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Click here to subscribeBritains - Set 2117 United States Army Band [1956 1st version], comprising: Marching Drum Major & 11 x Marching Bandsmen Playing Various [Correct] Instrumentation. Depicted in Service Dress with White Steel Helmets. Generally near Mint overall. From the John Dennis Military Band Collection. [12]
Britains - Set 1458 - Band of the Middlesex Regiment,1936-41, comprising: Marching Drum Major & 21 x Marching Bandsmen Playing Various Correct Instrumentation. Depicted in Red Tunics with Yellow Facings. Some minor age wear otherwise generally Excellent to near Mint overall. From the John Dennis Military Band Collection. Rare [22]
Britains - Set 2108 - Drums & Fifes of the Welsh Guards [1956-60], comprising: 1 x Drum Major, 6 x Musicians Playing Various Instrumentation [Plastic Drums - minor flaking to decals] & 5 x Fifers. Generally near Mint overall, contained [strung] in a generally Very Good [minor storage wear] ROAN label box. From The John Dennis Military Band Collection.
Britains - Set 1301 - United States Infantry Band, [1947 version], comprising: Marching Drum Major & 11 Marching Bandsmen Playing Various Instrumentation. Depicted in Dark Green Active Service Dress with Peaked Caps. Some minor paint chipping otherwise generally Excellent overall. From the John Dennis Military Band Collection. [12]
Charbens - Jacks Band, 1930's Issue, comprising: Band Master [baton damaged] & 6 x seated [Black Chairs] Musicians playing various Instrumentation. Some substantial paint chipping / rubbing otherwise generally Fair to Good overall. From the John Dennis Military Band Collection. Rare Set. [15 Pieces]
Heyde - Solids made prior to 1945 by Georg Heyde of Dresden, Germany - "Nippies" [Novelties - 5cm Scale], comprising: Seated Frog Playing Trumpet, Seated Frog in a Dress [both chairs missing 1 leg], Standing Frog in a Dress and Standing Rabbit in a Suit with Walking Cane [damaged]. Some paint cipping otherwise generallyFair to Good overall. [4]
Britains - Set 2116 - Band of the Royal Air Force [Final Version 1958-1959 Only], comprising: Marching Drum Major & 11 x Marching Bandsmen Playing Various [Correct] Instrumentation. Generally near Mint overall, contained [strung] in a generally Fair to Good [some storage wear] ROAN Label set box. From The John Dennis Military Band Collection. Rare Issue this Cataloguer has Only Seen 6 Examples over the Past 22 Years!
Britains - Set 2110 - U.S. Military Band in Full Dress Uniform [1956-62], comprising: 1 x Bandmaster with Mace & 24 x Musicians Playing Various Instrumentation all in Yellow Tunics, Blue Trousers with Yellow Stripes & Blue Peaked Caps. Some minor age wear otherwise generally Excellent overall. From the John Dennis Military Band Collection. A Scarce Set [25]
Wend-Al - "Solid Aluminium Models" - Salvation Army Band, comprising: 2 x SA Officers, Band Conductor, 2 x Colour Bearers [1 flag replaced], Standing Base Drummer with Separate Bass Drum [Rare] & 22 x Marching Bandsmen Playing Various Instrumentation. All Depicted in Red Jackets with White Frogging, Blue Trousers & Peaked Caps. Some paint chipping otherwise generally Very Good overall. From the John Dennis Military Band Collection. Scarce Figures. [29 Pieces including drum]
Britains - Set 1290 - British Military Band in Service Dress, 1934 - 41 only, comprising: Drum Major & 11 x Marching Bandsmen [1 drumstick missing] Playing Various Instrumentation. Depicted in Service Dress Trousers with Peaked Caps. Some paint chipping & minor mismatching otherwise generally Excellent overall. From the John Dennis Military Band Collection. [12]
Vinyl Records – 7” singles Motown, Soul and Blues including Kim & Dave / The J.B. Pickers – Nobody Knows / Super Soul Theme – HLU 10334 (Promotional copy); Krissi K – Stick Up – PEO 110; Laura Lee – I Need It Just As Bad As You – S INV 1654; Sam And Dave – Soul Sister Brown Sugar – K 10240X; The Drifters – I'll Take You Where The Music's Playing – K 10114; Jackie Lee & Dolores Hall – Whether It’s Right Or Wrong – BOY 52; Patty La Belle & Her Belles – Over The Rainbow – AT 4064; Patti Drew – I've Been Here All The Time / Welcome Back – 2389; Otis Leavill – There's Nothing Better / I'm So Jealous – 2091 160; John Schroeder And Orchestra – Soul For Sale; The Five Stairsteps – Ain't Gonna Rest (Till I Get You) / You Can't See; Nicky Wilson – Stone Soul Loving (Red Vinyl); Ronnie Dyson – The More You Do It (The More I Like It Done to Me) – S CBS 4462 (Promotional copy); Ruby And The Romantics – Young Wings Can Fly (Higher Than You Know) / Day Dreaming – HLR 9801; The Staple Singers – I'll Take You There; Sons Of Robin Stone – Got To Get You Back; The Javells; Lee Dorsey; Natalie Cole; O’Jays; The Pearls; Luther Ingram; Nosmo King & The Javells; Ronnie Jones; Tom Jones Etc (Qty)
A 19th Century satinwood and penwork decorated elongated octagonal games box, the top set with medallion depicting playing cards opening to reveal a sectional interior 27 cm x 19.5 cm x 5.3 cm high together with a mahogany and inlaid sarcophagus shaped box (interior missing) with brass ring handles raised on brass lion's paw feet 23 cm x 17 cm x 11.5 cm high
Football, Wayne Rooney signed 13x10inch overall framed colour photo pictured while playing for Manchester United. Good condition. All autographs come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We combine postage on multiple winning lots and can ship worldwide. UK postage from £5.99, EU from £7.99, Rest of World from £9.99
Football, David Beckham signed 13x10inch framed colour photo pictured while playing for Manchester United. Good condition. All autographs come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We combine postage on multiple winning lots and can ship worldwide. UK postage from £5.99, EU from £7.99, Rest of World from £9.99
BRIAN WILLSHER (BRITISH 1930-2010) THE STORM 9/9, embossed with signature, title and number to base, verdigris bronze 64cm high, 40.5cm wide, 28cm deep (25.25in high,16in wide, 11in deep) including integral base Brian Willsher was born in the deprived south London borough of Catford in 1930 and lived in the city all his life. His was a definitively ‘non-art’ background, one that would today make him an ‘outsider artist’ and very liked fêted by an art world in search of authentic voices. He had no formal training as a sculptor – instead he studied engineering at Woolwich Polytechnic for three years from 1946 and then began a career of odd-jobbing, working as telephone engineer, farm worker and dental technician, all the while funnelling his various salaries into his passion for motorcycle racing.In the early 1950s Willsher suffered a major bike accident. During his recovery he began playing around with plaster, before moving onto wood around 1956. Initially he tried his hand at making a living carving salad bowls, to little success, although this did lead to a shop owner asking him to make lamp bases instead. They proved far more popular and were sold at Harrods, Heal’s and Liberty’s. From here, Willsher began to generate purely sculptural forms, defined by their intricacy and layering, in a Modernist vocabulary reminiscent of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. After a one-man show at Dunn’s furniture store in Bromley in 1965 and another at Heal’s in 1966, Willsher’s career as a sculptor took off. He was given another exhibition at Heal’s in 1967 (where he sold everything for the deliberately low price of £10 each, subverting the ‘fine art’ context). He showed in Melbourne, Australia, had three works commissioned for Dartington Hall and six for Devon Guild of Craftsmen. He also showed in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition for five years in a row.However, just as his career was taking off, Willsher became more famous for a controversy not of his making. In 1968, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) decided his work did not count as ‘fine art’ and so was immediately subject to the 40% manufacturing tax on ‘household decorations’ – in a grim parallel of the 1926 episode when US Customs officials denied Constantin Brancusi’s Bird in Space entry into the country, arguing it was just a piece of metal rather than a sculpture. Willsher was probably not helped by his own diffidence to pricing his work as ‘art’. And part of the Revenue’s argument may have been based on his technique - he didn’t hide the fact he used a bandsaw rather than a chisel. Indeed, he had featured in a British Pathé newsreel, which showed him at work in his suburban garden studio sawing blocks of wood, his hands just centimetres from the bandsaw blade. ‘These are no handmade shapes created with highfalutin motivations’, intones the voice-over, ‘Some purist sculptors may turn up their noses at Willsher’s efforts.’A number of artists sprang to Willsher’s defence, most notably Moore, who perhaps saw many of his own sculptural concerns within Willsher’s abstract sculptures, with their holes punched through the middle. Moore was quoted in The Guardian saying, ‘Here's pure sculpture, indeed! More than that, memorable sculpture!’ and in turn it was The Guardian and The Observer who turned the impasse into a national campaign, posing questions such as ‘When is a sculpture not a sculpture?’ Eventually, HMRC backed down and Willsher was vindicated, although the furore put him off exhibiting, just at the point when his star was in the ascendant. This may go some way to explain why his work is less well-known today than it should be – even if he has enjoyed something of a small renaissance in the last decade or so, as dedicated collectors such as Hugo Burge would seek his work out, either online or at the few galleries who showed him. This reappraisal of Willsher reached its apotheosis in October 2021, with an exhibition at Margaret Howell’s Wigmore Street atelier – a non-traditional ‘art’ space of which the artist would no doubt have approved.Willsher is known almost exclusively for his finely turned, smoothly finished carvings in exotic woods and so we are delighted to be able to also present some of his lesser-seen bronzes from Hugo Burge’s collection, as together they represent the breadth of Willsher’s sculptural vision.
BRIAN WILLSHER (BRITISH 1930-2010) MILLENIA 9/9, embossed with signature, title and number to base, verdigris bronze 29cm high, 25.5cm wide,15cm deep (11.5in high, 10in wide, 6in deep) including integral base Brian Willsher was born in the deprived south London borough of Catford in 1930 and lived in the city all his life. His was a definitively ‘non-art’ background, one that would today make him an ‘outsider artist’ and very liked fêted by an art world in search of authentic voices. He had no formal training as a sculptor – instead he studied engineering at Woolwich Polytechnic for three years from 1946 and then began a career of odd-jobbing, working as telephone engineer, farm worker and dental technician, all the while funnelling his various salaries into his passion for motorcycle racing.In the early 1950s Willsher suffered a major bike accident. During his recovery he began playing around with plaster, before moving onto wood around 1956. Initially he tried his hand at making a living carving salad bowls, to little success, although this did lead to a shop owner asking him to make lamp bases instead. They proved far more popular and were sold at Harrods, Heal’s and Liberty’s. From here, Willsher began to generate purely sculptural forms, defined by their intricacy and layering, in a Modernist vocabulary reminiscent of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. After a one-man show at Dunn’s furniture store in Bromley in 1965 and another at Heal’s in 1966, Willsher’s career as a sculptor took off. He was given another exhibition at Heal’s in 1967 (where he sold everything for the deliberately low price of £10 each, subverting the ‘fine art’ context). He showed in Melbourne, Australia, had three works commissioned for Dartington Hall and six for Devon Guild of Craftsmen. He also showed in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition for five years in a row.However, just as his career was taking off, Willsher became more famous for a controversy not of his making. In 1968, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) decided his work did not count as ‘fine art’ and so was immediately subject to the 40% manufacturing tax on ‘household decorations’ – in a grim parallel of the 1926 episode when US Customs officials denied Constantin Brancusi’s Bird in Space entry into the country, arguing it was just a piece of metal rather than a sculpture. Willsher was probably not helped by his own diffidence to pricing his work as ‘art’. And part of the Revenue’s argument may have been based on his technique - he didn’t hide the fact he used a bandsaw rather than a chisel. Indeed, he had featured in a British Pathé newsreel, which showed him at work in his suburban garden studio sawing blocks of wood, his hands just centimetres from the bandsaw blade. ‘These are no handmade shapes created with highfalutin motivations’, intones the voice-over, ‘Some purist sculptors may turn up their noses at Willsher’s efforts.’A number of artists sprang to Willsher’s defence, most notably Moore, who perhaps saw many of his own sculptural concerns within Willsher’s abstract sculptures, with their holes punched through the middle. Moore was quoted in The Guardian saying, ‘Here's pure sculpture, indeed! More than that, memorable sculpture!’ and in turn it was The Guardian and The Observer who turned the impasse into a national campaign, posing questions such as ‘When is a sculpture not a sculpture?’ Eventually, HMRC backed down and Willsher was vindicated, although the furore put him off exhibiting, just at the point when his star was in the ascendant. This may go some way to explain why his work is less well-known today than it should be – even if he has enjoyed something of a small renaissance in the last decade or so, as dedicated collectors such as Hugo Burge would seek his work out, either online or at the few galleries who showed him. This reappraisal of Willsher reached its apotheosis in October 2021, with an exhibition at Margaret Howell’s Wigmore Street atelier – a non-traditional ‘art’ space of which the artist would no doubt have approved.Willsher is known almost exclusively for his finely turned, smoothly finished carvings in exotic woods and so we are delighted to be able to also present some of his lesser-seen bronzes from Hugo Burge’s collection, as together they represent the breadth of Willsher’s sculptural vision.
BRIAN WILLSHER (BRITISH 1930-2010) BRAZ MARK signed and inscribed with title by hand on the underside of the base, carved wood 80cm high, 54cm wide, 18cm deep (31 ½in high, 21 ¼in wide, 7in deep) including integral wooden base Brian Willsher was born in the deprived south London borough of Catford in 1930 and lived in the city all his life. His was a definitively ‘non-art’ background, one that would today make him an ‘outsider artist’ and very liked fêted by an art world in search of authentic voices. He had no formal training as a sculptor – instead he studied engineering at Woolwich Polytechnic for three years from 1946 and then began a career of odd-jobbing, working as telephone engineer, farm worker and dental technician, all the while funnelling his various salaries into his passion for motorcycle racing.In the early 1950s Willsher suffered a major bike accident. During his recovery he began playing around with plaster, before moving onto wood around 1956. Initially he tried his hand at making a living carving salad bowls, to little success, although this did lead to a shop owner asking him to make lamp bases instead. They proved far more popular and were sold at Harrods, Heal’s and Liberty’s. From here, Willsher began to generate purely sculptural forms, defined by their intricacy and layering, in a Modernist vocabulary reminiscent of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. After a one-man show at Dunn’s furniture store in Bromley in 1965 and another at Heal’s in 1966, Willsher’s career as a sculptor took off. He was given another exhibition at Heal’s in 1967 (where he sold everything for the deliberately low price of £10 each, subverting the ‘fine art’ context). He showed in Melbourne, Australia, had three works commissioned for Dartington Hall and six for Devon Guild of Craftsmen. He also showed in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition for five years in a row.However, just as his career was taking off, Willsher became more famous for a controversy not of his making. In 1968, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) decided his work did not count as ‘fine art’ and so was immediately subject to the 40% manufacturing tax on ‘household decorations’ – in a grim parallel of the 1926 episode when US Customs officials denied Constantin Brancusi’s Bird in Space entry into the country, arguing it was just a piece of metal rather than a sculpture. Willsher was probably not helped by his own diffidence to pricing his work as ‘art’. And part of the Revenue’s argument may have been based on his technique - he didn’t hide the fact he used a bandsaw rather than a chisel. Indeed, he had featured in a British Pathé newsreel, which showed him at work in his suburban garden studio sawing blocks of wood, his hands just centimetres from the bandsaw blade. ‘These are no handmade shapes created with highfalutin motivations’, intones the voice-over, ‘Some purist sculptors may turn up their noses at Willsher’s efforts.’A number of artists sprang to Willsher’s defence, most notably Moore, who perhaps saw many of his own sculptural concerns within Willsher’s abstract sculptures, with their holes punched through the middle. Moore was quoted in The Guardian saying, ‘Here's pure sculpture, indeed! More than that, memorable sculpture!’ and in turn it was The Guardian and The Observer who turned the impasse into a national campaign, posing questions such as ‘When is a sculpture not a sculpture?’ Eventually, HMRC backed down and Willsher was vindicated, although the furore put him off exhibiting, just at the point when his star was in the ascendant. This may go some way to explain why his work is less well-known today than it should be – even if he has enjoyed something of a small renaissance in the last decade or so, as dedicated collectors such as Hugo Burge would seek his work out, either online or at the few galleries who showed him. This reappraisal of Willsher reached its apotheosis in October 2021, with an exhibition at Margaret Howell’s Wigmore Street atelier – a non-traditional ‘art’ space of which the artist would no doubt have approved.Willsher is known almost exclusively for his finely turned, smoothly finished carvings in exotic woods and so we are delighted to be able to also present some of his lesser-seen bronzes from Hugo Burge’s collection, as together they represent the breadth of Willsher’s sculptural vision.
BRIAN WILLSHER (BRITISH 1930-2010) CONSTRUCTION XVIII 9/9, embossed with signature, title and number to base, verdigris bronze 21cm high, 35.5cm wide, 18cm deep (8 ¼in high, 4in wide, 7in deep) including integral base Brian Willsher was born in the deprived south London borough of Catford in 1930 and lived in the city all his life. His was a definitively ‘non-art’ background, one that would today make him an ‘outsider artist’ and very liked fêted by an art world in search of authentic voices. He had no formal training as a sculptor – instead he studied engineering at Woolwich Polytechnic for three years from 1946 and then began a career of odd-jobbing, working as telephone engineer, farm worker and dental technician, all the while funnelling his various salaries into his passion for motorcycle racing.In the early 1950s Willsher suffered a major bike accident. During his recovery he began playing around with plaster, before moving onto wood around 1956. Initially he tried his hand at making a living carving salad bowls, to little success, although this did lead to a shop owner asking him to make lamp bases instead. They proved far more popular and were sold at Harrods, Heal’s and Liberty’s. From here, Willsher began to generate purely sculptural forms, defined by their intricacy and layering, in a Modernist vocabulary reminiscent of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. After a one-man show at Dunn’s furniture store in Bromley in 1965 and another at Heal’s in 1966, Willsher’s career as a sculptor took off. He was given another exhibition at Heal’s in 1967 (where he sold everything for the deliberately low price of £10 each, subverting the ‘fine art’ context). He showed in Melbourne, Australia, had three works commissioned for Dartington Hall and six for Devon Guild of Craftsmen. He also showed in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition for five years in a row.However, just as his career was taking off, Willsher became more famous for a controversy not of his making. In 1968, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) decided his work did not count as ‘fine art’ and so was immediately subject to the 40% manufacturing tax on ‘household decorations’ – in a grim parallel of the 1926 episode when US Customs officials denied Constantin Brancusi’s Bird in Space entry into the country, arguing it was just a piece of metal rather than a sculpture. Willsher was probably not helped by his own diffidence to pricing his work as ‘art’. And part of the Revenue’s argument may have been based on his technique - he didn’t hide the fact he used a bandsaw rather than a chisel. Indeed, he had featured in a British Pathé newsreel, which showed him at work in his suburban garden studio sawing blocks of wood, his hands just centimetres from the bandsaw blade. ‘These are no handmade shapes created with highfalutin motivations’, intones the voice-over, ‘Some purist sculptors may turn up their noses at Willsher’s efforts.’A number of artists sprang to Willsher’s defence, most notably Moore, who perhaps saw many of his own sculptural concerns within Willsher’s abstract sculptures, with their holes punched through the middle. Moore was quoted in The Guardian saying, ‘Here's pure sculpture, indeed! More than that, memorable sculpture!’ and in turn it was The Guardian and The Observer who turned the impasse into a national campaign, posing questions such as ‘When is a sculpture not a sculpture?’ Eventually, HMRC backed down and Willsher was vindicated, although the furore put him off exhibiting, just at the point when his star was in the ascendant. This may go some way to explain why his work is less well-known today than it should be – even if he has enjoyed something of a small renaissance in the last decade or so, as dedicated collectors such as Hugo Burge would seek his work out, either online or at the few galleries who showed him. This reappraisal of Willsher reached its apotheosis in October 2021, with an exhibition at Margaret Howell’s Wigmore Street atelier – a non-traditional ‘art’ space of which the artist would no doubt have approved.Willsher is known almost exclusively for his finely turned, smoothly finished carvings in exotic woods and so we are delighted to be able to also present some of his lesser-seen bronzes from Hugo Burge’s collection, as together they represent the breadth of Willsher’s sculptural vision.
BREVETE S.G.D.G., FRANCE BAR BILLIARDS TABLE, CIRCA 1920 oak and beech, with baize playing surface, comes with three cues and seven white and one red billiard balls, three skittles, maker's label inscribed BREVETE S.G.D.G., FRANCE, LICENSE A. BASILE, 91cm high, 94.5cm wide, 184 long (36in high, 37 ¼ wide, 72 ½in long); together with a SCORE BOARD, brass and mahogany, 20cm high, 82cm wide (8in high, 32 ¼ wide)
BRIAN WILLSHER (BRITISH 1930-2010) WISHBONE signed and dated ‘2001’ by hand to underside, carved wood 25cm high, 11.5cm wide, 7cm deep (9 ¾in high, 4 ¼in wide, 2 ¾in deep) Brian Willsher was born in the deprived south London borough of Catford in 1930 and lived in the city all his life. His was a definitively ‘non-art’ background, one that would today make him an ‘outsider artist’ and very liked fêted by an art world in search of authentic voices. He had no formal training as a sculptor – instead he studied engineering at Woolwich Polytechnic for three years from 1946 and then began a career of odd-jobbing, working as telephone engineer, farm worker and dental technician, all the while funnelling his various salaries into his passion for motorcycle racing.In the early 1950s Willsher suffered a major bike accident. During his recovery he began playing around with plaster, before moving onto wood around 1956. Initially he tried his hand at making a living carving salad bowls, to little success, although this did lead to a shop owner asking him to make lamp bases instead. They proved far more popular and were sold at Harrods, Heal’s and Liberty’s. From here, Willsher began to generate purely sculptural forms, defined by their intricacy and layering, in a Modernist vocabulary reminiscent of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. After a one-man show at Dunn’s furniture store in Bromley in 1965 and another at Heal’s in 1966, Willsher’s career as a sculptor took off. He was given another exhibition at Heal’s in 1967 (where he sold everything for the deliberately low price of £10 each, subverting the ‘fine art’ context). He showed in Melbourne, Australia, had three works commissioned for Dartington Hall and six for Devon Guild of Craftsmen. He also showed in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition for five years in a row.However, just as his career was taking off, Willsher became more famous for a controversy not of his making. In 1968, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) decided his work did not count as ‘fine art’ and so was immediately subject to the 40% manufacturing tax on ‘household decorations’ – in a grim parallel of the 1926 episode when US Customs officials denied Constantin Brancusi’s Bird in Space entry into the country, arguing it was just a piece of metal rather than a sculpture. Willsher was probably not helped by his own diffidence to pricing his work as ‘art’. And part of the Revenue’s argument may have been based on his technique - he didn’t hide the fact he used a bandsaw rather than a chisel. Indeed, he had featured in a British Pathé newsreel, which showed him at work in his suburban garden studio sawing blocks of wood, his hands just centimetres from the bandsaw blade. ‘These are no handmade shapes created with highfalutin motivations’, intones the voice-over, ‘Some purist sculptors may turn up their noses at Willsher’s efforts.’A number of artists sprang to Willsher’s defence, most notably Moore, who perhaps saw many of his own sculptural concerns within Willsher’s abstract sculptures, with their holes punched through the middle. Moore was quoted in The Guardian saying, ‘Here's pure sculpture, indeed! More than that, memorable sculpture!’ and in turn it was The Guardian and The Observer who turned the impasse into a national campaign, posing questions such as ‘When is a sculpture not a sculpture?’ Eventually, HMRC backed down and Willsher was vindicated, although the furore put him off exhibiting, just at the point when his star was in the ascendant. This may go some way to explain why his work is less well-known today than it should be – even if he has enjoyed something of a small renaissance in the last decade or so, as dedicated collectors such as Hugo Burge would seek his work out, either online or at the few galleries who showed him. This reappraisal of Willsher reached its apotheosis in October 2021, with an exhibition at Margaret Howell’s Wigmore Street atelier – a non-traditional ‘art’ space of which the artist would no doubt have approved.Willsher is known almost exclusively for his finely turned, smoothly finished carvings in exotic woods and so we are delighted to be able to also present some of his lesser-seen bronzes from Hugo Burge’s collection, as together they represent the breadth of Willsher’s sculptural vision.
BRIAN WILLSHER (BRITISH 1930-2010) SORROW 9/9, embossed with signature, title and number to base, verdigris bronze 68cm high, 33cm wide, 26cm deep (26 ¾in high, 13in wide, 10 ¼in deep) including integral base Brian Willsher was born in the deprived south London borough of Catford in 1930 and lived in the city all his life. His was a definitively ‘non-art’ background, one that would today make him an ‘outsider artist’ and very liked fêted by an art world in search of authentic voices. He had no formal training as a sculptor – instead he studied engineering at Woolwich Polytechnic for three years from 1946 and then began a career of odd-jobbing, working as telephone engineer, farm worker and dental technician, all the while funnelling his various salaries into his passion for motorcycle racing.In the early 1950s Willsher suffered a major bike accident. During his recovery he began playing around with plaster, before moving onto wood around 1956. Initially he tried his hand at making a living carving salad bowls, to little success, although this did lead to a shop owner asking him to make lamp bases instead. They proved far more popular and were sold at Harrods, Heal’s and Liberty’s. From here, Willsher began to generate purely sculptural forms, defined by their intricacy and layering, in a Modernist vocabulary reminiscent of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. After a one-man show at Dunn’s furniture store in Bromley in 1965 and another at Heal’s in 1966, Willsher’s career as a sculptor took off. He was given another exhibition at Heal’s in 1967 (where he sold everything for the deliberately low price of £10 each, subverting the ‘fine art’ context). He showed in Melbourne, Australia, had three works commissioned for Dartington Hall and six for Devon Guild of Craftsmen. He also showed in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition for five years in a row.However, just as his career was taking off, Willsher became more famous for a controversy not of his making. In 1968, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) decided his work did not count as ‘fine art’ and so was immediately subject to the 40% manufacturing tax on ‘household decorations’ – in a grim parallel of the 1926 episode when US Customs officials denied Constantin Brancusi’s Bird in Space entry into the country, arguing it was just a piece of metal rather than a sculpture. Willsher was probably not helped by his own diffidence to pricing his work as ‘art’. And part of the Revenue’s argument may have been based on his technique - he didn’t hide the fact he used a bandsaw rather than a chisel. Indeed, he had featured in a British Pathé newsreel, which showed him at work in his suburban garden studio sawing blocks of wood, his hands just centimetres from the bandsaw blade. ‘These are no handmade shapes created with highfalutin motivations’, intones the voice-over, ‘Some purist sculptors may turn up their noses at Willsher’s efforts.’A number of artists sprang to Willsher’s defence, most notably Moore, who perhaps saw many of his own sculptural concerns within Willsher’s abstract sculptures, with their holes punched through the middle. Moore was quoted in The Guardian saying, ‘Here's pure sculpture, indeed! More than that, memorable sculpture!’ and in turn it was The Guardian and The Observer who turned the impasse into a national campaign, posing questions such as ‘When is a sculpture not a sculpture?’ Eventually, HMRC backed down and Willsher was vindicated, although the furore put him off exhibiting, just at the point when his star was in the ascendant. This may go some way to explain why his work is less well-known today than it should be – even if he has enjoyed something of a small renaissance in the last decade or so, as dedicated collectors such as Hugo Burge would seek his work out, either online or at the few galleries who showed him. This reappraisal of Willsher reached its apotheosis in October 2021, with an exhibition at Margaret Howell’s Wigmore Street atelier – a non-traditional ‘art’ space of which the artist would no doubt have approved.Willsher is known almost exclusively for his finely turned, smoothly finished carvings in exotic woods and so we are delighted to be able to also present some of his lesser-seen bronzes from Hugo Burge’s collection, as together they represent the breadth of Willsher’s sculptural vision.
TWO VICTORIAN MINTONS TILES printed in olive green, brown and blue after Moyr Smith with classical figures playing Pan pipes and Sistrum, one with moulded mark, 8" square, together with a set of three underglaze sepia printed tiles in fixed frames, 6" square (5) (Est. plus 24% premium inc. VAT)Condition Report: Marked pipe tile good, sistrum cracked and glued with minor losses. Unable to take remaining 3 tiles out of frames, so maker unknown, but all good condition.
A SWISS MUSICAL BOX, late 19th century, the 8 1/4" cylinder and one piece comb playing seven airs as listed on the tune sheet, the burr walnut case inlaid with parquetry lozenges and with ebonised trim and rosewood banding, on bracket feet, 17 1/4" wide (Est. plus 24% premium inc. VAT)Condition Report: Appears to be in good working order although the movement may need a clean. Case in very good order bar minor scuff marks to ebonized trim and cracked glass to movement cover. The whole faded to a pleasant honey colour
A MEISSEN PORCELAIN GROUP ALLEGORICAL OF AUTUMN AFTER JOHANN CARL SCHÖNHEIT modelled as two young children with a goat, the boy playing a recorder, the girl holding fruiting vines, painted predominantly in shades of blue, crossed swords, incised G93 and impressed 72, 6" high (Est. plus 24% premium inc. VAT)Condition Report: recorder, hands and horns restored
This Royal Doulton figurine titled Dreamweaver was designed by Mary Nicoll. The piece depicts a seated man playing the pan flute, surrounded by charming woodland animals. Crafted in hand-painted porcelain, the figurine features intricate detailing and a naturalistic design. It stands 8.5 inches in height and bears the Royal Doulton backstamp on the base, along with the HN2283 model number.Artist: Mary NicollIssued: 1972-1976Dimensions: 8.5"HCountry of Origin: EnglandCondition: Age related wear.
Set of two vintage playing card decks featuring Royal Doulton and Royal Albert branding. The Royal Doulton deck showcases a classic joker illustration, while the Royal Albert deck highlights the elegant Lavender Rose bone china pattern. Housed in an original Royal Doulton storage box with gold lettering, this set is a unique collectible for card enthusiasts and fine china collectors alike.Issued: 20th centuryDimensions: 4"HCountry of Origin: EnglandCondition: Age related wear.
A limited edition porcelain figurine from The Snowman series, titled "All Together Now." This festive scene features three snowmen joyfully playing musical instruments—one with a violin, another with a flute, and a third with a tambourine—dressed with colorful accessories, including a party hat and bow tie. Produced by Characters and part of an international limited edition of 500, this hand-painted piece captures the charm of Raymond Briggs' classic story. The base bears the official backstamp and edition details. Includes original box and certificate of authenticity.Issued: 2004Dimensions: 6"HCountry of Origin: EnglandCondition: Age related wear.
A delightful Royal Doulton bone china figurine titled Cellist Snowman from The Snowman Collection. Inspired by Raymond Briggs beloved story The Snowman, this charming figurine captures the snowman joyfully playing a cello while dressed in a green vest, yellow bow tie, and brown cap. The figure is marked with the Royal Doulton backstamp on the base, confirming authenticity. This lot includes the original box featuring classic The Snowman artwork, making it a wonderful collector's piece or festive decoration.Issued: 1988Dimensions: 5.5"HCountry of Origin: EnglandCondition: Age related wear.
Film Weekly Award / Madeleine Carroll / AD Astra Bronze, brass medallion measuring 12" in diameter and weighing 10lb approx, with a beautiful decorative image in relief featuring three figures next to the comedy and tragedy masks in presentation case - engraved:' AD Astra' - 'Madeleine Carroll' - 'Film Weekly Award' - 'Awarded For her performance in 'I was a Spy'' - 'Judged The Best performance of 1933 in a British Film' - playing 'Marthe Knockaert' - Disc in very good condition - Case fully intact with some wear to edges - also included are some photographs and cuttings including her receiving the award and presentation copy
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