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Lot 573
A gold and carved coral cameo ring designed as the bust portrait of a classical lady, a 9ct gold oval signet ring, Chester 1930, a pair of 9ct gold earstuds, a gold mounted oval pendant locket, a silver thimble, two colourless paste necklaces, a similar pair of earrings, and a gem set bar brooch with foliate motifs.
Lot 3129
WHISTLER, Rex. An autographed letter signed by Whistler, addressed to his friend Siegfried Sassoon, dated in pencil by the recipient ’21-1-[19]30’. 2pp., oblong 8vo (133 x 178mm.) The letter thanks Sassoon for a ‘lovely poem’ and mentions various literary projects, it also incorporated two original pen and ink drawings, one an informal portrait of Edith Sitwell, the other a small cartoon of Sassoon with a medal. Window mounted with original envelope. – And a first edition of Sitwell’s ‘Alexander Pope’, all contained within a single cloth covered box. Note: a formal version of the drawing of Edith Sitwell was reproduced on the dust-jacket of her book ‘Alexander Pope’, published in 1930. Whistler comments in the letter that he is doing it for ‘Dick’ [Richard de la Mare of Faber and Faber], ‘It is going to be an elegant (I hope) representation of Edith gazing upon a bust of Pope, like this:’ with an arrow pointing to the drawing.
Lot 254
A Monumental tribute of respect to the memory of Admiral Lord Nelson…. London: Stampa & Son, March 14, 1806. Framed, large size. Note: Le Quesne 37. The monumental pictures are all basically similar in design, consisting either of a bust of Nelson on a plinth or a portrait of Nelson on the side of a plinth, suitably inscribed, with flags on either side and appropriate figures of weeping sailors. Most of them have an incorrect version of the White Ensign.
Lot 266
Admiral Nelson falling into the arms of Victory … London: I. Hinton, Dec. 12, 1805. Framed, large size. Note: Le Quesne 51.In these allegorical pictures, it is the dying Nelson himself, not a bust or portrait, to whom the mythical figures of Britannia, etc. express their grief as he dies in the arms of Victory. “Crude as they are in artistic terms and, to our taste, expressing an excessive adulation for the dying hero, these pictures should not be construed as reflecting the emotions confined at that time to he less sophisticated strata of society. Essentially the same response .. is reflected in the later, technically utterly different … the ‘Immortality of Nelson’ by Benjamin West, and the ‘Apotheosis of Nelson’ by Nicholas Legrand …” Le Quesne p. 16.
Lot 620
Follower of Sir Joshua Reynolds RA 1723-1792- Portrait of a young woman, bust length wearing an ornate jeweled collar and brimmed hat; hand-coloured mezzotint, in a verre eglomise frame: C Smith, early 19th century- "A New Map of the County of Berks, Divided into Hundreds"; publ: January 6th 1804, printed for C Smith No 172 Strand, hand-coloured engraving, 46x5cm: together with one other 20th century photogravure after Reynolds, (3)
Lot 873
French School early 19th century- Portrait of a young gentleman, bust length, wearing a blue coat and tied white stock, traditionally held to be Mr. JBA Godefroy; watercolour, in a gilt frame and gilt oval slip, bears inscription verso, 18x14cm: European school early 19th century- Portrait of a young woman, wearing a blue dress, seated in an interior and holding an eye glass; watercolour: British school, early 19th century- Study of a young woman seated in an interior by a window; pencil and watercolour wash, (3)
Lot 433
A collection of commemorative medallions including: Victoria diamond jubilee 1897 obv. bust, crowned, veiled and draped, rev. young head of the queen, 1837 below, cased; Victoria visit to the City of London 1837, cased; Coronation of Caroline 1727 obv. bust 1, draped, rev. the queen stands facing between Religion and Britannia, cased; George V silver jubilee 1935, obv busts George V and Mary, conjoined, crowned and draped, rev. view of Windsor Castle, cased; two George V silver jubilee medals, and two George VI Coronation medals all cased, a bronze medallion commemorating Handel Centenary Festival 1859, cased, and a pewter medallion of Napoleon.
Lot 506
A rare ‘Challenger Medal ‘awarded to Dr. George Busk, a noted scientist and contemporary of Charles Darwin, who successfully nominated the latter for the Royal Society’s coveted Copley Medal Medal for the Expedition of H.M.S. Challenger 1872-76 and the subsequent scientific reports 1886-95, Neptune, left hand holding a triangle and the right arm encircling a trident and resting on a wreath, below which, the helmeted bust of Britannia left, surrounded by dolphins and mermaids, with inscription on ribbon below, ‘Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger, 1872-76’, reverse, armoured medieval knight left with gauntlet at his feet, a ribbon in part entwined around a trident bears the inscription, ‘Report on the Scientific Results of the Challenger Expedition 1886-95’ (George Busk), 75mm., bronze, good very fine £400-500 Medallic References: B.H.M. 3487 and Eimer 1797; a total of 120 such awards were issued, The Challenger Medal Roll (1895), by Glenn M. Stein, F.R.G.S., recording only eight known examples, some of which are still in family hands, while others reside in institutions - Busk's example was issued posthumously on 23 December 1895. George Busk was born in St. Petersburg in August 1807, the second son of Robert Busk, a merchant in that city. After receiving his initial education at Dr. Hartley's School, Bingley, Yorkshire, Busk studied medicine at St. Thomas's Hospital, London. Thereafter, he spent six years as an articled student with George Beaman, under the aegis of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Appointed to the Seamen's Hospital Society (S.H.S.) in 1831, having served briefly as Apothecary on the Society's first hospital ship, the Grampus, Busk joined the 104-gun ship Dreadnought as an Assistant Surgeon in the following year, aboard which ship he ‘worked out the pathology of cholera, and made important observations on scurvy’: he was to remain a Surgeon with the S.H.S. for nearly 25 years, until retiring from surgical practice in 1855, though he held the post of Consulting Surgeon from 1866 until his death 20 years later. In December 1843, Busk became one of the original 300 Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons. Besides his eventual Presidency of the same body in 1871, he subsequently occupied many influential positions in several learned scientific institutions, among them the Microscopial Society, Linnean Society, Zoological Society, and the Anthropological Institute, while in 1850 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. The Darwin connection Early in life he had established himself as a leading authority on Polyzoa, and as with all things he studied, was a patient and cautious investigator. The author of several works on varied scientific subjects, and a solid artist, he also wrote and drew about Polyzoa specimens brought back by Charles Darwin on the Beagle, the 1875-76 Arctic Expedition, and of course, Challenger. Indeed Busk was deeply involved in the debate on the theory of evolution and some sources state that he read the joint Darwin-Wallace paper at a meeting of the Linnean Society on 1 July 1858 - the paper was an important prelude to Darwin's On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection (1859) - but more recent research suggests it was the Society’s Secretary who read out the paper. Be that as it may, Busk did translate into English Professor Schaaffhausen's detailed description of a cranium discovered in the Neander Valley in 1857, two years before publication of Darwin's Origin, a translation that duly appeared in The Natural History Review for April 1861. In his related publication, The Neander Valley, Robert Silverberg states: ‘[Busk] addressed a group of English scientists that same month, displaying a plaster cast of the Neanderthal skull and a skull of a chimpanzee. He said he had "no doubt of the enormous antiquity" of the Neanderthal bones, and called attention to the way the shape of the skull approached "that of some of the higher apes." Neither Darwin nor his chief popularizer, Huxley, attended Busk's lecture, but the geologist David Lyell did, and he saw to it that the Neanderthal skull cast got to Huxley. Huxley reported, in 1863, that the skull was that of a primitive variety of man, ‘different from Homo Sapiens but not wholly distinct anatomically’, though he admitted it was the most apelike human skull yet found - Huxley added cautiously that ‘in no sense can the Neanderthal bones be regarded as the remains of a human being intermediate between men and apes’. ‘In addition, in 1863, Busk came forward with a fossilized skull found in Gibraltar in 1848, and since preserved at the Natural History Museum, London. He realized it had Neanderthal characteristics, and on the basis of the two skulls, an assistant of Lyell's christened a new species of man in 1864, Homo neanderthalensis. As a result, along with Darwin's Origin, "Neanderthal man" rapidly became the centrepiece in the contemporary evolution controversy. In fact, Darwin and Busk had a close medical, as well as scientific, relationship. Darwin was plagued nearly all his adult life with stomach problems, and on his way to Malvern Wells in 1863, he stopped in London overnight to consult Busk, whom Hooker had recommended as having ‘the most fertile brain of any man I know in regard of all such matters as your stomach’ (letter from J. D. Hooker, dated 27 August 1863, refers). Moreover, following Darwin’s failure to gain the Royal Society’s coveted Copley Medal in 1862-63, as a result of the contentious nature of his Origin, it was Busk who nominated him again in 1864, this time for his researches in geology, zoology and botanical physiology, and the ploy worked, the membership present at a meeting held that November resolving by ballot that Darwin receive said Medal. Darwin did not attend the meeting at which the award was announced, fearing the excitement would make him seriously ill, and in his absence the Medal was received on his behalf by Busk, who handed it over to Darwin's brother - a few days later the great man wrote to Busk, thanking him for proposing him for the award (Darwin’s letter, dated 4 December 1864, refers). It was around this same time that a social club was formed by eminent scientists and called the ‘X Club ‘, in order to prevent the members from drifting apart due to their various duties, and to further the cause of science. Much of the discussion at X Club meetings revolved around the affairs of the Royal Society, and in the year of the Club's founding, all except one member were Fellows, Thomas Huxley and Busk among them. Both of them were also involved in the Philosophical Club, a "think tank" within the Royal Society. Busk was awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society in 1871 ‘for his researches in Zoology, Physiology and Comparative Anatomy’, followed by the Lyell Medal in 1878 and the Geological Society’s Wollaston Medal in 1885. As stated above, the award of his Challenger Medal was made posthumously in December 1895 - prior to the voyage of the Challenger in 1872, a Royal Society scientific party went aboard the "floating laboratory" anchored at Sheerness, and on deck had their photograph taken, among them Busk. His ‘last labours’ were devoted to the preparation of a report on the Polyzoa collected during the expedition, the first part of the work being completed in 1884, and he was in the process of finishing the second part at the time of his death in London in August 1886 - the proofs were later corrected by his elder daughter. During his lifetime, Busk donated mainly Bryozoan material to the Natural History Museum, London, and after his death, his daughters bequeathed the rest of his collection to the Museum - which amounted to several thousand specimens - as well as some books and drawings. The Museum also holds a proof copy of Busk's Challenger work, with his corrections and annotations, and his original drawings. Dr. G. C. Cook's words perhaps
Lot 527
Nelson’s Victories Tokens (4), obverse, uniformed bust of Nelson left, ‘England expects every man will do his duty’; reverse, commemorating Nelson’s victories at St. Vincent, 14 Feb. 1797; Aboukir, 1 August 1798; Copenhagen, 2 April 1801, and Trafalgar, 21 October 1805, 20mm., silver, grained edge, ref. Eimer 967b; B.H.M. 437, 454, 511 and 591, very fine (4) £60-80.
Lot 604
George IV Presentation Gold Ring 1820, set with carnelian intaglio laureate bust of the King wearing the badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece, 20mm x 17mm, the reverse of the stone inscribed ‘georgivs. iv. dg. brit. rex. mdcccxx’, the bezel further inscribed ‘Given by His Majesty to Sir H. Turner’, strong fluted stirrup shank, excellent condition £3000-5000 Believed to have been given to General Turner by the King upon his accession to the throne as George IV in 1820.
Lot 605
George IV Presentation Gold Ring 1821, a massive gold ring with scallopped decoration to the thick bezel and substantial shank, set with superb carnelian intaglio bust of the King wearing the chain and badge of the Order of the Garter and the badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece, 27mm x 21mm, the reverse of the stone inscribed ‘georgivs iv dei gratia britt rex mdcccxxi’, superb condition £5000-7000 Believed to have been given to General Turner in appreciation of his services when accompanying the King on his visits to Ireland and Scotland in 1821.
Lot 612
Austria, Empire, Slovenian Medal for Horsemanship, bust of Franz Joseph by Tautenhayn, 40mm., silver-gilt; Austria, Steiermark, 40 Years L.S. Medal, white metal; Bulgaria, Long Service Cross, Ferdinand I cypher, silver; Czechoslovakia, Dobrovolcu Congress Medal 1918-19, bronze; Hungary, St. John Merit Medal, bronze, very fine (5) £100-140.
Lot 710
New Zealand 1845-66, reverse dated 1860 to 1861 (Asst.-Surgn. R. C. P. Lawrenson, H.M.S. Niger) officially impressed naming, ‘Egan’ engraved below bust, lacking suspension bar and fitted with swivel ring suspension, polished, good fine £300-400 66 medals were awarded to H.M.S. Niger (13 to R.N. officers, 37 to R.N. ratings, and 16 to R.M. N.C.Os. and men) of which 33 are known including 2 to R.N. officers with reverses dated 1860, 4 to R.N. ratings with reverses undated, and the rest with reverses dated 1860-1861. Richard Lawrenson was appointed Assistant Surgeon at Plymouth Hospital in January 1857 and then was transferred to Niger in March 1857 until September 1861, returning to Plymouth Hospital in October 1861 for two years, followed by further Home Service until being posted to Royal Alfred from January 1867until May 1869, during which period he was appointed Surgeon on 27 December 1867. He was at sea again on Barracouta from May 1869 to April 1870, then Pembroke for leave followed by service in Britannia, Royal Adelaide, and Impregnable (the latter as Staff Surgeon, 2nd Class) in Home Service until October 1873 when he was transferred to Victor Emannuel from November 1873 to June 1874. He then served at Portsmouth Dockyard from August 1874 to November 1877 and then Audacious from February to December 1878, during which period he was promoted to Fleet Surgeon on 18th July 1878, followed by service on Duke of Wellington from January 1879 to August 1881. He was then transferred to Hercules in September 1881 for two years, being posted to Malta Dockyard in September 1883 where he died on 2 November 1883. ADM 101/44 refers to Staff Surgeon R.C.P. Lawrenson as aboard the Victor Emmanuel from November 1873 to June 1874 on the Gold Coast fitting the ship as a military hospital.
Lot 990
Four: Able Seaman T. A. Evans, Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Reserve 1914-15 Star (233763 A.B., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (233763 A.B., R.N.); Royal Fleet Reserve L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., Admiral’s bust (233763 (Ch. B. 11164) A.B., R.F.R.), lacquered, edge bruising and contact marks, otherwise nearly very fine (4) £40-60.
Lot 1222
A fine Second World War Dunkirk operations D.S.M. group of nine awarded to Chief Petty Officer A. H. H. Gutsell, Royal Navy, for services in the yacht Thele Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (J. 28475 A. H. H. Gutsell, C.P.O., H.M.Y. Thele); 1914-15 Star (J. 28475 Boy 1, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J. 28475 L.S., R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45; Jubilee 1935; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 3rd issue, coinage bust (J. 28475 P.O., H.M.S. Victory), the Great War period awards with contact marks and polished, thus fine or better, the remainder generally good very fine (9) £1800-2200 D.S.M. London Gazette 16 August 1940: ‘For good services in the withdrawal of the Allied Armies from the beaches at Dunkirk.’ The original recommendation states: ‘For conspicuous boat work and in effecting contact with G.H.Q. He worked the dinghy under heavy fire.’ Arthur Henry Herbert Gutsell was born in Hastings, Sussex in June 1898 and joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in 1913. Appointed to the cruiser H.M.S. Achilles in October 1914, he remained similarly employed until August 1918, in which period she formed part of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron in the Grand Fleet and sank the German raider Leopard north of the Shetlands in March 1917. Remaining a regular between the Wars, Gutsell was appointed to the motor yacht Thele, recently requisitioned by the Admiralty for services as an Auxiliary Patrol vessel, soon after the outbreak of hostilities, and it was in this capacity that he won his D.S.M. off Dunkirk. Thele’s C.O., Lieutenant H. M. Glassborow, R.N.V.R., submitted the following report in respect of her movements on 31 May 1940: ‘0600 - arrived off Bray. Proceeded to La Panne under orders from Ankh to take soldiers off beach. 0630 - arrived off La Panne, took soldiers from surf boats and transferred them to destroyers. Later ordered by captain of a destroyer to place ourselves at the disposal of a paddle steamer anchored off the beach. Did this, collected her boats, took them in to the beach and brought soldiers to her. The Commodore in Bounty suggested we used our launch and with assistance of soldiers on board, we tried to get the launch in the water but smashed it in the process. Later called up by the destroyer Keith and ordered to anchor astern of her. After about half an hour there was an air raid and Keith weighed and left ordering me to remain where I was as despatch boat. As bombs were falling all around, weighed anchor but remained in position. The Commodore arrived in a small boat, transferred to us and took over the ship. Sailed round La Panne and Bray, boarding ships and transmitting Commodore’s orders. 1300 - went alongside the sloop Hebe and took her captain on board. Put Commodore on board paddle steamer. While we were alongside her, she was attacked by aircraft and she weighed and left with the Commodore aboard. Heavy air attack at La Panne; captain of the Hebe ordered me to signal all ships to move half a mile westward. Followed Hebe to try and put her captain aboard. Arrived alongside her off Bray, just as she was attacked by bombers, so was ordered by her captain to lie off her while she was in action, but close enough for him to pass orders to her if necessary. Later, put him on La Panne and took off G.H.Q. personnel. Was given night operation orders to hand to Lord Gort. Proceeded to La Panne escorted by Hebe and lay off pier. 1630 - sent dinghy with A. H. H. Gutsell, C.P.O. and G. Duncan, A.B., with orders to contact G.H.Q. and hand over night operation orders. While waiting took on soldiers. Dinghy returned with Lieutenant Crosswell, R.N., N.L.O. to Lord Gort. Lord Gort was taken off by a destroyer’s launch. Went to Bray to try and contact Hebe, but on the way was ordered by the Admiral to go in to the beach with whaler and take off a General. At beach, Ahola arrived and transferred to me Lord Gort’s baggage, valet and driver. Requested Ahola to attend to the General and off again to find the Hebe. Ordered by the Admiral to proceed to sea to collect boats drifting about. Went about two miles out and collected three boats and brought these back to Bray. Closed Hebe and put Lord Gort’s gear and servants aboard. Lieutenant Crosswell remained with me. Lay off La Panne ferrying soldiers to destroyers until 0200, when no more troops could be found. Proceeded in direction of Bray and was ordered by M.T.B. 102 to lay off H.M.S. Keith as we might be wanted. Did this until 0300 when shelling of water started. Keith weighed and went off without giving me orders. Informed by Lieutenant Crosswell that everything had to be gone by 0400 and, as no ships could be seen at 0325, left beaches and proceeded to Dover and arrived 1100. It is estimated that about 250 soldiers were taken off in the course of the day. Chief Petty Officer A. H. H. Gutsell remained by the dinghy in spite of heavy shelling of the pier, until G.H.Q. staff arrived.’.
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