5 minute read
applauds the 19th-century artist Sarah Biffin
Right A self-portrait by Sarah Biffin, courtesy of the Wellcome Collection
SALEROOM SPOTLIGHT
The collection of a Cambridgeshire antiques dealer who lost both legs in a flying accident in WWII goes under the hammer in December
There is one picture in the collection of the late Peter Crofts (1924-2001), himself a double amputee following a flying accident, which had a particular resonance with him. It was a watercolour by the early 19th-century Somerset artist Sarah Biffin (1784-1850) who, having been born without limbs, fought and succeeded to overcome a lifetime of prejudice.
Suffering from the congenital deformity phocomelia, Biffin taught herself to write, paint and hold scissors using her mouth. From the age of about 13, she earned £5 a year touring the country as part of Emmanuel Dukes’ travelling show during which time she was, in 1818, introduced to William, 16th Earl of Morton, who was so impressed with her skills he became her patron.
Overcoming the prejudices of the age, which treated disability with superstition and with little medical
Above right The rummer has an estimate of £400£600 in this month’s sale
Right & below The feathers are inscribed Drawn by Miss Biffin, 6th August 1812. The reverse features a 1830 newspaper article assistance, Biffin’s fame and talent soon spread. In fact, she became so well known Charles Dickens mentioned her in his novels Nicholas Nickleby and Martin Chuzzlewit.
Her story in some ways reflected Crofts’ own. A day before his 21st birthday on March 25, 1945, having joined the Fleet Air Arm while training in America, the engine of his Corsair F4U burst into flames during take-off. Both legs were amputated and he spent three and a half years recovering in hospital.
Later, under the guidance of the Stamford dealer Major Bernard Edinburgh, Croft became an antiques dealer and by 1958 was elected a member of the British Antique Dealers Association. Despite his disability, he was a keen sailor, owning an 88-year-old clinker-built Norfolk beach boat.
TRIUMPH OVER TRAGEDY
It is no surprise that one of the 100 lots in the former Wisbech dealer’s collection, going under the hammer at Sworders’ sale on December 14-15, is a 10 x 12cm a watercolour study of feathers by Biffin, inscribed Drawn by Miss Biffin, 6th August 1812.
It is being sold with a Georgian handbill advertising her as an attraction at a local racing meet, where she would be selling “likenesses painted on ivory for three guineas”. The advert reads: This Young Lady was born deficient of Arms and Legs, she is of a comely appearance, Twenty-eight years of age and is only Thirty-seven Inches High.
In 2019, a self-portrait miniature by Biffin smashed its pre-sale estimate of £1,200-£800 when it sold for £137,500 at Sotheby’s. The price achieved recognising the talent of a person with disabilities who was far more talented than many of her contemporaries, who, on the whole, would have been men.
The sale includes a number of items of Wisbech interest. A rare George III enamel nutmeg grater, painted with flowers and inscribed A Trifle from Wisbech, has a pre-sale guide of £200£300, while a rare, late 18th-century oil on board painting depicting a view of the church of St Peter and St Paul, Wisbech, is expected to make £500£800. The painting, which highlights the the church tower’s clock movement, includes figures on a road identified as Church Terrace with The Duke’s Head pub (today the Duke’s Steakhouse) just visible on the far right.
RUMMER SHOW
Glass from Crofts’ collection includes a rummer relating to the Enclosure Acts, the series of laws which enclosed open fields and common land across the country.
The large drinking glass (left) is engraved with details of a hearing held in Norwich on August 7, 1817, relating to the Smallburgh Inclosure Act, in which a “Mr Robert Joy” won a case against the “defendants who wish’d to deprive him”. A rare survivor of the era, it is estimated to make £400-£600 in the December sale.
AUCTION fact file
WHAT: The Peter Crofts collection, part of the two-day fine interiors sale When: December 14-15 Where: Sworders, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, CM24 8GE Viewing: and online at www.sworder.co.uk
Top The handbill advertises Miss Biffin as a great genius and an admirer of the fine Arts
Above Antiques dealer Peter Crofts became a double amputee aged 20
Above left A George III nutmeg grater inscribed A Trifle from Wisbech is expected to make £200-£300
Right An imperial harp shell box has an estimate of £200-£300
IN MY OPINION...
We asked Sworders’ director Guy Schooling for his sale highlights What makes the collection so special?
The size and quality, especially the emphasis on East Anglia and the Fens. The collection includes a large quantity of fine, early 19th-century drinking glasses, many with lemon squeezer bases, walking sticks, including a fine example, possibly belonging to the Emperor Napoleon; furniture; silver; jewellery; decorative items and books.
Does Sarah Biffin’s work deserve to be better known?
Definitely. There is growing interest in her work in contrast to that during her lifetime, when she was exhibited as a freak. There is increasing interest in female artists, quite rightly, and she is among the most extraordinary of them all. Two similar works sold in new York recently for approximately £17,000 and £21,000, while other works have previously sold for below £1,000. Watch this space.
Have you got a favourite piece from the Croft collection?
Aside for the watercolour by Sarah Biffin, I like one of the more affordable pieces, namely a delightful imperial harp shell box, probably 18th century, mounted with silver and gold, which is expected to fetch £200-£400 (below). I also like a 19th-century French silver and mother-of-pearl box, carved with Biblical scenes, including the Three Kings, Rebecca at the Well and Sampson and Delilah.
Any local favourites?
With an estimate of £200-£300, the George III enamel nutmeg grater inscribed A Trifle From Wisbech’, with a jewelled border and pink ground, is a delight and would make a great Christmas gift.
Where are you expecting interest to come?
East Anglia, America and the rest of the world.
