colour palette for which her pieces are known.
We are also fortunate to be offering an iconic Rolex model, the Sea Dweller ‘Double Red’ model 1665. Rolex’s ultra-capable professional dive watch was launched in 1967 and was named as the dial was painted with ‘Sea Dweller’ in red above ‘Submariner 2000’, also in red. Together with its limited production of ten years only, and extreme sophistication to meet its particular purpose it became one of the most coveted and collectable Rolex vintage watches in the world and remains so today.
Sibyl Dunlop, an Arts & Crafts multi-gem and enamel bracelet, 1930s
A pair of George III diamond earrings, circa 1800
Estimate £30,000 - £50,000
Rolex, a Double Red Sea Dweller wristwatch, circa 1972
Estimate £30,000 - £50,000
An impressive diamond ring, set with an emerald-cut diamond weighing 5.65cts
Estimate £80,000 - £120,000
British & Continental Ceramics & Glass
Any Agatha Christie devotee will be able to tell you that cyanide smells of almonds, arsenic was once found in most garden sheds, and strychnine poisoning causes instant rigor mortis. The famous crime author was fascinated with death by poisoning, with over 30 victims succumbing throughout her oeuvre – a result, perhaps, of her work as a pharmacy dispenser and nurse throughout both World Wars.
Among the world of collectors, such fascinations focus on the tiny, and sometimes highly desirable, bottles that contained such harmful substances. These bottles, often brightly coloured and dramatically decorated with or shaped as skulls or coffins, did not come into existence until the second half of the 19th century, when several horrifying poisoning accidents prompted new government legislation. Until that time, it had been possible to obtain poisons from the local grocer in any unlabelled glass jar or bottle.
With the passing of the Poisons and Pharmacy Act of 1908, bottles containing harmful substances were required to be shaped differently, in order to be identifiable in the dark or by the visually impaired. Among the collection featuring in our 29th April sale, are all three sizes of the ‘Death’s Head’ bottles, originally made by C H Lee & Co in Boston, but believed to have been also produced in the UK. A ‘submarine’ bottle by London maker, Elias Fraser, is a real rarity with only a handful of examples known to have survived.
Such bottles were short-lived in terms of manufacture; by the end of the Second World War it was felt that the bright colours and unusual shapes were likely to prove tempting to children, rendering them a threat. Devoid of their lethal contents, the bottles continue to appeal to bottle collectors around the globe.
Clare Durham
+44 (0) 1722 424507
cd@woolleys.live
A ‘submarine’ bottle by Elias Graser, c.1899
Estimates £800 - £1,200
Three ‘Death’s Head’ bottles by CH Lee & Co., in three sizes, c.1894
Our forthcoming silver sale will include a number of private collections including part I of The J. and V.A. Rocyn-Jones Collection of Wine and Sauce labels, and the second part of a small collection of silver by Michael Bolton.
One item that is very much of local interest is a mid-17th century silver footed waiter, made by the important Salisbury goldsmith and spoon maker Thomas Hayward circa 1670. He was apprenticed to Thomas Thornburgh by 1660, and at the age of twenty-seven in 1663 he married Alice Thresher at St. Edmunds. She died five years later in 1668, and he married his second wife Elizabeth Cornelius in the same year.
He went on to be Assistant or Common-Councillor in 1674, and he lived in the Blue Boar Chequer of St. Edmund’s parish. He died in 1677 and was buried at St. Edmunds. After his death, his business was carried on by his wife for several years. His work is found on both church plate of the area and domestic pieces like porringers and spoons.
A George III silver sauce label, by Paul Storr, London 1816
Estimate £400 - £600
A rare George III silver armorial wine label, by Edward Farrell, London 1815
Estimate £1,500 - £2,000
Left:
A mid-17th century Wessex silver footed waiter, by Thomas Hayward, Salisbury circa 1670
Estimate £4,000 - £6,000
Right:
A Victorian novelty silver gorilla mustard pot, by Thomas William Dee, London 1862
Estimate £2,000 - £3,000
Another lot in the sale that will generate a great deal of interest is a Victorian novelty silver gorilla mustard pot, made by Thomas William Dee, London 1862.
It is thought that the design for this mustard pot may be based on a story relating to Paul du Chaillu (1837-1903) an American explorer, who, from 1856, spent three and a half years exploring a large section of the Gabon coast.
On his return to New York, he wrote the story of his discoveries: ‘Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa; with accounts of the manners and customs of the people, and of the chase of the gorilla, crocodile, leopard, elephant, hippopotamus and other animals’, published by Harper Bros in 1861.
One story was about a hunting expedition and a ‘Killer Gorilla’. Du Chaillu was out with a group of local guides, they split in different directions and after a while, he heard the “tremendous roar of the gorilla…. instinctively we made for the spot…. the poor brave fellow who had gone off alone was lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood…beside him lay his gun, the stock broken, and the barrel bent almost double. In one place it was flattened, and it bore plainly the marks of the gorilla’s teeth.....this huge gorilla thought the gun was his enemy, so he had seized it and dashed it on the ground...not satisfied, had taken it up again and given it a tremendous bite…”
Other examples of this design have come onto the market, and they reflect the Victorians’ interest in travel, exploration, animals and novelty items.
Head of Department, Rupert Slingsby, with a selection of items
our forthcoming sale
In 1369, the Hongwu Emperor decreed that porcelain wares should be used for official sacrifices at the Imperial altars. Each altar was associated with a specific colour of porcelain, blue was used on the Altar of Heaven, red on the Altar of the Sun, yellow on the Altar of Earth, and white on the Altar of the Moon.
A fine and rare Chinese sacrificial-blue glazed double-gourd vase Yongzheng mark and of the period 1723-35, 18.5cm
Estimates £80,000 - £120,000
A rare Chinese blue and white ‘nine dragon’ vase Jiaqing mark and of the period 1796-1820, 27cm
From the collection of Sir Richard Henry Chenevix Trench (1876-1954)
Estimates £5,000 - £10,000
Left:
Right:
Fine Chinese Works of Art
In 2025, Woolley and Wallis will celebrate the 20th anniversary of a landmark moment in regional auction history—the first time a provincial saleroom surpassed the £1 million mark. This milestone was achieved with the sale of a rare Chinese Yuan dynasty vase, which fetched £3 million. The auction not only set a new benchmark but also led to the establishment of our dedicated Chinese Art department.
This May, we are pleased to present two more Chinese artworks from the same distinguished collection: the underglaze-red vase
A rare Chinese underglaze copper-red ‘squirrel and vine’ meiping, Kangxi 1662-1722, 26.5cm
Provenance:
From the collection of William Cleverley Alexander, purchased from John Sparks in 1913 for £30, who acquired the vase from John Audley in the same year
Estimate £20,000 - £30,000
John Axford
+44 (0) 1722 424506 jea@woolleys.live
Alexandra Aguilar
+44 (0) 1722 424583 aa@woolleys.live
pictured here, and a rare yellow-glaze ewer shaped as Fu Lu Shou characters. Consigned directly from the family, these rare pieces have remained unseen on the market for over a century. Their original owner, William Cleverley Alexander (1849-1916), was an amateur artist and avid collector, and his meticulous illustrations of the items can still be found on their original invoices from 1907 and 1913, as well as in his detailed collection notes.
Tibetan and Nepalese Buddhist treasures
Provenance:
This sale also includes the collection of Mr Nicholas Squire (1949-2024), Suffolk, purchased from Spink & Son and Ashencaen & Leonov
Estimates ranging from £2,000 - £6,000
Freya Yuan-Richards
+44 (0) 1722 424589 fyr@woolleys.live
Jeremy Morgan
+44 (0) 7812 601098 jm@woolleys.live
Japanese & Korean Works of Art
We are delighted to be bringing to auction this impressive cloisonné vase by Tajima, formerly in the collection of Camille Gorgé (1893-1978). Gorgé was Switzerland’s ambassador to Japan between 1940 and 1945, at a time when most foreign diplomats had left the country. The Swiss Government asked him to stay to maintain the safety of two hundred compatriots still living there. Gorgé navigated the delicate situation despite constant threats of arrest and mounting acts of xenophobia.
Alexandra Aguilar
+44 (0) 1722 424583
aa@woolleys.live
He also served as mediator between the Japanese Empire and the Allied Powers on matters of common interest. This involved arranging exchanges of civilians, diplomats, and POWs, and negotiating on behalf of over twenty Allied countries, including the UK and the USA. His diary, which he kept during the entirety of this difficult posting, has since been published and makes for compelling reading.
A large Japanese cloisonné vase, c.1910, signed Tajima, 46cm
Provenance:
From the collection of Camille Gorgé (1893-1978) and thence by descent
Estimate £3,000 - £5,000
Also consigned is this extensive set of miniature lacquer furnishings. These delicate models were displayed every year on 3rd March on tiered altars for the Hina matsuri (Girls’ Day or Dolls’ Day) Festival. The altars are believed to bring good fortune and health to young girls. This impressive collection was recently rediscovered at Heath House, Hampshire, in two large lacquer traveling chests traditionally used to store kimonos.
An extensive set of Japanese miniature lacquer furnishings for the Hina matsuri (Girls’ Day or Dolls’ Day) Festival, Edo/Meiji, 19th/20th century
Provenance:
From the Estate of a Collector, Heath House, Hampshire
Estimate £1,000 - £2,000
Another fantastic lot is this fine threepiece bronze garniture by Miyao Eisuke of Yokohama. Miyao played a significant role in the development of Japanese bronze art in the 19th century. Miyao vases are scarce, and a three-piece garniture is even rarer. These will be offered alongside other Miyao artworks including high-quality okimono figures, one notably depicting a falconer.
A fine three-piece parcel-gilt bronze garniture, Meiji period (1868-1912), by Miyao Eisuke of Yokohama, 52cm max
Provenance:
A private English collection, by repute purchased from Kevin Page, London; and thence by descent
Estimate £12,000 - £15,000
A fine and rare pair of Spanish ‘Madrid Lock’ convertible pistols from the collection of His Royal Highness Prince Augustus Frederick, K.G., K.T., G.C.B., G.C.H., Duke of Sussex (1773-1843)
Estimate £20,000 - £30,000
Arms & Armour
This superb 18th century cased pair of convertible pistols is remarkable both for the quality and ingenuity of their workmanship and because of an important royal connection. They were produced in Madrid by the royal gunmaker Francisco Targarona (1733-c.1808) for Prince Augustus Frederick, sixth son of King George III of Great Britain, and Duke of Sussex from 1801. The Duke was notable in his day as an enlightened thinker and abolitionist. He was a supporter of his niece, the popular but unhappy Princess Charlotte, in her struggles with her father the Prince Regent, and he enjoyed the honour of giving away his great niece Queen Victoria on her wedding day. The Duke was also a prominent Freemason.
Charles II, gold two guineas, 1664, first bust with elephant below
Estimate £4,000 - £6,000
The pistol barrels are struck with the maker’s gilded seal mark and are dedicated to their owner in gold inlay ‘DE. S.A.R.P.
AUGUSTO’ (De Su Alteza Real Príncipe Augusto – Of His Royal Highness Prince Augustus). Remarkably they have been constructed such that the barrel of one may be removed and added to the length of the other which, with the addition of a butt stored between them in the case, thus becomes a light carbine, or escopeta.
Medals & Coins
The centrepiece of our 3rd June offering of coins will be the first part of a splendid single-owner collection of British coins representing the issues of all reigns from Charles II to Elizabeth II. It includes some rare large gold and silver examples and provides a fascinating overview of the development of our coinage across a wide and eventful span of history.
Anne, silver halfcrown, 1709, reverse with post-union shields
Estimate £300 - £400
William III, silver crown, 1697
Estimate £700 - £1,000
Modern British & 20th Century Art
John Nash has been described as “an English landscape painter of unique importance”. Traditionally he has been somewhat overshadowed by his elder brother Paul, who was more ambitious and a far better publicist, whereas John spent his life immersed in his work and was shy of self-promotion. However, in recent years there has been a growing appreciation for John’s paintings by both scholars and collectors, and at Woolley and Wallis we have seen some outstanding results for his landscapes.
This June we are delighted to be offering two of his oil paintings, including Hampden House Park, painted c.1935. This scene was just a few miles from Nash’s home in Meadle, Buckinghamshire, and he depicted the landscape of his beloved Chilterns repeatedly throughout his career. Despite the traditional subject matter the composition is inventive and unusual, with the central copse splitting the work in two, and the bold reds and greens contrasting with the subtle rendering of the sky.
It is a painting that demonstrates that although in many ways Nash was the quintessential English landscape painter, underlying his work was a rare sophistication and brilliance.
Through his vibrant palette and fluid, expressive line, Carlos Nadal transformed ordinary interiors into joyous, celebratory paintings and today is considered one of the most significant Spanish artists of the 20th century. His work was heavily influenced by the Fauves, leading to the intense contrasts of colour that we see in Intérieur à la fenêtre ouvrant sur la mer Méditerranée. Nadal frequently made references to other artists in his work, and the motif of painting a scene beyond an open window, which we see in our picture, was a favourite of Matisse’s, who Nadal met in 1948. Nadal’s paintings are joyous and optimistic, reflecting his view that one should “look up and around, not down at the pavement – enjoy life”.
Victor Fauvelle
+44 (0) 1722 446961 vf@woolleys.live
Left:
Carlos Nadal (Spanish 1917-1998)
Intérieur à la fenêtre ouvrant sur la mer Méditerranée
Signed cNadal (lower right), and further signed and inscribed INTÉRIEUR Á LA/FENÊTRE SUR LA MER MEDITERRANE/cNadal and with atelier stamp (to the reverse)
Oil on canvas
65.5 x 81.5cm
Provenance:
Sotheby’s, London, Impressionist and Modern Art, 23rd March 2005, lot 213, where purchased by the present private collectors
Estimate £20,000 - £30,000
Ed Beer +44 (0) 1722 446962 eb@woolleys.live
Above:
Paintings Specialist, Ed Beer, with John Nash RA (1893-1977)
Hampden House Park
Signed John Nash (lower left) Oil on canvas, c.1935
86.2 x 68.8cm
Provenance:
Christie’s, South Kensington, 20th Century British Art, 3rd June 1999, lot 162; Private Collection
Literature:
Roderick Jones, John Nash: Paintings and Watercolours, unpublished thesis (Sheffield 1979), pp. 107-108, 111, 182, pl.112 (as Hamden House Park)
Estimate £20,000 - £30,000
Fine Arts & Crafts
One of the largest vases made at Della Robbia’s Birkenhead factory will be auctioned in this year’s specialist Fine Arts and Crafts auction. Designed by Willie Williams and Harold Rathbone in 1896, the vase features a band of moulded grape vine. It follows ‘The Apple Gatherer’s’ Della Robbia wall plaque by Cassandra Annie Walker, which set an auction record price (£16,380) for the factory in our 3rd December 2024 British Art Pottery auction. The vase is photographed on an ebonised wood occasional table designed by Carlo Bugatti, in the Moorish style, adorned with copper, pewter and bone inlay, the top set with parchment.
Michael Jeffery
+44 (0) 1722 424505
mj@woolleys.live
A fascinating large patinated copper panel of a knight crusader for many years adorned the exterior door of The Old Rectory in Kings Nympton, Devon and comes from the family of Evelyn De Morgan’s sister, Anna Wilhelmina Stirling. Although unsigned, it has all the characteristics of the work of John Pearson who was a close associate of William De Morgan, and initially trained at the Guild of Handicraft.
Above:
Head of Department, Michael Jeffery, with a large Della Robbia Pottery vase, dated 1896
Estimate £1,000 - £1,500
The vase stands on a side table designed by Carlo Bugatti
Estimate £1,500 - £2,000
Left:
A large patinated copper panel probably by John Pearson
Estimate £800 - £1,200
A Cotswolds School oak cheval mirror probably designed by Peter Waals
Estimate £200 - £400
Possibly one of the largest lots in the sale is an unusual pond, sculpted by Robert Wallace Martin in his studio in Southall. It comprises forty stoneware architectural tiles, each incised and painted with aquatic scenes of fish, a seahorse and other water creatures swimming amongst waterweed. It comes from
A tall William De Morgan twin-handled vase
Estimate £500 - £1,000
the Martinware Pottery collection of Samuel Avery and spent many years as a working pond. Avery, a recognised collector of Martinware, loaned many pieces to the London Borough of Ealing collection.
A Martin Brothers stoneware Aquatic pond
Estimate £2,000 - £4,000
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
A Connoisseur’s Eye
Michael Foster Ltd: The Personal Collection of the late Michael and Margaret Susands
We are proud to be selling the collection of the late Michael and Margaret Susands. Michael Foster was a well-respected antiques dealer operating in the Fulham Road and was a regular exhibitor at the Grosvenor House Antiques Fair in London during the 1980s and 1990s (see the photograph of Michael with Princess Diana). From their Chelsea base, they also built up a wonderful collection of furniture, silver, glass, ceramics and pictures.
Mark Yuan-Richards +44 (0) 1722 411854 myr@woolleys.live
Neil Grenyer +44 (0) 1722 446974 ng@woolleys.live
Their house was a veritable treasure trove and was a testament to their love of their profession. The collection on show today demonstrates their unswerving standards and of course their knowledge. They really were arbiters of taste.
The collection features some wonderful pieces of 18th century English furniture including a fine George III satinwood secretaire bookcase and a rare pair of painted and giltwood tables along with a fantastic selection of 18th century chairs, period looking glasses, a rare Georgian wooden doll, two 18th century bentside spinets and some fine tea caddies and boxes.
Left:
A George III satinwood secretaire bookcase
Estimate £3,000 - £5,000
Top:
A Regency specimen marble centre table
Estimate £2,000 - £3,000
Bottom:
An early George III giltwood wall mirror
Estimate £2,000 - £3,000
Estimate £3,000 - £5,000
Estimate £3,000 - £5,000
Estimate £3,000 -
A George II walnut bentside spinet by Joannes Harris
One of a pair of Regency mahogany hall chairs
£5,000
Michael Susands with Princess Diana
A rare George II wooden doll
Robert Lefèvre (French 1755-1830)
Portrait of a young lady in white, full-length, seated in a landscape holding a porte-crayon and a sketch book
Signed and dated Robert Lefevre 1808 (lower left)
Oil on canvas
195.7 x 136cm; 77 x 53½in
Provenance:
Hôtel Drouot, Paris, Vente Anonyme, 23 November 1936, lot 81; Private Collection, Paris; Sotheby’s, London, 19th Century European Paintings, Drawings and Watercolours, 2 April 1998, lot 23, where purchased by the present private collector
Exhibited: Paris, Salon, 1808, no.519; New York, Wildenstein, April-May 1976, no.10
Literature:
G.Wildenstein, ‘Table alphabétique des portraits peints, sculptés et graves exposés à Paris au Salon entre 1800 et 1826’ in Gazette des Beaux-Arts, LXI, January 1963 Illustrated p.18, fig.5
Estimate £8,000 - £12,000
Old Masters, British & European Paintings
Two paintings consigned to our September sale demonstrate the rapid developments that took place in French painting during the early 19th century. Robert Lefèvre was one of the most sought-after portrait-painters of his generation. As a young man he abandoned a career in the law to become an artist, and after his debut at the Salon in 1791 his reputation grew quickly. He excelled as a portraitist, and was patronised by the ruling and fashionable elite during both the Imperial era and the Bourbon Restoration. Although he is perhaps best known for his portraits of Napoleon, his finest paintings are often his portrayals of women.
Portrait of a young lady in white, full-length, seated in a landscape holding a porte-crayon and a sketch book is a wonderful example of his work. It demonstrates Lefèvre’s technical brilliance, along with his ability to convey the psychological depth and individuality of
Victor Fauvelle
+44 (0) 1722 446961
vf@woolleys.live
Ed Beer
+44 (0) 1722 446962
eb@woolleys.live
his sitters. He strove to capture the closest possible likeness of his sitters, and was known for the attention he paid to the small details and accessories in his portraits.
Thomas Couture’s work exemplifies the shift away from the strict academic style of artists like Lefèvre. La Rêverie, is a newly discovered painting, and an exciting addition to his oeuvre. It demonstrates Couture’s brilliance of technique, notably in the modelling of light over the sitter’s neck and shoulders. However, his primary concern appears to be conveying the emotion and psychology of his subject. Couture’s inventiveness can be seen in the restrained and muted palette enlivened by the central band of red. It is a painting that shows how Couture was both continuing the tradition of painting from previous generations, and also starting to anticipate the revolutionary art of his pupils, above all Édouard Manet.
Thomas Couture (French 1815-1879)
La Rêverie
Signed and dated Th Couture 1848 (lower centre) Oil on canvas
65.6 x 54.8cm; 25¾ x 21½in, framed as an oval
Provenance:
Purchased by H.C. Newton c.1856, as the sitter had a likeness to his daughter Ellen Carter West (according to label)
Estimate £8,000 - £12,000
Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas
Leonhard Adam (1891-1960), a German-born academic, anthropologist, curator, ethnologist, lawyer and author, fled his home country in 1938 to England. In 1940, he was arrested as an ‘enemy alien’ and deported to Australia aboard the Dunera. He was later released from the refugee internment to take part in an ethnographical project at the University of Melbourne, where he went on to the position of scholar (1943-1947), lecturer on Aboriginal culture, Buddhist art and Mandarin Chinese (1947-1956). He founded the museum of indigenous art at the University, known as the Leonhard Adam Collection of Indigenous Art. He created strong ties with many Aboriginal communities, and we are delighted to be offering the various Aboriginal shields (shown here) and other Pacific artefacts from his own private collection.
Alain Rouveure’s interest in Nepal started on his first visit to the country in 1979, and he has invested a great deal of effort in humanitarian work since then. He has created a centre to provide work for young women who have had difficulties in life, as well as a school and a day care facility for their children. He also sponsors a rural school and many children of all ages who were abandoned or born to impoverished families. His intention whilst collecting masks, textiles and ethnographic artefacts was to set up a museum to display these cultural objects, but now Alain would like to return these pieces back to market and use the proceeds to fund more work. Last year we sold his Bhutan Textile Collection and this September we will be including his Shaman Collection.
Left:
A large Southern Nepal Ramayana mask, 77cm high
Provenance:
Alain Rouveure Collection
Estimate £2,000 - £3,000
Top Right:
Head of Department, Will Hobbs, with Aboriginal shields from the Leonhard Adam Collection
Bottom Middle:
A Nepal Shaman’s robe
Provenance:
Alain Rouveure Collection
Estimate £400 - £600
Bottom Right:
A selection of Nepal drums, dhyangro
Provenance:
Alain Rouveure Collection
Estimates ranging from £300 - £800
Clare Durham
+44 (0) 1722 424507
cd@woolleys.live
The Sir Bruno Welby Collection of Porcelain
Sale Review
A question we are frequently asked when selling large collections is, “will this flood the market?” With over a thousand cups and teabowls making up the collection of Sir Bruno Welby, it was not an unreasonable question. Happily, the results proved the answer to be very much in the negative, thanks in no small part to Sir Bruno’s broad focus on decorators and unusual painting. The collection, put together over six decades, featured early and rare porcelain drinking vessels from factories across Britain, the Continent and China. Among the well-known factories such as
Meissen, Sèvres, Worcester and Chelsea, nestled lesser known makers including Treviso, Bourg la Reine and Vista Allegre. Divided into around 350 lots, the top price was achieved for a very fine pair of Vincennes botanical cups made for the Turkish market (£22,680). A rare Cozzi teabowl featuring a finely painted depiction of Pulcinello sold for £4,788, while a Chelsea teabowl with unusual painting of penguins after George Edwards sold for £819, despite having been repaired. The sale brought a total of £316,147.
1.
A Cozzi teabowl, c.1770, 6.8cm dia
Sold for £4,788
2. A pair of Vincennes mocha cups, c.1750-52, 4.5cm high
Sold for £22,680
3.
A Chelsea teabowl with penguins, c.1755, 7.5cm dia
Sold for £819
4.
A Meissen teabowl for the Turkish market, c.1756-7, 4cm high
Sold for £5,040
5.
A rare Weesp coffee cup, c.1769-71, 7cm high
Sold for £1,890
6.
An early Chelsea teabowl by Jefferyes Hamett O’Neale, c.1750-52, 6.7cm dia
Sold for £9,324
Valuations
The Power of Provenance
A few years ago, we sold a 1930s engine-turned silver cigarette case that was unremarkable apart from George VI’s royal cypher on the front. Even with this cypher, its scrap weight was not high and it could have realised around £100 to £150 at auction. A notable difference was that this item was accompanied by a letter from George VI, gifting the cigarette case to Lionel Logue, the speech therapist who got the King through that all important ‘King’s Speech’ without stammering. The fact that a whole film had been made about this intimate process generated huge interest in the lot and the letter had come direct from Lionel Logue’s descendants. Provenance, publicity and the collective memory for a memorable film led to a price of £76,250!
In all our markets a ‘back story’ can be key to value and any photographs, letters or mentions in literature can make all the difference. During our lifetimes, and especially now in the digital age, we are rarely tempted to write anything down and oral provenance does not really count for much when you are no longer there.
Jeremy Lamond MRICS FRSA +44 (0) 1722 424502 jl@woolleys.live
The general rule is to keep letters and papers, photographs and written memories close to the object. A medal group accompanied by photographs of the recipient can, in certain circumstances, be more valuable than those without. A painting with its history tucked in the frame at the back will help a specialist to research it properly and establish authenticity of authorship (although ‘bequeathed to Jane from Aunty May’ may not help!).
In the new era of auctions online and in the world generally, people are fascinated by the stories behind things and these days sale formats are often ‘wrapped’ within a named property or collection, celebrity or anniversary format to add to their appeal. It is important to preserve your family stories, histories and literature, not only to add value to your possessions, but also to pass on to the next generation. In the famous lines from Simon and Garfunkel’s Bookends Theme ‘Preserve your memories, they’re all that’s left you.’
If you would like advice about selling your collections by auction, please contact Jeremy Lamond for an initial discussion, or send an email (with photographs) to valuations@woolleys.live.
A Royal presentation silver cigarette case and accompanying letter from George VI to Lionel Logue
Sold for £76,250 in July 2020
Head of Valuations Jeremy Lamond and Hannah Farthing research a Chelsea octagonal saucer, circa 1752
Sold for £5,670 in the Sir Bruno Welby Collection of Porcelain in February 2025
Sale Highlights
Fine Jewellery
An impressive diamond necklace
Sold for £252,000
a
Sold for £233,100
Fine Asian Art
Formerly the property of
Sold for £119,700
Left:
A rare and fine Chinese Imperial flambé-glazed bottle vase
Six-character Qianlong seal mark and of the period 1736-95
Sold for £126,000
Right:
A pair of Chinese blue and white ‘wenwu shuangquan’ sleeve vases
Transitional period c.1640
Sold for £56,700
Boucheron, a sapphire and diamond ring, set with
baguette-shaped sapphire weighing 4.969 carats
Elizabeth Taylor, a diamond line bracelet
Japanese Works of Art
Modern British & 20th Century Art
Denis Mitchell (1912-1993)
Solaris
Signed with initials, dated, numbered and inscribed SOLARIS/1968 No1/DAM (to underside of base)
Bronze with a part green and part polished patina on a slate base, from the edition of five 42 x 31 x 10.4cm (including base)
Sold for £26,460
ARTIST AUCTION RECORD
Harry Dixon (1888-1974)
Portrait of Mabel Dixon (née Mann), the artist’s wife
Signed H DIXON (lower left), and further signed and inscribed The Artist’s Wife/H Dixon ARCA (to reverse)
Oil on canvas
112 x 86.3cm
Sold for £37,800
Left:
A Japanese boxwood netsuke of Gama Sennin by Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856)
Edo period, 18th/19th century
Sold for £42,840
Right:
A pair of Japanese ‘chickens’ lacquer boxes and covers Edo or Meiji, 18th/19th century
Sold for £10,332
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
An Italian Sicilian gilt copper, coral and enamel capezzale Trapani, second half 17th century
Sold for £34,020
An important and rare Commonwealth joined oak heraldic-carved panelled back armchair 1652
Sold for £22,680
A fine early George III mahogany silver table 1760-70
Sold for £40,320
Old Masters, British & European Paintings
ARTIST AUCTION RECORD
Susanna Drury (Irish c.1698-c.1770)
A view of London from Greenwich, with the windmills of the Isle of Dogs and St Paul’s Cathedral in the distance
Signed and dated Sus. Drury pin/1733 (lower right)
Gouache
23.4 x 33.7cm; 9 x 13in
Sold for £81,900
Abel Grimmer (Flemish c. 1570-1618/19)
Landscape with peasants near a lakeside castle
Oil on canvas
31.2 x 43.9cm; 12¼ x 17¼in
Sold for £19,530
Thomas Benjamin Kennington (1856-1916)
Portrait of Anne Struthers (née Kennington) (1884-1962), the artist’s daughter, wearing a white and pink dress, seated in an interior
Signed and dated T.B.Kennington 06 (lower right)
Oil on canvas
111.7 x 86.7cm; 44 x 34¼in
Sold for £25,200
Arts of Africa, Oceania and The Americas
British & Continental Ceramics & Glass
Fine Pottery & Porcelain
Left:
A Kwele mask Gabon
Sold for £107,100
Right:
A Naga woman’s large necklace Ao, Nagaland
Sold for £8,820
From the Hansjorg Mayer Collection
The collection concluded with a total of £136,269
Left:
A rare Vezzi beaker, c.1720-27
Sold for £16,380
Right:
A rare and early Brislington delftware Royal plate, c.1685-88
Sold for £12,600
British Art Pottery & Design
Medals & Coins, Arms & Armour
Left:
John Ward (1938-2023)
Ovoid vessel with pulled rim, a hand-built stoneware vase
Sold for £21,420
Right:
AUCTION RECORD FOR DELLA ROBBIA POTTERY
‘The Apple Gatherer’ a rare Della Robbia Pottery large tile plaque designed by Cassandra Annie Walker, dated 1900
Sold for £16,380
Left:
The historic group of four awards to Ensign and Lieutenant (later Colonel) Charles Napier Sturt who was severely wounded carrying the Colours of the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards at the Battle of Inkermann
Sold for £7,308
Below:
C Ingram and John Rigby & Co.: a superb .451 percussion match rifle with provenance to the Captain Arthur Blennerhassett Leech
Sold for £6,552
Silver & Objects of Vertu
A Charles II silver flagon maker’s mark only TS in a monogram, for Thomas Smith, London circa 1681
Sold for £9,450
A massive William IV silver seven-light candelabrum, maker’s mark W.E, probably for William Elliott, London 1833
Sold for £20,160
Art Deco Centenary (1925-2025) & Design
A fine late-19th century four-piece Indian silver tea and coffee set, by Panna Lal, Alwar, north-eastern Rajasthan, circa 1880
Sold for £11,088
‘Applique Orange Lugano’ a rare and early Clarice Cliff Bizarre
Sold for £9,450
Stamford tea trio
Charity Online Art Auction
The creation of fully accessible, beautifully landscaped gardens within NHS spinal injury centres as much needed well-being spaces, has been described as a ‘lifeline’ by hospital patients. Arts workshops are run regularly inside the hospital gardens for patients dealing with life changing mobility conditions.
Horatio’s Garden is fast approaching its goal of creating biodiverse gardens in all eleven NHS spinal injury centres in the UK. The charity has established seven gardens within an astonishing time frame since 2012, with an eighth in Sheffield to be opened in 2025 and a ninth garden planned in Middlesborough.
This year, Woolley and Wallis are working with Horatio’s Garden to stage the third of a bi-annual series of Charity Online Art auctions from 9th-26th October 2025. The previous Horatio’s Garden auction in 2023 achieved over £50,000 in sales across eighty lots.
If you are an artist and would like to get involved, please email Annabel at annabel@horatiosgarden.org.uk for more information.
Estimate £300 - £500
Left: Ian Parmiter (born 1963)
Owl, 2024 painted wood on iron base unsigned 55cm. high
Right:
Sid Burnard (born 1948)
An Alert Bird found driftwood, metal and a glass mould, signed and dated 7.10.24 38cm. high
Estimate £400 - £600
New Board Member
The directors are delighted to announce the appointment of Alexandra Aguilar to the board in February 2025. Alexandra joined Woolley and Wallis in 2012. She is an auctioneer, Asian Art specialist and Head of the Japanese Art Department, which she founded in 2018. As well as continuing to hold successful sales, Alexandra is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars and appears on the BBC Antiques Roadshow as an Asian Art specialist.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities Woolley & Wallis has given me over the years, and I am excited to contribute to the company’s continued success!” Alexandra said.
Immersion in History
It is a great pleasure to continue our partnership with the Chalke History Festival (23rd-29th June) which we have supported since its inception in 2010. Going beyond our usual sponsorship of keynote talks by prominent historians, this year, three of our own auction specialists will be stepping onto the stage to entertain festival goers.
This panel-style talk will take place on the closing day of the festival, Sunday 29th June.
Fellow leading historians, broadcasters and public figures speaking in this year’s event include: William Dalrymple, Michael Gove, Lucy Hughes-Hallet, Max Hastings, Niall Ferguson, Tom Holland and Helen Castor, to name a few.
This year, all talks are now included in the price of your festival entry. Seating will be filled on a first come, first served basis though it is possible to reserve a seat as a member of the Chalke History Club.
Idyllic summer evening
The personal art collection of Sir Edward Heath, housed inside his former home, Arundells in Salisbury’s Cathedral Close, continues to fascinate visitors from around the world.
Paintings by Sir Winston Churchill, WL Wyllie, LS Lowry, John Singer-Sargent, John Nash, John Piper, Walter Sickert and both Augustus and Gwen John hang alongside Japanese woodcuts and the hand-painted Chinese wallpaper depicting the story of the “Monkey King”. Sir Edward Heath also collected sailing trophies, photographs, ceramics, model warships made by Napoleonic prisoners of war and musical memorabilia.
On Tuesday 15th July, John Axford, Alexandra Aguilar and Ed Beer will be hosted by the trustees of Arundells, holding three short evening talks to centre around a selection of items from the house. From 5.30pm, ticket holders will have the opportunity to enjoy drinks in the garden and explore the house and grounds, with talks beginning at 7pm, closing at 8.30pm.
For further information and tickets please email marketing@woolleys.live.
On 5th February 2025, Asian Art specialist and auctioneer Alexandra Aguilar represented Woolley & Wallis Salerooms by serving as auctioneer for the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Saving Sight Banquet. The fundraising event took place at The Mansion House in London, in the presence of HRH The Duke of Gloucester, the Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of London, Sir Andrew Cash OBE, HRH Princess Raiyah bint Al Hussein of Jordan, and many other supporters of the Hospital. Over £400,000 was raised during the event, which will go directly to supporting the work of the Hospital in the Holy Land and Gaza, providing expert eye care to patients regardless of religion, ethnicity or ability to pay.
For more information about the charity, visit www.stjohneyehospital.org
INTERIOR SALES
We are excited to announce new quarterly Interiors sales, which will launch later this year in September. These new live auctions will feature a curated selection of furniture and works of art in a wide range of styles, from classic to contemporary.
London Office
Second Floor, 17 Clifford Street, London, W1S 3RQ
A reminder of our premises in Clifford Street where many of our specialists are able to provide valuations on an appointment only basis.
Directors & Heads of Departments
Chairman Head of Asian Art
John Axford MRICS +44 (0) 1722 424506 jea@woolleys.live
Director & Japanese Works of Art
Alexandra Aguilar +44 (0) 1722 424583 aa@woolleys.live
20th Century Design
Michael Jeffery +44 (0) 1722 424505 mj@woolleys.live
British & Continental Ceramics & Glass
Clare Durham +44 (0) 1722 424507 cd@woolleys.live
Paintings
Victor Fauvelle
+44 (0) 1722 446961 vf@woolleys.live
Paintings
Ed Beer +44 (0) 1722 446962 eb@woolleys.live
Medals & Coins, Arms & Armour
Ned Cowell +44 (0) 1722 341469 nc@woolleys.live
Valuations
Jeremy Lamond MRICS FRSA +44 (0) 1722 424502 jl@woolleys.live
