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Lot 497

An Edwardian oval silver dressing table trinket box, London 1907 by William Comyns with neo-classical pique worked tortoiseshell panel within a harebell rim, on four cabriole supports. 11.5 long x 8.2 cm wide x 5.4 cm high. Together with two other silver and pique worked tortoiseshell trinket boxes one oval and one heart-shaped. 13.4 ozt gross weightCondition report: No cracks to the shell panels all pique intactAll feet good (Not squashed)Interiors showing their age a little

Lot 555

A matched set of five 18th century style silver on copper serpentine edged circular plates with cast and applied rims and each bearing coats of arms 26 cm diameter. Together with hard enamel and silver six-piece dressing table appointment set. 29.9 gross weight including brushes, mirror but not the cut glass jar.Condition report: two plates with matching coat of arms and three other bearings.Some damage to the enamel of the appointment setThe

Lot 556

Collection of silver topped scent bottles and dressing-case appointments to include a large early 20th-century dressing table jar with scroll embossed cover.A cut-glass claret jug with silver plated mountsAnd a continental claret jug and 3 glasses (Some damage)

Lot 558

A collection of silver and white metal, comprising of a silver mug with pierced handle, a silver chased bonbon dish, a white metal quaish stamped "Sterling", a Dutch pierced leaf-shaped dish, a white metal rectangular cigarette box engraved with an inscription, a rectangular silver photograph frame, an unmarked round photograph frame, a silver cigarette case, the interior engraved with an inscription, two cut glass dressing table boxes with silver tops, a set of six silver coffee spoons in case, a boxed silver three piece condiment set, a pair of silver sugar tongs, a pair of smaller silver plated sugar tongs, and a collection of silver tea and coffee spoons, including three silver plated examples, a silver embossed napkin ring, and a Swedish white metal flared vase, date letter for 1953.Condition report: 46oz gross of silver and white metal gross.

Lot 560

A matched part suite of old English and Hanovarian pattern silver flatware including London 1819 by Josiah & George Piercy and other makers and dates. The suite comprises five Hanovarian table forks, six Hanovarian dessert forks, six old English dessert spoons, 2 pairs of old English tablespoons, six old English coffee spoons with shield-shaped bowls. 42 ozt gross weight.

Lot 562

A pair of 1930s silver four slice toast racks with simple loop handles, Sheffield 1936 by George Howson. 8.3 cm long x 6.4 cm wide x 6.5 cm high. Together with other silverwares including a set of four cauldron table salts and spoons (plated spoons), a cased five-piece cruet set, and a heavy gauge silver gravy boat. 18.8 ozt gross weight

Lot 563

A small collection of silver hollow wares including a matched set of five table cruet, gravy boat, cream jug and other items. 27.6 ozt gross weight.

Lot 568

A collection of silver cutlery, to include -12 fiddle pattern table spoons, London 1808 to 1865, mixed dates and makers11 table forks, London 1834 and 183812 dessert forks, London 1834 and 183712 dessert spoons, London from George III to Victoria (total fiddle pattern cutlery weight 2900 grams)12 tables knives and 12 dessert knives, with silver pistol handles and steel blades, London 1975 and 1980Pair of ivorine handled fish servers, Sheffield 193512 piece fish knives and forks, Queens pattern, Birmingham 1884, 600 grams approximately

Lot 571

A presentation cased set of six cast silver-gilt anointing spoons, Birmingham 1936 by Elkington & Co. Together with a white metal cluster column candlestick, cased silver apostle spoons, cased five-piece table cruet, silver-gilt tea and cake set, and large silver, three-section cigarette box with radiused outline, silver-topped, glass dressing table box. 15.9 ozt of weighable silver including candlestick but excluding cigarette box that weighs 24.7 gross weight.

Lot 573

A Victorian bright cut old English pattern silver basting spoon, Exeter 1841 by Robert Williams, bearing an armorial crest. Together a mixed set of matching design table/ English soup spoons, also with bright cutting and corresponding crest mixed dates and makers. 21 ozt gross weightCondition report: Good bright order

Lot 574

An Art Nouveau silver backed dressing table set, each piece chased with stylised flowering foliage with kingfishers, comprising of a large tray engraved with a monogram, two pin trays, a rectangular box with hinged cover, a pair of clothes brushes, a hair brushes, a pair of cut glass round scent bottles with stoppers and pull off silver covers, a pair of cut glass cylindrical dressing table jars with pull off silver covers, a hand mirror, a button hook, a pair of glove stretchers and a shoehorn, (15).

Lot 584

A Victorian silver bowl, a dressing table hand mirror, a cut glass bowl with silver cover and a magnifying glass, the oval bowl chased with "c" scrolls and flowerheads, the central cartouch engraved with an inscription, London 1891, 22cm by 16cm, the silver backed hand mirror embossed with birds and animals in a landscape, the cover to the bowl embossed with five angels heads, and the silver handled magnifying glass, 14.5cm long overall, (4)

Lot 585

Pair of Edwardian silver squat dressing table candlesticks, Sheffield 1907 by Thomas. A Scott. With navette shaped nozzles and loaded bases. 10 cm wide at the base x 9 cm overall height. Together with a Victorian stemmed silver goblet decorated with Arabesques and a crest of a fighting cock sporting leg gaffs. 3.9 ozt of weighable silverCondition report: One nozzle stuck fast

Lot 603

An assortment of small silver items including a cased Art Deco silver three-piece table cruet, Birmingham 1922 possibly Roberts & Dore together with a cased pair of matched silver medallions (Sir Walter Scott and Sir Winston Churchill both by John Pinches of London together with other collectors coins. 10.9 of weighable silver, the sovereign and mount 8.2 grams gross.

Lot 604

Quantity of silver to include an early 20th-century rectangular box with hinged cover, Birmingham 1901 by T.H. Hazelwood, embossed with a panoramic boar hunt in a romantic landscape. Together with other silver items including, a boxed bangle, sugar bows, dressing table appointments, spoons and other items. 17.5 ozt of weighable silver including brushes but not the mirror.Condition report: Some damage to most elements except spoons and bows

Lot 606

An oak cased Mappin and Webb canteen of silver of "MWE2" pattern (?) flatware and cutlery, Sheffield 1961. The canteen comes with original box of issue and old receipts and valuations.104 ozt gross weight excluding knives with loaded handles these weigh 47 ozt gross weightThe set comprises6 x tablespoons12 x table forks12 x dessert forks12 x dessert spoons12 x soup spoons12 x teaspoons12 x dessert knives (loaded silver handles)12 x table knives (ditto ditto)3x carving knife set (ditto ditto) Private collectionCondition report: Very good complete orderComes with a working key

Lot 1102

A large late 20thC rubber wood coffee table, with rectangular glass insert and under tier.

Lot 115

Three table lamps. Including an Art Deco style domed marbled glass beaded fringe lamp, a pink gradient Art Glass vase lamp and a stained iridescent pink glass fish scale design table lamp. H.45 Diam.23cm (largest)

Lot 190

A contemporary light oak Team 7 Girado extending dining table with integral fold out central leaves raised on central column resting on brushed metal platform base. H.75 L.290 W.130 cm.

Lot 202

A contemporary brushed metal framed occasional table with inset hardwood top. H.50 Diam.50

Lot 214

A late 19th century walnut occasional table on cabriole supports united by undertier. H.72 W.59 D.59 cm

Lot 22

A chrome twin branched table lamp with pleated cream silk shade. H.70 W.44cm

Lot 293

A small Regency style mahogany and ebony strung sofa table on swept supports resting on brass cup casters. H.73 X W.69 (opening to 100) X D.51 cm

Lot 331

An early 19th century mahogany tilt top table on ring turned column and quadruped swept supports. H.73 x D.112cm

Lot 332

A 19th century style painted kitchen dining table table with inset marble top and frieze drawers on turned tapering supports. H.79 W.182 D.92CM

Lot 365

A cased pistol table lighter along with a Rexcell cigarette rolling machine, a WWII convoy brass No.5 lighter with leather pouch and a cased watch makers drill.

Lot 377

A contemporary marble topped kitchen dining table with frieze drawer on painted base. H.70 W.121 D.69cm

Lot 381

A large Eastern colourful transfer design black ceramic table lamp with brass double bulb fitting. H.77 D.34

Lot 424

An Art Deco style bird's eye maple and ebonised console table on shaped support resting on platform base. H.90 W.117 D.40 cm

Lot 428

An Art Deco style figured walnut and ebonised demi lune console table with shaped support on stepped base. H.85 W.98 D.47 cm

Lot 448

A Regency figured mahogany tilt top dining table on turned central column on swept reeded tripod supports. H.70 W.132 D.106 cm

Lot 466

Gerry Judah (B.1951), dining table with plate glass top on bent steel base with integral pricket candle sconces. H.70 W.220 D.100

Lot 537

A 19th century mahogany and satinwood strung Empire style lamp table table with central inlaid fan patera on tripod platform base. H.80 W.44 D.36cm

Lot 54

A small mid century oak Jacobean style twin drop flap occasional table with carved frieze on turned stretchered supports. H. 48 W. 90 D. 28

Lot 555

A mid century shaped coffee table with composite laminated top on splay supports. H.34 W.76 D.43

Lot 583

A modern light oak table top adjustable draughtsman's or architects's drafting table. H.84 W.120cm

Lot 597

An Art Deco style figured walnut and ebonised demi lune console table with shaped support on stepped base. H.85 W.98 D.47 cm

Lot 77

A collection of dressing table bottles and perfume bottles. Including a pierced silver and glass bottle with stopper, two glass bottles with silver tops and other glass. L.12 W.5cm (largest)

Lot 170

Tennis, Ann Jones signed 10x8 black and white photograph. Jones is an English former table tennis and lawn tennis champion. She won eight Grand Slam championships during her career: three in singles, three in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. As of 2017, she serves as a vice president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Good condition Est.

Lot 109

LARGE METAL ANCHOR TABLE LAMP. 36" HIGH

Lot 230

LARGE REPRODUCTION CIRCULAR DINING TABLE LARGE REPRODUCTION CIRCULAR PINE DINING TABLE, 54 INCH DIAMETER

Lot 239

VICTORIAN CIRCULAR BREAKFAST TABLE WITH INLAID FLOWER DECORATION, 47 INCHES DIAMETER

Lot 243

EARLY VICTORIAN ROSEWOOD SEWING TABLE, INLAID GAMES BOARD TOP FITTED INTERIOR, 28 INCHES HIGH

Lot 245

EARLY 19TH CENTURY MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE EARLY 19TH CENTURY MAHOGANY TILT TOP SIDE TABLE ON 3 LEGS, 26 INCH DIAMETER

Lot 246

OAK PUB TABLE, DIAMETER 24 INCHES

Lot 247

OAK PUB TABLE, DIAMETER 30 INCHES

Lot 251

OAK PUB TABLE, DIAMATER 24 INCHES

Lot 26

COLLECTION OF CHINA & GLASSWARE, TABLE KNIFES ETC, APPROX 20 PIECES

Lot 273

VICTORIAN MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE INLAID TOP, ON 5 CABRIOLE LEGS, 30 INCH DIAMATER

Lot 52

TABLE LAMP WITH SHADE 27INCH HIGH

Lot 117

Henry Sykes, British, RBA (1855 - 1921) "An Irish Cottage Interior," O.O.C., depicting two figures seated by an open fire, the elderly lady with bellows in her hand, the table to the right set for tea, the wall adorned with prints, signed on left and dated 1880, approx. 61cms x 71cms (24" x 28"), in ornate gilt frame. (1)

Lot 118

James Richard Marquis, RHA (1833 - 1885) "Irish Cottage Interior with Lady at Work," O.O.C., depicting an elderly lady seated at table in typical attire and headdress mending a dress, signed and dated lower left J. Marquis, 1868", approx. 26cms x 30cms (10" x 12") in ornate contemporary gilt frame. (1)

Lot 231

PANKHURST (EMMELINE)Three autograph letters signed ('E. Pankhurst') to Agnes Harben ('Dear Mrs Harben'), the first thanking her for the 'pretty 'sitting up' jacket', 2 pages, 8vo (175 x 114mm.), 9 Pembridge Gardens, W., 'Wednesday'; the second commenting on the 'difficulties' at The Herald with the appointment of Mr Chesterton and hoping they are over '...without any sacrifice of W S interests... He appears to be a confirmed anti & to belong to a group of politicians who do all they can to injure the movement!...', ending '...I have been intending to write to congratulate you on the H of C protest...', one page, letterhead with roundel of the WSPU, 4to (258 x 202mm.), Woking, 'Sunday'; the third thanking her for offering to take in her women on their release from prison ('...let me know how many you can put up...') and rejoicing at Mrs Drummonds release ('...so wonderfully well considering the usage she had the night of her arrest...'), one page, on WSPU notepaper headed 'Votes for Women', 4to (260 x 203mm.), Lincoln's Inn House, Kingsway, W.C., 30 January 1913; with a printed facsimile typed letter signed on WSPU headed paper addressed 'Dear Friend', outlining the policies of the WSPU on the outbreak of war, temporarily suspending militant activities and urging women to support the war effort ('...It will be the future task of women, and only they can perform it, to ensure that the present world tragedy... shall not be repeated...'), 3 pages on a bifolium, 4to (265 x 210mm.), Kingsway, W.C., 12 August 1914; and a copy of Mrs Pankhurst's pamphlet The Importance of the Vote, seventh edition, original wrappers, dust-staining and rust marks, 8vo (215 x 137mm.), The Woman's Press, 1908 (5)Footnotes:'I HAVE BEEN INTENDING TO WRITE TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE H OF C PROTEST': Emmeline Pankhurst's letters of thanks to the founder of the United Suffragists.Agnes Harben (1879-1961) and her husband Henry Devenish Harben (1874-1967) were notable supporters of women's suffrage. Whilst not participating in militant action herself, she was an active fundraiser and organiser and provided a home for newly-released hunger-strikers, leading the philosopher C.E.M. Joad to remark 'When the county called, as the county still did, it was embarrassed to find haggard-looking young women in dressing-gowns and djibbahs reclining on sofas in the Newlands drawing-room talking unashamedly about their prison experiences... it required all the tact of Harben and his socially very competent wife to oil the wheels of tea-table intercourse'. In February 1914 she founded the United Suffragists to bring together the militant and non-militant sides of the cause. The pamphlet included in this lot, published by The Woman's Press, contains 'A Lecture delivered in the Portman Rooms, on Tuesday March 24th, 1908' by Emmeline Pankhurst.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 100

CARLO BUGATTI (Milan, Italy, 1856 - Molsheim, France, 1940).Coffee table, ca. 1890.In walnut wood, inlaid with pewter and bronze, bone, mother-of-pearl, copper and vellum.Inscribed: "Casati".It shows restoration on the surface, as well as some wear due to time and use.This piece is in Italy and is awaiting an export permit.Measurements: 78 cm x 60 cm octagon.The present table was designed by the artist and designer Carlo Bugatti for the legendary and very rich Marquise Luisa Casati Stampa (Milan, 1881-London, 1957). For Bugatti, producing works of design featuring the Marquise's surname was a great prestige for his career, as Luisa Casati was one of the great patrons of the 19th century, driven by the desire to become a work of art herself.As can be seen, the orientalist or "maroquinerie" style, very much in vogue in the first decade of the 1900s, enriches the entire piece.Through restrained craftsmanship and design, the Milanese artist succeeded in turning these decorative pieces into absolute luxury objects with a curiously exotic and colourful appearance.The forms used evoke the Moorish style, from the use of the horseshoe arch and legs simulating columns, to the ornamental work of geometric and naturalistic forms inlaid with pewter, copper and bone, highlighting the painting of a graceful stork on the surface.Carlo Bugatti showed his creative and artistic talents from an early age and was enrolled by his father at the Brera Academy, where he met the artist Giovanni Segantini, and subsequently attended the Ecole de Beax-Arts in Paris. Later, in the late 1970s, Bugatti worked for the cabinetmaker Mentasti, owner of the Piccolo Stabilimento di Lavorazione del Legno in Via San Marco, Milan.From 1888 onwards, there is evidence of a Bugatti workshop in Via Castelfidardo 6, Milan. In the same year, Carlo established himself as a cabinetmaker at the Italian Exhibition in London. His furniture is unique, using precious woods as well as ivory, copper, mother-of-pearl, camel and fallow deer hide. These creations were particularly appreciated and harmonised well with the exotic and Moorish taste typical of the time. As early as 1890, the famous cabinetmaker had opened a studio-workshop in Paris, where, at the Universal Exhibition of 1900, his furniture was awarded prizes marking the international triumph of Art Nouveau.Settling in Paris in 1903, he met the art dealer and founder Adrien A. Hèbrard (1865-1937), who persuaded him to devote himself to sculpture, commissioning objects and ornaments from him, including a fantastic bestiary which Hèbrard exhibited in his gallery in 1907. After leaving Paris in 1910, Bugatti moved to Pierrerfonds in the Oise, where he became mayor. The last years of his life were marked by dramatic events, such as the suicide of his son Rembrandt in 1916, the death of his daughter Deanice and finally that of his wife Therese. In 1935 he decided to move to Alsace, to Molsheim, where his son Ettore had opened the famous Bugatti car factory, and where he died in April 1940.

Lot 113

ISRAEL - PALESTINEA collection of seventeen scarce pamphlets, comprising:Dated 25th February 1926. Palestine. The Crown Agents for the Colonies and Euripides Mavrommatis. Agreement as to Electricity Concession at Jerusalem, 22pp., Burchells, 5 The Sanctuary, Westminster, [1926]Proceedings of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society. Being an Abridgement of the Hebrew Qovetz Ha-Chevrah Ha-Ivrith L'Chaquirath Eretz Yisrael wa'Attiqotheha (Jerusalem 1925. Vol. 1, 2-4), illustrations in the text, one folding table, Jerusalem, Jewish Palestine Exploration Society, [1926]SIDEBOTHAM (HERBERT) British Policy and the Palestine Mandate: Our Proud Privilege, Ernest Benn, [c.1929]SAMUEL (HORACE B.) Beneath the Whitewash [A Critical Analysis of the Report of the Commission on the Palestine Disturbances of August, 1929], small loss to lower cover touching imprint details, Hogarth Press, 1930[WAILING WALL] Report of the Commission Appointed by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom..., with the Approval of the League of Nations, to Determine the Rights and Claims of Moslems and Jews in Connection with the Western or Wailing Wall at Jerusalem. December 1930, 3 plates (one folding with tear, repaired), H.M.S.O., 1931[PALESTINE AND TRANS-JORDAN] Report by His Majesty's Government... Palestine and Trans-Jordan for the Year 1936, one folding table, H.M.S.O., 1937Palestine 1937. British Public Opinion [titled on upper cover]... Leading Articles from the British Press... Reprinted for the Information and Guidance of Delegates Attending the Zionist Congress, Zurich, 1937], 16pp., [Printed by St. Clements Press Ltd., 1937]BEN-GURION (DAVID) The Peel Report and the Jewish State [Palestine Labour Studies (P.L.S.) No. 10, rebacked with cloth spine, P.L.S.G., 1938BEN-GURION (DAVID) Jewish Immigration into Palestine (Mr. Ormsby-Gore's Despatch of the 10th March, 1938), Jewish Agency for Palestine, March 1938BEN-GURION (DAVID) Mr. Ormsby-Gore's Dispatch Analysed. Palestine Labour Studies (P.L.S.) No. 8, stapled, clear tape repair to title, P.L.S.G., 1938MIDDLETON (J.S., introduction) British Labour Policy on Palestine. A Collection of Documents, Speeches and Articles 1917-1938, Jewish Socialist Labour Party, 1938Jewish Jerusalem Past and Present. Two Memoranda, Jerusalem, Head Offices of the Jewish National Fund and the Palestine Foundation Fund, 1939BEN-GURION (DAVID) La signification politique de la declaration Bevin, Jerusalem, Rubin Mass, 1946The Jewish Agency Before the United Nations, May 1947. Statements by Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, Moshe Shertok, David Ben-Gurion, later stiff card wrappers, [New York, American Zionist Emergency Council, 1947]BEN-GURION (DAVID) Report on the Special Palestine Session of the United Nations, later stiff card wrappers, Jerusalem, [no publisher], May 1947BEN-GURION (DAVID) A Jewish State Now... Supplement to the Jewish Agency's Digest of Press and Events, No. 192-193, later stiff card wrappers, Jerusalem, [no publisher], October 1947Memorandum Submitted to the Anglo-American Commission of Inquiry [General Federation of Jewish Labour in Eretz Israel (Palestine)], typescript, one folding table (short tears with loss of a few letters), later stiff card wrappers preserving original wrappers (frayed with part loss of a few words), Tel-Aviv, 1946together 17 works, some spotting, most with old library withdrawal stamps on upper cover, titles and blank margin of final leaf, many with paper library pocket slip inside upper cover, unless otherwise stated publisher's wrappers, some fraying and toning, first and last mentioned small folio, others 8vo (17)Footnotes:Provenance: Givat Haviva Library, all with withdrawal stamps.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: •• Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 119

MELLY (GEORGE), JAZZ AND EROTIC DRAWINGSTypescripts for the running order of two episodes of radio programmes 'Jazz Club... Late Jazz.. Introduced by George Melly', EXTENSIVELY ANNOTATED AND DECORATED WITH EROTIC DRAWINGS, together 15 leaves, printed recto and verso, extensive notes added by Melly, in blue or black biro, with the text of his contributions to the programme, amendments to running order, etc., and 18 LARGE CARICATURE DRAWINGS, all but 2 of pseudo-Surrealist erotic (or 'dirty') subject matter, one a portrait of Tommy Whittle and his saxophone, stapled at upper left corner, a few leaves loose, a few small marginal tears, folio (320 x 200mm.), Feb-May 1963 (2)Footnotes:'Jazz Club' radio scripts enlivened with erotically charged sketches by George Melly (1926-2007), a stalwart of the British jazz scene from the 1950s onwards, but equally a champion of Surrealism, bi-sexuality, libertarianism, and 'good times'. Melly introduced the pioneering late night live jazz programme on the BBC, with these two scripts introducing Bob Wallis and his Storyville Jazzmen, and The Tommy Whittle Quartet. Presumably inspired by his interest in Surrealist spontaneity Melly's rapid sketches - taking in a cast of sailors, prisoners, royalty, etc. - are prompted by the titles of the jazz tunes in the programme; 'Everybody Loves Saturday Night' (group sex), 'Duke's in Bed' (involving a figure in a crown), 'We'll be together again' (under the table activity during a prison visit), 'Combined Effort' (group sex), 'So Do It' (a sailor and an eager man), 'Someday Somehow' (a nude Vanessa Redgrave and excitable Bernard Levin), etc.Provenance: George Melly; family descent.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 57

BOSWELL (JAMES)Autograph letter signed ('James Boswell') to Alexander Burnett ('Dear Sir'), British Chargé d'Affaires in Berlin, thanking him in familiar terms for escorting him in Germany ('...Would you not laugh if I should formally return you thanks for the many civilities which you was kind enough to show me at Berlin?...'), going on to thank him for introducing him to Mr [Philip] Stanhope ('...extremely obliging... presented me at court... dined with him twice. His table is good and his conversation agreeable. Dresden is a charming Place. I wish the King would make me his Minister there...'), bemoaning the destruction of the city by the Prussians ('...I think the Gothic Hero might have spared such an Addition to his Glory...'), and complaining of having to change his plans ('...were a Poem to be written in the manner of the Aneade describing my Journey from Berlin to Geneva this very circumstance would take up at least thirty lines... there is nothing I hate so much as to retourner sur mes pas. We have no phrase for this so good as the French one...'), ending by asking him what he made of the Spanish gun which has been offered to him at a suspiciously cheap price ('...the fellow asked only 20 Thalers for it... don't purchase till you write to me...'), 3 pages on a bifolium, integral address panel with remains of red wax seal, with docket, light dust-staining, creased at folds, 4to (264 x 190mm.), Leipzig, 14 October 1764Footnotes:'I WISH THE KING WOULD MAKE ME HIS MINISTER THERE': BOSWELL TAKES IN THE GERMAN COURTS ON HIS GRAND TOUR. Beginning in April 1763 in the Netherlands, Boswell's continental tour took in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Corsica, every stage meticulously recorded in his daily journal (see ed. Marlies K. Danziger, James Boswell: The Journal of his German & Swiss Travels, 1764, 2008). He looked upon his continental tour with great satisfaction and, although much of his diary from this period is lost, the portion describing his tour through Germany remains intact and in later years he considered it a suitable candidate for publication – 'I shall perhaps abridge it in a more elegant style' (ed. Geoffrey Scott, Private Papers of James Boswell from Malahide Castle, 1928). However, it may well have been that the huge success of the published Tour of Corsica deterred him from that course, as 'any further publication of his travels must necessarily have the character of an anti-climax' (Scott, p.3). Our letter, therefore, was written in the midst of an ambitious itinerary which took in a plethora of the lesser German courts. Having just spent four days in Leipzig from 3rd to 7th October and Dresden from the 9th to the 12th Boswell was now back in Leipzig, furious at having to 'retourner sur mes pas' after failing to find a seat in the large passenger coach, and thus having to resort to a slower, private coach, a delay he clearly found frustrating and necessitated him giving up a visit to Weimar. His companion and facilitator in Germany, and the recipient of our letter, was fellow Scot Alexander Burnett (1735-1802) of Kemnay, Aberdeenshire, who had studied at the university of Leiden and came to Berlin as secretary to Sir Andrew Mitchell, his Majesty's Minister to the Court, accompanying him and Frederick II on several fierce campaigns of the Seven Years' War and acting as Chargé d'Affaires from August 1764 to June 1766 whilst Mitchell took a cure for the benefit of his health. Boswell describes Burnett as 'a very good sollid clever young fellow', 'much better than myself' and 'excellent company. His storys flew thick... merry we were...' (Journal, 15 July 1764, 28 August 1764, 6 September 1764). Indeed, some of Burnett's amusing anecdotes were published in Boswelliana and Boswell notes that he 'has found me several words for my Scots Dictionary' (16 September 1764). They clashed only on the issue of the Union - 'After much warm disputation, I said 'Sir, the love of our country is a sentiment. If you have it not, I cannot give it you by reasoning'' (6 September 1764), although they were reconciled over a breakfast of 'Scots oatmeal Pottage and English Porter. This is one of the best methods that can be taken to render the Union truly firm' (17 September 1764). Copies of Burnett's outgoing correspondence, held in six letter books in the archive at Kemnay, reveal that he had been asked by Boswell's father to urge him to return home at the beginning of his tour, even concocting a plan by which Mitchell would lure him back via Brussels. In one of his daily letters to Andrew Mitchell, Burnett wrote: '...his father had given him leave to make a Jaunt into France... he was uncertain whether he might not go and Pay a Visit to the several small Courts in Germany, then take a Tour through Switzerland, France and so Home: I asked him if his Father did not rather seem desirous of his returning to Scotland as soon as possible – He answered he did above all Things... upon which I said it was my Advice that he ought instantly and cheerfully to comply with His Father's Desire...' (28 August 1764). Needless to say Boswell, taking full advantage of the considerable pleasures available to him, did not take Burnett's advice: '...the continued series of Amusement and Dissipation he enjoyed during the thirteen Days he stayed at Brunswick... has given him such a Taste for travelling and Dissipation that he talks of nothing but of making the Tour of all Europe and then settling to Business... I can easily perceive it will be very difficult to get him to return home unless You was to allure him to come to Spa...and so carry him over to England...'.According to our letter, Boswell's well-documented admiration of Frederick II 'The Great', of Prussia diminished considerably after witnessing at first hand the ruins of Dresden, the town damaged after Frederick's unsuccessful siege of 1760. Burnett took him to the palace of his former hero at Sans Souci but, despite several requests for an introduction to the King, a meeting was not forthcoming. Burnett's letter book reveals that his reluctance to facilitate such an introduction was due to Boswell's insistence that he should be presented to the King as a Scotsman and not an Englishman: '...I find he makes such absurd Distinctions between Englishmen and Scotchmen... that I am certain something very ridiculous would happen on that Occasion... Ld M. [the Lord Marischal] had said to him that K.P. had a greater Esteem and Value for his countrymen than for the English. You may easily judge after this if it would be prudent to have him presented...' (8 September 1764). The present letter is published in Susan Burnett, Without Fanfare: The Story of my Family, 1994, p.120, and has been held in the archive at Kemnay House, Aberdeenshire, until now. It is not included in Chauncey Brewster Tinker's Letters of James Boswell, 1924. The original of Alexander Burnett's reply, dated 20 October 1764, is held at Yale (MS. C 704). Provenance: Alexander Burnett, 4th of Kemnay (1735-1802); and thence by descent.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 62

LEIBNIZ (GOTTFRIED WILHELM)Autograph letter signed ('Leibniz') to Thomas Burnett ('Monsieur'), in French, thanking him for '...the news you send me of the state of literature as well as of the political states...', reporting that British ministers have written to the Electress Sophia to assure her that they will protect the Protestant Succession, on minority rule in France ('...the death of two Dauphins in less than a year is truly remarkable... an event unparalleled...'), the war between Russia and Turkey, commenting on Anne's power over parliament and English politics ('...she seems to be the mistress in both Chambers. We must hope that she makes good use of it... The Whig gentlemen have not profited from the time in which they were masters...') and referring to a letter of Sir Rowland Gwynne, going on to inform him that his Théodicée is being translated into Latin and German and asking '...what English scholars capable of penetrating its substance say of it... In Holland, Paris and Leipzig – in Rome itself, it received great applause by most able theologians of the three religions...', noting the posthumous printing of some letters of Locke in which he, Leibniz, is said to have expressed objections to Burnett ('...I don't remember this...'), also that Thomas Fritsch, the Leipzig bookseller is having all the works of Hobbes printed in folio, in Latin translation and asking his help in locating Hobbes' Dialogue of a Philosopher and a Student of the Common Law, Letter of the Duke of Newcastle and Memorable sayings in his Books and at the Table, ending '...Our principality, thank God, thrives marvellously...', with amendments and deletions throughout, 2 pages on a bifolium, integral address panel with good impression of Leibniz's seal in red wax, docketed in another hand, creased at folds, loss where seal torn away not affecting text, 8vo (174 x 110mm.), Hanover, 17 March 1712Footnotes:'NOW LET US COME TO THE LITERARY NEWS. WORK IS GOING ON ON A LATIN AND GERMAN TRANSLATION OF MY THÉODICÉE': LEIBNIZ ASKS THE OPINION OF ENGLISH SCHOLARS ON HIS TREATISE.Our letter not only discusses Leibniz's ongoing concerns with the Protestant Succession in Britain but also dwells on the ever-changing political situation in Europe – the French King with a great-grandson as a successor ('...an event unparalleled perhaps in all the kingdoms of the world...') and the return of Azov to the Turks which had been ceded to the Russians at the end of the Russo-Turkish war ('...we don't know if they will be content with that...'). Also mentioned in passing is a letter by Sir Rowland Gwynne. In 1706 Leibnitz had composed an open letter to the Earl of Stamford on behalf of Gwynne, who was then visiting Hanover, in which he criticised the Whig opposition to the suggestion that Electress Sophia should be invited to England. The fear was that a second Court would be a rival to that of Anne and thus, by sowing dissention, would be prey to the affairs of France and the Jacobite pretender. Leibniz/Gwynne reiterated the Electress' wish to take the throne and argued that it would be beneficial for her to be present. Leibniz had the letter printed in Holland and circulated in England where it was ill received on Parliament – his authorship was not discovered and he subsequently denied his involvement in the affair (see E.J. Aiton, Leibniz: A Biography, 1985).In 'literary news' he asks what English scholars think of his Théodicée, which has been received favourably '...by most able theologians of three Religions...'. His treatise on the problem of evil, written in 1709, concerned a subject which '...vexed Leibniz as much as any of the problems that he engaged in the course of his philosophical career...' (plato.stanford.edu online) and was one of two book-length works devoted to the subject, the first being his Philosopher's Confession of 1672. This letter is quoted from in Susan Burnett, Without Fanfare: The Story of my Family, 1994, p.22, and has been held in the archive at Kemnay House, Aberdeenshire, until now. It is not published in Gerhardt, C. J., Die philosophischen Schriften von Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, 1887, vol.3, neither is it currently available in Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: Allgemeiner politischer und historischer Briefwechsel, Akademie Verlag, 1998 (no.316, L2, p.492-493),Provenance: Thomas Burnett, 2nd of Kemnay (1656-1729); and thence by descent.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 72

BRUNEL (ISAMBARD KINGDOM) AND LADY BENTHAMA late George III mahogany pedestal drawing table 'made by the hands of the famous engineer Brunel', the hinged and adjustable rectangular top with boxwood lined rosewood crossbanding and ebonised rounded edges, frieze drawer fitted for drawing implements with label pasted inside inscribed 'This table was made by the hands of the famous engineer Brunel and was given by him to Lady Bentham, the wife of Sir Samuel Bentham by whom Brunel was educated [and in a different hand] Afterwards bequeathed by Lady Bentham to the Revd. Richard Norris Russell'), on a turned and twisted reed carved column with gadroon carved ring base, tripartite plinth raised on brass casters, c.1830Footnotes:'THIS TABLE WAS MADE BY THE HANDS OF THE FAMOUS ENGINEER BRUNEL AND WAS GIVEN BY HIM TO LADY BENTHAM'.Mary Sophia Fordyce, Lady Bentham (c.1765-1858) was a British botanist, scientist and author. She was daughter of the chemist George Fordyce, mother of the botanist George Bentham, and married the naval architect and mechanical engineer Samuel Bentham (1757-1831) in 1796, having known him and his brother Jeremy Bentham from a young age. It is becoming recognised how important a role Mary Bentham played not only in the writings and career of her husband, but also as all-round polymath and educator, one of her amanuenses being the young John Stuart Mill, who stayed with the Benthams for a year whilst they lived in France from 1814 to 1823, and on whom Mary seems to have exerted considerable influence. 'Mary Fordyce was clearly a clever and capable woman: according to her son, the botanist George Bentham, she 'had from an early age been accustomed to take a part in her father's writings' (Catherine Pease-Watkin, 'The Influence of Mary Bentham on John Stuart Mil', research article in the Journal of Bentham Studies, 1 January 2006). She published extensively on her husband's work and ideas in numerous journals, especially the Mechanics Magazine between 1844 and 1853, where over 130 articles appeared relating to Samuel Bentham. She also published in Quarterly Papers on Engineering, 1847-1848, including 'Paper on the First Introduction of Steam Engines into Naval Arsenals and Machinery set in motion thereby'; 'Enumeration of the Principal Inventions of the Late Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Bentham, K.S.G.'; 'On the Mode of Forming Foundations Under Water and on Bad Ground...'; 'Outline of a Plan... for The Improvement of the River Medway and the Port and Arsenal of Chatham'. She also contributed her own articles, papers and letters to The Journal of the Society of Arts, The Gardener's Chronicle, The United Services Journal, The Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal and the Builder. Samuel Bentham, in his capacity as Inspector General of Naval Work at Portsmouth, came into contact with Marc Isambard Brunel around the time of his marriage to Mary. He was on the verge of manufacturing blocks for wood-working machines from his own designs when Brunel showed him his drawings, which Bentham immediately recognised as being superior. He recommended their adoption to the Admiralty and Brunel was commissioned to build and install them. By 1806, the year of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's birth, the 43 machines were in production and the method continued to be used for nearly 150 years. The young I.K. Brunel soon showed that he had inherited his parents' mechanical and artistic skills, and under their tutorship he also showed a talent for draughtsmanship and an aptitude with tools. He attended schools in Chelsea and Hove, before being sent to France to study first at the College of Caen in Normandy, and then at the Lycée Henri-Quatre in Paris. He also spent a year as an apprentice in the workshop of the leading clockmaker Bréguet, after which the sixteen-year old Brunel returned to England, a year before the Benthams, to complete his apprenticeship with his father. Together they worked on a bewildering range of projects, including designs for a new rotary printing press, a copying machine, a system for making decorative packaging with tin-foil, paddle steamers, a mill for boring cannon, and two suspension bridges. Marc already had a sawmill in London, and Isambard assisted him in designing another for Trinidad. Both the Benthams and I.K. Brunel spent the remainder of their lives in London, Samuel dying in 1831, Mary in 1858, and Brunel a year later. The table is likely to have been made in the 1830s.Provenance: According to the note fixed inside the drawer, the table was made by I.K. Brunel and presented to Mary Sophia Bentham. On her death in 1858 it was bequeathed to the Rev. Richard Norris Russell and then to his brother, who owned a hotel in Lyme Regis. On his death the business, and the furniture, were left to his hotel manager, and from her it passed down to her granddaughter, Thelma K. Embury, whose letter included in the lot confirms the Russell provenance.In 1970 the existence of 'a pedestal writing table made by Brunel' became known to the Secretary of the Institution of Civil Engineers, M.H. Brown, whose letter is also included in the lot. He then brought it to the attention of Cynthia, Lady Gladwyn, wife of the British ambassador to Paris, noted diarist and host to politicians. A great-granddaughter of I.K. Brunel, she had given a lecture at the Institution on the name Isambard and its origins, and the table was duly sold to her in 1971 with Brown as intermediary, thus returning it to the family over 120 years later. It is being sold on behalf of the granddaughter of Lady Gladwyn.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 74

BRUNEL (MARC ISAMBARD)Portrait of an elderly Marc Isambard Brunel (1769-1849), seated in an armchair at his writing table, pencil and watercolour, label on reverse 'Sir M.I.B. writing with his left hand after his stroke', 95 x 78mm., with frame 138 x 120mm., c.1845-1849Footnotes:The present image bears certain similarities to a watercolour by Dubuisson depicting Brunel and his wife Sophia sitting together and published in Celia Brunel Noble's biography, The Brunels: Father and Son, 1938, p.96. He was paralysed by a second stroke in 1845, necessitating his writing with his left hand as shown here. Brunel was painted several times in his career, by James Northcote in 1812-13 (NPG 978) and depicted in front of the Thames Tunnel by Samuel Drummond (NPG 89). The National Portrait Gallery also holds a pencil and chalk portrait of Brunel as an elderly man by William Brockendon (NPG 2525 (28)).Provenance: Isambard Brunel (1837-1902); his brother Henry Marc Brunel (1842-1903); his niece Celia Noble; her daughter Cynthia Noble; Miles Jebb, Lord Gladwyn; thence by descent to his niece, the present owner.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

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