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Click here to subscribeHeinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (German botanist & ornithologist, 1793 - 1867) Study of birds, watercolour, variously inscribed, unframed, 14 x 23 cm. Provenance: Shane Hugh Maryon Gough, 5th Viscount Gough (b. 1941) descendant of British army officer Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough (1779 - 1869)
TROTSKY LEON: (1879-1940) Lev Davidovich Bronstein. Russian Marxist Revolutionary, founder and first leader of the Red Army. T.L.S., Bien à vous, L. Tr., in bold blue ink, one page, 4to, n.p., 18th July 1938, to comrade Gérard, in French. Trotsky states in full `Dear Comrade Gérard, I have received your two letters related to the investigation. I am waiting for the mentioned documents with the greatest impatience. Immediately after receiving them I will write to the judge about this affair´ and further continues `We are waiting here for some detailed explanations regarding Camille disappearance before starting a campaign. You can well imagine our concern´ An excellent content letter. Extremely small overall age wear, with small creasing to the borders, otherwise VG £1000-1500 Gérard Rosenthal (1903-1992) French Socialist Politician and Lawyer. He was Trotsky´s lawyer in France. Rudolf Klement (1908-1938) German Communist, Secretary of Trotsky, and Secretary of the International Communist League. Assassinated in Melun, France. "Camille" was the codename Klement used for over a year. During the 1930´s Joseph Stalin´s NKVD (People´s commissariat for Internal Affairs agency associated to Soviet secret police) carried out many assassinations outside of the Soviet Union, including fourth international Secretary Rudolf Klement. Trotsky would write the announced letter on the present document to the judge, the 20th September 1938, and did state in part `To His Honour the examining Magistrate in the case of the disappearance of Rudolf Klement:… Your Honour, I have but one interest in this matter: to establish the truth about the fate of the unfortunate Rudolf Klement. This interest has prompted me to place before you revelations that I would have preferred to avoid under other circumstances….´
CATHERINE II: (1762-1796) Empress of Russia 1762-96, known as Catherine the Great. A good L.S., Ekaterina, being an excellent signature example, two pages, 4to, Saint Petersburg, 16th May 1794, to Army Commander Mikhail Vassilievich, in Cyrillic. The Empress states `Having entrusted you with the authority over our troops stationed on the Taurida peninsula, we order you, prior to further orders, to follow the instructions given to you to command the army for the sake of its safety and to inform us about the safety situation of the borders entrusted to your protection, as well as any information that may reach you from the neighbouring Turkish regions.´ further saying `Since we appointed Field Marshal Count Piotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev as Chief Commander of all troops stationed along our borders with Poland and Turkey, from the boundary of Minsk Principality with Izayaslavsk to the estuary of the Dniester river, we ask you to be in contact and to inform him about any border movements.´ A good content letter. A hole to the blank integral leaf not affecting text or signature, otherwise in very fine condition. VG £2000-3000 Count Piotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky (1725-1796) Russian General. Governor of Little Russia from the abolition of the Cossack Hetmanate 1764-1796. Russian Commander and hero in both Russo-Turkish wars. He served throughout the reign of Catherine II for 34 years, and died only a month after the Empress.
MARSHALS OF FRANCE: Two attractive Ls.S., by two French Marshals of the former period before revolution, being Guy Michel de Durfort (1704-1773) Duke of Randan, Marshal of France. L.S., The Duke of Randan, two pages, Folio, Besançon, 6th October 1755, in French. The partially printed document, bearing a large coat of arms at the heading is a military order given to the infantry regiment of Alsace, instructing them to depart and where to go, explaining the route to follow. The document bears to the verso in multiple different hands, numerous annotations, countersigned, reporting on each arrival and departure station; Louis César Le Tellier (1695-1771) Duke d´Estrée, Marshal of France. L.S., L.C Destrées, two pages, folio, Caen, 28th August 1756, in French. The partially printed document, bearing two large coats of arms, his own one and the French army one, is a military order given to two regiments. Carefully annotated to the verso the number of officers and horses comprising the regiment. Very small overall age wear and few minor stains, otherwise VG, 2 £100-120
ROMMEL ERWIN: (1891-1944) German Field Marshal of World War II. D.S., Rommel, in pencil, two pages, 4to, Africa, 30th January 1942, in German. The typed document is a Verleihungsliste for the Iron Cross 2nd Class, and lists thirty nine officers along with other brief details of their dates of birth and ranks etc. Signed by Rommel at the base in his capacity as Generaloberst and Oberbefehlshaber of the Panzer Army. Two file holes to the edge, repaired, and two very small pinholes, none affecting the text or signature, VG. £200-300
Group of five Boer War & WWI medals issued to Pte. William Charles Davis - Victoria South Africa medal with Cape Colony bar (486 RL. WT. Surrey Regt.) and Edward VII South Africa medal with 1901 & 1902 bars (486 The Queen's) with Militiaman Discharge Certificate dated 1904; three WWI medals (6009 The Queen's) with Army Discharge & Character certificates dated 1918 and 'The Queen's' cap badges and pin Condition Report Click here for further images, condition, auction times & delivery costs
Group of three WW1 medals issued to 4460 Pte. Alfred Alexander Saunders R.A.M.C. and related memorabilia including four photographs, letters of recommendation, Royal Army Medical Corps Discharge Certificate 1919, London Gazette Commendation Certificate, three books, cap badge and two others Condition Report Click here for further images, condition, auction times & delivery costs
Pair WWI medals issued to 17928 Pte. Frank Taylor West Riding Regt. together with a portrait photograph prior to the lost of both legs; also a WWI 'Present from Indian' woolwork belt, Indian facemask ring, WWII Eighth Army Souvenir silk panel, Festival of Britain crown etc. Condition Report Click here for further images, condition, auction times & delivery costs
Remington New Model Army .44 percussion 6 shot revolver c.1863, military cartouche stamped on wooden grip, 35cm overall. Complete with post civil war quick draw leather holster Condition Report FWO. Rammer catch modified to accommodate western style holsterClick here for further images, condition, auction times & delivery costs
A Royal Doulton figure 'Digger' circa 1920, designed by Ernest Light and Harry Noke in the form of a World War I New Zealand Anzac Army soldier in khaki uniform and standing at ease, his hands in his pockets, incised 'Light, Digger, Noke', lack printed mark to base, 30cm high (at fault) NOTE: The figure was modelled on a portrait of John A.A. B. Shorter, son of Doulton's Australian agents.
A THUYA WOOD FOLDING PHOTOGRAPH FRAME 11CM W PROBABLY 1930'S A SET OF THREE GERMAN PROOF SIGNED SILVER COMMEMORATIVE MEDALS AN UNUSUAL GILTMETAL 'PILE' OF SOVEREIGNS PAPERWEIGHTS AND VARIOUS BYGONES INCLUDING 19TH CENTURY BONES LACE BOBBINS ONE INSCRIBED WITH THE NAME SALY WORLD WAR I ARMY CAP BADGES ETC
Question - when is an ambulance not an ambulance? Answer, when its exterior has been painstakingly restored as per its service at the Muroc Army Air Force base (from where Yeager broke the sound barrier - now known as Edwards from where the shuttle was supported) in the Mojave desert, but the major mechanicals have been replaced by modern alternatives and the stretcher bay trimmed throughout in Red pile carpet! In the vendor's words, ''YWG 722' has the patina of a 75 year old classic military vehicle but the reliability of a modern car'. The Packard is nowadays powered by a contemporary 350ci Chevy V8 engine driving through a 700 R4 automatic gearbox to a Ford 9 inch final drive. The vendor informs us that this unique 21ft Packard 'drives, stops and handles brilliantly, will comfortably cruise at 70mph and is immensely practical; especially if you have lots of friends'!
This ruggedly handsome example of the most iconic of all WWII vehicles was reputedly delivered for use by the US forces in November 1943. It was acquired by the previous keeper (a well-known member of the MVCC) in 1990 from a Greek army surplus sale and recommissioned in time to participate in the '50 + One' Jeep celebration of 1992. The vendor currently regards 'HVS 837' as featuring 'good' Green paintwork, 2.2-litre engine and four-speed manual gearbox and electrical equipment, and 'original' bodywork. He is offering the left-hand drive Jeep complete with numerous photos, MOTs from 1992 all the way through to 2013, and the all-important: spade, folding shovel, jerry can, rifle holder, spare wheel, canvas tilt and doors, plus rear lap belts - there's even the option of a standard issue carbine rifle by separate negotiation. The mileage of this splendid WWII item of Americana currently stands at an unwarranted 6,442.
- Rare 2WD example supplied to the War Office in 1958- 1 previous keeper since being demobbed in 1963- One of just 655 examples builtThis very rare 2WD Land Rover Series 1 is one of only 655 produced and was supplied to the War Office in 1958 as part of a later to be aborted vehicle standardisation exercise. The army were looking to replace the ageing Austin 10 Utility Truck (Austin Tilly), and Land Rover offered these modified 2WD versions of their standard Series 1 vehicle to fill the role. TSY 435 was based at Feltham for the Ministry of Supply. These vehicles were in service for four years before disposal and most then went to the Ministry of Public Building and Works in 1963.Offered with a Swansea V5 document showing only one registered owner since being demobbed over fifty years ago along with correspondence from Land Rover confirming its build date. We are advised it is in running condition with "nice straight" bodywork, "good" engine, paintwork, gearbox and interior although the brakes will require attention. A most unusual vehicle that would surely be a welcome addition to any collector.
- Built by a former director of Rolls-Royce motorcars, and professional engineer, in the 1990s as a tribute to the 'Scalded Cat' Bentleys- Powered by a 6.5 litre Rolls-Royce B81 straight-eight engine allied to automatic transmission- Veteran of numerous rallies including the Bentley Drivers' Club's Tour of South Africa in 2003 (c.4,000 miles)Rolls-Royce built two straight-eight powered Bentleys using the 'B'-series eight-cylinder variant of the standard six-cylinder engine (one of which was loaned to HRH Prince Philip who was apparently reluctant to hand it back). These were dubbed 'Scalded Cats' and in the mid-1960s Robin Moore started to plan a similar car based on a R-Type Chassis. He was working in the experimental department of Rolls-Royce at the time and an internal memo dated August 1965 sees him asking if any ex-test cars would become available. This plan did not come to anything with the acquisition of an S1 Continental Convertible in the late 1960s consuming all available time and cash and the collapse of Rolls-Royce and his move to Surrey to work for W. S. Atkins closing off further progress.In the mid-1980s he had bought a Harry Rose-bodied MkVI Special and his interest in a B80-engined special was reignited. He acquired a Thorneycroft Nubian Fire Engine for its powerplant and an R-Type that had rotten coachwork but a sound chassis and running gear was also sourced. The body was stripped off the Bentley and work started on modifications to the chassis. The cruciform was cut and the front section moved back in the chassis by twelve inches. The front chassis side rails were extended and reinforced to provide space for the longer engine. All of the running gear was overhauled and meticulously reinstated. An elegant open tourer body was designed and commissioned in traditional ash framing and aluminium panels and the car was completed in late 1992. During the development, a B81 with its larger capacity of 6.52litres had been found and this replaced the B80. The R-Type automatic gearbox was retained and an R-Type Continental back axle ratio fitted which with the 17-inch wheels, provides relaxed cruising. At this stage he was persuaded that an elegant blue and grey colour scheme was preferable to the bright red he had envisaged to fit with the name.Used and enjoyed for numerous trips around the UK, the Special also ventured as far afield as South Africa for the Bentley Drivers' Club's 2003 tour of that country which saw participants cover circa 4,000 miles!However, the B81 engine that had been fitted was from an army training establishment and it became clear that it had had a hard life. In 2008 the opportunity came up to buy a brand new, unused B81G which is the variant of the B81 designed to run on propane or natural gas. It therefore has a much higher compression ratio - increased from 6.4:1 to 8.0:1 which modern fuels can run without any issue and provides a further boost in output to ensure that it is, in Rolls-Royce terminology 'adequate' (a standard B81 unit is estimated to develop 220bhp and 330lbft of torque).A full and detailed history is provided with the car and it is hoped to possess a fresh MOT certificate by the time of sale.
Cannon (Richard). Historical records of the British army, comprising the history of every regiment, in her majesty's service, circa 1836, four hand-coloured engraved plates, ink library stamps throughout (including to front and rear of each plate), inscription to front pastedown 'Presented to the Suffolk regiment by Brigadier D. W. Bannister O.B.E., Commanding the Troops Shorncliffe, 15 Nov 1951', contemporary calf, sometime rebacked, 8vo
A selection of GB stamps on stockcards. Includes 1934 5s Seahorse colour trial in bright vermilion, 1918 2/6d olive brown Seahorse with army post office cancellation, 1880 2d pale rose SG168 fine used, miscellaneous Victorian surface printed issues, George V, Edward VII and George VI including sideways watermarks, blocks etc.
***PLEASE NOTE ESTIMATE SHOULD READ €20,000 - 30,000***NATHANIEL HONE THE ELDER RA (1718-1784)The Spartan BoyOil on canvas, 66 x 51cmSigned with initials NH, lower leftProvenance: Captain Barrington Bradshaw, by whom bequeathed in 1804 to George Bygen; A.H. Bradshaw, and by descent in 1852 to W. Bradshaw; acquire privately in 1955; Private Collection, Dublin.The success of Nathaniel Hone’s famous painting The Spartan Boy when first exhibited at the Royal Academy, London in 1775 would solidify its reputation amongst art-buying public and critics alike . To satisfy demand for the work numerous prints were produced, such as one by William Humphrey and now in the British Museum collection. Following on from the example of fellow artists Hone later produced this present example based on his original painting. It was not unusual at the time for artists to exploit the popularity of a particular subject matter through repeated versions of the same painting. John Camillus Hone, the artist’s young son is acting as the sitter for the portrait, dressed up as a Spartan youth. Hone regularly used his family members as models in his paintings producing a large series of portraits of his children and grandchildren. Though disguised in various costumes of allegorical figures from antiquity, the decision to use his own family introduces an element of individuality. We know the identity of these figures even if the function of the work is not an insight into their personality or emotions. Equally Hone manages to capture the innocence of his young sitters through their relationship with a small animal such as rabbit or dog. However in this example there is a somewhat darker tone, indicated by the ominous cloud-filled sky behind the boy. He is holding a fox which refers to the story of initiation undergone by Spartan youths in Ancient Greece. As a highly disciplined society, Spartan children were raised to be diligent and respectful of their elders. They were also a pre-eminent military power, training male children from a young age to be great warriors. One part of their initiation into the ranks of the army was judged by the act of stealing without being caught. If they failed, it would mean disgrace for the individual and great shame for their family. Usually the sitter’s in Hone’s portraits have somewhat blank gazes, but on this occasion the internal battle is perfectly captured by the troubled expression on the boy’s face as he smuggles the animal inside his coat. As fate would have it the fox bites the boy and he suffers a mortal wound. Rather than be discovered he remains silent, a pained look of despair which belies his age. In a culture where modesty and strength are highly respected the allegory of the Spartan Boy became an important symbol of stoic perseverance.
***PLEASE NOTE: ESTIMATE SHOULD READ €4,000 - 6,000***AN 18TH CENTURY FRENCH BOULLE WRITING TABLE, by Vitell, the top with inset leather scriber within a cast egg and dart banding, decorated with panels of faux tortoiseshell and brass inlay with side frieze drawer raised on square tapering legs, 82 x 49cmSold by Christie, Manson & Woods, London. Property of Major-General Sir George Burns, North Mymms Park, 24th September 1979, Lot 296Jack Bailey Collection, Gloucestershire, EnglandThis gilt-bronze and boulle-mounted writing table previously formed part of the great collection at North Mymms Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Built at the end of the 16th century, the estate was purchased in the early 1890s by Walter Hayes Burns, brother-in-law of J.P. Morgan, who made modifications to the house to accommodate the his growing collection of art and furniture. The table stood in the library before being sold in 1979 by Walter’s son, Major-General Sir George Burns, a decorated British army officer and president of the North Mymms Cricket Club for over sixty years.Boulle marquetry, the technique of inlay in brass and tortoiseshell, had been perfected in France by the celebrated ébéniste to Louis XIV André Charles Boulle (1642 -1732), and its use continued throughout the eighteenth century on some of the finest French furniture. André Roubo’s L’Art du Menuisier, published in Paris in 1775, offers the most detailed account of the method Boulle and his followers used. He described how the preferred tortoise-shell was in fact that of a turtle from the seas around the island of Quimbo. The shell was prepared for cutting by a complex process of boiling it, clamping it into moulds and polishing one side whilst continually watching for shrinkage. The shell, together with the brass and pewter inlay was then cut after a tracing, the three combining to produce the elaborate designs which characterize such work.The present table is executed in contre partie and stamped VITEL. He is recorded as a manufacturer of furniture in boulle marquetry, guilloche mouldings and ormolu mounts, as well as a restorer of objects of art and curiosity. In 1838 Vitel had premises at 30 rue Saint-Jean-de-Beauvais, followed by 37 rue de la Montagne-Sainte Geneviève in 1840-41, and finally at 17 rue des Fossés-Saint Vicor until 1864.1Rather than being a slavish copy of a table in an earlier style, Vitel has created, by a fusion of Louis XVI-inspired neoclassical elegance and Louis XIV period baroque detailing, a table of notable originality and presence. Such creations were extremely popular in the first part of the 19th century among the British aristocracy and collectors such as George IV, William Beckford and George Watson Taylor. The fact that it formed part of such a notable patrician English collection leads one to speculate that it was a custom Parisian piece for the English market.Footnotes:1. Ledoux-Lebard, Denise. Les Ébénistes Parisiens Du Xixe Siècle. 1795-1870. Leurs Œuvres Et Leurs Marques, Etc. (seconde Édition Revue, Corrigée Et Considérablement Étendue.). pl. CXXVIII. Paris, 1965, 1965. 550.
ATTRIBUTED TO VAN DYKEPortrait of Thomas Butler, Earl of Ossory, Eldest son of James, Duke of Ormond, in armour standing near his chargeOil on canvas, 208 x 116cmProvenance: Formerly in the collection of the Earl of Fitzwilliam, 1948Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory, (1634-1680) was born at Kilkenny Castle, the eldest son of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde and Lady Elizabeth Preston.His early years were spent in Ireland and France. He was an accomplished athlete and a good scholar. In 1661 Butler became a member of both the English and Irish houses of Commons, representing Bristol in the former and Dublin University in the latter House. In 1665 he was appointed lieutenant-general of the army in Ireland and in 1666 was created an English peer as Lord Butler.Having proven himself as an expert military strategist, and whilst visiting France in 1672, he rejected the liberal offers made by Louis XIV to induce him to enter the service of France, and returning to England he added to his high reputation by his conduct during the Battle of Texel in August 1673. From 1677 until 1679, he served alongside his father as a Lord of the Admiralty. The earl was chosen to William, Prince of Orange, and in 1677 he joined the allied army in the Netherlands, commanding the British section and winning great fame at the siege of Mons in 1678. He acted as deputy for his father, who was lord-lieutenant of Ireland, and in parliament he defended Ormonde's Irish administration with great vigour. In 1680 he was appointed governor of English Tangier, but his death prevented him from taking up his new duties. Ossory had eleven children, including James Butler who became the 2nd Duke of Ormonde in 1688. A Portrait of Thomas Butler by Lely, painted in 1678 is in the National Portrait Gallery, London and a portrait by the same hand as his father, the 1st Duke is in the ownership of the National Trust at Kedleston Hall.
A group of five WWII medals awarded to C Blatchford, Royal Signals: 1939-1945 Star, Africa Star (with 1st Army clasp), Italy Star, Defence Medal, 1939-1945 War Medal in original box of issue with slip, also a George VI Territorial Efficiency Medal (2585999 Smn D C Blatchford R Signals) with MOD letter.
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