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Written just a few weeks before his death GAUGUIN PAUL: (1848-1903) French post-Impressionist Artist. Recognized, only after his death, for his experimental use of colour and synthetist style, distinct from Impressionism. Very rare and late Autograph Letter by Paul Gauguin, less than a month before his death, including a list of his paintings which he adds to a corner, two pages, folio, in pencil, n.p., n.d. [April, 1903], to Léonce Brault, his lawyer, in French. Gauguin had just been condemned and presents the court case to his lawyer and friend Léonce Brault, for his defence less than a month before passing away. Gauguin had denounced to the administrator of the Marquesas Islands the gendarme Guichenay de Tahuata who was receiving bribes from American whalers; the latter instructed his colleague from Ivaoa to prosecute Gauguin for "defamation of a gendarme in the exercise of his functions". Gauguin was condemned on 31st March 1903 to three months of prison and 55 francs of fine. He immediately entrusts his friend Léonce Brault with his defence, but he dies on the 8th of May 1903. At the base of the second page, bottom left corner and in vertical, Gauguin annotates 14 titles of his paintings, in bold dark ink, a very rare and extremely interesting list in his hand, which he numbers, including `natures mortes - philosophe - 2 femmes - femme enfant - 2 chevaux - Adam Eve - grande toile - Mataia paysage - religieuse - Mataia avec cheval - Vahine matava´ (“dead natures - philosopher - 2 women - woman child - 2 horses - Adan Eve - large canvas - Mataia landscape - nun - Mataia with horse - Vahine matava”) Gauguin reports in his letter about gendarmes corruption, stating in part `Au commencement de février j'avais envoyé a Mr l'administrateur des Marquises une lettre lui demandant de faire une enquete sur les marchandises débarquées par le gendarme de Tavata des navires baleiniers afin de savoir si elles étaient en règle, sinon ce serait une conduite scandaleuse. Tout le monde sait ici, les capitaines baleiniers ayant débarqué un très grand nombre de marchandises, disant que le gendarme avait eu suffisament la patte graissée… Ce que je voulais c'était comme c'est mon droit exiger une enquête d'autant plus que des indigènes ont été condamnés pour avoir reçu au lieu d'argent savon etc. voir même en paiement de prostitution´ (At the beginning of February I had sent a letter to the administrator of the Marquesas asking him to investigate the goods landed by the gendarme of Tavata from the whaling ships in order to find out if they were in order, otherwise it would be scandalous conduct... Everyone knows here, the whaler captains having landed a very large number of goods, saying that the gendarme had been bribed enough… What I wanted was, as it is my right, to demand an investigation, especially since natives were condemned for having received instead of money, soap, etc. see even in payment for prostitution..”) further saying that because the administrator did not initiate an investigation and only asked the gendarme to put everything in right order, then Gauguin wrote again to the administrator `…déclarant que l'enquête n'ayant pas été ordonnée et faite je tenais le gendarme pour un parfait honnête homme, and withdraw the denounce. Sur ce dans le courant de février le brigadier un grossier personnage vint a me menacer de beaucoup de choses entre autres de me poursuivre pour diffamation de la gendarmerie..´ (“declaring that the investigation not having been ordered and carried out, I considered the gendarme to be a perfectly honest man, and withdraw the denounce. On this and in the course of February the brigadier, a rude character, came to threaten me with many things and among others to sue me for defamation of the gendarmerie..”) Gauguin explains to his lawyer that he has reported about these threatens to the administrator. Before concluding Gauguin states `..cette affaire que vous avez a examiner attentivement pour la défendre quand le moment sera venu… Vous lirez un dossier des plus curieux´ (…this case that you have to examine carefully in order to defend it when time will come... You will read a most curious file”) Gauguin has been researching and reading about the law used to condemn him, asking his lawyer `..la loi de juillet 1881 invoquée par le juge et la citation est une loi de presse. Une lettre adressée à un administrateur au gouverneur est elle considérée comme un imprimé ou paroles diffamant publiquement?´ (“the law of July 1881 invoked by the judge and the citation is a press law. Is a letter addressed to an administrator to the governor considered a publicly defamatory statement or speech?”) A very late letter by Gauguin with extremely interesting content. Overall age wear, mostly to edges, with multiple small tears and creasing to edges. F to G Léonce Brault (1858-1933) Tahitian LawyerThe Marquesas Islands, known as the “Archipel des Marquises”, are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia.At the beginning of 1903, Gauguin was engaged in a campaign to expose the incompetence of the island's gendarmes. But the matter turned against him and he was fined 500 francs and sentenced to three months' imprisonment by the local magistrate on 27 March 1903. Gauguin immediately filed an appeal in Papeete and set about raising the funds to travel to Papeete to hear his appeal.At this time Gauguin was very weak and in great pain and resorted once again to using morphine. He died on the morning of 8 May 1903, only few weeks after writing the present letter.

ARTISTS: Selection of A.Ls.S., T.Ls.S. (2) etc., by various artists and sculptors, mainly American, comprising Kenneth Snelson, Richard Hamilton (A.N.S.), Nigel Hall (to the curator of the Storm King Art Centre in New York, stating that it was good to have met her at the Tate conference and remarking 'I hope conditions at the Chelsea Arts Club were not too rigorous!'), Ben Shahn (to Leonard Lyons of the New York Post, thanking him for a story and commenting 'But if you worry about my ever missing them. Don't! All our commuters make damn sure I get 'em every time', accompanied by the original envelope), George Rickey and Walter De Maria (apologising for some delays and confusion regarding a proposed land transaction and remarking 'I must say that the geothermal people needed this land more than I did and with today's energy crisis upon us I have no doubt that within a few years there will probably be an electric power station in the valley', 17th November 1973). A few minor faults, generally VG, 6

CARPEAUX JEAN-BAPTISTE: (1827-1875) French Sculptor and Painter. A fine and interesting content A.L.S., `J.Bte Carpeaux´, three pages, 8vo, n.p., 9th July 1873, to a friend, in French. Carpeaux starts referring to French author Alexandre Dumas, and tries to help his correspondent´s cousin stating in part `Mr. Dumas m´a répondu qu´il veut bien lire la piece de ton cousin et qu´il attend de la recevoir. Elle a donc été égarée par la personne chargée de la mettre a la Poste..´ (“Mr. Dumas replied to me that he would be happy to read your cousin's play and that he is waiting to receive it. It was therefore misplaced by the person in charge of sending it through the post office...”), further explaining that it is not worth to spend time checking at the post office where the parcel is, and it is worth sending a new copy to Dumas´ address at Dieppe. Carpeaux further again wishes good luck to his correspondent and says `J´espere que tout ira pour le mieux. Car Dumas m´a dit qu´il lira la piece sachant que cela me fera Plaisir, et qu´il m´en dira son sentiment. Il est donc bon quelques fois d´etre malade, cela peut servir aux amis´ (“I hope that everything will work well. Because Dumas told me that he will read the play knowing that it will please me, and that he will tell me his feelings about it. It is therefore good sometimes to be sick, it can be useful to friends”) At the conclusion Carpeaux says goodbye as `De tout coeur, ton vieil ami´ (“With all my heart, your old friend”) A letter of good association, reporting on Carpeaux and Dumas fils friendship, and mentioning Carpeaux´s illness in the last years of his life. Very small repair to the fold and extremely small tear to the right edge, otherwise G Alexandre Dumas, Fils (1824-1895) French Author and Dramatist. Author of the romantic novel La Dame aux Camelias (“The Lady of the Camellias”), published in 1848, which was adapted into Verdi´s 1853 opera La Traviata.

HALSMAN PHILIPPE: (1906-1979) American portrait photographer, famous for his collaborations with Salvador Dali in the 1940s and 1950s. T.L.S., Philippe, one page, 4to, New York, 11th December 1967, to Leonard Lyons, on his printed stationery. Halsman thanks his correspondent for having published an item about Vladimir Nabokov and remarks 'The young man (who is very sympatico) is delighted: everybody seems to have read your item and Sports Illustrated got in touch with him because of this'. About EX Leonard Lyons (1906-1976) American Newspaper Columnist for the New York Post where his columns, The Lyons Den, became a New York institution covering theatre, movies, politics and art.

JOHN PAUL I: (1912-1978) Pope of the Roman Catholic Church in 1978. Born Albino Luciani. His 33 days reign is one of the shortest in papal history. A good signed blessing card `+C. Luciani´, to a 6 x 5 card, Venice, n.d., in Italian. The card bears the printed heading “Albino Luciani - Patriarca di Venezia'', and beneath the printed text “Ricambia vivamente l´augurio di Buona Pasqua con benedicente salute” (“Warmly reciprocating the wishes for a Happy Easter with health blessing”) Signed at the base by John Paul I, in bold blue ink and in his capacity as Patriarch of Venice, a post he occupied from 1969-78. EX

GROTIUS HUGO: (1583-1645) Dutch Humanist, Diplomat, Lawyer, Theologian, Jurist, Poet & Playwright. A rare A.L.S., H Grotius, one page, folio, n.p., 12th January 1645, to Ludwig Camerarius, in Latin. Grotius states that he has received his correspondent's noble letters mentioning the Burweiler goods and remarks 'I have not considered yet how much all this could benefit the more King Gustav; not so much because of my will, but because of them. Merits are fine, but for myself what remains is the memory', further adding 'And as far as I know this same process has served us well. To have put to the test everything that I always was, at most someone cultivated for the post of Camerlengo'. With integral address leaf bearing two small red wax seals. Some light overall damp staining, minor uniform age toning to the body of text and signature, a lengthy, neat horizontal split to the centre, a few other smaller neat splits at folds and some evidence of repairs to the integral leaf, G  Ludwig Camerarius (1573-1651) German Statesman & Lawyer, head of King Frederick V's government in exile in the Hague. Camerarius also served Swedish interests later in his life. In the present letter Grotius would appear to refer to Gustavus Adolphus (1594-1632) King of Sweden 1611-32, credited for the rise of Sweden as a major European power.

DUMAS ALEXANDRE Fils: (1824-1895) French Author and Dramatist. A.L.S., `A. Dumas´, two pages, to a 4.5 x 3.5 grey oblong card, n.p., n.d., to an unidentified friend, in French. Dumas states in part `Mon cher ami, puisque vous me reprochez d´etre trop prodigue envers la poste quand je fais des envois d´argent a Paris, je donne un bon sur vous a mon carrossier, ça ne me coutera rien´ (“My dear friend, since you reproach me for being too prodigal towards the post office when I send money to Paris, I am giving a voucher on you to my coachman, it will cost me nothing”) Dumas further refers to his correspondent´s recent stay in his home, saying `Il a plu le jour de votre depart comme je l´avais prédit. Depuis lors le temps est admirable et votre chambre vous attend quand vous voudrez´ (“It rained the day you left as I predicted. Since then the weather has been wonderful and your room is waiting for you whenever you want”) VG

DUMAS ALEXANDRE: Fils (1824-1895) French Author and Dramatist. A.L.S., A Dumas, one page, 8vo, n.p., n.d. [June 1861], to Madame Porcher, in French. Dumas states in Part `My dear Madame Porcher, Would you be so kind to send me in the next few days, to Madame Sand´s address, at Nohant - Indre, by post-mail a cheque of one thousand francs. It should be more or less what you owe me..´, further saying `Tell Porcher that few days ago Madame Sand was talking about him using excellent terms. This will please him and it is true.´  With blank integral leaf. VG  £200-300   George Sand (1804-1876) French Novelist who used the pseudonym of George Sand, her real name being Amantine Dupin. Also known for her romantic affairs with artists, including Frédéric Chopin, Alexandre Dumas and Alfred de Musset.

PUVIS DE CHAVANNES PIERRE: (1824-1898) French Painter. Best known for his works on mural painting. Zola described his work as `An Art made of Reason, Passion and Will´. A.L.S., `P. Puvis de Chavannes´, two pages, to both sides of his 5 x 4 personal card, 11 Place Pigalle, Paris, n.d., in French. The card bears his printed monogramme to the heading. A boldly written message, Puvis de Chavannes stating `Je destine au champ de Mars, la route étant un peu compliquée et nouvelle pour les cochers, vous recevrez un itinéraire´ (“I'm going to the Champ de Mars, the road being a bit complicated and new for coachmen, you will receive an itinerary”), and further to a post-scriptum, states `Je veux vous dire encore combien vos lettres sont charmantes et adorables - oui oui adorables´ (“I want to tell you again how much your letters are charming and adorable - yes yes adorable”) G to VG

CAIN JAMES M.: (1892-1977) American author of hardboiled crime fiction whose works included The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934), Mildred Pierce (1941) and Double Indemnity (1944), all of which were made into movies. T.L.S., James M Cain, one page, 4to, Hyatsville, Maryland, 10th February 1963, to Mrs. E. J. Connor of Who's Who in America. Cain writes, in part, 'Reading the monumental life of Jefferson by Nathan Schachner I opened Who's Who in America to see who he was, and didn't find him. This is just a note to suggest his inclusion, as it is a profoundly scholarly work, by itself a qualification, I would think, whether he's done anything else or not…..With my latest corrected proofs I sent two other suggestions on, Paul Hume of the Washington Post & Times Herald, their music critic, and Lois Long, the New Yorker's fashion writer……whether the note reached your desk I don't know. Hence this brief recap. Getting one more half line of your father's agate type was the hardest chore of my life, and now that he's gone, doesn't get any easier. But I never fail to think of him when I fill out one of your forms. The two editions since his passing have been up to standard, to my eye, particularly the last, which is better proof-read than the other…..The selections are really encyclopedic, and do you enormous credit'. Accompanied by the original envelope. Some very light, extremely minor creasing, VG

CAPOTE TRUMAN: (1924-1984) American novelist. A.L.S., Toujour, Iago, to one side of a colour picture postcard depicting part of the shoreline of Corsica, n.p. (Calvi), n.d. (27th April 1962), to Leonard Lyons. At the head of the text Capote provides an address in Palamos, Costa Brava, Spain, and writes, in full, 'Am in Corsica, but leave tomorrow for above address where I expect to be most of the summer. Bless you for cont[inuing] to send the column. Please do. I will write from Spain. Love to Sylvia'. A few light, minor stains and age wear, about VGIago, a fictional character in William Shakespeare's Othello, is a Machiavellian schemer and manipulator and one of the playwright's most sinister villains.  Leonard Lyons (1906-1976) American Newspaper Columnist for the New York Post where his columns, The Lyons Den, became a New York institution covering theatre, movies, politics and art.

UPDIKE JOHN: (1932-2009) American novelist, poet & short-story writer. Signed 4 x 6 postcard, the image (originally captured by photographer Jill Krementz) showing Updike in a head and shoulders pose with his hand raised to his face. Signed ('John Updike') in dark ink with his name alone to alone to a clear area at the head of the image. With an A.N.S., John Updike, to the verso, stating 'How's this for a picture?'. Also hand addressed by Updike and post marked at Massachusetts, 16th September 1986. VG

HUAIZHONG XU: (1929- ) Chinese Novelist. Awarded with the prestigious Mao Dun Literature Prize. A clean A.L.S., written and signed in Chinese characters, one page, 4to, Beijing, 19th March 1989, to Michael Levin. A very clean and carefully penned letter in Huaizhong´s hand, untranslated. Accompanied by the original envelope post-stamped. VG

TENNYSON ALFRED: (1809-1892) Lord Tennyson. British Poet Laureate 1850-92. A.L.S., A Tennyson, one page, 8vo, Aldworth, Haslemere, Surrey, n.d. (post 1869), to a gentleman. Tennyson thanks his correspondent for their beautiful volume, although remarks 'unfortunately I am utterly ignorant of your Bohemian language', continuing 'Pray accept my best wishes for yourself & your beloved country & believe me, tho' I cannot undertake writing an ode upon Bohemia (I have so many calls upon my time)'. With blank integral leaf. VG   

TERESA MOTHER: (1910-1997) Albanian Roman Catholic Nun, Nobel Peace Prize winner, 1979. Signed First Day Cover by Mother Teresa featuring four different images of the nun as well as a postage stamp and cancellation with her image. Post marked at Ahmedabad, 27th August 1980. Signed ('God bless you, M Teresa MC') in blue ink to a clear area of the cover. About EX

MANDELA NELSON: (1918-2013) South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and political leader who served as the first President of South Africa 1994-99. Nobel Peace Prize winner, 1993. Signed commemorative cover issued for the 50th anniversary of the United Nations and featuring an attractive colour design and with a South African postage stamp, post marked at Pretoria, 24th October 1995. Signed by Mandela in bold black ink with his name alone to a clear area of the cover. About EX

NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS: A multiple signed commemorative cover issued in honour of Albert Einstein as part of the Prominent American series and featuring a postage stamp with Einstein's portrait, post marked at Princeton, New Jersey, 14th March 1966, individually signed by William P. Murphy (1892-1987, American physician, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1934) and John Eccles (1903-1997, Australian neurophysiologist and philosopher, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1963). Both have signed with their names alone to clear areas of the cover, just one signature very slightly affected by the postal cancellation. A couple of light, minor stains, only very slightly touching the signatures, about VG

NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS: An excellent multiple signed commemorative cover issued in honour of the Mayo Brothers and featuring a postage stamp with their images, post marked at Rochester, Minnesota, 1st September 1964, individually signed by ten Nobel Prize winners in Physiology or Medicine comprising John Franklin Enders (1897-1985, American biomedical scientist, known as 'The Father of Modern Vaccines', Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1954), Frederick Chapman Robbins (1916-2003, American paediatrician and virologist, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1954), Thomas Huckle Weller (1915-2008, American virologist, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1954), Andre Frederic Cournand (1895-1988, French-American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1956), George Beadle (1903-1989, American geneticist, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1958), Edward Tatum (1909-1975, American geneticist, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1958), Arthur Kornberg (1918-2007, American biochemist, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1959), John Eccles (1903-1997, Australian neurophysiologist and philosopher, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1963), Charles Brenton Huggins (1901-1997, Canadian-American physician, physiologist and cancer researcher, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1966) and Max Delbruck (1906-1981, German-American biophysicist, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1969). All have signed with their names alone in various coloured inks to clear areas of the cover. Only a couple of the signatures are very slightly affected by the postal cancellation. About VG

NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS: An excellent multiple signed commemorative cover issued in honour of Fritz Pregl and featuring his colour image and a postage stamp with his portrait, post marked in Vienna, 12th December 1973, individually signed by Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976, German theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize winner for Physics 1932), Feodor Lynen (1911-1979, German biochemist, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1964), Manfred Eigen (1927-2019, German biophysical chemist, Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry, 1967) and Ernst Otto Fischer (1918-2007, German chemist, Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry, 1973). All have signed in blue inks to clear areas of the cover, Eigen adding the place and date, Gottingen, 27th August 1974, in his hand. About EX Fritz Pregl (1869-1930) Slovenian-Austrian chemist and physician, Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry, 1923.

BRANLY EDOUARD: (1844-1940) French inventor & physicist, primarily known for his early involvement in wireless telegraphy. A.L.S., E. Branly, one page, 8vo, n.p., 23rd January 1929, to an unidentified correspondent, in French. Branly informs his correspondent that 'I sent my acceptation on the date indicated' and further adds 'I have just found the mislaid paper; I am placing my signature on it. This will be preferable for uniformity'. Together with an unrelated autograph envelope, unsigned, addressed in Branly's hand to Monsieur Claude, an architect in Paris and post marked 14th February 1925. The letter is a little irregularly torn to the left edge, not affecting the text or signature, and the envelope has had the original postage stamp torn away. G to VG, 2    

EVEREST EXPEDITION 1953: A good multiple signed souvenir cover issued to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the first ascent of Mount Everest, 29th May 1978, individually signed by Edmund Hillary (1919-2008) New Zealand mountaineer, the first man, with Tenzing Norgay, to reach the summit of Mount Everest, 1953, Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986) Nepalese Indian Sherpa Mountaineer, Captain S. S. Gill (helicopter pilot), Captain N. Buckley (Patron Australian Air Mail Society), Nelson Eustis (Secretary), Vola Eustis (passenger) and, to the verso, E. W. Roberts (President, Australian Air Mail Society). All have signed in blue or black inks with their names alone to clear areas of the cover. The attractive cover is post marked at Namche Bazar, 29th May 1978, and features various cachets to the verso, one indicating that the cover was flown on a Royal Nepal airlines helicopter flight. Numbered 92 from a limited edition of 500. VG

ROSILY-MESROS FRANÇOIS ETIENNE: (1748-1832) French naval Commander during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Best-known for being chosen by Napoleon I to succeed Villeneuve as Commander of the combined Franco-Spanish fleet at Cadiz immediately after the defeat at Trafalgar. A good A.L.S., `Rosily´, one page, 4to, Rochefort, 13th May 1793, to citizen du Moutier, in French. Rosily states in part `Je suis obligé citoyen, d´apres les demandes préssées du Citoyen Villaret, joyeux de vous donner l´ordre de vous rendre, ainsi que le citoyen Martin, a Quiberon pour y prendre les ordres de ce Commandant. Il est de souhaiter que vous ayez mis bien promptement dans le port ces barques destinées pour Bayonne… Il parait que vous aves eu bien du mauvais temps et que vous aves été bien contrarié, cela me fait espérer que vous aurez désormais un temps plus favorable..´ (“I feel obliged citizen, considering the urgent requests received from Citizen Villaret, happy to give you the order to go, as well as citizen Martin, to Quiberon to take the orders of this Commander. It is to be hoped that you put those boats destined for Bayonne into port very quickly… It seems that you had a lot of bad weather and that you were very upset, that makes me hope that you will now have better weather…”) To a post-scriptum Rosily adds `La Perdrix doit se render sur le champ a Nantes´ (“The Perdrix has to go right now to Nantes”) With blank integral leaf. Small professional repair to the edge to the verso. VG

BEAUHARNAIS HORTENSE DE: (1783-1837) Queen consort of Holland as spouse of Louis Bonaparte. Daughter of Josephine de Beauharnais and stepdaughter and later also sister-in-law of Napoleon I. Hortense de Beauharnais was the mother of Emperor of the French Napoleon III. An excellent A.L.S., `Hortense´, one page, small 4to, n.p., [Arenenberg], 23rd August 1836, to Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, in French. Hortense first announces the arrival of Mr. Hubert and says `I hope that his presence will not affect your water treatments at Bade and that you will come back in good health to our small peaceful corner´, and referring to the Swiss situation states `We had no idea of the troubles you are telling me about and which is in Swiss minds. I do hope that all will calm down´ she further refers to her son, the future Napoleon III, stating `My son postponed his arrival two more days, we have so much fun at Bade that I am very happy that he enjoys some good time. He is expected to arrive today´ Before concluding Hortense, who liked very much Mathilde as future spouse of her son, sends a very warm message to Mathilde saying `Take well care of yourself, come back to us soon and always count on my pleasure to see you again and on my feelings for you. I would be glad to replace the loving mother you lost, as long as such a sweet thing could be replaced´ To a post-scriptum Hortense confirms `Louis has just arrived very happy of his trip´. Hortense do not seem to be aware about what is now known, that Louis-Napoleon did in fact meet at Bade several persons who would help him to plan his Strasbourg coup of 30th October 1836, only two months after the present letter was written. Small overall creasing, otherwise G Bonaparte Mathilde (1820-1904) Princess of San Donato. Daughter of Jerome Bonaparte.Mathilde was originally engaged to her first cousin, the future Napoleon III, but the engagement was broken following his imprisonment. She would later marry a Anatoly Demidov, a rich Russian nobleman, 1st Prince of San Donato. Huber-Salantin (1798-?) Officer of the Swiss Confederation General-Staff. He had a close relationship with Napoleon III. Catharina of Wurttemberg (1783-1835) Queen consort of Westphalia as spouse of Jerome Bonaparte. She passed away on 29th November 1835, nine months before the present letter was written. Napoleon III planned an uprising in Strasbourg in October 1836. Himself supported by a regiment seized the prefecture but a loyal regiment to the King Louis-Philippe surrounded the mutineers. Napoleon III fled back to Switzerland and later would go into exile in England.

MOUNTBATTEN LOUIS: (1900-1979) British Admiral of World War II, later serving as the last Viceroy of India of British India (1947) and as the first Governor-General of the Dominion of India (1947-48). T.L.S., Mountbatten of Burma, with holograph salutation and subscription, one page, small 4to, Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire, 7th March 1970, to Michael Harrison. Mountbatten thanks his correspondent for their letter which he found on his return from visits abroad ('including dubbing my television series into French in Paris') and adds that he made a contact which may be valuable to his correspondent through the office of Radio Television Francaise, 'He is the Director of my television series in French, M. Daniel Costelle', further providing the address of Capitaine Holland, Head of S.I.R.P.A. who may be able to supply further information, and also providing the address of Rear-Admiral Peter Buckley, Head of Naval Historical Branch, who could supply information from Navy sources. Accompanied by the original envelope. Together with an original Post Office telegram (received copy) from Mountbatten, one page, oblong 8vo, London, 4th June 1965, to Michael Harrison, asking him to call a telephone number in Belgravia either anytime that evening or between 8.15 and 9.00am on Saturday morning, and a printed card issued by Mountbatten's private secretary stating, in part, 'Lord Mountbatten is away and correspondence is not being forwarded so it is regretted that no answer can be sent in the near future', dated 20th February 1970 and addressed to Michael Harrison. G to VG, 3 Michael Harrison (1907-1991) Maurice Desmond Rohan. English detective fiction and fantasy author, a noted Sherlock Holmes scholar.

A pair of 9ct yellow & white gold curved design stud earrings set with approx. 0.14 carats total weight of round brilliant cut diamonds, with post and safety clip fitting (please note the safety clips are loose), 5.94gm.

A vintage set of Post Office scales and weights.

North British Railway Mile Post, oval '38 Miles' 14 1/2", 37cm wide

xCC51015 M4A4 Sherman observation post tank, CC60504 Tiger I, 3xCC60201 Panther, 69902 Bedford MK truck, CC60004 SdKfz Afrikakorps and 2xM4A3 Sherman (all E boxes E) (10)

An album of post cards from South Africa, c 1890s, with a quantity of old foreign currency and an album of cigarette cards.

Peter Snow signed Autograph Editions Official Life and Earth FDC post marked 4th April 2000, set on nice descriptive page. Snow CBE (born 20 April 1938) is a British radio and television presenter and historian. Between 1969 and 2005, he was an analyst of general election results, first on ITV and later for the BBC. He presented Newsnight from its launch in 1980 until 1997. He has presented a number of documentaries, including some with his son, Dan Snow. Good condition. All autographs come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We combine postage on multiple winning lots and can ship worldwide. UK postage from £4.99, EU from £6.99, Rest of World from £8.99

Michael Fish signed Autograph Editions Official Fire and Light FDC post markedJanuary2000, set on nice descriptive page. Fish, MBE FRMetS (born 27 April 1944 in Eastbourne, Sussex) is a British weather forecaster. From 1974 to 2004 he was a television presenter for BBC Weather. Good condition. All autographs come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We combine postage on multiple winning lots and can ship worldwide. UK postage from £4.99, EU from £6.99, Rest of World from £8.99

Northern Soul - Approximately 90 singles UK including Al Wilson, Barbara Mills, The Belles, Darrell Banks, Jimmy Radcliffe, Frankie Valli, The Spellbinders, Jodi Mathis, Earl Wright, Willie Mitchell, Major Lance, Rita Da Costa, Bob Brady, Jackie Lee, The Du-Ettes, Lada Edmund, The Invitations, The Formations, Gloria Jones, Chubby Checker, The Vel-Vets, Mike Post, Little Anthony, Dean Parish etc

Two albums of early GB QEII first day covers including 1958 Empire Games plus 1937 covers x 3 and Post Office Jubilee 1890 prepaid cover with South Kensington postmark and a quantity of loose covers

A collection of German and DDR postal history in three folders, from early issues to post WW2 including WW2 POW and military field postcards, Zeppelin covers, mint and used minisheets etc

Collection of WW1 officer portrait photographs includes KIA Lieutenant Michael George Stocks 2nd battalion Grenadier Guards shown in uniform. Killed in action 10 November 1914 aged 21 years. War diaries for that day show that the unit had been in the trenches at Klein Zillerbeck and had for days been under heavy fire. On the 10th November high explosive shelling had blown in many trenches. 21 were killed incl 3 officers, one of which was Michael Stocks mentioned in the diaries that day. Other pictures believed to be the family members Major Michael Stocks, Charlotte Stocks and Eric Phillip Stocks shown in Household Cavalry uniform and post war 19th Hussars uniform. Eric is shown on his medal car as service with Coldstream Guards during WW1 - further research necessary. Also included copy of war diaries from 1st - 11th November 1914, copy of medal index card, CWGC in memory of and print out of headstone. (The Stocks family resided at the Woodhall estate, Hilgay, Norfolk and Upper Shibden Hall, Halifax). Majority in original vintage frames a/f including one in period cloth covered frame with medal ribbon? some photographs taken by Lafayette of Bond Street London

England & Wales. Parker (Samuel), A New and Correct Map of England & Wales, Containing all the Cities, Market Towns, Post Towns, Borroughs and whatever places have the Election of members of Parliament &c. circa 1727, engraved map with contemporary outline colouring, laid on later linen, the map set within an oval format surrounded by roundels containing information and statistics, 445 x 365 mmQty: (1)Footnote: R. W. Shirley. Printed Maps of the British Isles, 1650 - 1750, Parker 1. Rare. Only 2 copies are listed on Copac. A separately published map that is occasionally found bound in Willdey Atlases. It is unlikely that Willdey commissioned the maps himself, as they would have contained advertisements for his firm and shop.

London. Cruchley (George Frederick). Cruchley's New Plan of London and its Environs, Engraved and Published by Cruchley, Map - Seller (from Arrowsmith's) 38 Ludgate Street, London (A New Edition Improved to the Present Time), [1835], large engraved map with contemporary outline colouring, sectionalised and laid on linen, on three sheets, decorative strapwork margins with the title above the map and a scale of references, publication details and a mileage scale incorporated into the lower horizontal margin, very slight offsetting, marbled endpapers with a printed notice to one, giving the boundary circle for the two-penny post, 1180 x 1350 mm, contained in a contemporary green marbled card slipcase with printed title label to the upper cover, worn at extremitiesQty: (1)Footnote: James Howgego. Printed Maps of London, number 317a, state 5. An impressive large scale map of London with bright contemporary colouring. Uncommon.

Baker (J.). The Imperial Guide with Picturesque Plans of the Great Post Roads containing Miniature Likenesses engraved from Real Sketches of the Cities, Towns, Villages, Seas, Islands, Mountains, Public Edifices and Private Buildings..., printed by C. Whittingham and sold by H. D. Symonds,1802, title page with slightly later manuscript ownership inscription, fourteen pictorial road maps with contemporary hand colouring and twenty-four uncoloured engraved topographical plates, occasional spotting, some near-contemporary marginalia and underlining, later endpapers, modern calf gilt over marbled boards, 8voQty: (1)Footnote:Uncommon.

Alfonso I (Duke of Ferrara). Resposta Alla Invectiva Qvi Annexa Di Don Alphonso gia Duca di Ferrara, publicata contra la Sancta & gloriosa me. di Leone PP. X. sotto pretexto de una littera scripta alle Cesarea Maesta, [Rome, 1522], 48pp., small paper fault hole to lower blank corner of E3, occasional light spotting, edges untrimmed, modern cloth-backed marbled boards, title label to upper board, slim 8vo, together with:Estienne (Henri), Ciceronianum lexicon Graecolatinum. Id est, Lexicon ex variis Graecorum scriptorum locis a? Cicerone interpretatis collectum, [Geneva]: Ex officina Henrici Stephani Parisiensis typographi, 1557, printer's woodcut device to title and second part title, some light toning and occasional spotting, hinges repaired, 19th century diced calf, buckram reback, 8vo,Juvenalis (Decimus Junius), Junii Juvenalis, et Aulii Persii Flacci satyrae, Paris: Ex officina Roberti Stephani typographi Regii, 1549, printer's woodcut device to title, some browning and light dust-soiling, 18th century mottled calf, old reback, upper board detached, 8vo,Maior (Georg & Mancinelli, Antonio), Sententiae veterum poetarum, per Georgium Majorem in locas communes digestae, ac tandem, post authoris supremam manum, multum auctae ... Antonii Mancinelli de poetica virtute libellus..., Paris: Ex officina Roberti Stephani typographi Regii, 1551, printer's woodcut device to title, some browning and scattered spotting, late 19th century blank leaves bound-in at rear, late 19th century red half morocco, upper board detached and lower joint cracked, boards faded, 8vo,Boccaccio (Giovanni), L'amorosa Fiammetta ... di nuouo corretta..., Venice: Giorgio Angelieri, 1571, woodcut device to title and few decorative initials, some toning, late 18th/early 19th century dark green morocco, 12mo, and three other similar late 16th century antiquarian volumesQty: (8)

[Wateson, George]. A Rich Storehouse, or Treasurie for the Diseased. Wherein are many approved medicines for divers and sundry diseases, which have beene long hidden, and not come to light before this time. First set forth for the benefit and comfort of the poorer sort of people, that are not of abilitie to go the Physicions. By G. W. And now seventhly augmented and inlarged by A. T. Practitioner in Physicke and Chirurgerie, London: Printed by Richard Badger, for Philemon Stephens and Christopher Meredith, 1630 [colophon at rear dated 1631], [12 leaves], 317p, with colophon to first and final leaf, some light browning mainly to outer margins, contemporary ink inscriptions to verso of title 'To the Right Honourable Sir James Pemberton', [probably copied from the head of the dedication leaf adjacent], 18th-century bookplate of George Edwards, Librarian to the College of Physicians London, contemporary blind-paneled calf, some wear to outer corners, and upper cover detached, small 4to, together withSalmon (William). Pharmacopoeia Londinensis. Or, the New London Dispensatory..., 6th edition, corrected & amended, 1702, and Medicina Practica: or The Practical Physician: shewing the true method of curing the most usual diseases incident to humane bodies..., to which is added, the chymical works of Hermes Trismegistus, Kalid King of Persia, Geber King of Arabia, Artefius Longaevus the Jew, Roger Bacon, Nicholas Flammel's Hieroglyphiks, George Ripley's Marrow of Alchymie, and an account of their lives, London: Edmund Curll, 1707, some marks and second title with occasional ink annotations, first volume bound in contemporary calf, with 19th-century reback, second title bound in 19th-century calf, both somewhat worn with upper covers detached, 8voQty: (3)Footnote: Provenance: George Edwards (1694-1773), librarian to the College of Physicians London, naturalist and ornithologist, regarded as the father of British ornithology. Edwards was appointed Beadle to the College of Physicians London in 1733 (although he styled himself librarian of the College, as in the bookplate to this copy), a post he continued to hold until 1760. He was born in West Ham in 14694, and educated by local clergymen, and placed in business with a Mr Dod in Fenchurch street, where the library of Dr. Nicholas was kept, the contents of which became the young Edwards daily reading matter. Instead of going into business, he traveled widely on the continent and following which he made a living from sketches of animals. Taken up by James Theobald, F.R.S., he was introduced to Sir Hans Sloane. Between 1743 and 1751, he published A Natural History of Uncommon Birds in four volumes, with three subsequent volumes entitled Gleanings of Natural History issued between 1758-1764, the etchings for which were all made by the author. He was elected a member of the Royal Society in 1757.STC 23610; Welcome 6195; ESTC S107712.

Elizabeth I (1533-1603). Queen of England and Ireland, 1558-1603. A fine early Document Signed, 'Elizabeth R', as Queen, Given at the queen’s manor of Greenwich, 7 September 1562, manuscript document on vellum, being a warrant under the Royal sign manual and signet, ordering John Mason, Treasurer of the queen’s Chamber, to deliver £15 2s 6d to the queen’s servant Martyn Almayne, marshal of the Royal Stable, for 'dressing and curing of divers of o[u]r horses and for necessaries…’, (£8 6s 6d between 25 December 1559 and 6 April 1561, and £6 16s 0d between 6 April 1561 and 29 September 1562), signed at head with usual pen flourishes, some spotting and soiling, especially on the reverse, lacking the original seal at foot, multiple pin-holes in the left margin (by which the paper vouchers in support of the expenditure may have been attached to the warrant), 1 page, oblong folio (15.5 x 25cm), endorsed with a receipt by Anthony Lambych [?] on behalf of Martin Almayne, 21 September 1562, with a final mark perhaps intended to represent a bit and bridleQty: (1)Footnote:'...[We] will and comaunde you that of suche o[u]r treasure as remaynithe in your handes you do deliv[er] or cause to be deliv[er]id to o[u]r servaunt Martyne Almayne marshall of o[u]r Stable the somme of fyftene pounds two shillinges sixe pence for dressing and curing of divers of o[u]r horses and for necessaries by him provided for that purpose. That is to say from the feaste of the nativitie of o[u]r Lord god in the seconde yere of o[u]r reign until the feaste of Easter in the thirde yere of o[u]r reign ... [i.e. 25 December 1559 to 6 April 1561]'. The payment for the royal veterinary surgeon was therefore rather in arrears.Sir John Mason (1502/03-1566):'Upon the accession of Elizabeth in November 1558 Mason was the sole senior household officer (treasurer of the chamber) to retain his post (and also the richest): testimony to his strong administrative ability and sound political judgement.’ (ODNB).Martin Almayne:'29 Sep 1562: Martin Almayne’s accounts ‘for dressing of the Queen’s Majesty’s Coursers’, Christmas 1560-Michaelmas 1562. Among the horses receiving treatment were: Bayard Count, Bayard Hastings, Bayard Prince, Bayard Star; Bay Pilgrim; Dun Arundell; Gennet Granado; Grey Antony, Grey Savoy, Grey Sparrow; Morell Speedwell, Morell Tempest; a black pied colt. Expenses included: ‘Laid out for the horses in medicine and other necessary things for the same horses when the Queen’s Majesty rode on progress to Portsmouth [in 1560], 10s; dressing of Coleprick’s eyes, 2s; dressing Valentine’s hinder leg, 5s’. Total claimed: £15 2s 6d. Lord Robert Dudley, Master of the Horse, signed the accounts.’ [TNA SP12/24/59].‘In 1567 and 1585 he was certified as liable for taxation in the royal household, the latter as Martin Almaine otherwise Galoe, an alien.’ (TNA E115/440/9, E115/2/117).

Rossetti (Christina Georgina, 1830-1894). English poet. Autograph Letter Signed, ‘Christina G. Rossetti’, 30 Torrington Square, W.C. 29 December [1883?], to Sara [Leifchild], in full: ‘Don't think me quite a stranger! But I have been asked to interest friends, if possible, in the case of which I enclose a printed statement: and Mr Dymes appears to be at once so capable and so unfortunate, not to speak of the work-worthy members of his family, that I feel bound to exert myself even without definite hope of any result. Of course what is aimed at is an opening for work, not pecuniary aid. The friend who vouches for the case, Mr Dodgson, is of course "Lewis Carroll", – him I am acquainted with, but not personally with the Dymes family. I think that if perhaps your warm heart takes up the course, you may be so good as to ask Mr Leifchild also to read the statement. Surely we are remembering the same dear Friend. Remember me too. With love to your kind sisters, affectionately yours, Christina G. Rossetti’, 3 pages, a little spotting and age wear with slight wrinkling of second leaf and minor adhesion marks to final blank page, small archival tissue closed tear repair to lower margin of second leaf, not affecting text or signature, 8voQty: (1)Footnote: Provenance: Sara Ann Leifchild (1816-1892), poet and sister of the sculptor Henry. Given by her [?to Arthur Cohen] in 1888. Rt Hon. Arthur Cohen (1829-1914), barrister and diplomatic counsel. His daughter Mary Freda Cohen (1871-1964) married Sir Thomas Colyer Colyer-Fergusson (1865-1951) in 1914. Thence by family descent from Mary to the current owner.Charles Lutwidge Dodgson photographed the Rossetti family at their home in Cheyne Walk, London in October 1863 and stayed in contact with Christina Rossetti thereafter. She was evidently the recipient of a circular from her friend soliciting help for Dymes and his family. For as yet unknown reasons, other than perhaps unbounded generosity, Dodgson plunged himself into financial difficulties of his own as he gave financial assistance to a certain Thomas Jamieson Dymes whom he had met on holiday.‘To help people searching for work or advancement, Charles printed and sent out circulars. One concerned T.J. Dymes, classical scholar and schoolmaster, and his large family. After Charles learned in 1883 that they were poverty-stricken, he sent "about 180 copies of a letter (printed) about the Dymeses." Charles wrote about Dymes as "a friend of mine… in great distress" who had lost his post as under-master at a boys school and sought employment for him and other members of the family. “Mr. Dymes has settled with his landlord for a payment of £219.7s…," Charles wrote Frederic Harrison, another friend of Dymes (October 4, 1883). "This sum I have lent him. Also I sent him some while ago £200 (which, though nominally a loan, was really meant to be a gift until he should be able, with perfect convenience to himself, to repay it): and for this debt of £419.7s… I am to have a Bill of Sale on his furniture, thus saving it from all risk of being seized by other creditors." Dymes must have found work and resolved his problems, and Charles later called on and dined with the Dymeses, then comfortably settled in London’, Morton N. Cohen, Lewis Carroll: a Biography, (Macmillan, 1995), p. 310.

Thomson (William, 1st Baron Kelvin, 1824-1907). British mathematician, mathematical physicist and engineer. Two Autograph Letters Signed, 'William Thomson' and 'Kelvin', the University, Glasgow, 8 April 1890 & 29 February 1892, the first to Emmie, apologising for the delay in answering her letter and concluding 'I am very glad to comply with your request', the second to Berry, 'I hear that the Commissioners of Northern Lights are soon to appoint a successor to their late Secretary Mr Duncan, and I write to ask your consideration of the qualifications of one of the candidates, for the vacant post. Mr William Harvey (son of Dr Thomas Harvey our old fellow student in Glasgow)... ', continuing to give reasons for this suggestion, one page with integral blank leaf & 4 pp., both 8voQty: (2)Footnote: Provenance: From the family of autograph collector Emily Mary Rose Lee (1869-1949), wife of Colonel William Crawford Walton (1864-1937). Emily was the daughter of William Lee, Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Glasgow from 1874 to 1886, and granddaughter of John Lee (1779-1859), Principal of Edinburgh University from 1840 to 1859.

Postal History: Iraq – WWI. A Military Postal History Collection - c.1916-20 covers and cards all with military addresses and/or cancels with the focus on the Indian numbered “F.P.O.” (Field Post Office) cds cancels (mainly with locations identified). Better items incl. 1916 “R.F.C.” (Royal Flying Corps) PPC from a worker at an aeroplane factory (not posted), rare 1917 PPC (of biplane) with FPO/No.92 cds, pair of 1917 OAS PPCs ex FPOs in France addressed to “25 Airline Section, REE Signals Mesopotamia Ex. Force” via London, c.1917 “RAF?IRAQ” folding Xmas card, Hospital Ship cards, Military cachets, a study of ingoing much-redirected mail ex GB, censor labels and many different FPO cds’s. Plus 3 books on FPO postmarks. (100+ covers & cards + 3 books) Qty: (100+ covers & cards + 3 books)

Postal History: Iraq/Persia WWI & Later. Stamps/Postal History group inc. unused set of 1911 Persia (SG361-381; 1ch to 30kr), 1919/20 trio of Persia covers, small 1918/9 study of general issue “IN BRITISH/OCCUPATION” issues (5 covers, 2 unused P. Stat. PCs & used/unused sets or part sets), and a group of 1927-45 covers/cards inc. 1927 regd. ex Mosul to Mexico, 1928 Mosul regd. to GB, several Airmail covers to GB (inc. 1937 purple boxed “K.L.M.”), 1938 regd. to Germany, 1939 2nd Experimental Flight ex Mosul to Baghdad, WWII regd. Mosul pair to Austria/GB, 1945 OAS env. ex “SS Banfora” posted at FPO 570 with circular purple “POSTAGE/PAID/IRAQ”, and a few post-War. (37 covers/cards + 62 stamps) Est. £120-150Qty: (37 covers/cards + 62 stamps)

§ JOHN BRATBY (BRITISH 1928-1992) UNTITLED (FOR 'THE HORSE'S MOUTH'), 1958 Oil on board(180cm x 240cm (71in x 94.5in))Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist; purchased privately by present ownerFootnote: Note: “He lends his talent to the tradition of English artists, from William Blake to Stanley Spencer, who wanted to connect the visionary with the vulgar” - Criterion Bratby was the brilliant, if problematic, breakout star of the so-called ‘Kitchen Sink’ or “New Realist” artistic genre; a movement born out of the grey rubble and grinding drabness of post war Britain which encompassed painting, film and literature. Whilst studying at the prestigious Royal College of Art in the early 1950s, his teacher Carel Weight described him as the most talented student he had ever had. Fame came swiftly and explosively to Bratby (buoyed by the public’s fascination with rumours of his unconventional and bohemian personal life), and soon after graduation he became a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy as well as the recipient of one-man exhibitions with Beaux Arts Gallery, London. In 1956 he represented Britain at the Venice Biennale. In 1958, the same year the artist shared the British Guggenheim Award with Ben Nicholson, Bratby was commissioned to produce large scale paintings for the film The Horses Mouth based on Joyce Cary's novel. Alec Guinness played Gully Jimson, an eccentric figurative painter, with Guinness taking direct inspiration for the role from Bratby, who he observed at work in his studio. Guinness went on to win Best Actor at the Venice International Film Festival for his role. The present work is part of a group of paintings associated with the film and the following solo exhibition which was held in New York at The French Gallery on 987 Madison Avenue; Bratby's first in New York. It bears close similarities with the piece ‘The Greenhouse’, sold in Christie’s in 2020. It is on the large scale typical of this period, and features the artist’s trademark lurid colour palette, heavy impasto and focus on the textures and patterns of the urban and architectural environment; from the red terracotta floor tiles to the bricking of the terrace walls, which take compositional precedence over mother, child and dog seen receding into the left of the painting. It is perhaps no wonder he attracted the attention of a film producer, as his work has a strikingly cinematic, almost fisheye lens panoramic perspective. Despite remaining a prolific painter (attracting the great and the good to his studio in their droves), and later also a writer, this first decade of his career arguably remains the zenith of his achievements, and it is with great pleasure that Lyon & Turnbull present this scarce example of the period to market. “In conclusion I would say that I do not love people. In fact I may lean to misanthropy, though people fascinate me. And I’ve devoted most of my Painting Life to them. After all they are what life is about.” – John Bratby.

ROBERT NATKIN (AMERICAN 1930-2010) UNTITLED (ABSTRACT), C.1950s Oil on canvas(100cm x 85cm (39.5in x 33.5in))Provenance: Purchased by the present owner from Robert Henry Adams Fine Art, Chicago Art Fair, Navy Pier, Chicago, USA 1990 Note: Robert Natkin was born into a dysfunctional, impoverished Chicago family in 1930. The cinema and theatre proved a welcome distraction which the young Natkin would enjoy up to six times a week, often with his father, a rag-dealer (and, as he enjoyed recalling, a failed tap dancer). An encounter with a book of Paul Klee’s paintings in 1947 proved pivotal for Natkin, who found the vibrant evocations of the subconscious revelatory. Against his parents’ protestations, he resolved to become an artist. Klee’s influence is evident in the rhythmic, structural forms of ‘Untitled (Abstract)’, which is understood to date to the 1950s. Natkin stated that during this period he was influenced by the artificial lighting of theatre sets and Technicolour musicals, by turns dramatic and lurid, that had illuminated so much of his childhood. In this early work, intermingled pigments are pushed across the canvas, eliciting broad passages of moody, earthier tones, which are punctuated by flashes of pure cerulean, vermillion and tangerine. The bold linear mark-making anticipates the vertical planes that would dominate Natkin’s output throughout the 1960s, dubbed the ‘Apollo series’. Yet while his ‘Apollo’ paintings contrasted adjoining bands of solid colour to catalyse what he termed a ‘visual vibrato’, his earlier abstracts demonstrate an inquisitive and playful approach to his palette, as if he were testing his ability to manipulate colour and light. Robert Natkin studied at the Art Institute of Chicago between 1948 and 1952, where he was afforded access to their collection of Post-Impressionist paintings. In the early 1950s Natkin moved to New York to commence a successful and varied exhibiting career, and immerse himself in the contemporary art scene, which at the time was preoccupied with Abstract Expressionism. Natkin recalled that he was first exposed to the style when reading Life magazine’s 1949 spread on Jackson Pollock, which asked readers ‘Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?’; Natkin professed to never having warmed to Pollock’s work, instead preferring Willem de Kooning, but above all remaining committed to European abstraction. His most celebrated commission came in 1992, when he was invited to create a mural for the lobby of 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York. Situated on the corner of the Rockefeller Centre, the vast composition is visible from the street, and has become a beloved local landmark. By this point Natkin was in his 60s and living with his family in Connecticut, but in the summer of 1991 he relocated to New York to work on the mural full-time upon an elevated scaffold. Natkin was commissioned to fill a space measuring twenty by forty-two feet, and preparatory studies therefore proved integral to the successful fulfilment of the commission; he was adamant that his composition should retain its emotional intensity and integrity when transcribed from the smaller studies to the towering lobby wall. By this point his palette was lighter, and his forms softer and more luscious, influenced by a particularly fruitful stay in England in 1974. ‘Study for “1211 – Mural”’ provides an intriguing insight into the developing composition, and evidences a concern for textural mark-making and architectural form. Robert Natkin died in Connecticut in 2010, and is remembered as an important name in the development of American abstraction. He is well-represented in important national collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Centre Pompidou.Footnote: Exhibited: Robert Henry Adams Fine Art, Chicago

ROBERT NATKIN (AMERICAN 1930-2010) STUDY FOR "1211 - MURAL", 1992 Signed and inscribed with title and dated lower edge, acrylic on board(29cm x 59cm (11.5in x 23.25in))Provenance: Gifted by the artist to the present ownerFootnote: Note: Robert Natkin was born into a dysfunctional, impoverished Chicago family in 1930. The cinema and theatre proved a welcome distraction which the young Natkin would enjoy up to six times a week, often with his father, a rag-dealer (and, as he enjoyed recalling, a failed tap dancer). An encounter with a book of Paul Klee’s paintings in 1947 proved pivotal for Natkin, who found the vibrant evocations of the subconscious revelatory. Against his parents’ protestations, he resolved to become an artist. Klee’s influence is evident in the rhythmic, structural forms of ‘Untitled (Abstract)’, which is understood to date to the 1950s. Natkin stated that during this period he was influenced by the artificial lighting of theatre sets and Technicolour musicals, by turns dramatic and lurid, that had illuminated so much of his childhood. In this early work, intermingled pigments are pushed across the canvas, eliciting broad passages of moody, earthier tones, which are punctuated by flashes of pure cerulean, vermillion and tangerine. The bold linear mark-making anticipates the vertical planes that would dominate Natkin’s output throughout the 1960s, dubbed the ‘Apollo series’. Yet while his ‘Apollo’ paintings contrasted adjoining bands of solid colour to catalyse what he termed a ‘visual vibrato’, his earlier abstracts demonstrate an inquisitive and playful approach to his palette, as if he were testing his ability to manipulate colour and light. Robert Natkin studied at the Art Institute of Chicago between 1948 and 1952, where he was afforded access to their collection of Post-Impressionist paintings. In the early 1950s Natkin moved to New York to commence a successful and varied exhibiting career, and immerse himself in the contemporary art scene, which at the time was preoccupied with Abstract Expressionism. Natkin recalled that he was first exposed to the style when reading Life magazine’s 1949 spread on Jackson Pollock, which asked readers ‘Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?’; Natkin professed to never having warmed to Pollock’s work, instead preferring Willem de Kooning, but above all remaining committed to European abstraction. His most celebrated commission came in 1992, when he was invited to create a mural for the lobby of 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York. Situated on the corner of the Rockefeller Centre, the vast composition is visible from the street, and has become a beloved local landmark. By this point Natkin was in his 60s and living with his family in Connecticut, but in the summer of 1991 he relocated to New York to work on the mural full-time upon an elevated scaffold. Natkin was commissioned to fill a space measuring twenty by forty-two feet, and preparatory studies therefore proved integral to the successful fulfilment of the commission; he was adamant that his composition should retain its emotional intensity and integrity when transcribed from the smaller studies to the towering lobby wall. By this point his palette was lighter, and his forms softer and more luscious, influenced by a particularly fruitful stay in England in 1974. ‘Study for “1211 – Mural”’ provides an intriguing insight into the developing composition, and evidences a concern for textural mark-making and architectural form. Robert Natkin died in Connecticut in 2010, and is remembered as an important name in the development of American abstraction. He is well-represented in important national collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Centre Pompidou.

§ VICTOR PASMORE C.B.E., C.H. (BRITISH 1908-1998) BLUE FANTASY II - 1986 Screenprint, 69/70, signed with initials, dated and numbered in pencil to margin, published by Marlborough Fine Art, London, printed by Kelpra Studios, London, with their blindstamp(the sheet 88cm x 103cm (34.5in x 40.5in))Footnote: Note: Victor Pasmore didn’t move towards his signature abstract style until 1947, in a move the art historian Herbert Read described as ‘the most revolutionary event in post-war British art.’ In 1966 Pasmore re-located to Malta and it was in this same year that he began experimenting extensively with printmaking, starting with the 2RC printshop in Rome. From then on, printmaking became a significant part of his artistic practice and he worked with many important print studios, including Kelpra Studio and Curwen Press. With time, and this significant move to both warmer climes and into printmaking, Pasmore’s work softened and his hard-edged geometric forms gave way to more curving shapes and the wandering lines and areas of deep colour that we can see in this selection of work. The resulting images are characterised by a simplicity and fluidity that evokes a strong sense of balance, even peacefulness. This sense is magnified by his chosen titles, which imbue the pieces with a mystical quality.

§ VICTOR PASMORE C.B.E., C.H. (BRITISH 1908-1998) BLUE DEVELOPMENT - 1974 Etching and screenprint, A/P, signed in plate, signed with initials, dated and numbered in pencil to margin(the sheet 72cm x 61cm (28.25in x 24in))Footnote: Note: Victor Pasmore didn’t move towards his signature abstract style until 1947, in a move the art historian Herbert Read described as ‘the most revolutionary event in post-war British art.’ In 1966 Pasmore re-located to Malta and it was in this same year that he began experimenting extensively with printmaking, starting with the 2RC printshop in Rome. From then on, printmaking became a significant part of his artistic practice and he worked with many important print studios, including Kelpra Studio and Curwen Press. With time, and this significant move to both warmer climes and into printmaking, Pasmore’s work softened and his hard-edged geometric forms gave way to more curving shapes and the wandering lines and areas of deep colour that we can see in this selection of work. The resulting images are characterised by a simplicity and fluidity that evokes a strong sense of balance, even peacefulness. This sense is magnified by his chosen titles, which imbue the pieces with a mystical quality.

§ VICTOR PASMORE C.B.E., C.H. (BRITISH 1908-1998) MILKY WAY - 1986 Screenprint, 44/70, signed with initials, dated and numbered in pencil to margin, published by Marlborough Graphics, printed by Kelpra Studios, with their blindstamp(the sheet 75cm x 94cm (29.5in x 37in))Footnote: Note: Victor Pasmore didn’t move towards his signature abstract style until 1947, in a move the art historian Herbert Read described as ‘the most revolutionary event in post-war British art.’ In 1966 Pasmore re-located to Malta and it was in this same year that he began experimenting extensively with printmaking, starting with the 2RC printshop in Rome. From then on, printmaking became a significant part of his artistic practice and he worked with many important print studios, including Kelpra Studio and Curwen Press. With time, and this significant move to both warmer climes and into printmaking, Pasmore’s work softened and his hard-edged geometric forms gave way to more curving shapes and the wandering lines and areas of deep colour that we can see in this selection of work. The resulting images are characterised by a simplicity and fluidity that evokes a strong sense of balance, even peacefulness. This sense is magnified by his chosen titles, which imbue the pieces with a mystical quality.

Coins - pre decimal pennies (appx 250), pre decimal half pennies (appx 250), together with a quantity of post decimal half pennies

A collectors' lot comprising a post-war military black hat, postcards to include Nibley Monument, etc, horse brasses, collectors' coins, two small vintage teddy bears, an Egyptian brass and wood fitted cigarette box, a Bobby Charlton signed picture, a small stamp album of mainly British stamps, collectors' spoons, costume jewellery, small fob watch, various vintage cowboy annuals and 'Roy of the Rovers', three miniature tankards, etc.

AN EQUESTRIAN MODERN POST BOX AND KEY - H 40 CM

***A REPRODUCTION GEORGE VI POST BOX**

A pair of vintage hallmarked 18ct gold hoop earrings. The earrings of plain tapering form with a hinged opening and post fastenings. Marked with Italian 750 marks, with makers marks for Criso. Weight 9.9g. Measures approx 1.5cm diameter. 

A pair of Indian high carat gold stud earrings on screw post fittings. The earrings having bead and twist decoration. Unmarked, tests indicate 18ct gold. Combined weight 4.7g. Earrings measure 13mm length.

A pair of vintage gold, opal and diamond earrings. The earrings having floral design drops with one oval opal to the post and two pear shaped opals to the drop, and four round cut diamonds. The earrings marked 585 14ct gold to the posts, and the butterfly backs marked 750 18ct gold. Total weight of the earrings is 3.89g. The oval opal measures 6.1 x 4.1 cm in diameter. They measure 2.7cm length.

Keith Murray for Wedgwood, a set of six coffee cans and saucers, and a large beer jug (restored), post 1934, the coffee cans with banded bodies, 'KM Wedgwood' backstamp, saucer diam 12cm, jug height 21cm.

Keith Murray for Wedgwood, a fluted bowl, post 1932, matt green glaze, facsimile signature backstamp, height 13cm, diam 25.5cm.