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Click here to subscribeGB - KEVIII different part booklet panes, 2 stamps + 2 labels for each all with salvage and MM panes PB5(13) Stamp Collectors / Chas Nissen, PB5(12) Spread Your Capital / Universal Trust, Cylinder G7, PB5a (9) For Safety of Capital / Century Fixed Trust (inv wmk) and PB5a(7) Drages Ltd 50 pay-way / Free Book Drages (inv wmk) average perfs (4)
A fine and very rare oak architectural floor-standing case for a first period lantern clock Anonymous, probably second quarter of the 17th century The superstructure now with fixed glazed top and ogee-cornice over architectural arch-glazed apertures to three sides, the front and right hand side attached by iron hinges to each other and to the backboard, the right hand side also attached via hinges to the backboard which is now applied with a print of Britannia seated on a globe, each of the three faces with faceted keystone flanked by raised quadrant panel infill to the arch springing from blocks applied with hipped pads over uprights decorated with tapered decorative split-turned batons, the integral trunk resembling a Roman Doric pilaster with moulded capital incorporating frieze bordered with slender stepped-ogee moulding to lower margin, over a full-width door to front applied with stepped oval panel centred with a domed button and issuing vertical slender straps and horizontal rails applied with further hipped pads, the lower section with additional further thicker horizontal strap issuing shaped vertical extensions and applied with another faceted panel to centre surrounded by domed buttons, the field decorated with additional vertical half-round split-batons, the sides with decoration matching the front above elaborate double skirt base with ogee top moulding to upper tier and ledge over generous cavetto moulding to the lower, 193cm (76ins) high; the body of the trunk 24cm (9.5ins) wide by 28cm (11ins) deep excluding the applied decoration. Provenance: The base of the backboard applied with a paper label inscribed in ink Cap t De Burgho Hodge, Exleigh, Tiverton. Online records of THE LONDON GAZETTE have two entries relating to Captain Edward DeBurgho Hodge: 24th May, 1861 Light Dragoons, Lieutenant De Burgho . Edward Hodge , from the 15th Foot, to be Lieu- tenant, vice Samuel Adams, who exchanges. 9th July, 1880 William Hodge , Gage John Hodge , and De Burgho Edward . Hodge , carrying on business in copartnership at Devonport, in the county of Devon, as Bankers, under the style or firm of William Hodge , William Chapell Hodge , and Company, the Devonport Bank, was, on the 1st day of July, 1880, dis- solved, by mutual consent. In addition to these The Plymouth and West Devon Record Office holds a document dated 31st July 1880 indicating the release (with later endorsements - 365/50) of De Burgho Edward Hodge of Sandwell, Harberton, Captain of the 12th Lancers. From these records it would appear that Edward DeBurgho Hodge was related to WillIam Hodge of the Devonport Bank, and, after serving in the Light Dragoons (up to 1861) and the 12th Lancers, entered into a new banking partnership with William Hodge in 1880. Exleigh, Tiverton and Sandwell, Harberton are both late Georgian Neo-Classical houses; Exleigh being a substantial Villa and Sandwell a Country House. The current lot appears to be a remarkable survivor which, on stylistic grounds, would appear to date to before the Civil War. The overall form is purely architectural conceived as a glazed arched loggia resting on top of a Roman Doric inspired pilaster. The strapwork decoration to the trunk follows that Jacobean architectural practice with similar designs often seen on fireplace surrounds. A good example dating from the 1630 s which exhibits comparable decoration (to the jambs of the overmantel) can be seen in the great chamber at Doughton House, Gloucestershire (illustrated in Cooper, Nicholas THE JACOBEAN COUNTRY HOUSE on page 105). In addition to this, details such as the applied faceted/hipped panels and buttons together with the tapered split turnings (flanking the glazed arched apertures) can be compared to those applied to an enclosed deed chest made by the joiner Francis Bower for the Shrewsbury Draper s Company in 1637 (illustrated in Chinnery, Victor OAK FURNITURE, The British Tradition on page 53, Figures 2:5 and 2:6). Evidence in the upper and lower rails of each of the arch-glazed panels indicate that when originally made the arches were narrower (i.e. were essentially semi-circular in profile). Indeed at some point the arches appear to have been widened by a little over an inch by inserting extensions into the rails at their centres. The original form of the loggia would have therefore been narrower and hence perhaps more suited to the proportions of a standard lantern clock. The overall appearance of the case in its original form would have therefore perhaps served to enclose a lantern clock and display it in almost a reliquary manner elevated on a Classically inspired pedestal. In addition to this the current lot has seen some further relatively minor repairs and additions over the years including a replacement top panel incorporating glazed insert and skirting around the base. The latter has the appearance of being executed by an estate workshop during the mid 19th century and adds to the overall country house feel of the case. The numerous split half-round batons applied to the front and sides of the trunk may also be early additions. Notwithstanding these observations the overall the structure of the case appears to have survived in remarkably sound original condition. When considering the dating evidence above (which strongly suggests a date of around 1630-40) the current lot would appear to have been made during the first period of lantern clock production. Indeed relatively detailed investigation by the cataloguer has failed to identify other floor standing lantern clock cases that can be dated to prior to the Civil War. With this in mind it would therefore be reasonable to suggest that the current case could well be the earliest surviving English purpose made floor-standing case for a domestic clock, and, as such, would make the perfect companion for the previous lot.
A fine and rare Scottish brass mounted mahogany stick barometer with hygrometer William Dobbie to a design by John Russell, Falkirk, circa 1845 The chevron banded case with swan neck pediment and cavetto cornice above arch-glazed door enclosing fine engraved silvered brass scale incorporating HYGROMETER calibrated 0-30 in both directions and annotated DRY/MOIST flanked by fine foliate scroll infill to arch, above arched banner titled BAROMETER and signed W m Dobbie, Falkirk over Vernier scale calibrated in barometric inches and with the usual weather observations positioned to the right of the tube, opposing spirit tube Fahrenheit thermometer similarly labelled THERMOMETER in an arch above to the left, the trunk applied with full-height Corinthian half column with reeded shaft and cast brass capital and base over slightly domed oval cistern cover, 110cm (43.25ins) high excluding finial. Provenance: Private collection, Hampshire (ref. B44); purchased from J.W. Blanchard Limited, Winchester, 14th January 1993 for £1,700. William Dobbie is recorded in Loomes, Brian Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the World, volume 2 as a clock and watchmaker born in Falkirk, 1796 and died 1845. The design of the current lot was devised by the celebrated clock and watch maker John Russell who settled in Falkirk in 1770 in a shop opposite the top of Kirk Wynd. He subsequently became watch maker to the Prince of Wales and died in 1817. The basic design of the current lot was probably developed around 1785 by Russell and appears to have be closely related to that of Benjamin Martin s Triple Weather Glass (an example of which was sold in these rooms in our sale of Mallett: Taking Stock 8th November 2018, lot 109). In his work English BAROMETERS 1680-1860 Nicholas Goodison refers to an excerpt from the Alloa Monthly Advertiser of 7th February 1845 in which it was announced that William Dobbie of Falkirk had just completed two of Russell s splendid royal barometers (now scarce), warranted identical with those made by the original constructor.. from this it would appear that Dobbie was trading on the back of Russell s reputation or perhaps even as his successor. Indeed the current lot would support the latter as the engraving to the register plate is all but identical to an example by Russell illustrated by Goodison on page 230 (plate 157).
A George III style mahogany mercury column stick barometer Unsigned, 20th century With ogee moulded cornice over glazed rectangular door enclosing brass Vernier scale calibrated in barometric inches with the usual observations over trunk carved as a fluted column with brass Corinthian capital over rectangular box cistern cover with chevron veneers to fascia between moulded upper and lower margins and with level adjustment screw to underside, 95cm (37.5ins) high.
Quantity of Australian Police Cap Badges, 2 x Queens crown enamel Victoria police, Commonwealth police, Sheriff’s office Victoria, Australian capital territory police,Road traffic authority Victoria, Railways Victoria investigation department, Australian protective service (crown has been repaired) Australian protective service star, Victorian Taxi directorate, Roads corporation Victoria, pair of Victoria police collar dogs, Parking police, A.C.T. collar dog, 4 x Victoria police buttons, pair of Victoria police cufflinks and lapel badge (22 items)
Sixty Obsolete Australian Cloth Police Patches, including State Emergency Service Victoria, Victoria Police Pistol Club, Investigation Officer, Victoria Railways Investigation Department, Australian Federal Police, Australian Capital Territory Police, W.A Police Casino Investigation Unit, Western Australia Police Service Pistol Club plus others, mostly in excellent condition. (60 items)
F. Martin Leake: Two folio Logbooks: 1- Log of HMS Agincourt: Rear Admiral W. H. Whyte; Captain D. King; kept by F. Martin Leake; 1884-1885. Hand written and coloured title page Plus 165 pages, with four entries to each page; Plus: 37 tipped-in Charts/Maps, mainly of Ireland, Gibraltar & Spain and mostly coloured; Plus: 6 tipped-in water colours of ships, including a full page one of: ( The Vasco De Gama) off Lisbon, Jan. 1886; Plus: 4 drawings. The entries covered: Ireland (Dublin to Cork, and return); Plymouth; Gibraltar; Madeira; Milford; Belfast; Portland; Berehaven; Kirkwall; Lisbon; Spain; etc. 2- Logs of: HMS Agincourt (continued); HMS Tamar & HMS SAPPHIR (all three in one volume). a- Title-page: (Bearing the Rear Admiral ACF Heneage; Captain: Rt. Ho. Lord Charles Scott; kept by F. Martin Leake From Feb. 1886). Title page, plus 32 pages, with four entries to each; Plus: 8 tipped-in Charts; Plus: 5 tipped-in drawings. The entries covered: Lisbon to Lagos Bay; Gibraltar; Plymouth; Devenport; b- Log of HMS TAMAR. Commanded by captain John B Warren; from Plymouth to Hong Kong, from 12 May 1886 to 24 July 1886; Kept by F. Martin Leake. Title page, plus 33 pages, with four entries to each; Plus: 2 tipped-in Charts; Plus: 5 tipped-in drawings. The entries covered: Madeira; St. Vincent to Simons; Mauritius; Singapore; Hong Kong; c- Log of HMS Sapphire. Title page Blank, c 125 pages, with four entries to each; Plus: 12 tipped-in Charts; Plus: 14 tipped-in drawings. The entries covered: Hong Kong to Nagasaki; Vladivostok; Wrangel Bay; Port Hamilton; Shanghai; Formosa; Swatow; Foochow; Hakodate; Yokohama; etc. The two volumes are bound in the original half leather; covers rubbed and inner hinges cracked; few pages loose and some browning/damp staining in the second volume. NOTE: HMS Agincourt was a Minotaur-class armoured frigate built for the Royal Navy during the 1860s. She spent most of her career as the flagship of the Channel Squadron's second-in-command. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, she was one of the ironclads sent to Constantinople to forestall a Russian occupation of the Ottoman capital. Agincourt participated in Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Fleet Review in 1887. The ship was placed in reserve two years later and served as a training ship from 1893 to 1909.HMS Tamar was a Royal Navy troopship built by the Samuda Brothers at Cubitt Town, London, and launched in Britain in 1863. She served as a supply ship from 1897 to 1941, and gave her name to the shore station HMS Tamar in Hong Kong (1897 to 1997).HMS Sapphire was an Amethyst-class corvette built for the Royal Navy at Devonport Dockyard and launched on 24 September 1874. She commenced service on the Australia Station in August 1875. She left the Australia Station in July 1879 and returned to England and was refitted and rearmed. After refit she commissioned for the China Station in 1883 until 1890.
A set of four William IV silver candlesticksIn the George II style, the removable sconces with shell corners, over a spool capital to a knopped stem raised on a shaped square base with shell corners, loaded, by W&P, Birmingham 1836, height 25.5cm (4) CONDITION REPORT: 1. Small dents to the upper candle sconce. Small hole to the lower base, approx 0.3cm in size. Scratching to upper drip tray.2. Small dents to the upper candle sconce. Scratching to the upper drip tray.3. Small dents to the upper candle sconce. Overall scratching.4. Small dents to the upper candle sconce. Overall scratching.All appear to have no significant damage or repair. All marks slightly worn.
A set of seven impressive painted iron architectural columns, late 19th early 20th CenturyEach cast with an acanthus leaf capital on a spiralled shaft and fluted lower column. CONDITION REPORT: 183cm high. Capitals 13cm x 15cm. Estimated weight at 15016 / 20016. Minor general corrosion, 1 capital damaged, 8cm triangle piece missing.
Sebastian & Pierre Erard Gothic satinwood harp, no. 5045, the column support with hexagonal panelled base decorated with foliage and the capital in relief with standing religious figures, with eight pedals (one missing) *This harp is sold with a copy of the firm's ledger entry no. 5045 dated July 1836
Embley Park, childhood home of Florence Nightingale. An album of 136 albumen print photographs, c. 1870s, pasted onto rectos and versos of a total of 32 leaves, with approximately 20 blank leaves at rear, the majority of photographs 11 x 15.5cm with arched tops and mounted three to a page, the remaining photographs mostly carte-de-visite sizes and smaller but including five slightly larger, bold pencil block capital captions to mounts throughout, an additional five photographs of artworks at rear, oblong folio, ink provenance inscription to front pastedown, hinges weak, contemporary half roan, rubbed and some edge wear, lacks spine, oblong folio (32.5 x 43.5cm) The album was compiled by a member of Florence Nightingale's family while living at Embley Park during the seven years following the death in 1874 of Florence Nightingale's father, when the house passed to his wife's brother, Samuel Smith. The album contains numerous views of the house, its grounds, members of the family, the servants at Embley Park, Embley Farm, the local church, St Margaret of Antioch, and its churchyard where Florence Nightingale was later buried. Of particular interest are three good views showing the interior of the house as Florence Nightingale would have known it. Members of the family represented in the album include: Mary ('Mai') Smith, Beatrice Lushington, Blanche Clough, Mary Urith Coltman and her brother Arthur Francis Coltman (the five members of the family at the house on the night of the 1881 census); Florence Nightingale's uncle Samuel Smith (Mai's husband who died in 1880); Florence Nightingale's cousin Bertha Coltman, her husband William Bacheler Coltman and their four children. The album also includes a previous unknown outdoor portrait of Parthenope Nightingale and her husband Sir Harry Verney with Parthenope and Florence's father, William Edward Nightingale. Two photographs show an outside lunch given for the children of the local school. According to the Hampshire Advertiser (27 September 1879): ' SCHOOL TREAT - On Monday, the 15th inst., Mr and Mrs Samuel Smith, of Embley Park, gave their usual treat to the children of Wellow School, 140 of whom attended. Some visitors and several of the mothers of the children were kindly invited to join, making the party 170. A beautiful day added to the enjoyment of all. Some very good photographic views were taken of the happy group by Mr Galton, of West Wellow. After enjoying various games and again partaking of refreshment, the majority of the children were started In a conveyance provided for the purpose, and left the grounds with cheers and merry singing.' This 'Mr Galton' is in fact John Thomas Gaulton of West Wellow. He appears as a 'Photographer' living in West Wellow on both the 1871 and 1881 censuses. Towards the back of the album, there are several photographic reproductions of paintings of the family, including the 1828 watercolour of Frances Nightingale with her two daughters. There is also an albumen print portrait of Florence Nightingale by Henry Hering, a larger version of a photograph usually only seen in carte-de-visite format. Inscriptions on the inside front cover indicate that the album was compiled by Mary Urith Coltman, the young daughter of Florence Nightingale's first cousin, Bertha Coltman. On the death of Mary Coltman's grandmother Mary ('Mai') Smith in 1881, the house passed to William Shore Smith and Mary Coltman went to live elsewhere, but before her departure she gave the album she had compiled to her friend Caroline Long, daughter of local woodsman George Long of Thorpwood Cottage in East Willow. According to the 1881 census, Caroline was a 'charwoman,' so it seems likely that the girls' friendship came about through Caroline's employment at Embley Park. On 12 February 1893 Caroline married Albert George Harris, a 'Labourer,' at All Saints Church in Upper Norwood. The 1911 census shows Caroline and husband Albert Harris, now a 'Bricklayer,' living in Upper Norwood with their seven children. The first few pages of the album present various views of Combe Hurst at Kingston-upon-Thames, the Coltman residence in Surrey where Mary Coltman lived before she came to Embley Park in 1874. These have been misidentified by Caroline Long as Embley Park. (1)
Joe Strummer - heavy duty blue tolex and aluminium guitar flight case inscribed 'Joe Strummer, USA case #' and 'Gibson L.P stage right' on white tape to the handle edge *Sold with an authentication certificate from certified handwriting expert John Jameson-Davis stating; 'I have examined the various known handwritings of Joe Strummer and compared them against the handwriting found on the guitar case. I have examined the video of Joe Strummer writing his name and other words in capital letters. Movement, form, arrangement, letter width, letter spacing, word spacing and letter structures and direction of the writing movements all concur supporting this left-handed writer. There are too many significant similarities for the likenesses to be attributed to chance or accident. My conclusion is that it is highly probable that the block capital handwriting on the guitar case was executed by Joe Strummer of The Clash'
Charles Jervas (Irish, circa 1675-1739) and John Wootton (British, 1682-1764) Portrait, presumed to be of, Robert Walpole, later 2nd Earl of Orford (1701-1751) standing, three-quarter length, holding a hunting whip and wearing the Insignia of the Order of the Bath, horses and hounds watering in a landscape beyond oil on canvas, in a fine contemporary carved and giltwood English frame 120 x 100cm (47 x 39in) Provenance: Presumably the sitter's aunt, Susan Hamond, of South Wootton and then from 1761 at Westacre High House, Norfolk and thence by descent to the present owner Other Notes: The identity of the sitter is apparently first proposed by Andrew Moore in "A Capital Collection: Houghton Hall and the Hermitage, with a Modern Edition of "Aedes Walpolianae", Horace Walpole's Catalogue of Sir Robert Walpole", Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, pub. 2002, where it is illustrated and attributed to John Wootton. Wootton's pictures of the sitter's father "Prime Minister" Walpole and 1st Earl of Orford, are invariably collaborations with Richardson, with the latter doing the portrait and Wootton the landscape. An attribution to Richardson here seems implausible. As the presumed sitter became Ranger of Richmond Park and a Knight of the Bath in 1725, it would seem more plausible that as this date exactly coincides with when Jervas is known to have been commissioned to paint portraits of his father and mother (see Lots 392 and 393) that this too is a work by Jervas and just like that pair it has descended from Susan Hamond, née Walpole, sister of the 1st Earl. It is believed there is a similar portrait at Houghton Hall, Norfolk; another similar portrait, according to the late Sir Oliver Millar and the present owner, was sold at Christie's, 28 April 1950 (Lot 81) as of an Unknown Nobleman and attributed to Wootton. Sir Oliver Millar in April 1961 doubted the Wootton attribution for the present painting. The present portrait will be included in Caroline Pegum's forthcoming catalogue raisonne on Charles Jervas. Label to the reverse incorrectly gives the sitter as Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minster, father of the sitter No. 14 to the reverse. Oil on canvas which has been lined. The tension is good and the picture is in plane. The paint layer is in a good, stable condition. There are a few small paint losses. The varnish is matte and yellowed. There is a layer of surface dirt which includes mould spores. There are a few scattered areas of retouching which are slightly discoloured and mainly located in the background. The mitres of the frame are opened, some dirt and staining on the gilded surface.
After William Hogarth (British, 1697-1764) The March of the Guards to Finchley oil on canvas, unframed 93 x 118cm (36 x 46in) Provenance: The Hon. Vere Harmsworth (old label refers) Other Notes: 'The March of the Guards to Finchley' is a 1750 painting by English artist, William Hogarth - owned by and on display at the Foundling Museum. Hogarth was well known for his satirical works and 'The March of the Guards to Finchley' has been said to have given full scope to this sense of satire. It was described by Hogarth himself as "steeped in humour". The painting is a depiction of a fictional mustering of troops on the Tottenham Court Road to march north to Finchley to defend the capital from the second Jacobite rebellion of 1745. This was part of a series of uprisings that had been occurring since the late 17th century and which were aimed at returning the Stuart Dynasty to the throne after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. 102 H - old Christie's stencil to the reverse. Oil on canvas which has been lined. The canvas is in plane with good tension and attached to a solid wooden stretcher. The paint layer is in a good condition, there is a regular network of drying cracks across the surface. The varnish has darkened and yellowed with age. There are scuffs and abrasion in the varnish. There is thick, pasty retouching covering the edges of the painting.
A pair of Italian sculpted green serpentine marble models of the Medici Lions, late 19th century, after a 2nd century AD Roman original and its pendant by Flaminio Vacca, portrayed opposing, each with one forepaw resting on a sphere, on rectangular bases with canted corners 24 x 30cm (9 x 12in) Other Notes: The 2nd century Roman marble lion (with right forepaw raised) was originally discovered as sculpted in relief form, and was, according to Vacca, carved free of its background and reworked by Giovanni Sciarano (or Giovanni di Scherano Fancelli), of whom little is now known. Vacca was commissioned to create its pair in the late 16th century, sculpting the lion from a marble column capital that had come from the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Both lions were by 1598 placed at the Villa Medici, Rome and since 1789 have been displayed at the Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence.
AN EBONIZED AND PARCEL GILT GRECIAN HARP, BY J.A. STUMPFF, LONDON early 19th century, with forty-three strings and eight pedals, the brass plates to the frame inscribed 'Patent Harp Invented by / J.A. Stumpff, London / No.44 Great Portland Street, Portland Place' and 'Maker / To His Majesty the King of Great Britain etc', the main post with a caryatid and anthemion adorned classical capital above a fluted column with an acanthus decorated base, the soundboard decorated with two classical female figures, one holding a lyre and the other a garland, within a border of laurel wreathed Muses, the gilded base with hippocampus and anthemion decoration in bas relief, 170cm high; together with a wooden storage / transportation case.
A set of four George III silver table candlesticks, each formed as a Corinthian column with ram's head masks to the corners of the capital, raised on a square base, further decorated with ram's head masks and with foliate swags within a beaded rim, the tops with detachable sconces, height 32.5cm, (loaded), London 1772, maker S L. Illustrated
LITERATURE: Selection of A.Ls.S., a few signed pieces and cards etc., by various British poets, some of them candidates to be Poet Laureate, comprising Austin Dobson, Edmund Gosse, William Watson, Norman Gale (in part 'I hope that your faith in me has been as large as a grain of mustard seed…..I am working five hours a day with pupils for Oxford and Cambridge….Has “A Country Muse” travelled to France? Capital!....'), Thomas Sturge Moore (2; the latter stating, in part 'My wife is a French woman and I greatly admire France and her literature. Gustave Flaubert is one of my favourite authors. So that we have complimentary admirations'), W. H. Davies, Harold Munro (on the printed stationery of The Poetry Bookshop in London and stating, in part, 'I don't think there can be anything very interesting about my signature….') and Lascelles Abercrombie. All were sent to the French collector Frank Pellissier in response to his request for autographs between 1916-18. Most with very small, extremely minor pinholes to the upper and lower edges, generally VG, 9
MACDONALD ROSS: (1915-1983) American-Canadian Writer, the main pseudonym used by Kenneth Millar, best known for his series of hardboiled novels set in southern California and featuring private detective Lew Archer. A.L.S., Kenneth Millar (John Ross Macdonald), one page, 4to, Santa Barbara, California, 3rd July 1954, to Dear Miss or Mrs [Eileen] Cond. Millar thanks his correspondent for their note, adding, 'I do indeed live in America, and am grateful to you Britishers for liking my work as you appear to do. My parents were Canadian and London is still in a sense the capital to me. Devon I like too.' With creasing to the corners and left edge, otherwise G
CROWLEY ALEISTER: (1875-1947) English Occultist, Ceremonial Magician & Poet, a notorious figure whom, during his lifetime, was denounced in the popular press as "the wickedest man in the world". A.L.S., Aleister, his signature incorporating a capital A which, almost certainly deliberately, resembles a phallic symbol, two pages, 4to, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, 28th May n.y. (c.1941), to Frieda [Harris], on the printed stationery of the Noel Arms Hotel (Crowley adding an annotation in his hand alongside the illustrated coat of arms, ‘What a ghost!’). Crowley announces ‘Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law’ and continues to inform his correspondent that he sent her ‘Kh. K. K’ yesterday, although was in a hurry to get to the Post Office and realised he had not packed it properly (‘So I got a wrapper and hoped for the best, just like Pharaoh’s Daughter in the bulrushes!’), further adding that he has just received her letter, remarking ‘I had hoped that you knew me well enough to have no doubt of my attitude. I agree most heartily’. The occultist also expresses some concerns, ‘I’m worried, though, about proofs, cards of imitation and (please forgive me for mentioning it!) stipend’ and further writes ‘The moving and paying off small bills has cost about £5. I am dreadfully sorry to be a burden. The worst of it is, at this time of year there is a hiatus of two weeks in my Trustee allowance’, adding ‘And life is going to be very uncomfortable in the cupboard. No chance of doing any work but intensive research, and considerable fear that return to discomfort will mean return to continual illness’. Crowley continues his letter on a different subject, telling his correspondent ‘I appreciate your heroism. But personally I think that you are being bluffed. Since I went for Constable no one has dared to utter a word openly against me. I should like to see the show, anyhow. Cannot I sneak up in disguise towards the end? Or have it fixed for me to see it privately after hours – or before?’ and concludes with the line ‘Love is the law, love under will’ before adding a postscript in which he declares ‘I’m sick of this place: trying to arrange to stay with friends Maidenhead way. If the plan goes, I might want sudden help’. A letter of interesting content and association. Some light creasing and age wear to the edges, otherwise about VG Lady Frieda Harris (1877-1962) English Artist and an associate of Crowley’s, most famous for her design of the occultist’s Thoth tarot deck. Crowley’s reference to proofs and imitation cards in the present letter undoubtedly refer to the designs Harris was working on for the Thoth tarot deck, which had begun in the late 1930s. Some of the surviving correspondence from Harris to Crowley may also offer an explanation as to the show referred to in the present letter. On 26th May 1941 the artist wrote to Crowley, in part, ‘The opposition against you in Oxford is very strong. My business is to get money to publish these cards if possible & this is nearly impossible in the present war-condition. I have been successful thro using what influence I possess in getting at people with money to come & see the Exhibition. This is using my social position foully. If they suspected that the cards were inspired by the Arch Magician of Black Magic (what do they mean?) they would withdraw their patronage. I have had this conveyed to me politely & impolitely. Therefore if you come to the Private View or show up in any prominence this attempt to launch the cards is doomed & all the work & money lost. Can you be so largeminded & detached as to keep away until the thing is launched–If you court notoriety, it is sure to appear ultimately that you are the source because so many people know it & I am really afraid of the avalanche which will fall on me.’ Interestingly, the letter (as with a number of others in the correspondence) commences and concludes with the same sentences as Crowley has used in the present example.
On Napoleon Bonaparte -'the genius….[has]….taken to his cage tamely' SMITH WILLIAM SIDNEY: (1764-1840) British Admiral who served in the American and French Revolutionary Wars. A good A.L.S., W: Sidney Smith, two pages, 8vo, Paris, 16th January 1816, to 'My dear Sir Charles'. Smith commences his letter by stating 'I would as in duty bound wait on you to request your signature to the enclosed (no longer present) but I am confined to the house by the ear ach(e)' and continues 'I trust however that you will be satisfied by my observation of what is indeed notorious that I am on half pay & unemployed'. Smith also states 'The enclosed (also no longer present) from my nephew & namesake….at St Helena may be interesting to you by so much as it shews the genius in question has left off acting a part & taken to his cage tamely'. In a postscript Smith requests that the letter is returned with the signed papers by the bearer. With blank integral leaf. A letter of good content for its reference to Napoleon Bonaparte. Some very light, extremely minor age wear, otherwise VG Early in 1814 Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated and was exiled to the island of Elba, however he escaped in March 1815 and, having gathered his troops to march on Paris, was reinstated as Emperor of the French. A few months later Napoleon was once again defeated and the British kept him 'caged' (as Smith alludes to in his letter) on the island of St. Helena Smith was subsequently instrumental in ensuring that King Louis XVIII could safely return to his capital and took the surrender of several French garrisons in order that the Allied armies could enter Paris without a fight.Smith had managed to run up significant debts through his diplomatic expenses, which the British government proved to be very slow in reimbursing. He also lived high lifestyle and his efforts to mobilise opinion against the slave trade had cost a good deal of money. In Britain, at that time debtors were often imprisoned until their debts were paid, so Smith moved his family to France, settling in Paris. Eventually the government did reimburse his expenditures and increased his pension, allowing him to live in some style.
A set of four carved oak pilasters, 17th century, each Doric capital above a stylised tablet section and repeated lappet decorated upright, each approximately 58cm high, 12cm wide, a pair of carved oak term figures, probably 17th century, depicting a male and female figure respectively, each 41cm high, 11cm wide, and a carved oak Romayne panel, centred by a carved profile portrait of a bearded man, 41cm high, 39cm widePlease Note: This lot also contains a turned wood bowl, with iron mounts and ring handles, 19cm high, 51cm at its widest point.
A Continental gilt and patinated metal and marble mounted table lamp of large proportions, late 19th century and later adapted as a standard lamp, the later electrical twin light fitments above a Composite Order capital, on a fluted shaft, the Italian green serpentine marble plinth with applied cast foliate wreaths to each side; atop a square section wood pedestal painted to simulate serpentine marble, 179cm high overall Provenance: Latimer House, Buckinghamshire
THE CLASH/DECOY AVENUE - 7" PROMOS - 2 x few on the ground promo only 45s. Titles are The Clash - Capital Radio EP (UK original CBS CL 1 - VG+ with a non feelable mark on side 1/VG+ original 'picture withdrawn' sleeve with some light staining and a couple of minor creases) and Decoy Avenue - Turn And Face b/w Stay (You're The One) (self released COY 1 - Ex/VG complete original sleeve).
Sir John Lavery RA RSA RHA (1856-1941) KAID MACLEANS' CAMP. A WET DAY oil on canvas signed lower right; signed again and titled on reverse; also with artist's [5 Cromwell Place, London] address inscribed on reverse 21 by 18in. (53.3 by 45.7cm) Oriel Gallery, Dublin,1987; Private collection; Christie's & Hamilton Osborne King, 28 June 1995, lot 162; Private collection 'John Lavery RSA, RHA', The Goupil Gallery, London, 1908, catalogue no. 19 When scanning the territory with binoculars, tents were powerful signifiers in North Africa at the turn of the twentieth century. Wandering warlike Anjera and Taureg tribesmen in desert regions, favoured long low tents no more than five feet high, that would not topple during sand storms, while the standard, imported French or British 'Sibley' bell tents used by Kaid Maclean, and pictured by Lavery in the present work, immediately signalled the arrival of a military force. (1) At the time it was painted therefore, Kaid Maclean's Camp would have been famous for the commander's widely reported exploits. Son of an Army doctor, General Sir Harry Aubrey de Vere 'Kaid' Maclean KCMG (1848-1920), had begun his career in the 69th Regiment of Foot in 1869 and seen service in Canada before being stationed in Gibraltar in 1873. Three years later he resigned from the British Army to take up the post of training officer in the Sultan of Morocco's army. He quickly learned Arabic, although his Scottish accent caused great amusement among the troops. Within a short time he was promoted to command the royal guard of 400 soldiers who accompanied the Sultan on his peregrinations between the three Moroccan capital cities of Marrakech, Rabat and Fez. It is probably one of these expeditions that is represented in the present work and it sits alongside other smaller 'Moorish camp' pictures that Lavery showed in his Goupil Gallery exhibition in June 1908. The landscape, the wet day, with runnels of rain water coursing down the path in the foreground, suggest that this bivouac is more likely to have been painted closer to Tangier than Fez. During his winter trip to the 'White City' in 1906-7, The Times Tangier correspondent, Walter Harris, had introduced the painter to the much admired Sultan's military advisor, the man who, according to Lavery, reputedly 'charmed' the Moroccan court with the 'skirl of his bagpipes'. (2) The introduction occurred when, with Harris and RB Cunninghame Graham, Lavery rode via Tetuan, to Fez, a journey of some 150 miles. (3) On this occasion, not only did the painter produce a kit-kat portrait of the Kaid (unlocated), but he executed a large ceremonial full-length of the Scots general which now hangs in the El Minzah Hotel, Tangier. Lavery would by 1906, have been well-aware of Maclean's exploits. As commander, courtier and diplomat he was constantly on the move. In 1892 he quelled the Anjera rebellion, an action that the artist and 'Bibi' Carleton may have witnessed. (4) Two years later in the face of plotting viziers, Maclean master-minded the succession of the Sultan's favourite son, Abd-el-Aziz. Yet despite his loyalty to the ruling family, the imposing Scot acted as an unofficial agent for the British and this was recognized in the coronation honours of Edward VII. However his power was waning, and in 1907, within a short time of Lavery's return to London, Maclean was taken hostage by the notorious, El Raisuli. He was held for seven months during which there were lengthy negotiations for his release and the brigand successfully secured British citizenship (ie protection from the Sultan's revenge) and the fiefdom of Tangier for himself. Maclean then retired to Richmond, although he retained a house in Morocco for winter holidays. He died there in January 1920. His funeral cortège, during which his body was carried in state on a gun-carriage through the streets of the city, was also painted by Lavery. (5) By contrast, fourteen years earlier, the present atmospheric sketch gives evidence of the height of Maclean's prestige, just before his fall from grace. Prof. Kenneth McConkey January 2018 1. Throughout the early years of the century there were frequent reports of kidnap, rescue and ransom by Anjera and other Riffian tribesmen. 2. John Lavery, The Life of a Painter, 1940 (Cassell & Co Ltd), p. 103. 3. For a fuller account see Kenneth McConkey, John Lavery, A Painter and his World, 2010 (Atelier Books), pp. 96-100. 4. Ibid p. 101. Lavery records riding out from Tangier with Bibi Carleton to witness a fight between the Anjera tribesmen and the followers of the brigand, El Raisuli. Sadly no dates are given. 5. Sold Christie's 17 May 2002.
Hafidh Al-Droubi (Iraqi, 1914-1991) BAGHDAD STREET SCENE, 1988 oil on canvas signed and dated in Arabic lower right; with location in English and inscribed in Arabic on reverse 36 by 19in. (91.4 by 48.3cm) A gift from the artist's widow to the present owner Born in Baghdad in 1914, Hafidh Al Droubi made several important contributions to the history of modern art in Iraq, including the establishment of Baghdad’s first free atelier in 1942 and the 1953 founding of the artist collective, The Impressionists. Dedicated to art education more so than a particular style or mode of working, the Impressionists encompassed artists practising in a variety of styles and techniques.Al Droubi’s own paintings are characterised by an interest in scenes of Iraqi daily life, executed in a technique that moved from an Impressionist focus on the effects of light on form to one that experimented with Cubism’s fragmentation of space.Like many of his predecessors and colleagues in the Arab world, Al Droubi travelled abroad to Rome in 1936 for training. In 1940, he returned to Baghdad for a few months before continuing his studies at London’s Goldsmith College, graduating in 1950. Upon his return to the Iraqi capital, he was an active member of the city’s growing art scene, chairing the Iraqi Plastic Artists for six years and serving as the dean of the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad.
Fine 19th Century Viennese enamel and silver gilt snuff box, maker Hermann Böhm, the lid polychrome decorated with a standing figure of Napoleon opening to reveal a purple interior with a crown on a cushion and an eagle, the base decorated with figures by buildings and tents, the base with a capital N, silver gilt edge with the makers mark HB, 8cm wide
PAUL STORR; a George III hallmarked silver circular salver with cast gadrooned rim with foliate scroll and scallop motifs, the body engraved with two vacant circular cartouches, on three cast papyrus capital legs, London 1814, diameter 19cm, approx 13.9ozt. CONDITION REPORT: Generally in good condition, the engraved decoration is later, the central area is thinner, re-engraved and with pin pricked work, possibly covering original inscription and mild damage/split in this area, spots of staining to the top, numerous minor scratches and small dints commensurate with age, few major scratches to underneath, stamped number 351.
General James Welsh (1775-1861) Madras Army, East India Company, manuscript sea chart and topographical watercolours. An early 19th Century album of poetry, journal extracts and religious compositions written in manuscript by Bellina Sophia Maxtone (James Welsh's daughter) containing a few prints and a pencil drawing by her of Bideford from Ford Wood, together with 12 pencil/ink/watercolour drawings mainly of views in India, including the beach at Waltair by Mrs Sarah Welsh and a group by James Welsh to include: The Antelope & Greyhound & other Boats on the Backwater (Vol.1 p.151), The Syrian Cathedral & Metropolitan's House at Cotyam in Travancore (Vol.2 p.229), Female Orphan Asylum at Calcutta, The Albatross & Pintadoes from the cabin window Robarts at sea off the Cape Dec.1836, Sketches from life of the Lioness & Royal Tiger in the fort of Marekherah belonging to the Mahaswanny Lingarajender Nadeem Rajah of Coorg March 24th 1811 (Vol.1 p.338), Yenklmurradee Fort (Vol.2 p.263) and The Ooplee Boorj (Vol.2 p.320), together with a signed manuscript sea chart by James Welsh documenting a ship wreck, inscribed 'Sketch in explanation of the loss of the I.C.Cos Extra Ship Travers on a Rock near Diamond Island at 5 am on the 7th Nov. 1808, in company with the Extra ships Monarch & Earl Spencer, Outward Bound', (Vol.2 p.286 'On the 7th of November the Travers ran upon a rock near Drowned island, off Negrais Point, on the Burmese shore, and was totally lost, with sixteen poor men on board; while we picked up one hundred and twenty-two persons in three boats and carried them all in our ship to Calcutta.'). The references in brackets relate to James Welsh's two-volume work 'Military Reminiscences; extracted from a journal of nearly forty years' service in the East Indies, published in 1830 by Smith, Elder and Co., Cornhill. The present Lot bears a later ownership inscription 'Maria Sutherland from M.A. Elder in memory of their Angel Sister June 16th 1867'. Several of the above mentioned drawings are reproduced (with some variance) as illustrations in these two-volumes. The watercolours of a Lioness and Royal Tiger have been drawn on a leaf from James Welsh's original journal and stitched into this album. To the verso of the same leaf he has written an account of his visit to the Rajah of Coorg and sketching of the Royal pets: 'The Lioness has a capital House in the Fort, with a boarded floor & glass windows & seems to be the greatest Pet. I could not get her to sit or stand a minute & have not therefore done her justice in my hasty sketch.' This Lot is offered with a two-volume reprint in paperback of James Welsh's original work.
6th century AD. A gold hinged bracelet comprising a flat-section hoop with openwork scrolled vegetation, beaded borders; hinged junction with pin; ribbed hinges flanking the discoid cell with beaded rim, inset silver disc overlaid by an openwork panel with christogram within intersecting squares; the christogram and tendrils with pecked detailing, the scrolled tendrils punched pellet detailing to the fruit. See Yeroulanou, A. Important Bracelets in Early Christian and Byzantine Art in Entwistle, C. & Adams, N. Intelligible Beauty, Recent Research into Byzantine Jewellery, London, 2010 for discussion. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. 45 grams, 71mm (2 3/4"). Property of a New York collector; acquired 1980s. Accompanied by a positive X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate. The chi-rho is an ancient Christian symbol that consists of the intersection of the capital Greek letters chi (?) and rho (?), which are the first two letters of Christ in Greek. The chi-rho can represent either Christ or Christianity and is also known as a Christogram. The chi-rho is also known as the labarum, which is based on the Latin word laureum, military standard. This is based on Constantine's application of the chi-rho symbol to his military standard after receiving his famous vision before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD. The symbol, along many others such as the fish, was also used by early Christians as a means of identifying each other without drawing the attention of hostile authorities. Its popularity as a symbol under the recognised Christian faith was mostly during the Late Roman period and the early to middle Byzantine periods, until it was eventually superseded by the symbol of the cross itself. This style of bracelet became popular from the sixth century onward and they are noted for the technical skill of the goldsmiths in producing the depicate decoration on the band and head. As well as the Chi-Rho motif images of the Virgin Mary in the orans prayer posture were also popular decoration. Very fine condition, usage wear.
A TEAK EASY ARMCHAIR DESIGNED BY PIERRE JEANNERET, CIRCA 1960 the rawhide back and seat within a rectangular frame, shaped arms on V-shaped legsIn 1947 when the Indian state of Punjab was split between Pakistan and India, a new capital city of Chandigargh was built.The architect was Le Corbusier and he commissioned his cousin Pierre Jeanneretto design the furniture. This chair is an example of the seating designed by Jeanneret. The furniture was in many of thepublic buildings in Chandigargh and is now almost impossible to acquire as the Indian government has prohibited the export and sale of this furniture.
A brown leather, 'DKNY' handbag, the exterior of the bag having two pockets at the bottom with magnetic fasteners and chrome buckle detailing, two brown leather handles and a a brown leather and chrome luggage tag stamped 'DKNY' in chrome capital letters, A large zip opens to reveal the interior of the bag which is lined in cream cotton canvas, bearing a brown leather plaque stamped 'DKNY', two internal pouches in the lining and a zipped internal pocket. Dimensions: 26 x 35 x 8 cm. In used but good condition.
26 Bus and Shipping related books. Publishers include; TPC, Hambley, Capital Transport, Ian Allan, etc. 20x bus books with titles including; Post-War Regents, Post-War Titans, London Country, Municipal Buses in Colour, AEC Regent V, National Bus Company The Early Years, London Transport Buses & Coaches 1957, The Heyday of the Half Cab, London Tramway Twilight, etc. Shipping titles including; Liners of Southampton and the Solent, Crossing the Channel, Steam Tugs A Colour Portfolio, Diesel Tugs A Colour Portfolio, etc. Plus a few other transport books including; Jaguar The Complete Works, BR Wagons, Fire Engines, etc. GC-Mint, all dustjackets present where relevant. (35 books).
28 Diesel and Electric related Railway books. Publishers include; Middleton Press, BLP, Ian Allan, OPC, Capital Transport, Bradford Barton etc. Titles include; DRS The Early Years, Class 47 Fifty Years of Locomotive History, BR First Generation DMUs, The Blue Diesel Era, Class 40s at Work, A Southern Electric Album, Southern DEMUs, The Warships BR class 42/43, West Country China Clay Trains, Live & Times Series Class 50, The Power of the 50s, The Heyday of the Westerns, etc. GC-Mint, all dustjackets present where relevant.
28 Steam related Railway books. Publishers include; Capital Transport, Ian Allan, OPC, BLP, etc. Titles include; The Power of the 8Fs, The Power of the B17s and B2s, Southern Branch Lines, Western Steam in Devon and Cornwall, Britannia Pacifics, The Decline of Southern Steam, In Pursuit of the Last Pacifics, Trains to the West, British Railways Locomotives 1948, 3x Steam Colour Portfolio series (Midland, BR Standard Locomotives and East and NE Region). GC-Mint, all dustjackets present where relevant.
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