Woolley & Wallis Sale News | Spring/Summer 2024

Calendar

March - September 2024

March

20th & 21st - Clarice Cliff, Art Deco & Design

April

16th, 17th & 18th – Collections & Fine Furniture and Parker & Morris

24th & 25th – Fine Jewellery

30th – British and Continental Ceramics & Glass

May

1st & 2nd – Silver & Objects of Vertu

21st & 22nd – Asian Art, Chinese Paintings & Japanese Works of Art

30th – Medals & Coins, Arms & Armour

June

5th – Modern British & 20th Century Art

19th – Fine Arts & Crafts

July

3rd & 4th – Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks

10th & 11th – Fine Jewellery

16th & 17th – Silver & Objects of Vertu

September

3rd – British and Continental Ceramics & Glass

4th – Old Masters, British & European Paintings

17th – Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas

51-61 Castle Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3SU

+44 (0) 1722 424500

enquiries@woolleys.live

www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk

Front Cover:

Head of Furniture, Mark Yuan-Richards, with a selection of items from the Parker & Morris Collection and Marmite the office dog

Back cover:

An exceptional Nepalese gilt-copper figure of Indra inset with semiprecious stones, 14th century

Provenance:

The collection of Alastair and Anne Gordon, 6th Marquess and Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair, gifted by their close friend, the renowned British botanist, Adam Stainton (1921-91) circa 1990

Estimate £80,000 - £120,000

Chairman’s Introduction

John Axford MRICS

Estimate £15,000 - £20,000

It was recently pointed out to me that Woolley and Wallis was founded 140 years ago this year; rather a strange number on which to base an anniversary perhaps, but I can report that 2023 was our most successful year to date, selling well over £30 million worth of art and antiques.

Since 1884, there are a few markers to remember: the sale of Stonehenge in 1915 for £6,600 certainly has to feature, (we acted for the buyer, Cecil Chubb) but in my 30 years working for the company, the 1994 sale of original Beatrix Potter illustrated letters was certainly an early highlight. Other milestones include a magnificent pair of 18th century porcelain hawks from the collection of the Dukes of Newcastle, a Henry VIII silver mounted mazer bowl, the Yuan dynasty ‘Alexander’ vase, a £1.6 milllion pair of pearl and diamond earrings, and the 5th Earl of Yarborough’s green jade buffalo - these are all amongst my top ten.

The new generation is progressing well; our first Trainee Valuer, Archie Swann, has graduated and joined our Silver department full-time, and Hannah Farthing, as well as now being an excellent auctioneer, will be moving into Jewellery once she has finished her stint with me in the Asian Art department, all of which means I am now back on the lookout for new trainees.

In April, to coincide with our Furniture sale, we will be holding our 8th Tim Woolley Memorial Lecture, see page 39, and in June we will be sponsoring both the Chalke Valley History Festival and, in London, the Haughton International Seminar, ‘Mystery, Beauty & Preciousness’.

Finally, I’m very pleased to announce that Ned Cowell, the Head of our Medals & Coins and Arms & Armour departments is appointed as an Associate Director of the company.

John Axford with a rare 18th century Imperial Chinese three-coloured lacquer ‘Dragon’ tray, to be sold for charity on behalf of Parkinson’s UK, in our May series of Asian Art auctions

JMW Turner’s Stonehenge. Image courtesy of Salisbury Museum

Clarice Cliff, Art Deco & Design

Three private collections included in the sale illustrate the variety of designs produced during the Art Deco period.

The first includes examples of Clarice Cliff’s exclusive Applique range, a series of sumptuously coloured, highly decorative designs produced between 1929 and 1931. An example of the rare Applique Windmill pattern vase is painted on an Archaic vase, a shape used only briefly by the factory. Like several of her contemporaries, Clarice drew inspiration from the art of ancient Egypt and she designed this vase after studying illustrations of Egyptian architecture in Owen Jones’ Grammar of Ornament, published in 1856. The beautiful Applique Palermo biscuit box and cover is a good example of the technical ability of Clarice’s Bizarre Girls. The young paintress has adapted the pattern to fit the contrasting shapes of the square box and the circular cover.

Alongside is a private collection of silver, silver-plate and pewter designed by Jean Després. Després, primarily known for his jewellery designs, was inspired by both modern artists (including Fernand Léger and Georges Braque whom he met in Paris) and the industrial design of the machine age, which he saw first-hand as an apprentice working on aircraft production during World War I. These influences led to the design and production of modernist candlesticks, vases and boxes, examples of which are all included in the collection.

The final collection is that of Tony & Bea Porter, who bought the legendary Burgh Island Art Deco hotel at auction in 1986. Many of the pieces in the collection came from the interior of the hotel, which they lovingly rescued and restored back to glory, with each room decorated as a unique time capsule of thirties’ chic.

Two Modernist silver vases by Jean Després

Estimate £4,000 - £6,000 each

Three pieces of Clarice Cliff Applique ceramics, comprising:

Applique Windmill Archaic vase

Estimate £3,000 - £5,000

Applique Lucerne vase

Estimate £2,000 - £3,000

Applique Palermo biscuit box and cover

Estimate £3,000 - £5,000

Michael Jeffery

+44 (0) 1722 424505 mj@woolleys.live

Collections & Fine Furniture

A Desk Fit for an Emperor

Our April Collections and Fine Furniture sale will feature an important and well-travelled Louis XVI bureau plat, which was originally the working desk of the French Emperor Napoleon III. This beautiful desk veneered in tulipwood and amaranth and with mercury gilded ormolu mounts was almost certainly made by Claude-Charles Saunier in c.1780-85. A very similar example can be seen in the Musée Nissim de Camondo in Paris.

The desk became part of the Royal Collection, or Garde-Meuble, during the Restoration (c.1820) and can be traced back to 1858 when it appears in an inventory at the Villa Eugénie at Biarritz, the holiday home of Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie.

When the Second Empire was overthrown after France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, Napoleon III and Eugénie took permanent refuge in England and settled at Camden Place in Chislehurst, Kent. Napoleon III died in 1873 and their son tragically died in 1879 while fighting in the Zulu War. Eugénie then moved to Farnborough Hill in 1880 and transferred the contents of the Villa Eugénie to Farnborough in 1881.

The desk is next recorded in the sale of the contents of the house undertaken by Hampton & Sons in 1927, lot 265. It was listed as ‘A Louis XVI library table, from the Royal mobilier’. It fetched 340gns one of the highest prices in the auction. It was purchased by a Parisian dealer, a certain Martin Bacris who the following year exhibited the desk at Malmaison in Paris, along with 158 other items from the Empress’ collection, under the title ‘Exposition de Napoleon 1er A Napoleon III, Souvenirs de la Famille Impériale, conservés par l’impératrice Eugénie dans sa résidence de Farnborough et Provenant de sa Succession’. The table stood in pride of place at the exhibition and was subsequently sold, probably to grace a Rothschild Collection.

The desk was acquired by the current vendor in 1972 from an antiques dealer in Geneva and has been residing back in Hampshire for the last 50 years. It will be coming up for auction on the 16th April and has a guide price of £80,000-£120,000.

Mark Yuan-Richards

+44 (0) 1722 411854 myr@woolleys.live

Neil Grenyer

+44 (0) 1722 446974 ng@woolleys.live

An important Louis XVI bureau plat by Claude-Charles Saunier

Bust of Napoleon III

View of Farnborough Hill

Dinton Hall, Buckinghamshire

We are extremely privileged to announce the sale of selected contents of Dinton Hall, Buckinghamshire in our Collections and Fine Furniture sale on Tuesday 16th April.

The Manor of Dinton was mentioned in the Domesday Book, and was gifted to Lord Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, by his brother, William the Conqueror. The present hall is of medieval origin and during the 15th and 16th centuries it was owned by the Verney family. In 1604 it was sold to Simon Mayne, whose son, also Simon, was MP for Aylesbury and a Judge. He was a friend of Oliver Cromwell and Cromwell’s sword that was used at the Battle of Naseby is still at the hall to this day.

The sale will comprise of over eighty lots of fine furniture and works of art which have been collected by the vendor over the last forty years. Highlights include a beautiful William and Mary olivewood and marquetry chest of drawers, purchased from Turpin Antiques, a handsome Regency oak Gothic Revival serving table and a William and Mary bureau bookcase.

Above Top:

A William and Mary walnut bureau bookcase

Estimate £5,000 - £10,000

Above:

One of a pair of North Italian painted settees

Estimate £4,000 - £6,000

Left:

A William and Mary olivewood and marquetry chest of drawers

Estimate £10,000 - £15,000

Right:

A Regency oak Gothic Revival serving table

Estimate £4,000 - £6,000

A Chinese bottle vase

Late Qing dynasty

Estimate £500 - £600

View of Dinton Hall

Parker & Morris: The Art of Decorating

We are delighted to be selling the collection formed by the late Derek Parker and Peter Morris on the 17th April.

Derek and Peter were interior decorators, antique dealers and collectors and were long-standing clients and friends of Woolley & Wallis. Peter had a passion for porcelain, in particular white-glazed French porcelain, and generously donated his collection to the Victoria National Art Gallery based in Melbourne. The gallery will receive all the proceeds from the sale.

Derek and Peter had houses in Scotland, (including Yester House, East Lothian), Mount Street in London, the South of France, Melbourne and the United States, and accumulated some wonderfully stylish furniture and works of art over the past sixty years. Among the notable John Fowler pieces is a table made for Nancy Lancaster and a beautiful pair of painted ribbon mirrors. Other highlights include a Roman marble Grand Tour bust, originally from Mentmore, and a wonderful large bronze model of a recumbent greyhound or whippet.

The sale will take place in conjunction with the 8th Tim Woolley Memorial Lecture to be held on the 10th April. This year the lecture will be based on Colefax & Fowler and Country House Decoration to be given by Charlotte Stuart of Charlotte Stuart Interiors. See page 39 for tickets.

Opposite Left:

A Roman Grand Tour bust of a young Bacchus, 1st-2nd century AD and later

Provenance:

Sotheby, Parke, Bernet & Co.

Mentmore, May 1977, lot 202

Estimate £4,000 - £6,000

Middle:

A selection of items from the Parker & Morris Collection

Above:

A French bronze model of a recumbent greyhound or whippet, late 19th / early 20th century

Estimate £2,000 - £3,000

Fine Jewellery

Sale Review

Our January sale of Fine Jewels has kicked off 2024 with some very strong results across a spectrum of antique and modern jewels.

Sold

Headlining our sale was a superb Art Deco bracelet by Cartier London, dating from the 1920s and made in the atelier above their New Bond Street premises, where the firm remains today. After some fierce competition from various international phone bidders, it achieved £119,700. While Cartier’s team of artisans were busy crafting this bracelet, it’s very likely that another highlight of the sale was around the corner in Burlington Arcade, sparkling in the window of society jewellers SJ Rood. A remarkable survival, this emerald and diamond sautoir is one of the most important signed pieces by this now lost jeweller to come to light in recent years.

A stylish nephrite powder box, also by Cartier, and an elegant emerald and diamond bracelet by longtime rivals Van Cleef & Arpels, also significantly outperformed their estimates, making it clear that signed Art Deco jewels continue to captivate collectors worldwide.

Sold for £34,020

Sold for £75,600

Marielle Whiting FGA

+44 (0) 1722 424595 mw@woolleys.live

Jonathan Edwards FGAA

+44 (0) 1722 424504 je@woolleys.live

Samuel Hug FGA DGA

+44 (0) 1722 446586 sh@woolleys.live

Estimate £20,000-£30,000

Estimate £10,000-£15,000

A ruby and diamond ring by Cartier, the ruby weighing 3.30cts

With SSEF certification: Burma, no heat

Estimate £30,000-£40,000

An Art Deco sapphire and diamond brooch, 1920s

Estimate £15,000-£20,000

Estimate £8,000-£12,000

Audemars Piguet, a gentleman’s 18ct gold wristwatch, ‘Royal Oak’, no. 96, circa 1978

Boucheron, a fine natural pearl and diamond necklace, first half 20th century

Trabert & Hoeffer Mauboussin, a pink sapphire and diamond heart-shaped ‘Reflection’ brooch, 1940s

British & Continental Ceramics & Glass

The Henry Lawrence Collection

The term Kakiemon is used to describe a style of decoration that originated in Japan during the late 17th century. Using a limited palette that focuses heavily on red, blue and turquoise, the original designs tended towards the asymmetric and were highly prized by porcelain collectors in the West.

The Meissen factory in Germany was an early advocate and English factories including Chelsea, Bow and Vauxhall followed suit in the mid 18th century. Direct copies were made of original Japanese patterns, often taking as their inspiration pieces displayed in Royal collections. Common elements include long-tailed birds, flowering prunus or chrysanthemum plants, banded hedges and bamboo sprays. The Two Quail pattern was

especially popular and in England was particularly associated with the Bow factory. The unusual teapot illustrated opposite is quirky in adopting famille rose enamels for what is traditionally a Kakiemon design.

The Henry Lawrence Collection (included in our 30th April auction) provides a rare opportunity to compare how different factories responded to the influence of Kakiemon wares. With examples from Meissen, the St Cloud factory in France, as well as Bow, Vauxhall, Longton Hall and Derby, the collection displays some of the rarest and earliest interpretations of this highlyprized decoration and demonstrates the rapid developments made in European porcelain production during the 18th century.

Left:

Clare Durham

+44 (0) 1722 424507

cd@woolleys.live

A large Vauxhall mug, c.1755

Estimate £1,500 - £2,000

Top:

A rare Bow fluted teapot and cover, c.1753

Estimate £800 - £1,200

Middle:

A Longton Hall teapot and cover

Estimate £1,500 - £2,000

Bottom:

A Meissen teapot and cover, c.1740

Estimate £800 - £1,200

Silver & Objects of Vertu

The top lot of our January auction was an early 18th century Maltese coffee pot, selling for £30,240. Early silver from the islands of Malta continues to be highly collected and is often exemplified by its fine chased or filigree decoration. The chased decoration on this coffee pot was particularly fine, compared to another coffee pot sold in our January 2023 sale. That mid 18th century example had embossed and chased decoration of shell and foliate motifs and sold for £21,250.

Malta is unusual in having a hallmarking system that is organised on a largely voluntary basis, meaning that items are often identified through connoisseurship or a knowledge of maker’s marks. Before 1798 some pieces were marked with a letter to denote the fineness of the silver – an F, R or M to denote French, Roman or Maltese fineness. Keen-eyed collectors should look out for the mark of an open palmed left hand and a cockerel, which was used for a very brief period of time (1798-1800) during the French invasion of Malta. A Maltese cross was adopted as the national mark for silver from 1857, so will denote pieces produced after that date.

Sold for £21,250

Sold for £30,240

An early-18th century Maltese silver coffee pot, Antonio Manoel de Vilhena period (1722-1736), maker’s mark of FA probably for Francesco Assenza

An 18th century Maltese silver coffee pot, maker’s mark possibly MP, Pinto Period, circa 1740

1st - 2nd May

Head of Department, Rupert Slingsby, with a Charles II silver plate, by Abraham Harrison, London 1678

Estimate £3,000 - £5,000

A George III silver teapot, by Charles Aldridge, London 1789

Estimate £800 - £1,200

A novelty silver ammunition box cigarette box, by Padgett and Braham Ltd, London 1941

Estimate £200 - £300

A Charles II silver tankard, maker’s mark I.D, London 1684

Estimate £2,500 - £3,000

An Elizabeth I silver chalice and cover, maker’s mark of a device, London 1565

Estimate £5,000 - £7000

A set of twelve George III silver plates by Wakelin and Taylor, London 1785

Estimate £5,000 - £7,000

Rupert Slingsby

+44 (0) 1722 424501 rs@woolleys.live

Archie Swann

+44 (0) 1722 446959 as@woolleys.live

New Viewing Space

Viewing for our May sale will be held in our Old Sarum Galleries, alongside the viewing for the British and Continental Ceramics and Glass auction.

Fine Chinese and Japanese Works of Art

Contemporary with Queen Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare, this Chinese wucai bowl is an early example of the trade between China and the West. In the late 16th century, porcelain was rare in Europe and was considered a wonder comparable to other exotica such as nautilus shells, coconuts and ostrich eggs.

For the rarest of these luxury goods, elaborate metal mounts were sometimes applied to enhance their value. This rare bowl has a superb provenance, having belonged to a number of important 20th century collectors including R W Brandt, Alfred J Clarke and Mrs Leonard Dreyfus. Additionally, it has been exhibited multiple times with the Oriental Ceramic Society and extensively published.

Estimate £8,000 - £12,000

John Axford

+44 (0) 1722 424506

jea@woolleys.live

Alexandra Aguilar

+44 (0) 1722 424583 aa@woolleys.live

Freya Yuan-Richards

+44 (0) 1722 424589 fyr@woolleys.live

Jeremy Morgan

+44 (0) 7812 601098

jm@woolleys.live

Freya Yuan-Richards with a rare Chinese wucai silver-gilt mounted bowl Late 16th century

A large and extremely rare Chinese Imperial lacquer ‘Daoist Paradise’ panel, Qianlong period 1736-95, 71cm x 101.5cm

Estimate £200,000 - £300,000

Provenance:

An English private collection; formerly Spink & Son Ltd. (Advertised in the Connoisseur magazine, December 1950). Formerly the collections of Colonel Rokeby and Lord Nunburnholme.

Large panels in carved lacquer were a prominent decorative feature in the palaces of the Forbidden City during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. The present magnificent panel contains an abundance of Daoist symbolic references centred on the depiction of Xiwangmu (the Queen Mother of the West) in flight on a phoenix visiting the Eight Immortals. Xiwangmu is one of the most enduringly popular deities in Chinese history.

Believed to have held court on Mount Kunlun in western China, here at her palace, Xiwangmu would serve peaches to her guests, granting them the gift of Immortality. Hence, on this panel, the scene of her arrival is complemented by the depiction of a tree laden with peaches, as well as pairs of cranes, deer, lotus flowers and other auspicious symbols. The Eight Buddhist Emblems which decorate the frame complement the Daoist theme. This panel can thus be considered to have been made for a special occasion, perhaps the Emperor’s birthday.

To be sold on behalf of Parkinson’s UK.

The All-Seeing God of Nepal

Indra holds significant religious importance for both Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal. Associated with war and thunder, he is revered as the Lord of the Gods and referred to by a number of epithets, especially Sahasraksha, ‘The Thousand Eyed’. This feature is symbolically represented here in the form of a third eye in the God’s forehead. A number of other iconographic elements in this piece are unique to Nepalese depictions of Indra. His posture, seated in elegant maharajalilasana or ‘Royal Ease’, and his tall headdress are both specific to this region’s artistic production, as is the distinctive use of garnets and turquoise, typical of metalwork from the Kathmandu Valley. Together, these elements mark this depiction of Indra as one of the most recognisable and celebrated works of Nepalese art.

An exceptional Nepalese gilt-copper figure of Indra inset with semi-precious stones, 14th century

Estimate £80,000 - 120,000

Provenance:

The collection of Alastair and Anne Gordon, 6th Marquess and Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair, gifted by their close friend, the renowned British botanist, Adam Stainton (1921-91) circa 1990

Peter and Traudi Plesch were important collectors of Chinese, Japanese and Korean Art. Their collection quickly grew after their wedding in 1963 and included many examples of Chinese, Roman and English glass, reflecting their eclectic taste. Peter and Traudi both came to the UK after fleeing Germany and the rise of Nazism in the 1930s. Peter became Professor of Chemistry at Keele University, publishing several books and more than 150 research papers. Traudi received an OBE in 2000 for charitable services. Peter and Traudi’s collection was admired by many fellow collectors and academics. Their passion for the collection was matched by the enthusiasm of their guests, and they were known to be very welcoming to all visitors.

Jeremy Morgan, Asian Art specialist, with a selection of highlights from the collection of Professor Peter Hariolf Plesch (1918-2013) and Gerta Regina ‘Traudi’ Plesch OBE (1921-2013)

The Plesch Collection

Japanese & Korean Works of Art

A Landscape in Miniature

Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927) was a foremost artist during the Golden Age of Japanese enamels (1890-1910). Early on in his career, he invested his wife’s entire dowry and everything they owned to establish a new cloisonné factory. This gamble paid off and by the time he retired he had found fame worldwide, winning a total of 51 awards at international exhibitions and national fairs. Famous travellers had visited him, including Rudyard Kipling and Edward, Prince of Wales. He had also become Imperial Craftsman to the court of Emperor Meiji, an equivalent to today’s Living National Treasures. This vase and cover (below) is a telling example of his talent.

Alexandra Aguilar

+44 (0) 1722 424583

aa@woolleys.live

Landscapes are rarely depicted in Japanese enamels, due to the challenges of working at such a small scale. Namikawa, however, excelled at illustrating views of landmarks in and around Kyoto. This riverside scene is skilfully depicted, with the leaves rendered by using the end-sections of triangular gold wire. The scene is dominated by a deep blue sky which contrasts with the subtle graduated colour of the stream below - a technique he developed. This piece is a highlight of the May sale, and it carries an estimate of £3,000-£5,000.

Estimate £3,000 - £5,000

Head of Department, Alexandra Aguilar, with a rare Japanese cloisonné vase by Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927), 11.5cm

Korean Buddhism

A major chapter in the History of Buddhism in Korea is the Unified Silla dynasty (668-935), which saw the union of three previously separate kingdoms. This period was marked by political stability, and by new aesthetics and ideas travelling throughout East Asia. Many Buddhist sculptures were produced after it became the official religion in the Korean peninsula. This gilt bronze figure (left) portrays Buddha Shakyamuni with his hands gesturing a mudra symbolising the dispelling of fear and the granting of wishes. It would have been used for private worship at a domestic altar.

A Korean gilt-bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, Unified Silla dynasty (8th/9th century), 15cm

Estimate £2,000 - £3,000

The Whimsical World of Netsuke

One of the most satisfying aspects of collecting netsuke (toggles used to fasten a small container to a kimono sash) is the astonishing array of subjects depicted, from famous stories to animals, flowers, and so on. The materials used were also diverse, including wood, ivory, coral, metal and others. The example illustrated here depicts a himono (dried fish), a food often eaten on long journeys in 19th century Japan. Gradually, himono came to symbolise good luck and health, and became a classic dish eaten at the New Year. Modelled in wood, lacquer and shagreen (shark or ray skin), this would have been a perfect netsuke to wear on any auspicious day, and is a favourite subject amongst collectors today.

A Japanese netsuke of a dried fish, Edo period (18th/19th century), 10cm

Estimate £1,000 - £2,000

Medals & Coins, Arms & Armour

Barry Roberts Collection of Edged Weapons and Firearms

The late Barry Roberts was a highly accomplished man with broad interests, among which was the study of antique arms and armour. The collection that he assembled, a small sample of which may be seen here, reflects his keen understanding of the subject and an eye for high quality specimens.

The collection includes early flintlock service arms, European edged weapons and Japanese swords; and it will be our great pleasure to present it to the market in our 30th May auction.

A Strong Offering of Coins this Spring

Coins are an extremely popular subject for study and collection the world over, with a market of enduring vitality in which Woolley and Wallis has enjoyed notable success over recent years. The 30th May auction promises to build on this, offering a coin section of significant quality and quantity. Drawn from one very large private collection, as well as a number of smaller private consignments, this will encompass an international selection ranging from China to the Americas and representing all the major eras of coin history. The catalogue will be released in early May, and we are confident that collectors will be impressed.

Opposite:

Top:

A scarce Spencer patent repeating rifle (Barry Roberts collection)

Bottom Left:

Two very fine main gauche (fencing) daggers (Barry Roberts collection)

Bottom Right:

Scarce and desirable British proof coin sets, part of a large coin section in our May catalogue

A selection of flintlock service pistols (Barry Roberts collection)

Modern British & 20th Century Art

John Maclauchlan Milne & Harold Harvey

John Maclauchlan Milne is often referred to as the ‘Fifth Scottish Colourist’. Like them, his work was transformed in the early 20th century when he encountered the paintings of the French avant-garde. As his obituarist wrote ‘like Peploe, he saw Cézanne and was immediately conquered’. Maclauchlan Milne spent the majority of the 1920s in France, but in the 1930s he focused on painting Scottish landscapes, imbuing them with the light and colour of the Mediterranean. The Five Sisters of Kintail, which he exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1934, is one such work, as the Highlands are conveyed in swathes of vibrant greens and blues highlighted by flashes of vivid purple.

Harold Harvey’s Interior with a woman standing in a doorway, probably depicts Maen Cottage, Newlyn, where Harvey and his wife Gertrude lived after they married in 1911. He first painted interiors during the First World War, when the government discouraged artists from depicting landscapes and coastal views, for fear they would fall into enemy hands. It is one of a series of beautiful and sophisticated interiors showing women and children involved in everyday activities. Certain objects, for example the demi-lune table, recur throughout these works, as do features such as the sharp perspective and the brilliant use of light which floods in through an unseen window. It is a painting that demonstrates why, the year before it was painted, Harvey was described as one of the ‘truest and sincerest of British Painters’.

Harold Harvey (1874–1941)

Interior with a woman standing in a doorway

Signed and dated Harold Harvey/25 (lower right)

Oil on canvas

61.4 x 50.5cm

Estimate £8,000 - 12,000

Provenance:

By descent to the present owner

Head of Department, Victor Fauvelle, with John Maclauchlan Milne RSA (Scottish 1885-1957)

The Five Sisters of Kintail Signed Maclauchlan Milne (lower left) and inscribed HILLS OF KINTAIL (to reverse)

Oil on canvas

71.8 x 91.7cm

Estimate £12,000 - £18,000

Provenance: Ian MacNicol, Glasgow; The Fine Art Society, London, where purchased by the present private collector, September 1981; Private Collection, Yorkshire

Victor Fauvelle

+44 (0) 1722 446961 vf@woolleys.live

Ed Beer

+44 (0) 1722 446962 eb@woolleys.live

19th June

Fine Arts & Crafts

Michael Jeffery

+44 (0) 1722 424505 mj@woolleys.live

The work of Ernestine Mills rarely comes to auction so this small enamel picture (13cm high) by the artist promises to be a highlight of the sale. The enamel, in its original frame, depicts a blue bird, a favoured motif of the artist who was a keen ornithologist. Mills’ enamels are fine examples of Arts and Crafts design while her personal commitment to women’s suffrage adds a layer of historical interest to her work.

Estimate £1,000 - £1,500

The auction also includes a private collection of Martin Brothers pottery as well as the two bird jars and covers illustrated here. The collection contains gourd vases, aquatic vases and a unique grotesque vase modelled as a woven basket over a base of grotesque faces, dated 1880. This vase was included in our successful exhibition celebrating the work of Robert Wallace Martin held in June last year.

Closing date for entries 19th April.

Blue Bird a rare enamel panel by Ernestine Mills

Head of Department, Michael Jeffery, with two Martin Brothers stoneware bird jars and covers

Left:

A small blue and green glazed bird, dated 1912

Estimate £7,000 - £9,000

Right:

A tan and green bird with large beak, dated 1891

Estimate £15,000 - £20,000

Old Masters, British & European Paintings

This remarkable painting, entitled The World Reversed or The Hares’ Revenge, is offered for sale seemingly for the first time in its 300 year history. It depicts hares turning the tables and taking revenge on their hunters. In the foreground, we see a man kneeling before a hare sitting in judgement. Behind him, a cart leads captives away, whilst nearby another man is tossed in the air on a blanket by the animals. The painting is densely packed with detail, from the comic, such as the King and Queen hares feasting, to the macabre, as the treatment of the men becomes ever more extreme throughout the work.

This extraordinary painting is part of a tradition of pictures showing animals taking revenge on hunters and their dogs, that dates to the early seventeenth century. Two further versions of this composition are known. It seems that these works aimed to amuse the viewer, rather than to admonish and moralise.

For all its recorded history, our painting has belonged to the Eyre (later Eyre-Matcham) family and hung at Newhouse, Wiltshire, known for its links to Nelson and for being one of only two ‘trinity’ houses in Britain. A letter to Country Life in 1927 suggested that it was painted for the family as a pun on their name, which was originally Le Heyr. In any case the painting was certainly in situ and attracting comment from visitors by the mid-nineteenth century.

Victor Fauvelle

+44 (0) 1722 446961 vf@woolleys.live

Ed Beer

+44 (0) 1722 446962 eb@woolleys.live

Flemish School c.1700

The World Reversed or The Hares’ Revenge Oil on canvas 166.2 x 211cm; 65½ x 83in

Provenance:

The Eyre Family, Newhouse, Redlynch Salisbury, by 1871, and by repute commissioned by them; And by family descent

Estimate £10,000 - £15,000

Arts of Africa, Oceania & the Americas

Studies of textiles fill the shelves of libraries and offer a fascinating glimpse into the cultures from which they are produced, but it was only recently that those of Bhutan have been added to these world listings. Bhutan sits between the masses of Tibet and India and has very much kept itself to itself and, because it was never colonised, has stayed off the radar of the West. In the late 18th century, the government of British India began to send diplomatic missions in an attempt to open up trade routes through Bhutan to Tibet, but these were met with a lukewarm response from the Bhutanese, who did not see much to be gained through a relationship with the British and even when, in the mid 19th century, an association was forged, with minimal interference, any exposure to the crafts of Bhutan was slight.

Fast forward to the latter 20th century when communications technology, medicine and education met an economy of agriculture and herding, and the country tiptoed into the global community.

This hidden beauty has revealed, amongst other attributes, a long tradition of intricate brocades and complex warp-striped patterned textiles using wild silk, cotton, nettle, and yak hair. Textiles were made for clothing, various containers and covers. These garments convey the social identities of their wearers. Gifts of cloth mark important social transactions, such as career promotions and marriages. They are a value, commodity, wealth and currency, as well as an expression of religious devotion. The September sale will include a collection of rare Bhutan and Nepalese textiles, including tunics, wrapped dresses, coats, blankets and rugs.

Opposite Left:

A hothra jalo patterned wool coat – meaning Mongolian weaving with rainbow Estimate £400 - £600

Opposite Middle:

A Bhutan tunic, kushang

Estimate £400 - £600

Left:

Twins Seven-Seven (1944 – 2011) Nigeria. The War of the Crews, mixed media on canvas, 188 x 131cm

Provenance:

Acquired directly from the artist in 1984

Estimate £4,000 - £6,000

Below:

A selection of items from the Tom Phillips Collection, artist (1937 – 2022)

Including a Yoruba divination bowl bought by Lieutenant General Pitt Rivers from W. D. Webster in 1895

Valuations

The beauty of home visits for the Valuations Department is that you never know what you will find. Inspections for sale are probably the most frequent reason for a call out and we visit all sorts of places from country houses with long drives, converted banks, watermills, threshing barns and pubs, to flats large and small, terraces, bungalows and bedsits. The outside of the property will give you no clue as to the contents, no matter how grand or humble. On one occasion we went to a large country house full of reproduction furniture and on another a bungalow which contained over a million pounds worth of antiques!

The last six months have been particularly busy as we have visited properties from West Yorkshire, Shropshire, the Cotswolds, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Kent, Essex, Berkshire, Surrey, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall and of course most places in greater London and its environs. A couple of months ago we were in the New Forest where a lady was contemplating emigrating to sunnier climes. Her house, full of antiques, included a small rare silk of Charles II, ‘The Merry Monarch’ looking particularly military in parade armour as he stared unsmilingly out of the

Jeremy Lamond MRICS FRSA

+44 (0) 1722 424502 jl@woolleys.live

frame.The silk was not in pristine condition but it was not bad considering its age and when it went to auction in January, there was huge interest online with over 120 people ‘watching’ the lot. Against a conservative three figure estimate, it sold for £4,410.

Some months later I travelled back from West Yorkshire with a consignment of paintings and Chinese porcelain which included a painting by Edward Atkinson Hornel that sold for £12,600.

We are always pleased to come and see you at home if you have too many items to bring to us, or if you have large case furniture which is too heavy to move. Our geographical area for home visits is without limits but for longer journeys we begin with email photographs and proceed from there. Inspections for sale are free, although written valuations for insurance and probate purposes are chargeable.

If you would like advice about selling your collections by auction, please contact Jeremy Lamond on 01722 424 502 for an initial discussion or email valuations@woolleys.live

Neil Grenyer

+44 (0) 1722 446974 ng@woolleys.live

Sold for £4,410

Amanda Lawrence

+44 (0) 1722 424509

al@woolleys.live

153.4

Sold for £12,600

A rare needlework portrait of Charles II in ebonised ripple frame, 20cm x 17.2cm

Edward Atkinson Hornel (Scottish 1864-1933)

Burmese girls on the banks of the Irrawaddy

Signed and dated E A Hornel/1922 (lower right)

Oil on canvas

x 122.3cm

Sale Highlights

Old Masters, British & European Paintings

British & Continental Ceramics & Glass

A large pair of Meissen figures of greyhounds, c.1745-50

Sold for £10,080

Walter Frederick Osborne RHA (Irish 1859-1903)

Joe the Swineherd

Signed and dated WALTER

OSBORNE/-90 (lower left)

Oil on canvas

51 x 68.4cm; 20 x 27in

Sold for £57,960

An unusual Beilby wine glass, c.1770

Sold for £3,780

Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas

Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks

Sold for over £199,000

Left:

A Paiwan house panel

Taiwan

Sold for £7,500

Right:

A Santa Cruz Islands feather currency tevau

Sold for £8,190

By

Sold for £35,280

‘1866’

Sold for £10,080

Kenneth Neame: An Enduring Legacy

A fine Charles II treen lignum vitae wassail bowl c.1670

A fine pair of Italian walnut figural torchères

Angiolio Barbetti (1805-1873), Florence, dated

The Collection of Jean Louis Chameroy

Fabergé, an aventurine quartz, ruby and diamond scent bottle pendant, workmaster Michael Perchin, late 19th century

Sold for £20,160

Fine Jewellery

Attributed to Maynier et Pinçon, a fine Art Deco multi-gem-set and enamel brooch, circa 1925

Sold for £43,470

A sapphire and diamond ring, early 20th century

Sold for £57,960

Design

Left:

Roger Godchaux (1878-1958)

Eléphant courant trompe enroulée (Elephant Running Coiled Trunk)

Sold for £13,860

Right:

A Clarice Cliff Bizarre Age of Jazz figure designed by Clarice Cliff

Sold for £8,820

Hermès, A tan togo retourne Birkin 35

Sold for £6,300

The Lawrence Jade Collection

A fine and rare Chinese white jade ‘bamboo’ vase Qianlong 1736-95

Sold for £690,000

Fine Asian Art

An important gilded copper gem-inset figure of Mahasri Tara c.12th century Bihar, Eastern India

Sold for £478,800

Left:

A Chinese Zitan treasure chest Qing dynasty

Sold for £157,500

Right:

A rare Japanese Kakiemon ‘Hampton Court’ vase and cover Edo period, 1670-90

Sold for £60,480

Japanese Works of Art

The Phillip Allen Collection

Silver & Objects of Vertu

British Art, Pottery & Design

Modern British & 20th Century Art

John Nash RA (1893-1977)

Winter in a Beechwood

Signed John Nash (lower left)

Oil on canvas

66.4 x 76.1cm

Sold for £75,600

Left:

A rare late-15th century provincial silver hexagonal knop spoon, marked once to the bowl with an unascribed mark, circa 1494

Sold for £12,600

Right:

A fine Martin Brothers stoneware spoonwarmer by Robert Wallace Martin

Sold for £63,000

Medals & Coins, Arms & Armour

Part of the fine group of Orders and Medals to Paymaster Rear Admiral Philip John Hawkins Lander Row, C.B., C.V.O., R.N

Sold for £8,820

Archie Swann

In April 2022, we advertised our new Trainee Valuer Scheme and invited applications from graduates interested in working in the auction industry. We received an encouraging number of CVs and the first successful candidate, Archie Swann, started his training programme in the Silver department in the summer of that year. Having now graduated from the scheme, which saw him work across a number of disciplines, we are pleased to welcome Archie into a full time role, working alongside Rupert Slingsby in the Silver department.

We are still open to applications for the scheme; CVs and covering letters should be addressed to John Axford at chairman@woolleys.live

Ned Cowell

After eight years running the Medals & Coins, Arms and Armour sales at Woolley and Wallis, the directors are delighted to announce the appointment of Ned Cowell as an Associate Director to the company. Ned has over two decades of experience in the field of militaria and has worked hard in building up his department since joining us in 2016.

Tim Woolley Memorial Lecture

This year marks the 10 year anniversary of the first Tim Woolley Memorial Lecture, given by John Benjamin in July 2014 on the subject of Fabergé eggs. Since then we have played host to an array of erudite and entertaining speakers covering subjects including female war artists, Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, Sèvres porcelain, and the Rothschild family as collectors.

The next lecture will be held on Wednesday 10th April at our Old Sarum Galleries, alongside a private view of the Parker & Morris and Fine Furniture auctions. This sale includes the

collection of the late Derek Parker and Peter Morris with many pieces sourced from John Fowler. It is a pleasure, therefore, to welcome interior designer, Charlotte Stuart, to speak about the history of Colefax and Fowler and the art of using antiques in interior decoration. Tickets are £15, to include wine and canapés, with all proceeds to benefit Salisbury Hospice.

To purchase tickets please contact +44 (0) 1722 424500 or marketing@woolleys.live

Chloe Davie

Congratulations to Chloe Davie, our Head of Marketing, who gained a Distinction in her Certificate in Professional Digital Marketing. The Chartered Institute of Marketing qualification involved three separate modules and took a year to complete.

Horatio’s Garden

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the second charity art auction for Horatio’s Garden which took place online in October. Over £50,000 was raised through the sale of works by (among others) Maggi Hambling, Sean Henry, Sir Quentin Blake, Tim Burton and Sophie Ryder. Visitors to our Old Sarum Galleries since the end of November may have noticed the cabinet of merchandise being sold to benefit the charity, including their highly popular Emma Bridgewater mugs. A similar selection is now available at the City Centre Salerooms, so please take a look next time you visit us.

Sophie Ryder (b.1963)

Ladyhare with Dog

Signed (to margin)

Etching with aquatint

83.5 x 63.5cm

Unframed

Sold for £3,200

Sean Henry (b.1965)

Man Waiting 2022

Signed with initials and numbered SH 3/9 (to underside of base)

Bronze with oil painting, from an edition of 9 38cm high, 17cm wide, 22cm deep

Sold for £4,500

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

20th Century Design

Michael Jeffery

+44 (0) 1722 424505 mj@woolleys.live

Managing Director Finance & Compliance

Natalie Milsted FCCA

+44 (0) 1722 424599 nm@woolleys.live

Chinese Paintings

Freya Yuan-Richards

+44 (0) 1722 424589 fyr@woolleys.live

British & Continental Ceramics & Glass Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks

Clare Durham

+44 (0) 1722 424507 cd@woolleys.live

Mark Yuan-Richards

+44 (0) 1722 411854 myr@woolleys.live

Japanese Works of Art Jewellery

Alexandra Aguilar

+44 (0) 1722 424583 aa@woolleys.live

Marielle Whiting FGA

+44 (0) 1722 424595 mw@woolleys.live

Jewellery Paintings

Samuel Hug FGA DGA

+44 (0) 1722 424586 sh@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

Victor Fauvelle

+44 (0) 1722 446961 vf@woolleys.live

Silver

Rupert Slingsby

+44 (0) 1722 424501 rs@woolleys.live

African & Oceanic Art Antiquities

Will Hobbs

+44 (0) 1722 339752 wh@woolleys.live

Valuations Marketing

Jeremy Lamond MRICS FRSA

+44 (0) 1722 424502 jl@woolleys.live

Chloe Davie

+44 (0) 1722 446951 chd@woolleys.live

www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk