* Mezzotint Drolls . The Elopement or a Tripp to Scotland, R. Sayer & J. B. Bennett, 5th Decemr.1777, hand coloured mezzotint, trimmed to image with some marginal fraying and slight loss to lower right corner, slight creasing, laid on later paper, 350 x 250 mm, together with Carington Bowles (publisher). A Master Parson with a Good Living [and] A Journeyman Parson with a Bare Existence, circa 1780, pair of mezzotint drolls with contemporary hand colouring, trimmed to image, each with margins strengthened on verso and laid on linen, slight creasing, each approximately 305 x 250 mm, with Laurie & Whittle (publishers). The Little Old Woman and her Eggs, 26th Decr. 1795, mezzotint with contemporary hand colouring, five lines of verse below image, thread margins with some fraying and chipping, lower margin strengthened, some staining, 335 x 240 mm, plus Laurie & Whittle (publishers). An Allegorical Representation of Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Charlotte Crown'd with Laurel by Britannia surrounded by Charity, Industry & Commerce, Sepr. 1794, mezzotint with crude contemporary hand colouring, with the verses of 'Rule Britannia' below image, small margins, slight staining, 350 x 250 mm, with another seven similar drolls, various sizes and condition (Qty: 12)
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After Giovanni Battista Foggini (1652-1725), a French patinated bronze model of the Arrotino after the Antique, 18th century, possibly from the workshop of Joseph Vinache (1653 - after 1717), the bearded male subject portrayed seated on a rock and grinding a knife on the block before him, on a textured rectangular base cast with foliage, 29cm high, 31cm wide, 16cm deep Florentine Baroque sculptor Foggini was commissioned to create a life size model of the much-admired Arrotino for King Louis XIV in 1684, to be displayed at Versailles. The Antique marble, which was first recorded in an engraving by Maarten van Heemskerck in 1532 and had been in the collection of Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici, had certainly moved to the Uffizi Gallery by 1680. Though the work has invited many interpretations, the male subject is most often believed to be the executioner of the satyr Marsyas, whose death by flaying is described in Ovid's Metamorphoses. When Foggini's Arrotino and its pendant, a crouching Venus after the antique by Coysevox, were moved from Versailles to the Tuileries, a pair of life size models in bronze were commissioned to replace them in 1688-9. These casts have been variously attributed to the Keller foundry and, convincingly, to the specialist foundry of Joseph Vinache (1653 - after 1717). Many reductions of the Arrotino were cast around this time, including one 18th century example at the Wallace Collection, which has been suggested to originate from the foundry of Vinache due to its very similar or identical patterns of terrain to the base.The chasing, finishing and dimensions of the present lot closely resemble the model at the Wallace Collection (note for example the foliage to the plinth), which could indicate that it originated from the same foundry as that example. Of particular note is the distinctive incised roundel beside the rectangular block, which is possibly a tooler's mark.Early 18th Century versions of the Arrotino, or 'Rotatore' as he is sometimes called, have occasionally appeared on the market. See for example Sotheby's London, Old Master Sculpture and Works of Art, 8 July 2011, lot 67, where the model was sold with the Venus after Coysevox as its pendant.Literature: Robert Wenley, French Bronzes in the Wallace Collection, London 2002, pp. 42-45 Francis Haskell and Nicholas Penny, Taste and the Antique: The Lure of Classical Sculpture, 1500-1900, Yale University Press, 1981, pp. 154-157
DICKENS, CHARLES, The Old Curiosity Shop, a tale by Charles Dickens, with illustrations by George Cattermole and Habot K Brown, pub Chapman & Hall, London, no date (1841 ish) pagination 37-306, 1-233 (two parts) which is the same pagnitation as 'Master Humphrey's Clock, not first book form as no date given, but presumed 2nd printing as such
Old Master Style, Portrait of Lorenzo Lotto. Oil on board. Lorenzo Lotto was an Italian painter, draughts man and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school, though much of his career was spent in other North Italian cities. Sight Size: 17 x 14.5 in. Overall Size: 27 x 23.75 in.
Old master prints.- Caraglio (Gian Jacopo, 1500-1570) The Muses and the Pierides, after Rosso Fiorentino, a scene from from Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book V), engraving on laid paper with 16th century watermark of two crossed arrows above a star, sheet 245 x 390 mm. (9 1/2 x 15 1/4 in), slightly trimmed within the image, reinforced margins, central vertical fold with repaired splitting, tear into image centre left, unframed, [1523-1567]; Anonymous (Italian, 16th century) Roman Triumphal procession, engraving with monogram 'MF' in the lower right, possibly the same monogram found in Camillo Agrippa's 'Trattato di Scientia d'Arme', a lightly printed impression on laid paper with watermark of three mounds and fleur-de-lis within two concentric circles, sheet 290 x 425 mm. (11 1/2 x 16 3/4 in), trimmed within the platemark, old repairs to central splits and tears, further repaired tear in the upper right corner, small hole the arm of the far left figure, otherwise damp-stains and surface dirt, unframed, [16th century]; together with an engraving by Valentin Lefebre after Veronese, from his 'Opera Selectiora', and an engraving by Antoinette Bouzonnet-Stella from 'L'Entrée del'Empereur Sigismond à Mantoue', after Giulio Romano, unframed (4)
Constable (John, 1776-1837), Manner of. A fisherman sitting on a log, pencil on laid paper with partial watermark with letter '[?]& Pine', 134 x 87 mm. (5 1/4 x 3 3/8 in), some browning with exposure lines from previous acidic mount, old tape verso, unframed but with original frame back with gallery labels.Provenance:Swann Galleries, Old Master Drawings with a Selection of Rembrandt Etchings, January 25, 2006, Lot 292 [as by John Constable];Private Collection, AustraliaExhibited:Unidentified exhibition label on reverse of backboard, dated 'February 1976'; another label below reads: 'Exhibited in Norfolk or Norwich in the same years as the Tate Exhibition, Original label for the exhibition has since been lost'.
VANITY FAIR - FOX HUNTERS Worksop Manor (Sir John Robinson), supplement, 39.5cm x 26.5cm; A Leicestershire Man, 39 x 26cm; To the Manner Born (Mr Reginald Corbet), supplement, 38.5cm x 26.5cm; Doggie, Dec 6 1884, 37 x 25cm; An Old Master, Nov 3 1898, 40 x 27cm; A Very Old Master, Oct 29 1898, 39.5cm x 26cm; The General, Dec 3 1881, 40 x 27cm (8)
Old Master, oil on canvas, Christ and attendants, 84 x 69cm., unframed Condition: Thought to be 18th century, possibly Flemish work. Oil on canvas, re-lined many years ago and now completely come away from the stretcher. Canvas undulates, is very dirty with pronounced craquelure throughout the work. Loss of paint partly through cleaning down to the canvas, but also through flaking throughout. No signes of any signature and no inscriptions verso. Not framed.
A SET OF FOUR OLD MASTER STYLE PEN AND INK DRAWINGS OF SWORD OR DAGGER HILTS IN THE 16TH CENTURY MANNER, each depicting very ornate hilts decorated with classical figures in the Renaissance style, mounted on boards with card frames. Sold with a receipt from Giorgio Rovelli of Rome and dated 20 April 1970 stating these four drawings date to the end of the 16th Century. It is more likely that these are 19th Century copies. Stained, marked and small tears. (4)
Streatfeild Family.- Streatfeild (Rev. Thomas, antiquarian and churchman, 1777-1778) & Captain Robert Streatfeild (1786-1852) and others [?]. Three albums containing over 62 pp. of sketches, 20 in one album executed in watercolour, including landscape studies, many with windmills, several pencil studies of ships, a few seascapes and cloud studies, one album features a loose manuscript note with 8 lines of dates and geographic coordinates with weather conditions described for each day, other various sketches of country houses, and a few sketches of church architectural details and antiquities, pencil and watercolours, some executed in pen and ink, one album with Whatman wove paper with watermark date of '1810', another album with watermark date of '1813', leaves measure between 115 x 180 mm. (4 1/2 x 7 in) and 115 x 185 mm. (4 1/2 x 7 1/4 in), many leaves loose, a few missing with only stubs left, otherwise scattered handling creases, surface dirt and occasional spotting throughout, contemporary boards, worn, 8vo, circa 1810-1815 (3) Provenance:Streatfeild Family; by descent;Anonymous sale. Where acquired by the present owner.⁂ Three albums from the historic Streatfeild English family from Chiddingstone, Kent, traceable to the early 16th century and a possible cadet branch of the Noble House of Stratford. A number of drawings by Captain Robert Streatfeild were offered at Christie's in 2016, and while these drawings were rather more worked and larger in scale, there are some notable similarities in execution to certain watercolours in the present albums (Sale. Christie's, South Kensington, Old Master Drawings and British Drawings and Watercolours, 7th December 2016, lots 144-150). The British Museum also hold a sketchbook containing 55 leaves of drawings by Rev Thomas Streatfeild (see BM no. 1969,0208.3.1-55).
NO RESERVE Ornament.- Old master prints.- Gheeraerts the Elder (Marcus), After. Five plates from 'Passio Verbigenae Quae Nostra Redemptio Christi', from the suite of twelve, engravings on laid paper, each approx. 155 x 110 mm. (6 1/8 x 4 1/4 in), trimmed within platemarks, all carefully inset onto album leaves with ruled ink border to sheet, several small nicks and losses repaired, surface dirt, 19th century half morocco, gilt spine rubbed, folio, Jan Sadeler I, [c. 1575-1600 or slightly later]; together with William Young Ottley's A Collection of Forty-Two Fac-Similes of Rare Etchings, by Celebrated Painters of the Italian, Dutch, and Flemish Schools, including three landscape etchings after Rembrandt, one the 'View of Amsterdam', all neatly hinged onto album leaves with title and introductory text, contemporary half calf, folio, [circa 1828-1830] (2)
DUCHESS OF MONTPENSIER: (1627-1693) Anne Marie Louise d´Orleans, known as "La Grande Mademoiselle". Grand-daughter of King Henri IV and first cousin of King Louis XIV, she is one of the greatest heiresses in history. Anne Marie died unmarried and childless. Rare L.S., `Anne Marie Louise d´Orleans´, one page, oblong 15 x 11 parchment, Paris, 21st April 1690, in old French. The letter is a request to the King referring to the appointment, according to the report received, of the `..Master of the Waters and Forests of our Duchy..´, stating `We very humbly beg His Majesty that according to the present appointment and presentation, He will order that all letters of provisioning and supplies will be given to Pierre Beaupoil..´ With two small holes to the upper border only affecting one word. Overall age wear and staining, with one ink stain only affecting to the first letter of first name of the Duchess. G £400-600 The Duchess of Montpensier left her vast fortune to her cousin Philippe of France. She received proposals from various members of European ruling families, including Charles II of England. She eventually fell in love with the courtier, Antoine Nompar de Caumont and scandalized the court of France when she asked King Louis XIV for permission to marry him. She is best remembered for her Memoires and for her role in the Fronde, bringing the famous composer Lully to the king's court.
FRANCIS II: (1768-1835) Last Holy Roman Emperor 1792-1806, who dissolved the Holy Roman Empire after the defeat against Napoleon at Austerlitz. Founder of the Austrian Empire, ruling from 1804 to 1835 as Francis I, first Emperor of Austria. An excellent and cleanly written A.L.S., `Le tres affectionné frere et neveu - François´, one page, 4to, Vienna, 1st of July 1794, to Prince Albert of Saxony, in French. Francis II, in his capacity as Holy Roman Emperor, sends a close letter to his uncle reporting on the birth of his child, stating `..by announcing to Your Royal Highness that the Empress, my very dear spouse, has given birth to an Archduchess, I flatter myself knowing that Y.R.H will share the satisfaction that I feel for such a joyful event..´ With blank integral leaf. Very small repair to the verso and fold, otherwise VG £1000-1500 Prince Albert Casimir August of Saxony (1738-1822) Duke of Teschen. Son of King Augustus III of Poland. His spouse Archduchess Marie Christine was the sister of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, father of Francis II. Prince Albert was a notorious Art collector, founder of the Albertina in Vienna, with the largest collection of old master prints and drawings in the world. On 8th June 1794 Empress Maria Theresa of Naples gave birth to Archduchess Marie Caroline who died nine months later in childhood on 16th March 1795.
A PAIR OF RUSSIAN IMPERIAL CRATER VASES, IMPERIAL PORCELAIN FACTORY, ST. PETERSBURG, PERIOD OF ALEXANDER II (1855-1881), POSSIBLY BASED ON A DESIGN BY AUGUST KARL SPIESS each vase with a seafoam-colored glaze, the central registers featuring a panoramic old master scene en grisaille; the versos with scrolling laurel and acanthus leaves surrounding a ribboned lyre, the cover of each vase with a molded pinecone finial, each with ornate gilded scrollwork with acanthus leaves and lotus flowers, green underglaze imperial cypher under base of each; height of each: 52.5 cm (20 5/8 in.)LOT NOTESThe vases closely resemble a sketch by August Spiess in the collection of the State Hermitage Museum, reproduced in Ekaterina Khmelnitskaya, August Spiess and the Imperial Porcelain Factory: A Life Dedicated to Porcelain, (Moscow: Liubimaya Kniga, 2012), p. 47, ill. 29
David Winter Collection Cottages all handmade and hand painted, and all with original boxes and certificates. Comprises: Little Market (rare - retired 1993); The Chandlery (retired 1997); Cornish Tin Mine; and Hermit's Humble Home; Cotswold Village (retired) and Woodcutter's Cottage (retired 1988); Diorama 'Bright'; and 12 Cameos to match, including Penny Wishing Well; Potting Shed; Market Day; Greenwood Wagon; Lych Gate; Brooklet Bridge; The Privy; One Man Jail; Poultry Ark; Barley Malt Kiln; Welsh Pig Pen; and Saddle Steps; Dower House (rare); Sussex Cottage; Rose Cottage; and Crofter's Cottage; Snow Cottage (retired 1992); Tyddyn Siriol (retired 1994); House of Master Mason; Pen-y-Graig, and Tudor Manor House; Inglenook Cottage; The Bakehouse; Pilgrim's Rest (retired 1993); Lock Keeper's Cottage; Sweetheart Haven (retired); Gunsmith's Cottage and The Boathouse; Suffolk House (rare item, retired 1989); Kent Cottage; and Windmill; David Winter Collection Diorama & Cameos 'Sherwood Forest' except the Diorama which is not in the original box. Comprises: Diorama base and six cottages: King Richard's Bower; Much's Mill; Will Scarlett's Den; Little John's Riverloft; Friar Tuck's Sanctum; Maid Marion's Retreat; also includes miniature Robin's Merry Mouse; West Country Collection 'Tamar Cottage'; Midlands Collection 'Miner's Row'; Knight's Castle; Triple Oast; The Cotton Mill; The Alms Houses (not original box or certificate); Craftsman Cottages; Meadowbank Cottage (retired 1995) and Glebe Cottage (retired 1995); Comprises: The Old Joe's Beetling Shop; Wine Merchant; Lancashire Donkey Shed and Shirehall; Sweet Dreams; Green Dragon Pub; The Smithy; The Apothecary Shop; Hog's Head Beer House (retired 1999); The Village Shop; and Blackfriars Grange;
INDIA - EAST INDIA COMPANY AND AURANGZEBDocument headed 'The Manner of His Excellency Sir William Norris... Publicque Entry at His Audience of the great Mogull at His Court before Panulla in the East Indies on the 28th day of Aprill 1701', written in ink on Indian speckled paper, listing the order of the procession at the ambassador's audience with the great Mughal Aurangzeb, at the head of which procession rode 'Mr Henry Crisloe Commander of His Excellenceys Artillery on horseback', followed by 'Twelve carts whereon were carried twelve brass cannon for presents... glassware and looking glasses for presents... two very fine Arabian horses Richly Capparrizoned... Four English Soldiers on horseback guarding the presents... The union flag... the red white and blew flags... English furniture... The musick in Rich Liveryes on Horseback... The Kings and my Lords Armes... Twelve Troopers every way armed and accoutred after the English manner... Mr Josiah Hale Master of the Horse Richly dress carrying a Sword of State pointed up... Edward Norris Esq in a Rich pallenkeen carrying His Majesties letter to the Emperour on each side Mr Wingate and Mr Shuttleworth in Rich laced coates on Horseback...', 1 page, address panel on reverse ('To my very loveing Friend Mr Daniell Turner'), dust staining to address panel, a few small holes at folds, folio (477 x 224mm.), Panulla, 28 April 1701; with accompanying autograph letter from Josiah Hale, Norris's interpreter and master of the horse, signed ('Jos. Hale'), to Daniell Turner ('Dear Sir'), enclosing this account of 'the Manner of His Excellencys Publique Entry at his Audience of the Mogull', 1 page, on Indian speckled paper, address panel on reverse ('To my very loveing Friend Mr Daniell Turner'), dust-staining and some separation and small holes at folds, folio (483 x 225mm.), 'Camp at the Court of the great Mogul... in the East Indies', 10 September 1701 (2)Footnotes:'WILLIAM NORRIS ESQ IN A RICH PALLENKEEN CARRYING HIS MAJESTIES LETTER TO THE EMPEROUR' In 1699, the newly-ennobled Sir William Norris, the King's commissioner, undertook a mission to obtain a trade deal with the mighty Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, hoping to win the protection and privileges of the Mughal authorities in favour of the new General Society or 'English' Company, in opposition to the old or 'London' East India Company. After a long and expensive preamble chasing the Emperor's Court with a huge entourage through the Indian countryside, Norris was finally granted an audience in Panalla on 28 April 1701. As our document attests, King William's letter was presented in an elaborate and opulent ceremony with gifts of cannon, glassware and English furniture to the sound of trumpets, drums and bagpipes. The Emperor accorded Sir William the rare privilege of riding into his private apartment but kept the company waiting and, when Norris left without permission, forced him to pay a fine. Indeed, it was another seven months before they were dismissed from the camp. Despite all this (at the cost it is said of some £80,000) the hoped-for deal failed to materialise. This failure has been blamed on the rivalry between officials of the two companies, the failure to guarantee protection from piracy demanded by Aurangzeb and, indeed, according the Annals of the East India Company, Norris's own inexperience in diplomacy and insistence on these European ceremonials 'in a court in which they were not understood' (John Bruce, Annals of the East India Company, Vol. III, 1810, p.473). The interpreter's lack of Persian may also have hampered Norris' efforts. Josiah Hale's predecessor was a Mr Thorowgood who 'as Norris remarked, 'with too close application to the Persian language has disordered his brains so far that he has made himself incapable of business, and unfit for conversation...'. He attempted to commit suicide by leaping into a tank, and was ultimately sent home in the De Grave, his place being taken by [the author of our letter] Mr Josiah Hale' (Harihar Das, The Norris Embassy to Aurangzib (1699-1702), 1959, p.172). As well as taking on the role of interpreter, Hale had a significant role in the procession 'richly dressed carrying a sword of state pointed upwards' and accompanied Norris with a small retinue of officials into the Hall of Private Audience. Typical of many young men seeking a fortune and career in India at this time, he finds the conditions far from ideal, writing in the covering letter to his friend 'I return for our Factory... it is a very unhealthy place for nearly two thirds of us are dead that came over first but I am now obliged once more to try my fortune there if it please God to spare my life...' and complains that he has had only one letter since arriving in India due to the ship Degrave being, in February, 'all lost together with all the private letters, soe that wee are all in the darke as to newes frome England'. Hale writes on a distinctive Indian speckled paper. An account of an official staying at the English Factory at Surat in 1689 describes 'long scrolls of paper ten feet in length and a foot wide that 'by its slickness and smoothness appears shining' for common use' (Sita Ramaseshan, The History of Paper in India up to 1948, 1987, p.112), which would account for the uneven edges of our documents where cut from a larger piece. Hale's list would appear to be a version of a list held in the Factory Records of the East India Company (Misc., Vol 20, India Office).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Portrait of a young girl, said to be Princess Elizabeth Stuart (1635-1650), painted whilst imprisoned at Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight, half-length, in a pink silk dress oil on panel, in a feigned oval 36.5 x 29.5cmFootnote: Provenance: Bonhams, London, Old Master Paintings, 13 April 2011, lot 130Condition report: Oil on panel. The paint layers are thinly applied. There are raised lines of paint following the grain of the wood. The painting has extensive retouching across the surface covering damage, the retouching is reasonably well matched although the texture is uneven in some areas. The varnish is clear but has some scuffs and scratches in the surface. The frame is in a good condition.
Portrait of a gentleman, half length, in a frogged grey velvet jacket and white lace cravat bears signature "Chardin" centre left oil on canvas, oval 56 x 46.5cmFootnote: Provenance: Bonhams, London, Old Master Paintings, 25 April 2007, lot 209Condition report: In an oval Louis XVI frame. The canvas has been lined. The paint layer is thinly applied and worn in many areas, notably around the sitter’s features. There are areas of retouching covering abrasion and loss. The paint layer is stable overall. The varnish is thick, glossy and slightly yellowed. The frame is in a good condition.
The Piazza San Marco, Venice, looking West towards San Geminiano oil on canvas 25.5 x 39.5cmFootnote: Provenance: Christie's, London, 28th January 1966, Old Master Paintings, lot 29, as 'Richter'Condition report: Christie's stencil 359PD. A possible attribution to a Follower of Johan Anton Richter (Stockholm 1665 - Venice 1745) might be considered. OIl on canvas which has been lined. The canvas texture of the work has become more pronounced due to the lining. The paint layer has a network of age cracks which are stable. There are localised areas of retouching across the surface. The varnish is clear, even and semi matte. The ornate, pierced frame is in a good condition.
Putti disporting in a wooded landscape, surprised by two dogs oil on canvas 58 x 76cmFootnote: Provenance: Christie's, South Kensington, Old Master Pictures, 26 September 2003, lot 32Condition report: Oil on canvas which has been lined. The paint layers are worn in areas and old age cracks are darkened. There are areas of raised and flaking paint across the surface. The painting has old, smooth fills and overpaint. The varnish is clear but matte and covered in dust. The frame is in a good condition.
A New Zealand Totara Knot and Hinan wood occasional table, by Johan Marti Levien, second quarter 19th century, the rounded rectangular tilt-top above a faceted baluster support with a foliate carved collar, on a concave-sided platform with scroll feet and castors, 71cm high, 61cm wide 48cm deep, the top of the block bearing a manuscript label 'this wood imported from Wellington - New Zealand - the native names are Totara with Hinan border and manufactured G.D.M Levene, New Zealand House, New Broad St .... London Johan Martin Levien (1811-1871) was born in Barth, a sea-port in Western Pomerania, Prussia where he undertook his cabinet-making apprenticeship, becoming a Master in 1831. He followed this with an extensive period of travel, visiting Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Russia and Hamburg. During his time in Europe he was not only able apply refine his skills but he also attended various schools of drawing and design prior to setting sail for Pernambuco in Brazil in 1837 to set up his own business. Unfortunately the climate did not suit his health, causing him to leave for Rio de Janeiro c. 1840. Here Levien devoted himself to sourcing exotic timber specimens amongst the interior forests. His appetite for collecting rare wood samples lead him to Wellington, New Zealand later the same year where he believed unknown timbers awaited his discovery. These were very early days for settlers which necessitated Levien building his own house with the assistance of local Maoris - a primitive rush construction secured by poles in ground. Once settled he began exploring the hinterland forests to identify suitable cabinet timbers, drawing on the experience he had gained in Brazil. Here he selected a range of native timbers including Hinau, Kauri, Mai, Matai, Rata, Rimu and Totara. This was heavy work as the newly hewn trees had to be carried back through the forest to the base camp before they could be sawn into planks. Some of the trees were over a hundred feet tall with boughs up to twelve feet in diameter. When Levien arrived in Wellington he could neither speak English or Maori but quickly assimilated both languages and built up a rapport with the native tribesmen. He built a beachside store and workshop on what is now known as Lambton Quay and shortly after married an English woman of high social standing. By 1843 he had built a flourishing business as a contemporary report recorded: 'Mr Levien...has been industriously employed in proving the value of our forests, by working native woods in all descriptions of furniture. His work is beautifully executed, and his prices moderate'. The report went on to state 'We are glad to find a considerable quantity of furniture wood being shipped by all the vessels now proceeding from this port to England. Mr Levien...proceeds in the brig Victoria to London, with a view of establishing a warehouse for the manufacture and sale of New Zealand wood ...Mr Levien takes with him a large quantity of choice specimens of our woods, carefully selected by himself, and well seasoned before embarked...'.However Levien was never to return to New Zealand, possibly for a combination of reasons including the unrest in that country arising over land rights and his rapid establishment of a business premises in London. This was located at the New Zealand Company, Broad Street and a letter from London, dated 17 October 1844 testifies to his success. It noted that 'Levien has an order from the Baron of Rothschild to fit up an entire room with totara and hinau; old Mr.Rothschild is about to do the same thing, and Gillow, Doubiggen, and some others of the cabinet-makers have purchased good quantities of his woods'. On 5 August 1846, Levien received a Royal Appointment, recorded in London Sun of 22 August under the heading MR. LEVIEN. HIS SPLENDID WORKMANSHIP FOR THE QUEEN, AND THE FURNITURE WOODS FROM NEW ZEALAND: 'We are happy to announce that her Majesty has been pleased to confer upon Mr Levien the appointment of cabinet-maker to her Majesty, in token of the very elegant specimens of workmanship made by him from the woods of New Zealand. Her Majesty the Queen was the first to patronise him. And he has secured great favour with her Majesty by his workmanship, his skill, and his woods'.One of Levien's most important early patrons was the Prussian Chevalier Bunson (later Baron Bunsen) who introduced him Frederick William IV, King of Prussia. In 1848 the King presented Levien with a gold medal, 'awarded by the Prussian Court to persons of distinguished merits in the arts' and conferred on him a Royal Appointment. This lead to a series of high profile commissions as recorded in the Morning Post 'Amongst the English nobility and gentry, whose patronage he is experiencing, we may also mention Lord Ingestre, Lord Ilchester, Baron Rothschild, John Abel Smith, Stewart Marjoribanks, G. Tomline...' Later in 1848 Levien married again to Mary Ann Willson and moved to new premises at 10 Davies Street, Grosvenor Square. Throughout the 1840s Levien succeeded in swimming against the tide of conservatism as English furniture was almost exclusively manufactured out of mahogany, walnut, rosewood and oak at this time. That Levien had tested each of his woods brought him public confidence and convinced his clientele of the suitability of his chosen New Zealand timbers. He recommended tawhero (Weinnannia sylvicola), for instance, as a substitute for mahogany, and suggested specific purposes for other particular veneers. However, above all Totara Knot was the most easily distinguishable. It was described in a contemporary periodical as 'of a colour something between bird maple and the walnut, bears a high polish, and displays an exquisite grain in fine and various lines of softening tint', and its durability is manifested by the fine condition of pieces of furniture made from it in existence today'.Levien continued to successfully promote his business throughout the following decades and this included his participation in a series of international exhibitions including The Great Exhibition, London 1851; The Dublin Exhibition, 1853, The Paris Exhibition, 1855 (where he received a medal) and The International Exhibition, London 1862. Few pieces of his furniture bear a label or signature, although many pieces are known through exhibition catalogue engravings and other puplications including 'Art Furniture'- Woods of New Zealand, and their adaptability to art furniture, James S. Virtue, London, 1861. Levien's work is recorded in the English Royal collection, and exhibited at The Museum of New Zealand. He continued trading until 1868 when he sold the business and died three years later in 1871. His Totara Knot sideboard, exhibited at The Great Exhibition 1851 sold for £380,000 at Sotheby's in 1998, one of the highest auction prices ever achieved for an item of 19th century furniture.
DICKENS, CHARLES, The Old Curiosity Shop, a tale by Charles Dickens, with illustrations by George Cattermole and Habot K Brown, pub Chapman & Hall, London, no date (1841 ish) pagination 37-306, 1-233 (two parts) which is the same pagnitation as 'Master Humphrey's Clock, not first book form as no date given, but presumed 2nd printing as such
Attributed to Frans Pourbus The Younger (Flemish, 1569-1622): Portrait of a Noble Woman, possibly Margaret (Margarita) Gonzago Duchess of Savoy, bust length facing dexter, wearing a pearl hairpiece centered by a circular jewel and with a white feather, pendant earrings, and a pearl necklace, fine high lace collar, her blue grey silk dress richly embroidered in gilt thread, a pink ribbon rosette fixed to her breast with a further large gold jewel with pendant baroque pearl, a pink silk band with silvered motifs is tied around her left arm, against a dark background, inscribed upper left '1611', oil on oak panel, probably cut down from a full length portrait, 76.5 by 58.5cm (30 by 23 inches), in a varnished wooden frame with giltwood slip, 82 by 75cm (32¼ by 29½ inches).Provenance: Private Collection, purchased Christie's, Old Master Pictures, Sale 1996, 27th February 1981, Lot 81.Notes: with original receipt, Christie's sale catalogue, and receipts for restoration work. Card label '9553' to frame and white chalk '81' lot number.
* A Hellenistic Marble Figure of Aphrodite, circa 2nd century B.C., three-quarter length carved white marble, some age discolouration, partial loss to the nose, small damage with loss to the right leg just above the knee, small portion to front of left leg with old repair, and further repair to the back of the figure on the left side, height 53cm (20.75ins), mounted on a modern wooden plinth, height 13 cm (overall height 66 cm, 26 ins) (Qty: 1)Condition Report: This fine Roman marble is in relatively good condition, apart from the main named defects, which are:- loss to the lower part of the nose- small concave area of loss above the right knee- small oval portion at the base of the left leg repaired, with clear sign of the join where the old repair was made- similar, larger repaired oval portion to the left-hand side of the back of figure, below the shoulder blade and above the waist, with clear sign of the outline of the old repairThe head has also been relatively well repaired around the neck area, presumably from when it was previously broken. The join is relatively neat, and the head is clearly original to the rest of the body.There are some other surface marks and light discolouration consistent with ageProvenance: Collection of Mark Oliver (1899-1987), Edgerston, Roxburghshire, Scotland, thence by descent.This sculpture was inherited by the present owner in 1989 following the death of Mark Oliver in 1987. The work is listed on an inheritance inventory dated 27 July 1989 by an Edinburgh firm of solicitors acting on behalf of the family. It was listed on this inventory as "Greek Sculpture: Aphrodite", with a probate value of £3,500.The current owner recalls showing it to school friends in the family home in the 1960s.Mark Oliver was co-owner with Richard Edward Arnesby ('Ted') Wilson, of the Savile Gallery, 29 Bruton Street, New Bond Street, London, during the 1920s, which specialised in Old Master paintings and drawings (exhibitions included Drawings by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Savile Gallery, May 1928, Drawings by Old Masters, Savile Gallery, 1930). The gallery also showed work by Walter Sickert (1860-1942), who apparently gave Mark Oliver some tutoring in painting. A finely modelled marble figure of Aphrodite, the goddess depicted standing with her weight on the right leg, undraped, with left arm formerly raised and head turned slightly to the right. Derived from the 2nd Century B.C. Aphrodite of Melos, or Venus de Milo (itself a hellenistic variant of the late 4th or 3rd Century B.C. Aphrodite of Capua), and the Aphrodite Diadoumene (in which the goddess has her hair tied back). For comparison, a Hellenistic Marble Torso of Aphrodite, circa 2nd Century B.C., of the type called Aphrodite Anadyomene, height 13 inches (33 cm), was sold at Sotheby's New York, Egyptian, Classical and Western Asiatic Antiquities, 3 June 2015, lot 40.
* Goeree (Jan, 1670-1731). The Glory of the Lord filling the Tabernacle, pen, grey ink and wash, black ink, with touches of brown ink on laid paper with watermark, small area of thinning to paper towards left margin with minimal loss,136 x 208 mm (5.5 x 8.2 ins), hinge- and window-mounted (Qty: 1)NOTESProvenance: Private Collection, Herefordshire, UK. Goeree (and other artists including Hoet, Bernard Picard, Tiedeman, and Luyken) produced many drawings illustrating the Old and New Testaments which were etched for publication in L’Histoire du Vieux et du Nouveau Testament , published by Pierre Mortier in Amsterdam (and simultaneously in Antwerp) in 1700, known as the 'Grande Bible de Mortier'. A similar pen and wash drawing of The Preparation of the Sacred Furnishings for the Tabernacle by Goeree was offered at auction by Art Europe Auctions, Amsterdam, Old Masters, 19th Century Paintings and Drawings, 23 May 2016, lot 116 (and previously by Sotheby's London, Old Master and British Drawings, 3 July 2013, lot 144).
* Evelyn (Mary, 1635-1709). Study of a hand holding a breast, pencil on laid paper (chain lines 21 mm wide), depicting the right hand of a lady resting on her right breast, signed in ink by the artist below image 'Mary Evelyn: f:t', spotted, sheet size 16 x 21.5 cm (6.25 x 8.5 in), mounted, framed and glazed (Qty: 1)NOTESProvenance: John Evelyn (1620-1706), Wotton, Surrey; by descent to Cecil John Alvin Evelyn (1904-1976), Stonor Park; possibly sold Sotheby's, Important Old Master Drawings , 3 March, 1966; estate of the late John Lawson (1932-2019). John Evelyn's collection was stored with the Honorable Sherman Stonor (1913-76), at Stonor Park, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. C.J.A. Evelyn, author of a number of mathematical papers and books, was a Tenant for Life to the Family Estates and Heirlooms from 1925-1965. Mary Evelyn, wife of acclaimed diarist and founding member of the Royal Society John Evelyn, was the only child of Sir Richard Browne and his wife Elizabeth Pretyman. Her father was a Royalist, and was appointed to the position of English resident in Paris in 1641 by Charles I. He remained in Paris until 1660, serving the young Charles II after his father's death. During this period Browne's house in Paris became a focal point for exiled Royalists, one of which was John Evelyn. When Evelyn married Mary Browne on 22nd June 1647 the bride was only twelve or thirteen years old; she remained with her parents for the next few years, returning to England in 1652 to live with her husband at Sayes Court in Kent, a property which was owned by the Browne family. In 1699 John Evelyn inherited the family seat of Wotton House in Surrey, his elder brother having no issue to pass the estate onto. Mary Evelyn received a good education, which included instruction in drawing as well as French, Italian, and mathematics. She is recognised in her own right for her artistic and literary works, especially her pithy correspondences which shed light on many of the intellectual debates and public characters of the era.
* Attributed to Reynier van der Laeck (1615/1620-1647/1648). Female nude seen from behind, red chalk with touches of black chalk on laid paper, collector's mark P.L. (Lugt 2092) towards lower right, and another later collector's mark WAD surmounted by a crown within double-rule border (Lugt 2602d) lower right corner, 20th century circular inkstamp to verso 'Douanes Exposition Paris', sheet size 17.2 x 16.2 cm (6.8 x 6.4 ins), inlaid to modern thin card, window-mounted, with pencil inscription by Michael Jaffe to card mount below the drawing identifying the collectors' marks, indicating possible attributions 'D. van der Lisse ? Abr. van Cuylenborch' and '(S. Slive) Backer or Flinck', and 'Hans Ca lmans 23rd July 1969 said "Rubens" ' (Qty: 1)NOTESProvenance: Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680), London (Lugt 2092); Prince Wladimir Nikolaevitch Argoutinsky-Dolgoroukoff (1875-1941), Paris (Lugt 2602d). Unidentified 20th century circular inkstamp 'Douanes - Exposition - Paris' to verso (not in Lugt). Collection of Michael Jaffé (1923 –1997), former director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, thence by descent. Offered Christie's London, 5 December 2019, Old Master Drawings Online, lot 7, with the present attribution.
* Swanevelt (Hermann van, circa 1603/04-circa 1655). Landscape with female figure and bear, pen, brown ink and brown wash on laid paper, laid down on 19th century thick laid paper with pencil and wash ruled outer borders, collector's mark WB within an oval to lower right corner of wash border, inscribed in pencil to lower margin, in a late 19th century hand 'Fichel No. 246 Mr R Docwra', and additionally inscribed to verso in pencil 'From Fichel's Sale', sheet size of the drawing 103 x 149 cm (4.1 x 5.9 ins) (Qty: 1)NOTESProvenance: William Bates (1824-1884), Birmingham (Lugt 2604); Collection of John Rowlands (1931-2016), former Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum. William Bates' collection of Old Master drawings was sold at Sotheby's London on January 19, 1887, in 481 lots.
* Andriessen ( Anthonie , 1746-1813). Group of four ladies conversing beside an open window, with two children and a dog, pen, black ink and grey wash on laid paper, inscribed to verso, single rule framing border in black ink, 132 x 98 mm (5.25 x 3.9 ins), tipped onto later thick backing paper, window-mounted (Qty: 1)NOTESProvenance: Private Collection, Herefordshire, UK. Anthonie Andriessen and his brother Jurriaan Andriessen (1742–1819) both taught at the Amsterdam Teekenacademie (Drawing Academy), where their pupils included Wouter Johannes van Troostwijk, Hendrik Voogd and Jean Grandjean. Small scale figure studies seemingly drawn from life, such as the present work, dating from around the end of the 18th century, with their relaxed charm and storytelling quality are considered amongst this artist's most attractive work. A similar drawing by Andriessen of a woman and young boy standing at an open window appeared at auction in 2008 : Sotheby;s London, Old Master Drawings, July 9, 2008, lot 44.
* Dighton (Richard, 1795-1880). Portrait of Henry Ralph Lambton, circa 1850, watercolour and pencil on paper, heightened with gum arabic depicting the subject full-length in dark coat and top hat, facing left, holding a walking cane in his right hand, signed in pencil to verso by the artist 'Richard Dighton 6 St. Michael's Terrace, Ecclestone Sq., S:W', additionally inscribed above in pencil (possibly in the artist's hand) 'W.H. Lambton Esq 17 Chesham Place, Belgrave Sqr', size 26 x 18.5 cm (10.25 x 7.25 ins) , framed and glazed (Qty: 1)NOTESProvenance: Collection of Michael Jaffé CBE (1923-1997). Inscribed by Jaffé to verso 'Henry Ralph Lambton 1824-96 on old backing paper - removed 1957 by M. Jaffé; Christie's, Old Master and British Drawings and Watercolours, 2 July 2019, lot 223 (with four others).
Jean-Marie-Raphael-Leopold Massard (French 1812-1889) Portrait of Alexandre Franηois Marie, Vicomte de Beauharnais (1760-1794) Pencil 34.1 x 25.4cm; 13½ x 10in Provenance: Ian Woodner (1903-1990); Dian and Andrea Woodner; their sale, London, Christie's, Old Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection, 2 July 1991, lot 170 After the 1834 portrait by Georges Rouget (1783-1869) in the Palace of Versailles. The Vicomte de Beauharnais was a prominent political and military figure during the French revolution. He served as deputy of the noblesse in the Estates-General, president of the National Constituent Assembly and became General-in-Chief of the Army of the Rhine in 1793. He was arrested and executed during the Reign of Terror, and was survived by his wife Josιphine, who would later marry Napoleon Bonaparte, and become Empress.
JOHN RUSSELL (1745-1806) Portrait of Charles Elliott (1752-1826) and his wife, Eling Venn, a pair, the latter signed and dated 1789, pastels, 59.5 x 44cm oval (2) Prov: By family descent to Charles Henry Venn Elliott; His sale, London, Christie's, 14 July 1987, lot 148; With Simon Dickinson, London; Private collection, England; Sotheby's Old Master and British Drawings, 7 July 2011, where purchased by the present owner. LITERATURE: G.C. Williamson, John Russell R.A. , London, 1894, pp. 44 and 142, no. 3: N. Barton, 'Rise of a Royal Furniture Maker', Country Life, 10 February 1966, p. 293. Note: The sitters here are Charles Elliott and his second wife, Eling Venn, daughter of the Reverend Henry Venn, an Anglican clergyman and one of the most important figures in the Evangelical movement in the eighteenth-century. Charles Elliott was a British cabinet-maker and importer of furniture by Royal appointment, who was also an influential figure in the Abolition movement
Mid 16th century AD. A German Renaissance 'hand-and-a-half' or 'Bastard' sword, with double ring guard, double edged broad blade; this gradually tapers towards its point; complex hilt, with pommel (style T5) pear-shaped, closed by a button on the top, very long tang, straight and circular cross-guard; the handle presents a double side guard on both sides and one additional ring on the lower part of the hilt, bowing towards the undecorated flat blade. See Fiore Furlan dei Liberi da Premariacco, Il fior di battaglia,Venezia /Italia /Padova, 1410, Ms. Getty inv. Ms. Ludwig XV 13 (83.MR.183); Oakeshott, E.,The sword in the Age of the Chivalry, Woodbridge, 1964 (1994); Dufty, A.R.,European Swords and daggers in the Tower of London, London, 1974; Talhoffer, H., Medieval Combat: a Fifteenth-Century Illustrated Manual of Swordfighting and Close-Quarter Combat, by Rector, M. (ed."). London, 2000; the sword has a good parallel with a German sword kept in the Tower of London, published by Dufty (1974, pl.14, lett.a), with which it shares identical characteristics, like the pear-shaped pommel. 1.5 kg, 1.27m (50").From an important private family collection of arms and armour; acquired on the European art market in the 1980s, and thence by descent; believed from Liege, Belgium; accompanied by an academic report by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato.The use of two hand swords was a typical way of fighting of the Gallic and Germanic tribes that, when facing the Roman legionaries they struck them from the top downwards, brandishing their swords with both hands. In fact, the chronicles report that the legionaries were intimidated by this brutal way of fighting and by the powerful blows that ensued ... even if this certainly did not prevent them from hitting their opponents with rapid and lethal strikes sheltered by their shields, how they were trained to do and how Vegetius describes. But the true genesis of such swords was due to the evolution of the use of armour in combat. It is logical to think that when, in 14th-15th century, a warrior faced an adversary covered by 30-40 kg of steel, the classic one-handed sword and its use lost a lot of meaning. The sword, thanks to the evolution of metallurgy, then began to change assuming the shape and characteristics that we attribute to those of the European two-handed sword. The first fencing text that has come down to us, of Italian origins, to describe the use of this weapon is the 'Flos Duellatorum' (1409 AD) written by the Master Fiore dei Liberi. Besides knowing that Fiore had studied, by his own admission, from the best German and Italian Masters, we know that at the time of writing his treatise he was already old; we can therefore assume that the way of fighting described by him may be the one used in Italy at least from the second half of the 1300s, but its importance lasted until the end of the 16th century as well. The Flos Duellatorum of Fiore dei Liberi (preserved in the Getty) is depicting two Magistri in Posta di Donna (woman’s position"). As regards the use of the sword with two hands Fiore distinguishes between the techniques to be used protected by a simple 'zupparello' (gambeson) and those to be used in complete armour (so much to dedicate a special 'chapter' with guards and techniques specific to this particular type of combat) demonstrating an efficacy, an expertise and capacity of an unexpected finesse, especially in the eyes of those who think of a way to fight based almost exclusively on powerful and brutal blows. However, this does not mean that surely in Fiore's game the physical force finds an important component and plays an undisputed role as well.Fine condition, repaired. Rare.
Manner of O.van Schriek ( -) FLORAL STILL LIFE signed O. van Schriek oil on canvas 46cm by 42,5cm MASTERING THE ART OF COPYING “Good artists copy; great artists steal” Pablo Picasso.*For at least two millennia artists have copied the work of their peers. The Romans copied Greek art, sculpture and design in acts of honour and appropriation that came to shape their own particular artistic traditions.More recently, aspiring artists in Europe, Asia and Africa have paid tribute to their forbears and teachers by copying their work. Across space and through time, emulating or copying has been regarded as not only paying homage, but as an important way of transferring knowledge. Received wisdom is modified and hopefully improved through generations in this manner. From the middle ages, artist’s workshops and studios employed young apprentices, contracted under a system of guilds. Trained to assist with studio duties, they were also taught to copy their master’s work in order to explore and understand technique and subject ensuring continuity of current artistic traditions. Art theory was introduced later with the establishment of academies in Italy in the 1600’s, when the intellectual stimulation of copying great works of art was accepted as critically important to the development of artistic competence. Literally hundreds of thousands of works were produced “after” master artists in workshops and ateliers during the Renaissance and beyond. During the Golden Age in the Netherlands, there was a frenzy of ownership and a cult-like prestige among the new wealthy class in their scramble to acquire genre paintings for display in both domestic and public settings. Still lifes, landscapes and portraits evoked the image of an aspirant life of comfort, success and adventure. An example of one of these still lifes is Floral Still Life which has been produced in the manner of O. van Schriek.In 2017, Sotheby’s London was the first to devote an entire sale to Old Master Copies as a point of entry for emerging collectors. - C.K.1 - Colin Gleadell.Sotheby’s explores the market for Old Master copies. 16 October 2017.https:www.telegraph.co uk/luxury/art/sothebys-exploresmarket-oldmaster-copies * Picasso’s advice to clever artists was to do as he did - Steal with credit, respect, and transformative new ideas
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