Andrew Nicholl RHA (1804-1886) A View of a Castle Through a Bank of Poppies and Wild Flowers Watercolour, 33.5 x 51cm (13 x 20") Signed As Walter Strickland observed, Andrew Nicholl was devoted to art from his boyhood, and 'won a reputation as a landscape painter in his native town.' He would later be known as the most talented, renowned and prolific topographical Irish artist of the nineteenth century. His training was important. He worked as a talented apprentice at the printing business of F.D. Finley where he was under the instruction of his elder brother William. While in London, he spent considerable time at the Dulwich College Gallery, where he copied paintings on show. He admired the work of J.M.W. Turner. Jeanne Sheehy has written; 'Most of his work is interesting, but particularly exciting is the series in which wildflowers in the foreground form a screen through which we dimly perceive the landscape. The paintings have a sharpness and naïveté which is totally captivating.' This series, of which 'A view of a castle through a Bank of Poppies and wild flowers' demonstrates the artist's talents aptly. He is evidently a master of the watercolour medium. The work features the fine exactitude of botanical illustration and combines this with a distant view of a castle . The eye eagerly explores the frieze of wildflowers in the foreground - poppies, cornflowers, oxeye daisies, dandelions - the beautiful colours of this remarkable roadside display. The city appears almost incidental in the distance, viewed at this range, and yet its placement is highly strategic. These combination views of wildflowers and landscape were a speciality of Nicholl's and feature a number of locations including; Newcastle, Fairhead, Howth, Bray, Carlingford, Lough Swilly, Ramelton, Rathmullan, Dunluce Castle, and Downhill Mussendon Temple. This style of depiction surely came from Nicholl's interest in topographical art, combined with his interest in botanical illustration, which became popular and refined in terms of accuracy in the eighteenth century due to advances in the printing process, of which Nicholl had first-hand experience. In Ireland's Painters 1600-1940, Crookshank and Glin, write 'In those near-surrealist watercolours...there is an originality which makes them amongst the most haunting...Irish paintings of the early nineteenth century. These are his masterpieces.' (p210) John Hewitt observes '...his originality appears most strongly [in his] landscape of distant hills, foregrounded by a wedge or bank of roadside wild flowers. By scratch and scrape of the surface of his paper,...for the spray-frayed tips of breaking waves, he gave his flowers and grasses an illusory precision and finish.' The 'sgraffitto' or 'scraping out' technique that Hewitt mentions is the ideal device to capture the delicacy and fine lines within the wildflowers. Nicholl began painting these wildflowers works quite early in his career. In 1830, the sister of his patron Emerson Tennent wrote a sonnet after receiving from the artist 'a beautiful coloured drawing of flowers.' He was a highly prolific artist and the Ulster Museum alone has almost 400 works by Andrew Nicholl. This catalogue entry was based on a previous write up on "A distant view of Derry" by Marianne O'Kane Boal in our May 2013 sale.
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Gerard Dillon RHA RUA (1916-1971) The Jockey Oil on board, 63.5 x 73.2cm (25 x 30") Signed and inscribed with title verso Provenance: George Waddington Galleries, Montreal (label verso) Exhibited: "Ulster Artists" Exhibition, The Ava Gallery, April 2010, Cat No. 9; "Ireland: Her People and Landscape", The Ava Gallery, June 2012 - Sept 2012, Cat. No. 10; and "Gerard Dillon, Art and Friendships", Adam's, Dublin, July 2012, and The Ava Gallery, Clandeboye, August 2012, Cat. No. 48 Literature: "Ulster Artists" 2010, illsutrated p.10 "Ireland: Her People and Landscape" 2012, illustrated p.17; and "Gerard Dillon, Art and Friendships", Karen Reihill 2012, illustrated p.53 Omey Island is a tidal island close to Claddaghduff on the western edge of Connemara. Surrounded by views of the sea in one direction and the Twelve Pins in the other, the mile long beach only appears as the tide recedes. Annually, in August, at low tide a makeshift track is constructed. Jockeys, and horses are quickly groomed and exercised. The race against the threat of the tide and prize begins. After six hours, the sea returns and swallows up everything in its path. The Island itself remains a place of devotion to Saint Feichín, with a medieval granite church, holy well, and the ruins of Teampal Feichín. The artist exhibited three Omey Island paintings in his first solo show with Victor Waddington Galleries in 1950. These included "Omey Island Regatta", "Omey Island Strand" and "Omey Island Race Day". Other titles from this series of works include "Before the Races, Omey Island" "Spectators Omey Island Race Day," and "Omey Island Ponies". This painting, "The Jockey" belongs to this series of paintings. In August 1950, several friends stayed with Gerard Dillon in Moyard, including a group of Australians he met at the Abbey Arts Centre, Hertfordshire in the late 1940's. This included the art historian Bernard Smith. After Smith's departure from Dillon's cottage, Dillon wrote to him giving him an account of his life as Smith had undertaken to write an article on the artist for the Envoy magazine. Dillon also spoke about a series of painting he had executed from a day trip he took to Omey Island. He described the events "…The Jockeys were local boys from Omey and some girls too. People were barking on the beach and there was great excitement. With the clouds racing in the sky over the Twelve Pins and the mainland looking most strange with crags in every field and stonewalls around the crags-you'd have loved it and the whole day without rain, not even a shower. I've painted some of the subjects." In 1998, the artist's Biographer James White cited this painting ".. a fascinating example of Dillon's work because it reflects the humour attitude to life in the West of Ireland The Jockey has mounted the two little girls on his horse and stands holding the horse steady by the reins, as if posing for the artist, presumably responding to his request for a few moments while he makes a little sketch for subsequent use in a painting. It combines the sense of fun and entertainment for visitors to the Race day on Omey Strand against the background of the church on the hill and the gradual entry of visitors and the presence of two other horses, one to the left and one further back on the right." Karen Reihill Currently researching Gerard Dillon & Friends
Louis Le Brocquy HRHA (1916-2012) Travellers (1948) Aubusson Tapestry, 178 x 99 cm, (70 x 39") Signed in weave of tapestry. Atelier Tabard Fréres & Soeurs Aubusson with title "Irish Tinkers" & Ref. No. 1058 label verso Provenance: Purchased at The Dawson Gallery C 1966 and given to the current owner as a birthday present in the early 1970's. Exhibited: "Recent Tapestries" Arts Council , London 1950; "Louis le Brocquy: A family and other new works" Gimpel Fils 1951; "Louis le Brocquy" Exhibition Waddington Galleries Dublin 1951; "Recent paintings and Tapestries by Louis le Brocquy" Gimpel Fils London 1955; and "Seven Tapestries 1948 - 1955 by Louis le Brocquy" The Dawson Gallery Nov 1966 and theThe Ulster Museum Dec 1966 / Jan 1967 Literature: "Brave Ventures" by Nevile Wallis The Observer 29.1.1950; "The Art of Tapestry" by Mary Wallace Far and Wide Feb 1950; "Tapisseries et Peintures de Louis le Brocquy" by James White La Revue Francaise May 1965; "Seven Tapestries by Louis le Brocquy" by James White Dawson Gallery Dublin 1966 ; "Louis le Brocquy" by Dorothy Walker Ward River Press Dublin 1981 Illustrated p.95; "Louis le Brocquy - Aubusson Tapestries" Taylor Galleries Dublin 2000; and "The Hunter Gatherer" IMMA 2005 Illustrated p.62 In 1948, Edinburgh Tapestry Weavers under the patronage of the then Marquis of Bute,invited a number of painters living in London to design tapestries. The artists included Stanley Spencer,Jankel Alder, Graham Sutherland and Louis le Brocquy who later continued his work in this medium with the Tabard workshop at Aubusson in France. His first tapestry continued his preoccupation with the travelling people: "Travellers 1948" was exhibited originally by the arts council in London in 1950. It depicts a woman and a young child with an old faun-like figure of a man : the delineation of the figures strongly influenced by Picasso but the weaving of the tapestry with its overall surface of leaves and shadow patterns is much indebted to Jean Lurcat, so that an intriguing cross fertilisation of Picasso/Lurcat here takes place in the forms of an Irish travelling family. Although critically acclaimed in 1950 it was not until the exhibition at the Dawson Gallery in 1966 that this and the other tapestries from the Eden series were eagerly bought by the top collectors of the day. Versions of this original early tapestry "Travellers" which illustrates the artists original vision,colour wise,have rarely come on the market in the last 20/30 years. We acknowledge the research of the late Dorothy Walker whose writings formed the basis of this catalogue entry.
John Shinnors (b.1950) Rooks Go West, Scarecrows Oil on canvas, 167.5 x 172cm (66 x 68") Signed and inscribed with title verso Exhibited: "John Shinnors - Twenty-one Paintings" Exhibition, The Taylor Galleries, Dublin, 2000, where purchased by current owner Born in 1950, Shinnors studied at the Limerick School of Art for a short period under Jack Donovan, and taught for several years before taking up painting full time in the 1980s. He has exhibited all over Ireland and his paintings are found in many public collections including IMMA, The National Self Portrait Collection of Ireland and the University of Limerick. Throughout his painting career he has been interested in representing and re-interpreting a wide repertoire of motifs, including cows, birds, kites, clothes, lighthouses and scarecrows. A restrained palette is characteristic of his work at this time, and through this palette he explored many variations of light and dark, and depiction of forms in shadow and light. At first glance, like many of his works, this painting has an abstract look but gradually recognisable shapes and forms reveal themselves as those described in the title. Painted in his characteristic colour combinations, the monochromatic shades are illuminated by a warm golden light coming from the right, or east if we are to read the painting like a field and the light as the sun rise. The black areas of the painting can be seen as both opaque surfaces, an end in themselves, and as voids through which other areas and levels of the painting are almost within reach. The subtle variations within the black tones - Shinnors has said he uses five blacks - are difficult to see in reproduction but the artist also uses thin touches of strong green, hardly visible to the casual observer but providing an intriguing contrast within the black space. Surface textures vary, building up the painting layer by layer in a quasi-collage composition. Yet the motifs are coherently placed, with shape and form balanced in relation to each other and across the large scale of the painting as a whole. Aidan Dunne, who has written extensively on the artist, noted: "It is as though each painting is a site at which disparate things conspire to create a composition, a fleeting event that is caught, just about, in the twinkling of an eye, and pinned there by the artist"
William Scott RA (1913-1989) Robert (1947) Oil on canvas, 40.5 x 35.5cm (16 x 14") Signed Provenance: From the Collection of George and Maura McClelland and on loan from them to IMMA from 1999 - 2004;Private Collection Dublin Exhibited: "Recent Paintings by William Scott", Leicester Galleries, 1948 Cat. No. 1 under title "Head of a Boy"; "The McClelland Collection, Irish Museum of Modern Art", Sept 2000-Jan 2001; "Envisage - The Fall of Contemporary Irish Art", Irish Museum of Modern Art, Oct 2001-April 2002; "Norhtern Artists from the McClelland Collection", IMMA 2004/5, Droichand Arts Centre 2005 "William Scott in Ireland", F.E. McWilliam Gallery Banbridge, Mar-Sept 2009, Cat. No.5 (see contemporary photograph of Robert Scott standing in front of this picture at that exhibition) Literature: "The Hunter Gatherer", Irish Museum of Modern Art 2005, illustrated Fig.106 p.106 "William Scott in Ireland" 2009 by Dr. Denise Ferran, illustrated p16; "William Scott Catalogue Raisonné of Oil Paintings" Vol. 1913-51 by Sarah Whitfield Cat. No.115, illustrated p.175 This is one of six known portraits of William and Mary Scott's first child Robert who was born in Dublin 5th January 1940, the Scotts having moved here in September the previous year. Robert was sent to live with his aunt in the United States and then Canada before returning to live in England with his parents in January 1944
Frederick E. McWilliam HRUA RA (1909-1992) Woman with Arms Folded 1939 Hoptonwood stone, 54.5cm (51½") high Provenance: From the Collection of George and Maura McClelland and on loan from them to IMMA from 1999 - 2004; Private Collection Dublin Exhibited: "F.E. McWilliam" Exhibition, Hanover Gallery London, Feb/Mar 1956, Cat. No. 8; "Britain's Contribution to Surrealism of the 30's and 40's", The Hamet Gallery London, 1971; "F.E. McWilliam Retrospective" Exhibition, Ulster Museum Belfast, April/May 1981; Douglas Hyde Gallery, TCD Dublin, May/June 1981; and The Crawford Gallery Cork, July/Aug 1981; Cat. No. 12; "Northern Artists from the McClelland Collection" Exhibition, IMMA 2004/5, and Droichand Arts Center 2005; "F.E. McWilliam at Banbridge", F.E. McWilliam Museum, Sept 2008 - Feb 2009; The Highlane Gallery Drogheda, Feb/April 2009; and "The Moderns", IMMA, Cat. No. 66 Literature: "McWilliam" 1964 by Roland Penrose, illustrated no. 18; "F.E. McWilliam", Arts Council NI, 1981, full page illustration p.19; "The Hunter Gatherer" IMMA 2005, full page illustration p.115; "F.E. McWilliam at Banbridge" 2008 by Denise Ferran, full page illustration with artist p.35, full page illustration p.43; "The Moderns" IMMA, full page illustration p.131; and "F.E. McWilliam" 2012 by Denise Ferran and Valerie Holman, Cat. No. 34, p.92, also illustrated p.29 McWilliam began this work in 1937 after visiting the Hoptonwood quarry in Derbyshire with sculptors Henry Moore and AH Gerrard, his professor at the Slade, and taking back several irregularly shaped hunks of stone. The material is very fine, almost like marble, and is particularly suited to carving. It was around this time that McWilliam began his association with the British Surrealist group and the sculpture, while working from a figurative starting point, parodies the idealisation of the human torso to be seen in classical busts. The distortion of the figure's breasts is unsettling and it is significant that this and related carvings of deformed human heads and torsos by the artist were made in a period of international crisis, before the outbreak of the Second World War. He reworked the sculpture in 1939 and again after the war in 1947. In autumn 1949 McWilliam held his first post-War solo exhibition at the Hanover Gallery in London of 21 works of diverse media including stone, terracotta, concrete, various woods and bronze. Two sculptures in it had been made before the War, one of which is Woman with Folded Arms. In 1981, he further shortened the neck. The work remained outdoors in his garden at Holland Park until its inclusion in the Arts Councils of Ireland exhibition in 1981, and was then dated 1939 by McWilliam. However it is dated 1937-8 in Robertson 1965.
James Dixon (1887-1970) "Mary driving the cattle home, the tide came in too soon and the poor girl got drowned" Oil on board, 54 x 72.5cm (21¼ x 28½") Signed, dated 19-8-67, inscribed 'Tory Island' with legend Accompanied by a hand written poem relating to the painting thought to be in Dixon's hand Provenance: Bought by the current owner privately, early 1972 Exhibited: "From Tory Island" exhibition Paintings in Irish Houses Grange House , Freshford, Co. Kilkenny July 1972 . Literature : "From Tory Island to a Kilkenny Farm" by Elgy Gillispie, Irish Times 28th July 1972 illustrated. James Dixon is probably Ireland's only true primitive painter having very rarely ever ventured away from his native Tory Island off the Northwest coast of Donegal. His discovery by the painter Derek Hill is now legend. Observing Mr. Hill painting a landscape of the West End Village on Tory he is said to have remarked ''I think I could do better''. Hill immediately encouraged him by sending him paints. Dixon preferred to work on paper and when offered paint brushes he said he would make his own out of hair from his donkey. Hill organised exhibitions of the work of the Tory painters, the first of which took place at the New Gallery, Belfast in 1966 but following on shortly afterwards he had exhibitions at the Dawson Gallery, Dublin, Autodidaky Gallery, Vienna and the Portal Gallery, London. His work entered the collections of The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, The Hugh Lane Gallery and Bournemouth Art Gallery. His legacy lives on in what is now referred to as the Tory Island School of Painting. Homage was paid to him when in 2000 there was a joint exhibition with that other famous primitive painter Alfred Wallis, organised by the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Tate Gallery, St. Ives, Cornwall This work is very similar to a work in the Arts Council of Ireland collection which was included in the major exhibition "Into the Light" last autumn. This work is accompanied by a poem thought to be in Dixon's hand and both it and the painting are based on a poem by Charles Kingsley. Mary was lost to a great wave and legend has it that her voice will haunt the shoreline to the end of time, forever calling her cattle.
Seán Keating PRHA (1889-1977) 'Pipes and Porter' Oil on canvas, 101.5 x 127cm (40 x 50") Signed Provenance: A Dublin Collection Exhibited: RHA, Annual Exhibition 1915 Cat. No. 78 Having won the coveted RDS Taylor Award for painting in 1914, Seán Keating moved to London to work as a studio assistant to William Orpen. The First World War had begun, and as conscription beckoned, Keating decided to return to Ireland in late 1915 or early 1916. Orpen, already a well-renowned portrait painter, remained in London and accepted an appointment to the Army Service Corps. He was sent to France under the war artists' scheme in 1917, where, initially as a Second Lieutenant and later a Major, he produced some of the most extraordinary and thought provoking images of his entire career (1). Meanwhile, Keating returned to Dublin, joined the Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge), and began to make a series of paintings that placed the west of Ireland in general, and the Aran Islands in particular, at the centre of his personal sense of national and political identity. He sought to make his nationalist allegiance clear in his work, but arrest for sedition was commonplace, and as a result, his use of symbolism or allegory can be understood in the context of the socio-political conditions at that time. The best known of those images is Men of the West, a painting that Keating began in 1915, but completed and exhibited in 1917, the year after the Easter Rising had taken place(2). An allegorical work, it features a self-portrait of the artist holding the Irish tri-colour flag, and a double portrait of his brother, Joe Hannan Keating, who was then a member of the IRB and the Irish Volunteers, and both are dressed in traditional Aran Island clothing. But there was an image that prefigured Men of the West. It was shown in the RHA in 1915 and it was titled Pipes and Porter(3). An extraordinary painting, Pipes and Porter features a self-portrait of the artist with his ubiquitous beard, together with a portrait of his aforementioned brother, Joe, an unnamed young boy, and an unidentified piper(4). A castle tower dominates the background, while the lower landscape is dotted with several white-washed and thatched cottages, and the sun is setting in the western sky. Keating, his brother, and the young boy regard their audience with confidence. But the piper's gaze suggests that he is lost in concentration of his tune. He is playing the bagpipes, also known as the 'war pipes' because they were 'played in medieval Ireland to lead soldiers or sporting groups' (5). Importantly, in terms of Keating's artistic objectives, 'both the uilleann pipes and the war pipes had political links' in the early years of the twentieth century. 'Thomas Ashe was a well-known war piper', while 'Éamonn Ceannt played the uilleann pipes and was leading member of the Dublin Pipers' Club' (6). The war pipes that feature in Pipes and Porter appear to be 'an occasional set' that may have been made by 'MacCullough' of Belfast and seem to have 'two drones, beaded and combed like Highland pipes' with 'plain projecting mounts on the drones, and metal ferrules' (7). The colour combination illustrated on the piper's conspicuous hat may well refer to his place of birth, and/or his national sporting allegiance. Black and amber are the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) colours for Kilkenny. While the GAA was not a political organization, several members fought in the Easter Rising in 1916 (8). Although he remains anonymous at present, the man playing the 'war pipes' may have been a piper that Keating knew from among those that played at nationalist gatherings and marches in Dublin, if not from his own branch of Conradh na Gaeilge, or who perhaps played at GAA matches. Thus, far from being a simple scene of the west of Ireland, Pipes and Porter has symbolic meaning, which is amplified by the presence of the artist, and his nationalist brother, Joe, both of whom are dressed in the traditional Aran Island clothing that was to feature in Men of the West a little time later. At the same time, the realities of the socio-political conditions are evident in the painting. Irish artists were physically and geographically restricted by the rules of the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA), introduced to Ireland in 1914, as a result of which they were not allowed to paint the Irish coastline, or harbours, without written permission from the authorities. Therefore, there is little by way of a detailed coastline in Pipes and Porter or in Men of the West. Keating was a painter of honest, no nonsense portraits. It was a skill that provided him with a constant source of income throughout his life. He did not believe in flattering his models, which meant that his insightful honesty got him into trouble at times. Trained by Orpen in the necessary techniques, he never forgot to include a fleck of light in the eyes, a detail that gave life and personality to his portraits and that is seen to excellent effect in Pipes and Porter. Furthermore, although it is an early work, the painting also demonstrates Keating's expertise as a painter of still life, landscape, sky scape, and the detailed texture of clothing. What of the porter to which the title of the painting also refers? It would appear that necessity was the cause of invention, and porter, a type of beer, was served in any type of vessel that came to hand. The glass is empty, but is there porter in that mug, or does it contain a cup of tea? Keating was having a little fun with his title and content. He continued to use such puns throughout his career, evident, for example, in Good Old Stuff (1928), a painting that is also featured in this auction catalogue (lot 86). The artist typically signed his paintings using his surname in Irish or English, but he wrote his full name on the bottom right of Pipes and Porter. This detail suggests that the painting, which has not been seen in public for many years, may have been a commission in 1915, although the identity of the likely patron is not known at present. © Dr Éimear O'Connor HRHA Research Associate TRIARC-Irish Art Research Centre Trinity College Dublin October 2013. (1) See Bruce Arnold, Orpen: Mirror to an Age, (London, 1981), pp. 307-380. (2) Collection: The Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane. (3) Keating is known to have painted two images featuring pipes. The first, Pléaráca in Arainn (A Gay Time on Aran)(1913), won the Orpen Composition Award at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art in 1913. It would appear that this painting did not include a self-portrait of the artist. It was described some years later as 'a rather large painting…depicting an Aran piper in full “war paint”…playing lustily on his Píob Mor (large pipes) for the delectation of several of his friends, who, to judge by the expression on their faces, are thoroughly enjoying themselves', John J. R. O'Beirne, 'A Coming Irish Artist: The work of John Keating' in The Rosary, Vol. 21, 1917, pp. 571-577. (4) Information on the identity of the piper and the young boy would be gratefully received by the author on info@eimearoconnor.ie (5) The author would like to acknowledge and thank Nicholas Carolan, Director of the Irish Traditional Music Archive, 73 Merrion Square, for his help and advice with regard to the pipes illustrated in Pipes and Porter. See www.itma.ie (6) The author would like to acknowledge and thank Emmett Gill, Administrator, and Terry Moylan, Archivist, Na Píobairí Uillean, 15 Henrietta Street, Dublin 1, for information pertaining to Thomas Ashe and Éamonn Ceannt, and the political significance of the uilleann pipes and the war pipes in 20th century Ireland. See www.pipers.ie (7) With thanks to Nicholas Carolan and Seán Donnelly. MacCulloughs opened premises in Dublin in the 1920s, and in 1926 the company published MacCullough's Irish War Pipe Tutor and Tune Book, written by Liam Mac Andreis (William Andrews), leader of a pipe band at Trinity College Dublin. See Adam Sanderson on (8) Coincidentally, James Nowlan, a native of Kilkenny, served twenty years, from 1901 to 1921, as president of the GAA. He was interned in England after the 1916 Easter Rising. Nowlan was a supporter of Sinn Fein and an alderman of Kilkenny Corporation for many years. See
Seán Keating PRHA HRA (1889-1978) Good Old Stuff Oil on board, 71.1 x 91.4cm (28 x 36") Signed Exhibited: Royal Academy, London, Annual Exhibition 1928, Cat. No. 217; Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 1928; RHA Annual Exhibition 1929, Cat. No. 14 Helen Hackett Gallery, New York, 1929; Museum of Irish Art, New York, 1931/2; "Seán Keating Exhibition", Victor Waddington Galleries, Dublin, 1947; "Seán Keating Retrospective Exhibition", Municipal Gallery, Dublin, 1963, Cat. No. 24; and "Seán Keating: In Focus", The Hunt Museum, Limerick, June/Sept 2009 Literature: "Ireland Painters, 1600-1940" Anne Crookshank and The Knight of Glin, Fig.385 on p.281; "Seán Keating; In Focus", Dr. Éimear O'Connor, 2009, iLlustrated p.21 and again p.53; and "Seán Keating: Art, Politics and Building the Irish Nation", Éimear O'Connor, (Kildare, 2012), p.91, illustrated p.92. Known for his overtly nationalist paintings made between 1915 and 1924, the series of images of citizen heroes that Seán Keating made after that date indicate a lot about his unceasing confidence in the Irish people, even if he was relentlessly disappointed with the governing classes. Keating's choice to use the common people as models in non-commissioned work from the 1920s onwards was an expression of his democratic spirit, and in doing so, he was determinedly placing himself on the progressive side of the political divide in Europe at that time. Good Old Stuff is one of a group of paintings made in the late 1920s in which the artist was investigating both the process, and the inherited wisdom of old age, but through the lens of allegory. Other paintings in the sequence include Past Definite, Future Perfect (1928), Old Kitty (1928), The Turf Gatherer (1928) and two versions of Don Quixote (1927 and 1932). The old man in Good Old Stuff is shown seated at a table on which there is a tea cup, a tea pot and a bottle of some sort of alcohol - whiskey perhaps. However, given the artist's predisposition to the use of symbolism, there is far more to this image than simple witticism. The old man is shown seated in a secluded space. Stories from years long past are inscribed into the creases of his face, and the veins in his hands. He is not actually looking at the containers on the table; he is in reflective mood and lost in his own world. Yet, his far-off gaze is reassuring, calming, and gentle. The old man is good old stuff itself, and he has much to offer anyone who cares to listen, or to see. Thus, Good Old Stuff was also a tribute to the wisdom and experience of old age, which, as far as Keating was concerned, was equally as important to New Ireland as the exuberance and inexperience of youth. The model for Keating's Good Old Stuff remains unidentified, but he appeared in several paintings made by the artist in the late 1920s, including The Models' Interval (1927) and the first version of Don Quixote (1927). In 1927, when Keating was working on Don Quixote, he took several photographs of the old man seated at a table. The artist appears to have been very happy with that composition, and when he began Good Old Stuff the following year, he used those photographs to recreate the exact same pose, but placed his model holding a teacup instead of the infamous helmet that is central to the story of Don Quixote. The accompanying photograph of the model for Good Old Stuff has been reproduced with kind permission from the owner of a private collection. © Dr Éimear O'Connor HRHA Research Associate TRIARC-Irish Art Research Centre Trinity College Dublin October 2013.
Colin Middleton RHA MBE (1910-1983) Opus 1 40 Magpie Delivery 1942 Oil on canvas, 50.9 x 76.2cm (20 x 30") Signed Provenance: From the Collection of George and Maura McClelland and on loan from them to IMMA from 1999-2004; Private Collection Dublin Exhibited: "Colin Middleton" Exhibition, IMMA, Jan-Jun2001 Literature: "Colin Middleton: Paintings & Drawings from the McClelland Collection" IMMA 2001, illustrated Fig.4; "The Hunter Gatherer", IMMA, 2005, illustrated Fig.59 p.74 The personal and autobiographical aspects of Colin Middleton's work are usually disguised and deeply hidden. The events and aftermath of the Second World War exerted a clear influence on Middleton's painting and one might wonder whether the isolated ruins of buildings and the barren landscapes that recur in his work of the 1940s (as seen in the present painting) were influenced by the blitz of Belfast the previous year. During these years Middleton had lost his first wife but had then married Kathleen Giddens and had a young family; he was also finding significant recognition as an artist in Belfast and preparing for a major exhibition the year after this painting was completed. It is tempting to speculate that the harlequin figure that dominates the left of the composition is a reference to the artist, although there are suggestions of long hair and the shape of a dress; one could also read the object in the right foreground as a painting on an easel, although the consistency with the landscape behind also indicates a clear frame. While the sky is heavy and threatening, the sea is illuminated and calm and this new shore, whilst empty, has promise. The magpie of the title sits on the frame and the letters they both carry connect it with the figure. The bird is one of the most frequently recurring images in Middleton's work, often representing the female presence in a painting and particularly the spiritual part of the human distinct from that tied down to the physical world. Magpie Delivery is a particularly ambiguous work in mood and tone and perhaps this reflects the many changes in Colin Middleton's personal situation at this time, as well as the upheavals throughout the world. Dickon Hall, November 2013
Jack Butler Yeats RHA (1871-1957) The Day's First Customer (1952) Oil on board, 35.5 x 45.7cm (14 x 18") Signed Provenance: Purchased at the 1953 exhibition by Mrs. Jobling Purser, and later with Pyms Gallery, London, from whom purchased circa 1993 by the current owner. Exhibited : "Jack B. Yeats" Exhibition Victor Waddington Galleries Dublin 1953, Cat. No. 4; "Jack B. Yeats - Loan Exhibition" New Gallery , Belfast June 1965, Cat. No. 10; and "An Ireland Imagined" Pyms Gallery, London. Oct / Nov 1993 Cat. No. 66 Literature: "Jack. B. Yeats, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings" 1992 by Hilary Pyle, Vol II Cat. No. 1119 p.1021; and "An Ireland Imagined" 1993 full page illustration p.99 This very late work by Jack B. Yeats shows a little boy entering a shop doorway on a sunny morning. The shopkeeper sits reading a newspaper at the end of the counter with his back to the door. The child holds a tin whistle in his hand, alerting the man of his arrival through the sound of music. His small figure is literally sculpted out of paint. He is built up in blends of blues and purples with golden highlights on his legs and head where the sunlight falls on his body. Surrounded by a halo of intense light, with his long eye lashes and down cast face, he materializes like an angelic apparition. The sunlight makes a profound impact on the dark interior of the shop. It throws the features of the elderly merchant into relief as he sits between two sources of light, the door and the window. He is engrossed in reading, his face contorted into an expression of intense concentration. Behind him the red handled teapot suggests that breakfast has just been finished. The counter and the interior walls reflect back the light in a cacophony of dark reds and blues with flashes of green and yellow. This extraordinary construction of form through paint brings every element of the scene to life and conveys with a remarkable intensity the physical sensation of standing in a darkened interior on a hot sunny morning. The relationship between youth and age, a favourite theme in Yeats's work, is central to the painting. While the elderly vendor is preoccupied with the concerns of the adult world and is fastened to one spot, the little boy belongs to the realm of imagination where music and sweetshops are among the many pleasures that the day's adventures will bring. The amusing title brings to mind the positive impact that the arrival of the child has on the shopkeeper, a passing encounter that enlivens the working day. Roisin Kennedy October 2013
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Shaw's Bridge Belfast Oil and tempera on linen laid on board, 31.8 x 44.5cm (12½ x 17½") Signed and dated '39, signed again and inscribed "Shaw's Bridge, Belfast" verso Provenance. The Bell family by descent and sold by them at Christies May 1999 Lot 218 where purchased by current owner. Exhibited: "United Artists Exhibition", Royal Academy London, 1940, Cat. No. 352; "Ulster Artists Exhibition: The Work of John Luke", Belfast Museum and Art Gallery, 4-28 September 1946, Cat. No. 30; "Exhibition of Paintings by John Luke", CEMA Gallery, Belfast, November 1948, Cat. No. 19; "John Luke Exhibition", Queen's University Common Room, Belfast, 1960, Cat. No. 15; "John Luke (1906-1975"), Ulster Museum, Belfast, 27 January - 4 March 1978, Cat. No. 39; "Ulster Artists Exhibition The Ava Gallery" April 2010 Cat. No. 20; "Ireland her People and Landscape Exhibition" The Ava Gallery June - September 2012 Cat. No. 28; and "Northern Rhythm: The Art of John Luke (1906-1975)", Ulster Museum, Belfast, 2 November 2012 - 28 April 2013, Cat. No 23 Literature: "The Landscapes of John Luke" by John Hewitt, The Studio, August 1949 (Illustrated); "John Luke (1906 - 1978)" By John Hewitt Belfast 1978 p38. Front cover illustration; "Ulster Artists" 2010, Ava Gallery, illustrated p.21; "Ireland: Her People and Landscape" 2012.by Dr. Rosin Kennedy, p.4, illustrated p.5 and again p.35 "Northern Rhythm: The Art of John Luke" 2012 by Joseph Mc Brinn illustrated p.39 John Luke was born in north Belfast and his first job was working in Belfast's thriving shipbuilding industry. He was a student at the Belfast School of Art but left in 1927 to enrol at the Slade School in London, where he studied under Henry Tonks and shared a studio with his fellow countryman F.E. McWilliam. He returned to Belfast in 1931. "Shaw's Bridge" is probably Luke's last major work before the start of the Second World War and a significant point in the artist's development. This work recalls the earlier composition "The Bridge" from 1936 with its more simplified form and colours. Luke painted at least two versions of the bridge, the earliest in 1936, and he made at least one linocut print (c.1933), an example of which was sold in these rooms in 2008. "Shaw's Bridge" represents a synthesis in the artist's style, culminating in the more recognisable decorative and rhythmical compositions, and it is the work in which he settled on the technique of applying oil glazes over a tempera base. Luke continued to use this unusual technique for the remainder of his meticulously planned and executed easel paintings. "Shaw's Bridge" is probably the last painting that Luke completed with an identifiable topographical subject matter. After 1940 he turned increasingly to mural painting and public commissions.
Tony O'Malley HRHA (1913-2003) Irish Place, Callan, Co. Kilkenny 1979 Oil on board, 123 x 91cm (48 x 36") Signed with initials and dated 1979; signed again and inscribed with title verso Provenance: From the Collection of George and Maura McClelland and on loan from them to IMMA from 1999 - 2004; Private Collection Dublin Exhibited: "Selection of works from the McClelland Collection", IMMA, Sept 2000 - Jan 2001; and "Tony O'Malley Exhibition", IMMA, July 2001 - Jan 2002 Literature: "The Hunter Gatherer", IMMA 2005, illustrated Fig. 94 p.100 Tony O'Malley came late to painting after a career in banking, and was in his late 60s and living in St Ives when George McClelland first became aware of him, prompted by fellow artist F.E. McWilliam. When they first met, O'Malley was not particularly successful, despite having painted and exhibited for thirty years, but McClelland determined to change this. He relentlessly promoted the artist between 1980 and 1983, with the result that O'Malley went from being virtually unknown in his homeland to being given an Arts Council of Ireland Travelling Exhibition and having his work in important public collections such as the Bank of Ireland, within a few years. A major retrospective in Dublin, Cork and Belfast in 1984 cemented his place within the context of important Irish painters of the 20th century. In the 1970s O'Malley married his wife Jane and they spent a lot of time in the Bahamas. Influenced by the light and surroundings, much of his work from this time became more colourful and vibrant, moving away from the more sombre tones of his work in the 1950s and 60s. The subject of this painting had a strong emotional connection for O'Malley, being of Callan in County Kilkenny, the artist's birthplace. In 1990 he and his wife moved back to Ireland and in 1993 he was elected a Saoi of Aosdána. When he died in 2003 he was regarded as one of Ireland's leading painters, due in no small part to the influence and support of George McClelland. The Irish Museum of Modern Art held a major retrospective of his work in 2005.
John Henry Foley RHA RA (1818-1874) Youth at the Stream Bronze, rich red-brown patina, 54.5cm(21½") high Inscribed and dated "J.H. Foley Sculp. Executed for The Art Union of London, 1846" Literature: "Victorian Sculpture" by B. Read, 1982, p65; "The Bronze Statuettes of the Art Union of London: The Rise and Decline of Victorian Taste in Sculpture", Apollo, May 1985, p328-337; "A Dictionary of Irish Artists" by W.G. Strickland, p357-365 Born in Dublin, the son of a grocer, John Henry Foley entered the Royal Dublin Society Schools in 1833 and subsequently the Royal Academy Schools from 1835, studying under Richard Westmacott (1775-1856). He exhibited there from 1839 and first attracted attention at the R.A. in 1840 with his "Innocence" and "Bacchus", showing the influence of Etienne Maurice Falconet (1716-1791). He was to carry on producing works in this genre, culminating in "Youth at the Stream". These idealised sculptures are delicately executed and elegantly attenuated showing a Mannerist influence. The Art Union (later the Art Journal), Foley's most consistent critic and champion, considered "Youth at the Stream" to be the most beautiful work at the R.A. exhibition in 1844 and, in 1846, commissioned a statuette version of it in bronze of which this is one. Foley also sent "Youth at the Steam" to an exhibition in Westminster Hall in 1844, which resulted in his selection by the Commissioners, along with Calder Marshall and John Bell, to create works in sculpture for the new Houses of Parliament. His political portraits, in particular, that of John Hampden, led to his rapid ascension to the status of the pre-eminent sculptor of mid-Victorian Britain. He was made an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1849 and a full member in 1858.
A JAPANESE DAGGER (AIKUCHI), AND A BONE-MOUNTED SWORD (KATANA), 19TH CENTURY the first with curved single-edged blade formed with a long fuller and wavy hamon, plain tang pierced with two mekugi-ana, the grip bound with baleen and with soft metal sea shell menuki, in its lacquered saya with signed kozuka; the second with single-edged blade, the hilt and scabbard of characteristic sectional bone carved and engraved with a vertical arrangement of figures in contemporary dress the first: 26.8 cm; 10 5/8 in blade (2) The kozuka signature reads Monju Taro Kanekiyo.
A JAPANESE SHORT SWORD (WAKIZASHI) AND ANOTHER SWORD (KATANA) with first with curved single-edged blade with wavy hamon (chips), tang with later signature `Echizen no kami Sukehiro` pierced with a single mekugi-ana, in shira saya; the second with curved single-edged blade, and signed tang pierced with a single mekugi-ana (pitted) the first: 45 cm; 17 3/4 in blade (2)
A RARE 28 BORE CHINESE MATCHLOCK GUN, 18TH/19TH CENTURY AND A .620 CALIBRE AFGHAN FLINTLOCK RIFLE, 19TH CENTURY the first with swamped sighted barrel retained by two brass bands, the breech with standing back-sight and integral pan with pivot-cover, the action enclosed within the stock, retained by a brass plaque, curved iron serpentine and trigger, hardwood full stock (small cracks) including a flat forward lug for resting and a rounded rear lug, each pierced and set with an engraved brass foliate washer, a single sling swivel, and the butt retaining its pouch for match cord; the second with tapering octagonal Turkish barrel, East India company lock, and figured hardwood full stock (losses) the first: 75.5 cm; 29 3/4 in barrel (2) A similar example to the first was sold in these rooms, 29th June 2011 lot 75.
AN INDIAN FOLDING DAGGER (KATAR) AND AN INDIAN DOUBLE DAGGER (KATAR), LATE 19TH CENTURY the first with concealed tapering double-edged blade, a pair of outer blades enclosing the former, decorated with a central panel filled with exotic beasts in gold koftgari, steel hilt decorated en suite, including a pair of moulded grip-bars, the lower opening the scabbard; the second with tapering blade decorated with a central panel filled with silver foliage, characteristic hilt decorated with silver en suite, in its matching scabbard formed as a larger katar the first: 20.5 cm; 8 in blade (2) Provenance The second: Frank Gair Macomber, sold American Art Association, Anderson Galleries, New York, 10th-12th December 1936, lot 265
A GERMAN BACKSWORD, CIRCA 1500-20, PROBABLY LOW GERMAN in excavated condition, with tapering blade double-edged and of flattened-diamond section for the last quarter, iron hilt comprising a pair of slightly down-curved moulded quillons with flattened mushroom-shaped terminals, outer ring-guard, moulded knuckle-guard, and pommel en suite with the quillons, and retaining some early gilding throughout 76.5cm; 30 1/8in blade The form of the pommel and the style of decoration are reminiscent of German "Landsknecht" swords and daggers of the first half of the sixteenth century. The pommel is similar to the dagger of Duke Heinrich the Younger of Brunswick, now preserved in the Historisches Museum, Dresden. See H. Seitz 1965 p. 370, fig. 276 and pl. IX.
A CONTINENTAL ARTILLERY SWORD AND AN AFRICAN SPEAR, LATE 19TH CENTURY the first with regulation fullered blade of French type, regulation nickel-plated hilt (bent) and banded horn grip, in its scabbard; and the second with leaf-shaped blade, bound with rattan at the base, on a short wooden haft the first: 75.5cm; 29 3/4in blade (2)
** A DUTCH CUIRASSIER`S CLOSE HELMET, CIRCA 1620 with rounded skull formed in two pieces joined along the crest of a low medial comb and fitted at the nape with a tapering plume-holder formed at its upper edge as a crown, obtusely-pointed peak and bevor attached to the skull by common pivots, the first fitted on its underside with a triple-barred face-guard bearing traces of incised decoration and the second cut with a broad U-shaped face-opening, the bevor and skull secured to one another at the right of the neck by a swivel-hook and pierced stud (the former replaced) and flanged outwards at their lower edges to receive in each case a gorget-plate of one lame (the front restored and the rear fitted at its centre with two sturdy staples for mounting purposes), the main edges of the helmet formed with plain inward turns accompanied at the front of the peak by a recessed border and elsewhere by single incised lines repeated at subsidiary edges (moderately pitted overall) 31.5 cm; 12½ in
** THREE SOUTH-EAST ASIAN DAGGERS, 19TH CENTURY the first a Javanese Kris, with pattern-welded grooved blade, finely carved hilt decorated with traditional scrollwork, the centre portion with openwork designs, large silver ferule, in a wooden scabbard; the second a Sulawesi kris, with wavy pattern welded blade, finely carved polished hardwood grip rising to a characteristic beaked terminal, and engraved brass collar at the base; the third a bade bade, with double-edged blade, brass guard and wooden grip, in its leather scabbard (incomplete) the first: 32.5 cm; 12 3/4 in blade (3)
** AN ETCHED GLAIVE FROM THE GUARD OF FERDINAND II, ARCHDUKE OF AUSTRIA IN TYROL (1529-95, REIGNED 1564-1595) with knife-like blade double-edged for the uppermost third, etched on each side with the crowned Imperial arms enclosed by the Order of the Golden Fleece and surmounted by the letter F for Ferdinand, the borders decorated with linear patterns and the forward bottom corner with a spray of foliage on each side (the etching extensively worn and no longer visible in places), tapering socket with bevelled edges, a pair of long straps, on a portion of an early haft fitted with an additional pair of straps (the lower portion replaced) 72.4 cm; 28 1/2 in Ferdinand II was appointed regent of Bohemia by his father, Ferdinand I. Following his father`s death in 1564 he ruled over the Tyrolean and Swabian territories, where he drove forward the Counter-Reformation. A highly educated and cultivated man, he extended Schloss Ambras near Innsbruck which housed his famous collection of portraits, works of Art, curiosities and the first historically organised collection of armour. Further glaives from this group are preserved in the Hofjagd-und Rüstkammer Vienna and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (gift of William H. Riggs acc. Nos. 04.3.97 and 14.25.268).
** A COMPOSITE SOUTH GERMAN BURGONET, LATE 16TH CENTURY with rounded one-piece skull rising to a high, file-roped medial comb, projecting forward to an obtusely-pointed peak pierced at the centre of the brow to receive a later sliding nasal-bar with leaf-shaped terminals, the lower one detachable, and retained by a later staple and locking-screw, fitted at its flanged lower edge with a neck-guard of two lames (the first restored, the second Flemish, about 1620-30), at the nape with a moulded and incised plume-holder, and at each side with a hinged cheek-piece (restored) shaped to fit over the outer end of the peak, flanged outwards at is lower end to serve as a continuation of the neck-guard, and pierced at its centre with ten small auditory-holes in rosette formation, the main edges of the helmet formed with file-roped inward turns and its subsidiary edges formed with scallops enclosed to the inside by pairs of incised lines and punched in each case with a dot within a circle (with light mottled pitting overall) 34.0 cm; 13¼ in
** A RARE ENGLISH COLLAR MADE IN THE ROYAL WORKSHOPS AT GREENWICH, CIRCA 1610 formed of four sturdy lames front and rear, in each case articulated to one another by three internal leathers (replaced), the upper edge of the first formed with a roped inward turn, the lower edge of the fourth with a series of large scallops bordered by a pair of widely-spaced incised lines, and the upper edges of the second to fourth each bevelled and bordered by a pair of more closely-spaced incised line, the front and rear sections of the collar connected to one another by an internal hinge at the left side and closed by a plain stud and hole and a mushroom-shaped stud and keyhole slot at the right (the whole showing a mottled overall patina and a number of plugged holes) 16.8 cm; 6½ in Provenance Robin Wigington, Poets Arbour, Stratford upon Avon, 9th October 1992 The gorget almost certainly derives from a series of garnitures for tilt and barriers use made at Greenwich about 1610. Several examples of the series are still to be seen in the Royal Armouries, Inv. Nos. II. 73, 78-9, 80 & 86 (ffoulkes 1916, vol. I, pp. 121-3 & 130; Exhibition of Armour made in the Royal Workshops at Greenwich, Tower of London, 1951, pp. p. 32; and Dufty & Reid 1968, pl. LII)
** A COMPOSITE ENGLISH OR FLEMISH MITTEN GAUNTLET FOR THE RIGHT HAND FROM THE ARMOURY OF THE FIRST EARL OF PEMBROKE, CIRCA 1555 formed of a short tubular cuff closed at the inside of the wrist by rivets, boxed at each side, shaped to the base of the thumb and formed at its flared upper edge with a file roped inward turn accompanied by a recessed border, two metacarpal-plates and a shaped metacarpal-plate, each decorated at its upper edge with close-set filed nicks and bordered by a single incised line, and four finger-plates (from the same series of gauntlets but associated) narrowing distally to a rounded end with a recessed border and formed between the fingers with shallow V-shaped flutes having incised lines in their valleys (with a mottled patination overall) 27.7 cm; 11 in The gauntlet belonged originally to a series of demilance armours sold piecemeal from the armoury of the Earls of Pembroke at Wilton House, Wiltshire, by Sotheby`s, London, on 23 June 1921 and 14 June 1923. The armours may have been acquired to equip the followers of William Herbert, First Earl of Pembroke(1501-1570), when he was appointed Captain of Calais in 1556, and were very likely worn by them when he led the English contingent to the Battle of St Quentin in 1577. They were almost certainly among the forty-seven `dimi launces` mentioned in an inventory of the Earl`s armoury taken at Wilton only a year later in December 1588. Other gauntlets of the series are now in the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds. See Mann 1939, pp. 10-16 and Hayward 1964, pp. 225-30)
** A SABATON FOR THE LEFT FOOT IN THE GERMAN `GOTHIC` STYLE OF THE LATE 15TH CENTURY, 19TH CENTURY; AND ANOTHER SIMILAR FOR THE RIGHT FOOT the first formed of a front and a rear section joined to one another by a hinge at the inside and fastened by a stud and hole at the outside, the two elements cut away at their junction at each side to clear the undersides of the ankle bones, and the front section formed of a main plate fitted at its front with ten backward-overlapping lames shaped to the top of the foot and terminating in a long acutely-pointed toe-cap (lightly patinated overall); and the second similar to the last but having twelve lames over the foot, a considerably shorter toe-cap and being decorated on the upper surface of its front section with pairs of flutes arranged as two lozenges laid one in front of the other (lightly patinated overall) The first 60.5 cm; 23¾ in; the second 46.5 cm; 18¼ in (2)
** A NORTH ITALIAN ANIME BACKPLATE, CIRCA 1550-60 formed of ten upward-overlapping lames, the first formerly surmounted by an integral collar, the outer ends of the first to sixth cut with arm-openings, the lower edge of the tenth flanged outwards to receive an associated culet of one lame, the left shoulder of the first and each side of the sixth lame fitted with single-ended buckles to accommodate the straps of the breastplate, and each side of the tenth fitted with a rivet for a waist-belt, the main edges of the backplate formed with boldly-roped inward turns bordered by a raised ribs, and the subsidiary decorated with V-shaped nicks (with a mottled patination overall) 45.0 cm; 17¾ in
** A COMPOSITE NORTH ITALIAN COLLAR, MID-16TH CENTURY formed of three lames front and rear, the first in each case associated and having a plain inward turn at its upper edge, the lowest of deeper form than the rest and possessing a squared lower edge, both decorated at their outer edges with a pair of raised ribs, the rear one fitted at each shoulder with a later hinged trapezoidal loop for the suspension of a pauldron, and the upper edges of the second and fourth lames decorated with single incised lines, the whole blued overall and retaining traces of gilding at is borders and on its fittings 17.0 cm; 6¾ in
** AN HARQUEBUSIER`S BREASTPLATE AND BACKPLATE, LONDON, CIRCA 1650 the first of shot-proof weight, formed with a medial ridge, shallow V-shaped waistline, narrow upstanding neck-opening and short flange at the waist, fitted at each side of the chest with a stud to receive the shoulder-straps of the backplate and each side of the waist with a later belt hook, the neck and arm-openings formed with plain inward turns, all main edges pieced with later holes to attach a lining, and the neck-opening struck with the government ownership marks of the time of the Commonwealth (1649-60) and of Charles II (1660-85), together with a further indistinct mark; the second formed with a narrow upstanding neck-opening and short waist-flange, each, together with the arm- openings formed with plain inward turns, and the shoulders and each side of the waist fitted with later shoulder-straps and a waist-belt, both pieces retaining a black overall finish 40.3 cm; 15¾ in
** FOUR CARVED PANELS IN NORTH EUROPEAN 17TH CENTURY STYLE, 19TH CENTURY each decorated with a vertical design including a caryatid, a cherubic mask, and swags interrupted by scrolls, and blackened in imitation of old oak, together with two carved mounts probably from a chair, each decorated with a crouching lion and scrolls of foliage the first: 88.5 cm; 34 7/8 in (6)
** TWO PAIRS OF SPURS AND FOUR FURTHER SINGLE SPURS, 19TH CENTURY the first pair of silvered iron, with short U-shaped heel bands, multi-spiked rowels retained by a scallop shell, a short length of mail, and each retaining a pair of loops for attachment; the second pair with U-shaped heel bands retaining traces of silvering, short necks fitted with small rowels, and one retaining a single buckle; together with two South American or Spanish spurs, and two further spurs the first: 11.5 cm; 4 1/2 in (8)
** A FINE PAIR OF18 BORE DUTCH SILVER-MOUNTED FLINTLOCK LONG HOLSTER PISTOLS, CIRCA 1710, ENRICHED FOR PRESENTATION TO MUSTAFA AGHA 1235 AH (CIRCA 1819/20) with tapering barrels chiselled with foliage at the muzzles, long flats with brass fore-sights, decorated over the breeches with foliage enclosing a chiselled brass grotesque mask and stamped with Utrecht town mark (rubbed), inlaid with a brass line on each side, brass lined vent, moulded tangs incorporating the back-sights, stepped brass locks signed ahead of the cocks, chiselled with foliage on the tails and beneath the pans (rubbed), fitted with chiselled steel cocks decorated with scrolls carrying a grotesque profile, and chiselled steels, full stocks profusely inlaid over their full surface with silver wire scrolls enriched with pellets and flower heads, a brief inscription on the left of the breeches (minor lifting, small losses), full silver mounts comprising side-plates pierced and chiselled in low relief with scrolling foliage and flowers carrying a deity borne in a chariot and a gigantic bird-of-prey, spurred pommels decorated with further designs of foliage and portrait profiles, the butts each with a portrait profile in a foliate frame, trigger-guards decorated en suite, crowned vacant escutcheon carried by a pair of winged figures, a pair of faceted ramrod-pipes, moulded fore-end caps, and silver-tipped wooden ramrods 33.5 cm; 13 ¼ in barrels (2) The inscription reads `sahib devletlu mustafa aða sene 1235` (Owner, the fortunate Mustafa Agha, year 1235), this corresponds with the period of the pistols embellishment. This is possibly Mustafa Agha Barbar (d. 1834), Governor of the Tripoli district in the Ottoman province of Syria, in the first three decades of the 19th century. Barbar was a charismatic and powerful figure who fell foul of the Ottoman authorities and was restored to favour through the diplomacy of Muhammad `Ali, Governor of Egypt. He extensively remodeled the fortress in Tripoli, giving it its present form, and built the huge fortress in the village of Iaal, strategically located in the hills behind Tripoli. See I. Tannus al-Khuri, 1957. For an account of Gerrit I, II and III Lasonder see A. Hoff 1978, pp. 123-126, C. A. Hartmans 1949-51, pp. 208-228 and the same author 2006, pp. 312-313.
A CONTINENTAL BREAST PLATE AND A HELMET, LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY the breastplate formed with a low medial ridge, studded around the border with low domed brass rivets, a pair of matching studs for shoulder straps, and the principle borders with brass edging, the helmet of black leather, fitted with a pair of lion mask bosses, brass peak, and leather chin-strap the first: 45 cm; 17 3/4 in high
A LATE MEDIEVAL SWORD, FIRST HALF OF THE 15TH CENTURY with sharply tapering blade of flattened-hexagonal section, with traces of a brass inlaid mark on each side of the forte, iron hilt comprising slightly arched quillons of circular section, faceted plummet-shaped pommel of Oakeshott type T, wooden grip with an early leather binding, and in unexcavated pitted condition, indicative of a tomb find 80.5cm; 31 3/4 in blade Provenance Sotheby`s, London, 1st November 1983, lot 105 Literature Ewart Oakeshott, Records of the Medieval Sword, Woodbridge 1991, p. 224, illustrated. A sword found in the River Thames and with a pommel and blade of similar type is preserved in the Royal Armouries, Leeds. See A. R. Dufty p. 15, plate 5a.
A PAIR OF VAMBRACES IN THE LATE 15TH CENTURY GERMAN STYLE, 20TH CENTURY; A PAIR OF POLEYNS IN THE EARLY 16TH CENTURY GERMAN STYLE, 20TH CENTURY; AND A QUANTITY OF FURTHER PIECES OF ARMOUR, 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES the first formed in each case of an upper cannon and a large one-piece couter, both open at the rear and linked to one another by internal leathers, the former fitted at its upper edge with a turning-pin to connect it to a pauldron and decorated at its inside with three curved flutes, and the latter shaped to the point of the elbow and formed above and below it with rounded wings; the second formed in each case of three lames decorated with fluting in the `Maximilian` fashion, the central and main lame shaped to the point of the knee and formed with a centrally-puckered wing decorated around its edge with a roped turn accompanied by a recessed border; the third comprising four pieces of armour and a large quantity of straps, rivets and washers of various designs
A PAIR OF VAMBRACES IN THE EARLY 17TH CENTURY EUROPEAN STYLE, 19TH CENTURY; A FRAGMENT OF A BREASTPLATE OF ANIME CONSTRUCTION, PROBABLY EASTERN EUROPEAN, CIRCA 1600; A GERMAN SPAUDLER FOR THE LEFT SHOULDER, EARLY 17TH CENTURY; AND NINETEEN FURTHER PIECES OF ARMOUR, 16TH TO 20TH CENTURIES the first formed in each case of a tubular upper cannon surmounted by a turner and articulated at its lower end by a winged bracelet couter of three lames to a tubular lower cannon opening at its front, the main edges of all parts formed with plain inward turns accompanied on the wing of the couter by a double recessed border, and decorated overall on a blued ground with gold-painted lines and scrolls (of which only traces remain; the remainder extensively oxidised); the second formed of two medially-ridge upward overlapping lames of notable thickness with strongly bevelled edges; the third, from an `Almain` collar, formed of five downward-overlapping lames, extending down to just above the elbow, and retaining traces of a black from the hammer finish (now much rubbed)` and the fourth including parts of vambraces, faulds and tassets (some partly or wholly oxidised)
A COMPOSITE SOUTH GERMAN INFANTRY ARMOUR, PARTLY NUREMBERG, CIRCA 1540-50 comprising burgonet with rounded one-piece skull rising to a low medial comb and fitted at the brow with a broad rounded pivoted peak, at the nape with a neck-guard of two lames and at each side with a hinged cheek-piece (the skull that of an earlier close helmet, and the remainder restored), collar (originally of `Almain` type), of three lames front and rear, the lowest front one struck with the quality-control mark of the city of Nuremberg and the mark of the Vienna city arsenal (the lowest rear plate patched at its right corner), breastplate formed of a medially-ridged main plate projecting forward over the belly, fitted at its arm-openings with moveable gussets (the left restored), and at its flanged lower edge with a fauld of four lames, the lowest of which is cut over the crotch with a broad shallow notch and supports to either side of it, on replaced straps and buckles a pair of long tassets each of seven lames extending to just above the knee (the first in each case associated), one-piece backplate flanged outwards at its lower edge to receive a culet of one lame (associated), and a pair of spaudlers each of seven lames (the second to sixth restored), extending to the elbows, the main edges of the armour formed with inward turns boldly roped, except in the case of the burgonet, and accompanied by recessed borders, and the subsidiary edges in part decorated with single incised lines (lightly patinated overall) Provenance Dr John F. Hayward, London, sold Sotheby`s, London, 1 November 1983, lot 27 (collar, cuirass and tassets)
A FINE NORTH GERMAN COLLAR WITH ETCHED DECORATION, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1560-5 formed of four lames front and rear, the lowest of which is deeper than the rest and the first of which is formed at its upper edge with a bold file-roped inward turn, the two sections joined at the left by a hinge and fastened at the right by studs and holes, each side of the lowest plates pierced with holes for the attachment of spaudlers, the front and rear sections each finely etched in three diverging vertical bands of scrolling foliage inhabited by the nude figures of Adam and Eve, and in borders at their upper and lower edges with similar foliage inhabited by birds, serpents and various winged devices, all on a stippled and blackened ground (the lowest rear plate patched at the top of the left shoulder) 20.5 cm; 8 in Provenance The Brunswick Ducal Armoury, Wolfenbüttel Schloss Marienburg
A NORTH GERMAN MITTEN-GAUNTLET FOR THE RIGHT HAND WITH ETCHED DECORATION, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1560-5 formed of a long flared and pointed cuff lacking its hinged inner plate, formed at its upper edge with a file-roped inward turn and fitted at its lower end with five metacarpal-plates (the first four associated), an associated knuckle-plate formed with a file-roped transverse rib, four shaped finger-plates and an associated thumb-defence of four scales (restored) attached to the lowest metacarpal-plate by a lateral hinge, the whole finely etched with bands and borders of running foliage involving a female in contemporary dress and hares and hounds, all on a stippled and blackened ground, and enclosed in each case by narrower bands of pellets or repeated fleurs-de-lis, the edges of the metacarpal and finger-lames etched with narrow bands of guilloche except for the last of the latter which terminates over each finger with a flower-head (the lower ends of the cuff and the last metacarpal-plate patched; the first four metacarpal-plates bearing later etching) 35.2 cm; 14 in Provenance The Brunswick Ducal Armoury, Wolfenbüttel Schloss Marienburg
A NORTH GERMAN FAULD WITH ETCHED DECORATION, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1550; AND THE LOWER PART OF A NORTH GERMAN CULET WITH ETCHED DECORATION, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1550 the first formed of three upward-overlapping lames, originally divisible between the second and third, the latter cut over the crotch with a shallow arch formed at its edge with a roped inward turn accompanied by a recessed border enclosed to the inside by a narrow groove, finely etched in the border and in three broad divergent vertical bands with running foliage involving serpents, cornucopias, fruits and a flower-head, all on a stippled and blackened ground (all lames presently articulated to one another by screws, the lowest pierced with some later holes); and the second formed of a single lamed with a chevron-shaped notch at the centre of its lower edge, decorated en suite with the first and probably belonging to the same armour 30.0 cm; 15¼ in / 37.0 cm; 14½ in (2) Provenance The Brunswick Ducal Armoury, Wolfenbüttel Schloss Marienburg
THE UPPER CANON OF A NORTH GERMAN VAMBRACE FOR THE LEFT ARM WITH ETCHED DECORATION, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1560-5; AND ANOTHER SIMILAR, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1560-5 the first of tubular form, cut away at the inside of the elbow and surmounted by a turner of three lames, the lowest formed at its base with a roped rib and the uppermost (associated) rising to a convex edge fitted at its apex with a later buff-leather suspension-tab, the main edge of the turner formed with a roped inward turn accompanied by a recessed border enclosed to the inside by a pair of narrow grooves, the inner one etched with pellets, the remainder etched either on a plain blackened ground or a stippled and blackened one with bands of foliate arabesque interlace or running foliage inhabited by a man in contemporary costume and a winged cherub`s head (pierced with a few later holes and showing wear and light patination overall; the second similar to the first but having no external rib at the base of its turner and no suspension-tab at its apex, its etched decoration executed on a stippled and blackened ground throughout and involving a male herm, bulls` heads, lions` masks and a winged cherub`s head (all lames presently articulated to one another by screws, and the second lame of the turner patched at its right end) 22.0 cm; 8¾ in: 20.0 cm; 8 in (2) Provenance The Brunswick Ducal Armoury, Wolfenbüttel Schloss Marienburg
A NORTH GERMAN SPAUDLER FOR THE RIGHT SHOULDER WITH ETCHED DECORATION, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1550; AND ANOTHER SIMILAR FOR THE LEFT SHOULDER IN THE BRUNSWICK STYLE OF CIRCA 1550, 19TH CENTURY, MADE AS A PAIR TO THE FIRST the first from an `Almain` collar, formed of nine medially-ridged lames of which the second is formed with a short step in its front edge and last is deeper than the rest and formed at its lower edge with a roped inward turn accompanied by a recessed border enclosed to the inside by a narrow groove, the whole decorated with bands and borders of foliage involving a serpent and male bust, all on a stippled and blackened ground (all lames presently articulated to one another by screws, the whole patinated, worn and chemically cleaned); the second of the same form as the first but undecorated (the whole patinated and chemically cleaned) 31.7 cm; 12½ in / 31.5 cm; 12½ in (2) Provenance The Brunswick Ducal Armoury, Wolfenbüttel Schloss Marienburg
THE LOWEST LAME OF A NORTH GERMAN TASSET FOR THE RIGHT THIGH, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1560-5; ANOTHER SIMILAR, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1560-5, AND A FRAGMENT OF A NORTH GERMAN SPAUDLER FOR THE RIGHT SHOULDER, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1560-5 the first with a convex lower edge, formed around its main edge with a roped inward turn accompanied by a recessed border enclosed to the inside by a pair of narrow grooves, the inner one etched with pellets, and the medial band and borders of the whole finely etched with running foliage involving a male herm, a lion`s mask and hounds, all on a stippled and blackened ground; the second similar to the first but pieced to either side of its lower end with a hole for a stud, the right still surviving, for the attachment of a series of extension-lames, and including in its decoration hares; the third formed of two downward overlapping lames etched in its medial band and lateral borders with running foliage, involving hares on a stippled and blackened ground (the lames connected by screws) (3) Provenance The Brunswick Ducal Armoury, Wolfenbüttel Schloss Marienburg
THE LOWEST LAME OF A NORTH GERMAN TASSET FOR THE LEFT THIGH WITH ETCHED DECORATION, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1560-5; THE UPPERMOST LAME OF A NORTH GERMAN TASSET-EXTENSION WITH ETCHED DECORATION, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1560-5, TWO SINGLE LAMES OF A NORTH GERMAN SPAUDLER WITH ETCHED DECORATION, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1560-5; AND A PAIR OF LAMES FROM THE LOWER END OF A NORTH EUROPEAN RIGHT PAULDRON, CIRCA 1600 the first fitted to either side of its convex lower edge with a pierced stud for the attachment of a series of extension-lames, formed around its main edges with inward turns, partly roped and partly plain, and finely etched in bands and borders with running foliage inhabited by a lion`s mask and hounds, all on a stippled and blackened ground; the second pierced to either side of its upper edge with an oval hole to accommodate a pierced stud, and to the inside of it with a smaller hole for an associated swivel-hook, and etched with bands and borders of running foliage involving a female nude holding a flaming amphora, arabesque interlace and pellets all executed in a similar manner to the first; the third, for the left and right shoulders respectively, in each case decorated with bands and borders of etching (one painted black and the other much worn); and the fourth respectively decorated at their lower edges with a pair of incised lines accompanied by a linear wave-like pattern (some articulating holes showing brazed repairs) (5) Provenance The Brunswick Ducal Armoury, Wolfenbüttel Schloss Marienburg
A NORTH GERMAN FAULD, BRUNSWICK, CIRCA 1560-70; A FURTHER TWO SIMILAR, CIRCA 1560-70, AND THE LOWEST LAME OF ANOTHER, CIRCA 1560-70 the first formed of two upward-overlapping lames of which the uppermost is pierced to either side with an oval hole to accommodate a pierced stud, and to the inside of it with a smaller hole for an associated swivel-hook, the left one still present, and the second lame fitted to either side of its upper edge with two (originally three) brass-capped rivets and brass rosette washers, and finished at its lower edge with a roped inward turn slightly arched over the crotch where it is bordered by a pair of grooves (oxidised overall); the second in each case of similar construction to the first but lacking any fittings and decorated with three recessed vertical bands on a formerly black-from-the-hammer ground (the lames presently articulated to one another by screws, and lightly patinated overall); and the third similar to the lowest lames of the second but with a keyhole slot at each end of its upper edge and undecorated (lightly patinated overall) (4) Provenance The Brunswick Ducal Armoury, Wolfenbüttel Schloss Marienburg
AN ITALIAN OR FLEMISH INFANTRY BREASTPLATE FROM THE ARMOURY OF WILLIAM HERBERT, FIRST EARL OF PEMBROKE, CIRCA 1550-5 of early `peascod` fashion, formed of a main plate with a deep semi-circular neck-opening, fitted at its arm-openings with moveable gussets each pieced within early working-life with stitch-holes, and two upward-overlapping waist-lames the lowest of which is formed with a narrow flange and bears on its inner face a label, the main edges of the breastplate formed with boldly roped inward turns, and its subsidiary edges with pairs of incised lines (lightly patinated overall) 10.1 cm; 13½ in Provenance The armoury of the Earls of Pembroke, Wilton House, Wiltshire (sold Sotheby`s 14 June 1923)
SEVEN ENGLISH SPURS, 16TH/18TH CENTURIES in excavated condition the first with star-shaped rowel, arched heel-band decorated with filed mouldings, and with its buckles; the second with multi-spike rowel, slender heel-band, complete with its buckles; the third with broad heel-band rising to a point (incomplete); the fourth of brass, with seven-point rowel, and slender heel-band; the fifth with eight-point rowel, slender heel-band, retaining its buckles and jingles, the sixth of brass, with flat flower-shaped rowel and engraved heel-band with figure-of-eight shaped terminals, and the last designed to grip the heel of a shoe the first: 13cm; 5 1/8in (7)
** AN ENGLISH LEATHER SHOT-FLASK, A COPPER THREE-WAY FLASK FOR A FLINTLOCK PISTOL AND A COPPER POWDER-FLASK, 19TH CENTURY the first with leather bag-shaped body and graduated nozzle; the second with copper body and brass mounts, the third embossed with small stars and circles, and fitted with spring cut-off (seam split, incomplete) the first: 24 cm; 9 1/2in (3)
A RARE OTTOMAN SHAFFRON, TURKEY, FIRST HALF OF THE 16TH CENTURY formed of a main plate tapering slightly to its rounded lower end, cut away at the upper corners for a pair of ear pieces (missing), embossed over the eye openings, the main plate formed with three embossed flutes along the lower portion and a medial ridge over the upper, the right of the brow incised with the mark of the Imperial Ottoman Arsenal at Istanbul, and pierced border for a lining (chemically cleaned, small chips) 53.5 cm; 21 1/8 in
TWO FINE 16 BORE SILVER-MOUNTED FLINTLOCK SPORTING GUNS MADE FOR PRINCE FREDERICK OF BADEN (1756-1817) BY DURS EGG, LONDON, LONDON SILVER MARK 1789, MAKER`S MARK M.B. almost forming a pair, with browned twist barrels of Spanish form, fitted with silver `spider` fore-sights, chiselled with foliage and engraved at the medians, octagonal breeches stamped with the gold-lined barrelsmith`s mark and three gold-lined fleur-de-lys, stamped with London proof marks beneath, inlaid with a pair of gold lines and gold lined vents, engraved case-hardened tangs incorporating the back-sights, signed engraved stepped case-hardened locks decorated with game birds on the tails, a bouquet and a sunburst behind the pans, fitted with engraved case-hardened cocks, semi-rainproof gold-lined pans, steels with rollers and blued springs, figured walnut half-stocks impressed `41` and `42`, carved with a bouquet behind the tangs, the grips cut with characteristic pineapple chequering, full silver mounts comprising engraved side nail washers, trigger-guards engraved with differing scenes involving hounds on the bows and pineapple finials, numbered butt-plates with further game scenes, rear ramrod-pipes, engraved barrel bolt escutcheons, and escutcheons engraved with the crowned owner`s initial `F` enclosed by the motto of the Polish Order of the White Eagle, Pro Fide Rege et Lege, browned steel ramrod-pipes, sling swivels, each with its horn-tipped ramrod, and with much original finish throughout 96.2 cm; 37 7/8 in and 91.2 cm; 36 in barrels Prince Frederick of Baden (1756-1817) was the second son of Charles-Frederick, Margrave of Baden (1728-1811) by his first wife, Caroline-Louise (1723-1783), only daughter of Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (1691-1768). Prince Frederick was created a knight of the Polish Order of the White Eagle on 5th September 1772. In 1791 Prince Frederick married Princess Christiane-Louise (1776-1829), eldest daughter of Prince Frederick Augustus of Nassau-Usingen (1738-1816); there were no issue of the marriage. In 1803, when his father was raised to the rank of Elector, Prince Frederick and his younger brother, Prince Louis, became Margraves of Baden. The execution of the engraving and the design of the crown, that of a British monarch and not of a prince of Baden, denotes that the escutcheons were engraved in Britain, almost certainly by the maker. Durs Egg, the son of the gunmaker Leonz, was born in Switzerland in 1748. After a short stay in Paris he came to London and worked for John Twigg at 132 Strand. He was gunmaker to George IV and the Duke of York. He became blind in 1822 and died in 1831. A silver-mounted breech-loading Ferguson rifle by this maker is preserved in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. The Royal Collection also includes two very similar guns to the present by this maker, see H. L. Blackmore 1968, (L159, p. 31; L174, p. 34).
A 28 BORE AND A PAIR OF 20 BORE FLINTLOCK SPORTING GUNS FROM A LARGER GARNITURE ALMOST CERTAINLY MADE FOR PRINCE FREDERICK OF BADEN (1756-1817) BY DAIRE A CHARLEVILLE, CIRCA 1803-15 with minor differences, with blued swamped barrels formed with a long flat, decorated with bands of gold at the muzzles, fore-sights each on a gold sun burst, signed in gold towards the breech, the first with the crowned initial `F` enclosed by the Order of the eagle, the pair with the arms of Baden beneath the crown of a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire above a trophy-of-arms and all enriched with gold beadwork, border-engraved tangs (the first cracked through) incorporating the back-sights, rounded locks fitted with moulded cocks pierced with an additional forward scrolling bar, one lock with semi rainproof pan and water drain, figured walnut half-stocks carved with foliage about the rear ramrod-pipes, a bouquet behind the tangs and impressed with the numbers `20`, `21`, and `22`, steel mounts comprising solid rounded side-plates, trigger-guards with baluster forward portions and leafy terminals, butt-plates of shaped outline, four ramrod-pipes and fore-end caps, silver escutcheons numbered `11`, `13`, and `14, and one retaining its baleen ramrod (the other two replaced) 93 cm; 36 5/8 in 90.3 cm; 35 5/8 in (3) The cypher `F` and the collar of the Polish Order of the White Eagle identify one gun as being made for Prince Frederick of Baden. The arms of Baden on the other guns support this, though they are surmounted the crown of a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire. However, this may be an error on the part of the barrelsmith, corroborated by the rendition of the Baden arms being reversed. See footnote to lot 415. Daire is recorded in Charleville circa 1805.
A FINE AND RARE .600 CALIBRE FRENCH PRESENTATION FLINTLOCK RIFLED CARBINE BY BOUTET, DIRECTEUR ARTISTE, MANUFACTURE À VERSAILLES, NO. 277, CIRCA 1800-05 with blued swamped octagonal polygroove rifled barrel, fitted with windage adjustable fore-sight on a punched and gilt bed, signed in italics on the left of the breech `Boutet Directeur Artiste No. 277`, inscribed on the right `Manufre à Versailles` and stamped beneath with the control mark of Daniel Boussavy, and the abbreviated italic inscription `Manu` and `V lles.` in italic, gold lined oval vent, the top of the breech chiselled with a garland of flowers beneath a triangular panel filled with a flower head, all on a punched and gilt contrasting ground, stamped with a series of marks including `Boutet` in miniscules, and `NB` (Neue Støckel 95), fitted with blued back-sight of two folding leaves, engraved tang decorated with neo-classical ornament including a pair of entwined serpents enclosing a smoking urn, stepped lock with moulded borders (small dents), signed `Boutet Directeur Artiste`, chiselled with beadwork along the step, fitted with engraved cock decorated with a garland of flowers, gold-lined pan engraved with a pair of volutes, with scrolling rear fence, blued steel spring with roller, engraved button safety, and detents, steel engraved en suite with the pan, set trigger, figured walnut full stock, impressed `47`, carved with a panel of fine chequering over the fore-end and the grip, carved with a moulding along the length of the barrel on each side and inlaid with a running design of silver foliage beneath, the muzzle carved with anthemion and neoclassical foliage (one very small repaired crack), further foliage about the rear ramrod-pipe and the lock, each enriched with further panels of leafy conventional foliage in engraved silver, the tang enclosed with a raised fluted moulding and a pair of neo classical demi flowers, the butt with carved raised cheek-piece inset with a large pierced and engraved silver flowerhead, the base of the butt encircled by a broad panel of silver pierced chased and engraved with geometric panels filled with scale pattern and a band of waves (a small area with minor lifting), burnished steel mounts comprising chiselled trigger-guard with a neo-classical flaming urn finial, the bow with foliage at each end and an engraved rear finial, the rear portion continued by a scrolling panel of pierced ebony decorated with neo classical foliage (very small chips), two-piece vestigial side-plate engraved with a garland and a flowerhead respectively, the right enclosed by two engraved silver dragons breathing thunder-bolts, butt-cap chiselled with an urn on the tang, rear ramrod-pipe chiselled with a leafy garland and beadwork, four further faceted ramrod-pipes with beadwork mouldings, contemporary horn-tipped wooden ramrod, and remaining in very good condition throughout 70.5 cm; 27 ¾ in barrel The Annuaire of the Versailles Manufactory for this period includes the following entry: Prince de Bade - Carab. doub. détente, acier cis. damasq., placage argent, fr. 6075 AN XI (September 23, 1802 to September 23, 1803) The use of silver inlay in the stock and steel mounts, as opposed to silver mounts, might suggest presentation to a high ranking military officer. The proximity to France of the territories of Charles-Frederick, Margrave of Baden (1756-1811), together with his initial opposition to the French revolution and its effects, resulted in the devastation of Baden by French armies in the mid-1790s. Thereafter, having indemnified France and ceded some territory to that republic, Baden remained under the sway of its powerful neighbour until 1813. In November 1802, the margrave - having lost his eldest son in the previous year and clearly prescient regarding the ambitions of Napoleon - wrote France`s First Consul a fulsome letter in which he thanked Napoleon for his continuing protection and assured him of his admiration and loyalty: significantly, he chose to send his third - and favourite - son, Prince Louis, to France with the letter. In April 1806, by which time the margrave had become an electoral prince, ties between Baden and France were strengthened by the arranged marriage of the elector`s grandson and heir, Prince Charles, to the Emperor Napoleon`s adopted niece and newly created imperial princess, Stéphanie de Beauharnais. The elevation of the elector to the rank of grand-duke - an elevation approved and arranged by Napoleon - followed in July 1806 and further bound Baden to the fortunes of Napoleonic France. Elements of Baden`s small army served alongside that of France in several campaigns between 1805 and 1812: against Austria in 1805, Prussia in 1806, Britain (in Spain) in 1809 and Russia in 1812. Prince Charles, heir to his grandfather after 1801 and husband of Napoleon`s adopted niece from April 1806, was welcomed by personal letter into Napoleon`s military entourage in September 1806 - `J`approve le désir que vous avez de faire la guerre`. The prince was summoned to meet Napoleon at Bamberg early the following month and was with the French army at its decisive victory over that of Prussia at Jena on 14th October 1806, after which Napoleon wrote to Prince Charles`s widowed mother to reassure her that her son had done well at his first battle - `...il s`est bien comporté à la bataille et supporte bien la fatigue`. In 1807, Prince Charles commanded the Baden contingent at the siege of Danzig and continued on active service until 1808. Succeeding his grandfather in 1811, Charles maintained Baden`s support for France until the battle of Leipzig in 1813 demonstrated that the tide of war was no longer flowing in France`s favour. The political, military and personal ties that bound Baden to France from the late 1790s until 1813 must account for the existence of this carbine in the descendant family of the Grand Duke of Baden. It is possible that it originally belonged either to Prince Louis, who visited Napoleon at his father`s behest in 1802 and remained in Paris for some years, or to his nephew, Prince Charles, who served alongside Napoleon in his campaigns between 1806 and 1808: given the martial qualities of the weapon, the latter seems the most likely of the two princes to have been its original owner. Nicolas-Noël Boutet (1761-1833) the distinguished maker of armes de luxe inherited the position of gunmaker to Louis XIV from his father-in-law, Pierre de Sainte (active 1747-88). In 1792 he became technical Director at the new Versailles Manufactory and in 1800 rose to Directeur Artiste with overall control. He held this position until the closure of the manufactory in 1818. Boutet died fifteen years later in poverty, his career having survived six French Political regimes. Daniel Bouyssay was controller at the Versailles Manufactory from Year II (1793-4) until Year XIV (1805).
A 15 BORE PERCUSSION GUN, MID-19TH CENTURY; A .750 PERCUSSION MUSKET, DATED 1864; TWO FURTHER PERCUSSION PISTOLS AND A POWDER-FLASK the first from a military musket, with two-stage barrel struck with Birmingham proof marks, plain lock (hammer missing), walnut half-stock (the butt chipped), iron mounts of regulation type (the iron parts pitted), and white metal fore-end cap; the second of regulation type, with dated lock stamped with Enfield arsenal inscription, and brass mounts (stock cut down, extensively worn); the third probably for export to India, with brass mounts (swivel ramrod missing, worn); the fourth a Continental pocket pistol (hammer chipped, worn); and the flask embossed with a trophy of arms the first: 84 cm; 33 in barrel (5)
A 32 BORE FLINTLOCK DUELLING PISTOL BY WOGDON, CIRCA 1790 with octagonal sighted barrel signed in gold block capitals (pitted), gold lined vent, engraved with a band of beadwork at the breech, engraved tang incorporating the back-sight, signed stepped bolted lock (steel relined), set trigger, full stock (fore-end shortened, chips), steel mounts, silver escutcheon opposite the lock engraved with the owner`s initials `RM`, and later ramrod; together with an embossed copper flask, a leather shot flask and a measure (incomplete) the first: 26.3 cm; 10 in barrel (4)
A FINE PAIR OF 25 BORE FLINTLOCK DUELLING PISTOLS BY TWIGG, LONDON, CIRCA 1785-88 with browned twist octagonal swamped sighted barrels signed in block capitals, case-hardened breeches inlaid with a pair of engraved gold lines, gold-lined vents, stamped with London proof marks and one with the barrelsmith`s initials `TP` beneath, engraved case-hardened tangs fitted with standing back-sights, stepped bevelled locks signed in first form of signature and engraved with a sunburst, fitted with bolt safety-catches also engaging the steels, gold-lined rainproof pans, rollers, blued detents, blued mainsprings, set triggers, highly figured walnut half-stocks with finely chequered butts (light bruising, minor scratches), engraved blued steel mounts comprising spurred trigger-guards with pineapple finials and ramrod-pipes, silver vacant shield-shaped escutcheons, silver barrel bolt escutcheons (one cracked, barrel bolts with chips), horn fore-end caps, with one original steel-tipped and an associated horn-tipped ramrod, retaining much original finish, and in untouched condition throughout: in original mahogany cased lined in red baize (the interior worn, the lid slightly warped), the lid with flush fitting carrying handle and rectangular escutcheon engraved `Captain Coghlan Royal Navy, and with a steel bullet mould 25.5cm; 10in barrels Jeremiah Coghlan (1774/5-1844), naval officer, was in January 1796 mate of a merchant ship at Plymouth, and on the occasion of the wreck of the East Indiaman Dutton displayed such energy and courage that Pellew offered to put him on the Indefatigable`s quarter-deck. He continued for three years in the Indefatigable and in March 1799 followed Pellew to the Impétueux. In June 1800 Coghlan was put by Pellew in command of the cutter Viper, and while watching Port Louis proposed to cut out a French gun-vessel at the entrance of the harbour. Pellew lent him a ten-oared cutter, and in this, with eighteen men and a midshipman - Silas Hiscutt Paddon - on the night of 29 July, he boarded the gun-brig Cerbère and after a hard fight captured her `within pistol-shot of three batteries, surrounded by several armed craft, and not a mile from a 74 bearing an admiral`s flag, and two frigates` (E. Pellew, Despatch). Both Coghlan and Paddon received several severe wounds, six of Coghlan`s men were wounded, and one was killed; but the Cerbère was taken and towed out under heavy fire from the batteries. The squadron, to mark their admiration, gave up the prize to the immediate captors; and Pellew, in his official letter to Lord St Vincent, emphasized the courage and skill `which … effected so daring an enterprise` (ibid.). St Vincent, in forwarding Pellew`s letter to the Admiralty, praised the achievement and in a letter to Pellew privately asked him to present to Coghlan a sword of 100 guineas` value. On St Vincent`s representation, Coghlan, though he had served in the Navy for only four and a half years, was promoted lieutenant on 22 September 1800 and continued in command of the Viper until she was paid off in October 1801. In spring 1802 he was appointed to the cutter Nimble, and on 1 May 1804 was promoted to command the sloop Renard on the Jamaica station. On 20 March 1805 he brought to action the French privateer Général Ernouf, which, after an action of thirty-five minutes, was set on fire and blew up with the loss of upwards of a hundred men. In August 1807 Coghlan was moved into the brig Elk on the same station, and for nearly four years was senior officer of a light squadron for the protection of the Bahamas. He was promoted captain on 27 November 1810 but continued in the Elk until the following summer. In September 1812 Coghlan was appointed to the Caledonia as flag captain of Pellew, then commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean. At the end of 1813 he exchanged into the frigate Alcmène and continued in her until the end of the Napoleonic wars. On 4 June 1815 he was nominated a CB, and from 1826 to 1830 commanded the frigate Forte on the South American station. Coghlan married a daughter of Charles Hay of Jamaica, widow of Captain John Marshall RN; he had one son Sir William Marcus Coghlan (1803-1885). Taken from , 26th March 2013, with amendments pending for the next edition, September 2013. John Fox Twigg (1732-90) is recorded gunmaker in Charing Cross 1755-60, 132 Strand 1760-76 and at Piccadilly circa 1776-9. He was in partnership with his nephew, John Bass, from 1788 until his death.
A FINE 20 BORE OVER-AND-UNDER FLINTLOCK TRAVELLING PISTOL BY J. EGG, NO. 1 PICCADILLY, LONDON, NO. 2227, CIRCA 1820-35, WITH PRESENTATION INSCRIPTION TO BARON OSTEN FROM LIEUTENANT COLONEL BROTHERTON with browned twist sighted barrels, signed in gold letters on the top flat of the upper barrel and engraved with the address in script on the lower, the upper breech decorated with a shaped gold band and the lower with a pair of lines (the breech scratched), platinum lined vents, engraved case-hardened tang incorporating the back-sight, decorated with flowers, foliage and scrollwork, signed locks engraved with scrolls, foliage and sunbursts, fitted with blued bolt safety-catches (incomplete), `French` cocks (top-jaws and screws replaced), semi-rainproof pans, external blued mainsprings with rollers acting on the steels, figured walnut butt cut with a panel of fine chequering, engraved blued steel mounts comprising trigger-guard decorated with trophies of arms, butt-cap enclosed by a garland and with `skull cracking` terminal, browned steel ramrod-pipe with retaining spring (detached), flower-shaped silver escutcheon engraved with presentation inscription, blued steel ramrod with chequered finial, and much early finish throughout: in contemporary fitted blackened oak case lined in green baize, the lid with rectangular flush-fitting brass carrying handle (one fastening stud missing), the inside with trade label of Collins, 12 Vigo Lane, Regent Street, and with some accessories including cleaning rod, turnscrew, bullet mould, and various spare parts in a leather pouch 18 cm; 7 1/8 in barrels The friendship symbolised by this pistol probably began during the Napoleonic war (1803-15). Its donor, Thomas William Brotherton (1785-1868), served in seven cavalry and five infantry regiments. First seeing action with the Coldstream Guards in Egypt in 1801, he served in the 3rd Foot Guards during the brief campaign in Hannover in 1805. As an officer in the 14th Light Dragoons, he fought during the Peninsular war from 1808 until 1813, being wounded at Salamanca in 1812 and at Nive in 1813, when he was captured. Remaining in the army after the end of the war, he occupied staff positions of increasing seniority and ended his career as a general, Knight Grand Cross of the Bath (GCB) and colonel of the 1st Dragoon Guards. His eventful life is summarised in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004). The recipient of this pistol, Wilhelm von der Osten, Baron Osten (1782-1852), was a Hannoverian nobleman. Joining the 13th Hannoverian infantry regiment in 1801, he was appointed lieutenant in the Hannoverian Life Guards in 1802. Upon the disbandment of the Hannoverian army following the French invasion in 1803, he travelled to Britain to become a lieutenant in the 1st Light Dragoons, King`s German Legion, and served in Hannover in 1805. In November 1808, Osten secured a cornetcy in the Scots Greys and then, after ten days, a lieutenancy in the 16th Light Dragoons - with which he went to Spain to be present at the battle of Talavera in 1809. In September 1810, he was appointed extra ADC to Lieutenant-General Sir Stapleton Cotton (later Viscount Combermere), commander of the British cavalry, and in November 1810 became major of brigade in Colonel The Hon. George de Grey`s brigade of heavy cavalry. In July 1811 he was transferred to the cavalry brigade commanded by his fellow-Hannoverian, Major General Victor von Alten, Baron Alten, and served in Alten`s brigade throughout the remainder of the Peninsular war. Returning to regimental duty with the 16th Light Dragoons in 1814, he was with his regiment at the battle of Waterloo in 1815, where he was slightly wounded. Purchasing his captaincy in the newly designated 16th Lancers in 1816, Osten became a Knight of the Hannoverian Guelphic Order (KH) in 1819 and accompanied the regiment to India in 1822, being present at the siege and capture of Bharatpur in 1825. In May 1827 Osten survived an attack by a lion while hunting and in October that year purchased his majority in 16th Lancers. He returned to Britain in 1832 and retired by sale of his commission in 1834. After leaving the British army, Osten rejoined the Hannoverian army on half pay; he was promoted lieutenant-colonel in 1836, colonel in 1839 and major general in 1849. He died at Rufford Abbey in Yorkshire, the seat of the Earl of Scarbrough. Brotherton and Osten both served in Hannover in 1805; perhaps they became friends then. Between July 1812 and late 1813 Brotherton`s 14th Light Dragoons was part of Alten`s brigade, in which Osten was major of brigade. Both men were present at the battles of Busaco, Salamanca, Vitoria, Nivelle and Nive, as well as at smaller actions - such as that of Castrillo in July 1812, a cavalry encounter that involved both men, in 1838, in some controversy published in the pages of the United Service Magazine. Brotherton became a lieutenant-colonel in May 1814 and between 1832 and 1841 he served in that rank in the 16th Lancers, Osten`s regiment: so between 1832 and 1834 Brotherton and Osten would have been fellow regimental officers stationed in Britain. Collins is recorded at 12 Vigo Lane Regent Street circa 1825-32. Bell`s Life in London, 22nd July 1838, made the following announcement: `J. Collins begs to inform the Nobility and Gentry that he still continues to keep a very extensive collection of London made guns…..and he can afford to sell them at half their original cost. Among his stock will be found a large assortment of Pistols of every description, both new and second hand`. See H. L Blackmore 1999, pp. 57-58.
Lee (Joseph 'Joe') 1901-75 Six original Cartoons, produced for the London Evening News, comprising; London Laughs: Motoring Week-End .., 1936, pen and ink, 480mm x 360mm, on larger board; London Laughs: Our Bigger Stores .., 1937, pen and ink, 440mm x 297mm, on larger board; Smiling Through: Horse Cabs Again .., 1939, pen and ink, 350mm x 270mm image, on larger board; Smiling Through: New Cyclists .., ?1939, pen and ink, 365mm x 270mm image, on larger board; Smiling Through: First Pip .., 1941, pen and ink with some blue shading, 390mm x 325mm image, on larger board; Smiling Through: Last Parade .., 1942, pen and ink with some blue shading, 420mm x 330mm image, on larger board (6)
Rowling (J.K.) Two typescript 'Owl Post' letters signed by J.K. Rowling's P.A., one enclosing a bookplate signed by J.K. Rowling; idem, A collection of Harry Potter deluxe editions, comprising; Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1999, second impression (2 copies); Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1999, first impression; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 1999, second impression (2 copies); Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000, first edition; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in publisher's cellophane, price label states first edition; Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, in publisher's cellophane, price label states first edition; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in publisher's cellophane, price label states first edition; Barrie (J.M.), Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, 2005, Folio Society, 4to., illustrated by Arthur Rackham, slipcase
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