SALE NEWS Winter 2016/Spring 2017
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AUCTION CALENDAR JANUARY 11th
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
24th & 25th
Silver & Objects of Vertu Including The Arthur Holder Collection (Part II)
26th
Jewellery & Watches
Woolley & Wallis Salisbury Salerooms Ltd. 51-61 Castle Street, Salisbury Wiltshire, SP1 3SU T: +44 (0) 1722 424 500 enquiries@woolleyandwallis.co.uk www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk
FEBRUARY 28th
Fine Porcelain & Pottery
MARCH 1st
Tribal Art & Antiquities
15
Old Masters, British & European Paintings
28th
Medals, Coins, Arms & Armour
29
Clarice Cliff, Art Deco & Design
th
th
APRIL 12th
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
25 & 26 th
th
27th
Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu Including The Arthur Holder Collection (Part III) Fine Jewellery
MAY 16th & 17th
Asian Art
23rd
English & European Ceramics & Glass
JUNE 7th
Modern British & 20th Century Art
21
Arts & Crafts
22
A Private Collection of Burmantofts Pottery
st nd
We offer a free auction valuation service on the first Friday of every month, 10am – 1pm, no appointment necessary.
JULY 5th
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
18 & 19
Silver & Objects of Vertu
20th
Jewellery & Watches
th
FREE AUCTION VALUATIONS
th
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For further information please call 01722 424 509 or visit our website.
*All prices quoted are hammer price plus buyers premium.
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Front Cover. Honourable East India Company Medal for Seringapatam. Estimate: £400 – 600 To be sold 28th March
Background: Henry Singleton The Last Effort and Fall of Tippoo Sultan. This painting shows the climax of battle.
Opposite. A fine mid-19th century gilt brass carriage timepiece by Dent, with chronometer escapement, 14.3cm high. Estimate: £8,000 – 12,000 To be sold 11th January
Back Cover. George Chinnery
(1774-1852) Portrait miniature of Maria Graham of the Graham family of South Africa Oval, in a gold frame 86 x 68mm. Estimate: £4,500 – 5,500 To be sold 15th March
Issue 119
CONTENTS 4
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
6
Silver & Objects of Vertu
8
Jewellery & Watches
10
Fine Porcelain & Pottery
12
Tribal Art & Antiquities
14
Old Masters, British & European Paintings
16
Medals, Coins, Arms & Armour
18
Clarice Cliff, Art Deco & Design
20
Asian Art
22
Staff News
23
Sale Review
Managing Director Clive Stewart-Lockhart extracting the Korean Military Uniform from a cabinet in a Kensington townhouse. It turned out to be well worth the effort... chairman’s introduction
All professions benefit from the oxygen of good publicity and the auction world is no different. The combination of art and money continues to fascinate and hence on an almost daily basis you read in the newspapers about some lot being sold at auction and most likely as not wildly exceeding expectations. Of course if there is a good story as well then journalistic enthusiasm can really go into overdrive. Thus in the aftermath of our very successful November Asian Art sale, which totalled £3.6 million, all the press really wanted to know about, perhaps not surprisingly, was the 18th century Imperial
‘quail and millet’ vase that was bought in a local car boot sale for £10 and which sold for £61,000. The fact that we also sold an Imperial doucai jar and cover for £968,400, the most expensive lot sold in a regional saleroom in 2016, was of scant interest; and even more remarkable (to me at least but presumably not to the buyer) was the Korean military uniform that we had estimated at £2,000 - 3,000 which sold £244,000. This in turn aroused not much more than a polite “oh really?” from the journalists covering the sale. I’m pleased to report that all seven auctions we have held since the start of the new season in September have gone exceptionally
well and displayed a robust and healthy market in depth with ample competition across the board. Undoubtedly this is in part down to the quality of lots on offer (especially in the recent Silver and Jewellery sales) but whether the Brexit vote is also a contributory factor one can only speculate. We remain very conscious of the trust shown to us by vendors who continue to give us some wonderful works of art to sell and all our specialists will do their very best to ensure that 2017 turns out to be another good year. Paul Viney
Contents | 3
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FURNITURE, WORKS OF ART & CLOCKS 11th January 2017
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SPECIALIST: MARK RICHARDS +44 (0) 1722 411 854 mr@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. A pair of late 18th century carved and silvered wood griffin console tables, possibly Russian or Swedish, 106cm wide. Estimate: £8,000 – 12,000
1. A Regency mahogany
and giltwood centre table in the manner of Marsh and Tatham, 107.4cm diameter. Provenance: Sir Michael Codron. Estimate: £1,500 – 2,500
2. A pair of large Rococo style carved giltwood pier mirrors, 19th century, 179.8cm high. Provenance: Sir Jeremy Lever KCMG QC. Estimate: £5,000 – 8,000
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We are delighted to include in the January sale collections of furniture and works of art belonging to two knights of the realm. The first 63 lots of the sale belong to the eminent theatrical impresario Sir Michael Codron. Sir Michael is a great champion of new British writers and plays and is well known for his early productions of the works of Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Alan Ayckbourn and Michael Frayn. He has produced approximately two hundred West End shows. Sir Michael is the administrator of the Aldwych Theatre and, in 1993, was a Cameron Mackintosh Professor of Contemporary Theatre at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. Sir Michael graduated from Worcester College, Oxford in 1951 and was made an Honorary Fellow in 2012. He was appointed CBE in August 1989 and was knighted in 2014. His diverse collection, formerly furnishing his London flat, has been collected over the last fifty years. Highlights include: the Regency centre table in the manner of Marsh and Tatham (image 1) and the very interesting South Sea Bubble satirical painting depicting Sir Robert Knight, the chief cashier of the South Sea Company (image 3).
3. English School, 1722, A satirical portrait of Sir Robert Knight, the chief cashier of the South Sea Company or ‘Lucifer’s New Row-Barge’ Oil on canvas 71.8 x 62.5cm. Provenance: Sir Michael Codron. Estimate: £3,000 – 5,000
workshop of Antonio Canova (Italian 1757-1822) An early 19th century carved white marble bust of Beatrice, 48.5cm high. Estimate: £4,000 – 6,000
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Moving from the theatre to the law courts our next collection belongs to Sir Jeremy Lever KCMG, QC. Sir Jeremy is a well-known QC and Oxford fellow and is one of the leading and most respected EU and Competition lawyers at the Bar. He and his partner are in the process of downsizing and we are delighted to be selling over a hundred lots from their Kent home.
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The collection is wide and varied ranging from Regency furniture to Grand Tour marble busts and Empire lighting.
F urniture , W orks
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4. Attributed to the
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A rt & C locks | 5
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SILVER & OBJECTS OF VERTU INCLUDING THE ARTHUR HOLDER COLLECTION (PART II)
24th & 25th January 2017
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SPECIALISTS: RUPERT SLINGSBY +44 (0) 1722 424 501 rs@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
LUCY CHALMERS +44 (0) 1722 424 594 lc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Following on from the success of the October silver sale, the January 2017 sale will include a wide selection of silver, including antique and post-war items, objects of vertu, flatware and 1 foreign silver. The 19th century gilt-metal Austro-Hungarian cup and cover (opposite) was made by C. Hass of Vienna. In the 1870s Hass made electro-type reproductions of works of art for sale to museums and art colleges around the world. They also supplied the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna with reproductions for sale in its shop. The Victorian and Albert Museum have an identical copy of this cup which they purchased in 1871 for £20.
Opposite. A 19th century Austro-Hungarian gilded electro-type cup and cover, by Hass, Vienna, circa 1870, height 50cm. Estimate: £1,500 – 2,000
1. Caledonian Horticultural
Society interest, a George III wine label, by William Peat, Edinburgh 1814, length 7.8cm, together with a recipe for Gooseberry wine, dated 19 June 1808. Estimate: £400 – 600
2. By Charles Boyton,
4. A George II silver Warwick frame, by Samuel Wood, London 1753, height 22.8cm. Estimate: £2,000 – 2,500
3. By F.C. Bush, a silver double cigarette box, made by E.S and Co, London 1952, length 26.3cm. Estimate: £500 – 700
5. A late 17th/early 18th century leather Bombard, later incised with the crowned date 1646 and initialled ‘CRO’. Estimate: £1,500 – 2,000
an Art Deco silver caddy spoon, London 1938, length 9.2cm. Estimate: £200 – 300
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The January sale will also hold Part II of The Arthur Holder Collection of Silver and Vertu. Included is a collection of Old Sheffield plated wax-jacks, which were popular from the late 18th century. There will also be small collections of vesta cases, folding fruit knives and forks and other items including a group of blackjacks, also called bombards, and leather bottles. The leather was worked wet so it could be shaped and hand stitched. When air dried it became known as jack leather and therefore became known as ‘jacks’. During the Tudor period they became known as Bombards (image 5), because the body shape resembled the barrel of the bombard gun. Both bombards and jacks were very popular as they could be made in a vast size, yet still be light in comparison to its strength and durability.
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JEWELLERY & WATCHES 26th January 2017
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SPECIALISTS: JONATHAN EDWARDS FGAA +44 (0) 1722 424 504 je@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
MARIELLE WHITING FGA +44 (0) 1722 424 595 mw@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. A late 18th
1. A Belle Epoque diamond
4. A Cartier carved emerald
A 17th/18th century coral cameo depicting a philosopher, 5.2cm. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
2. An Edwardian ruby and diamond openwork butterfly brooch, 5.3cm wide. Estimate: £800 – 1,200
5. A pair of diamond and sapphire platinum semi hoop earrings, 1.9cm high. Estimate: £5,000 – 7,000
Part of a collection of 180 intaglios and cameos dating from the Roman period to the 19th century.
3. An Art Deco diamond
6. An Edwardian red spinel and diamond brooch, 7cm wide. Estimate: £1,000 – 1,500
century agate cameo depicting Hercules, 4.8cm. Estimate: £1,000 – 2,000
and platinum double-sided bracelet, 18.5cm. Estimate: £10,000 – 15,000
bracelet, 18cm. Estimate: £4,000 – 6,000
and diamond platinum bracelet, circa 1910, 18cm. Estimate: £20,000 – 30,000
7. A pair of French Art Deco gold and enamel cufflinks. Estimate: £800 – 1,200
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8. A pair of French Art Deco diamond and black onyx dress cufflinks, with matching studs. Estimate: £800 – 1,200 9. An Edwardian diamond and sapphire basket brooch, 3.3cm high. Estimate: £400 – 600 10. A fire opal and
diamond ring, size O 1/2 Estimate: £600 – 800
11. A pair of French gold, coral and enamel cufflinks, circa 1900. Estimate: £800 – 1,200 12. An Edwardian gold heart locket set with seed pearls and a turquoise and diamond cluster, 2cm high. Estimate: £200 – 300
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FINE PORCELAIN & POTTERY 28th February 2017
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SPECIALIST: CLARE DURHAM +44 (0) 1722 424 507 cd@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Closing date for entries, 13th January
Opposite. A selection of items from an extensive private collection of ceramics relating to Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson. Varying estimates.
1. Underglazed blue
and white Worcester porcelains of the First Period. From the collection of Professor Richard Clarke. Varying estimates.
2. A Montelupo maiolica jug, 15/16th century, 16.5cm. Estimate: £500 – 800
3. A rare Dublin or Liverpool delftware vase, circa 1760, 25cm. Estimate: £600 – 1,000
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Two private collections of note are contained in our Fine Porcelain and Pottery sale, each with a very different focus. The first is the Worcester porcelain collection of Professor Richard Clarke (image 1), a widely respected anaesthetist and medical historian, whose high professional standards have carried over into his hobby and resulted in a collection of over a hundred items of 18th century porcelain in near perfect condition. Shown above is a selection of the underglaze blue painted wares, but the collection also covers the factory’s printed wares and includes a number of polychrome items, with estimates to suit most pockets.
In direct contrast is a large collection of ceramics and glass all pertaining to Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson (opposite). Probably the largest collection of its type to come onto the open market in the last 70 years, this well-researched group of objects spans the two hundred years since the Battle of Trafalgar and includes a number of rarities which will be desirable to military historians and ceramic enthusiasts alike. Smaller in scope, but of no less interest, is the Iris Jones Collection of delftware. Spanning several decades of acquisitions from dealers and
auction houses alike, the collection includes examples of plates and dishes from the 17th and 18th centuries. A puzzle jug with rare polychrome decoration also features, along with two guglets or water bottles with blue decoration inspired by Chinese porcelain. The sale also includes around 20 lots from the varied collection of Brian Adams, ceramic historian and Wemyss artist from Devon, which features 18th century porcelain figures from Bow, Chelsea, Derby and Plymouth as well as a set of creamware plates from the lesser known pottery at Bovey Tracey.
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TRIBAL ART & ANTIQUITIES 1st March 2017
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SPECIALIST: WILL HOBBS +44 (0) 1722 339 752 wh@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. A selection of Yoruba Ibeji figures, Nigeria. Estimates from £300 – 1,000
1. Egyptian shabtis and fragments. Provenance: Seward Kennedy. Estimates from £200 – 1,500
2. Three Roman bronze
handles, 2nd century BC/ 1st century AD. 13cm, 10cm and 12cm high. Provenance: Seward Kennedy. Estimate: £300 – 400
3. A Chokwe chair, Angola, 102 cm high. Estimate: £1,000 – 1,500
The encounters with European traders from the 17th century are the influence of the chair in image 3, made by the Chokwe people of Angola. But the inspiration stops at the form, leaving the decoration solely to the imagination of the carver from this central African group. With depictions of everyday and spiritual life, including the chief, dancers, monkeys, bats and two ngungu birds, and other figures, the rungs are visual narratives emphasizing the
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social harmony and continuity that is ultimately achieved through following the enlightened leadership of the chair’s owner, namely, the chief. A large and varied part of the sale will comprise of the remaining collection of the late Seward Kennedy. A well-known figure along the Portobello Road and whose London residence in Norland Square has kept hidden this man’s extraordinary accumulation of
4. A Songye kifwebe mask, DR Congo, 42cm high. Estimate: £400 – 600 A Lobi figure, Burkina Faso, 42.5cm high Estimate: £300 – 500 A Dan Kran mask, Liberia, 24cm high. Estimate: £500 – 800
objects, not focusing on one area, but covering Antiquity, China, Africa, Oceanic, The Americas and Europe. The eclectic mixture will appeal to the tastes of many and amaze others, and at the same time they will be able to sense Seward’s appreciation of the skills and crafts needed to produce each object.
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OLD MASTERS, BRITISH & EUROPEAN PAINTINGS 15th March 2017
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SPECIALISTS: VICTOR FAUVELLE +44 (0) 1722 424 503 vf@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
JO BUTLER +44 (0) 1722 424 592 jb@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. Allan Ramsay (Scottish 1713-1784) Portrait of James Bateman (d.1758) Signed and dated 1756 Oil on canvas 127 x 101cm. Estimate: £15,000 – 20,000
1. Richard Karlovich
Zommer (Russian 1866- 1939) The Ferry, Lake Van Signed, oil on canvas 43 x 77cm. Estimate: £20,000 – 30,000
Closing date for entries, 20th January
2. John Smart (1741-1811) Portrait miniature of 1st Baron Crewe Signed with initials and dated 1781 Oval, 47 x 34mm. Provenance: The Crewe Family, Scotland Estimate: £5,000 – 8,000
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The back cover shows a portrait of Maria Graham (1785-1842), painted by George Chinnery in Bombay, from a collection of portrait miniatures in the sale. She married her first husband, Captain Robert Graham, RN, in Bombay and travelled with him to Chile in 1821. However he died of fever en route and, shunning the British community, Graham lived amongst the Chilean people. She published her ‘Journal of a Residence in Chile in 1822’ and other books on her stay, earning her the gratitude of Chileans for her invaluable social document. Her second husband was the painter Augustus Wall Calcott (1779-1844) whom she married in 1827. With her literary background and his wide circle of artistic connections they became a key part of the cultural scene in London. George Chinnery was a portrait painter who spent much of his early career in India and the last 27 years of his life in China. Known for his astute observation of his sitters, his scenes of everyday Chinese life are unusual for this period and provide a visual record of life in China at this time. Also from the same collection is a work by John Smart, the most sought after miniaturist of his day, of John, 1st Baron Crewe (image 2), painted in 1781. By this time Crewe, born in 1742, was a seasoned politician and MP for Cheshire, a position he held for 34 years. He was best known for Crewe’s Act, passed in 1782 which prevented customs officers and post office officials from voting in an effort to prevent corruption. Crewe was painted by
3. English School Late 17th Century Portrait of a lady, seated, wearing pearls and holding a basket of flowers Oil on canvas 90 x 70cm. Estimate: £1,500 – 2,000
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Pompeo Batoni whilst on his Grand Tour and he later sat for Sir Thomas Lawrence. The portrait by Allan Ramsay of James Bateman (opposite) is a good example of 18th century Grand Tour swagger portraiture. Pompeo Batoni was the predominant portrait painter in Rome at this time and his influence on Ramsay is apparent in the intensity of the colouring and also in the confidant and direct pose. James Bateman was the second son of Sir James Bateman (c.1660-1718), one of the founding directors of the Bank of England and Sub-Governor of the South Sea Company in 1711. He was also a Trustee of the sale of the South Sea Stock between 1714 and 1716, when he became Lord Mayor of London. He left a fortune, reputedly worth £400,000, (with RPI this amounts to some £56,000,000 today) with his two younger sons James, and Richard inheriting estates in Tooting, Kent and Essex. James married, in 1721, Anne Chaplin, daughter of Sir Francis Chaplin who had been expelled from Parliament in 1721 after the collapse of the South Sea Company. Allan Ramsay was in Italy for his second visit between 1754 and 1757, visiting Rome, where he painted the portraits of several Grand Tourists including the present portrait of James who was in Rome with his wife.
these rooms for £51,250 in December 2015. Captain Douglas-Withers, the grandfather of the present owner, fought in the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915/16 with the Prince of Wales Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment) and was awarded the Military Cross for exemplary gallantry. After the campaign he was part of a small British force that was sent stabilise Tblisi, as many White Russians were there, fleeing the Red Army. Zommer was teaching in Tblisi at this time and sold his paintings locally. Captain DouglasWithers purchased a number of his pictures, including these three and stored them in Army Map containers for transport home. 3
Also consigned are three works by the Russian painter Richard Karlovich Zommer (image 1) which have the same interesting direct provenance as At Prayer by Zommer sold in
O ld M asters , B ritish & E uropean P aintings | 15
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MEDALS, COINS, ARMS & ARMOUR 28th March 2017
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SPECIALIST: NED COWELL +44 (0) 1722 341 469
3 nc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Closing date for entries, 17th February
Opposite. Bombay Artillery:
a three inch to a foot scale model of a 5 ½ inch howitzer carriage and limber, complete with ordnance, 1822. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
1. A selection of medals for British campaigns in India. Estimates from £100 – 600
2. The Great War Military
Cross group to Squadron Leader John Tudor Whittaker, R.F.C./R.A.F. Estimate: £1,500 – 2,000
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It might well be said that campaign medals offer a ‘shorthand’ account of military history. Issued to reward participation in a specific battle or campaign, each type provides a snapshot of the salient actions in the history of our armed forces. Our March 28th auction will, by this means, provide a fascinating review of British campaigning in India in the late 18th and 19th Centuries. Mysore, Southern India, 4th May 1799: as the heat builds towards midday a combined force of British regulars, Honourable East India Company troops, and Indian allies prepares to assault the great stronghold of Srirangapatna (or ‘Seringapatam’ to the British). The scene is set for a climactic showdown with the great Tipu Sultan – known as the ‘Tiger of Mysore’ and one of the fiercest opponents of British ambitions in the sub-continent. Storming parties wade across a river and scale the walls,
and a desperate and bloody battle ensues. Standing shoulder to shoulder with his men, the redoubtable Tipu Sultan fights to his last breath. Following this seminal battle the H.E.I.C. commissioned a medal to reward its troops. With the triumphalism of that bygone age the design featured a Lion (symbolising Great Britain) overcoming a Tiger (symbolising Mysore). A single vendor collection of 79 medals to be included in our March 28th auction features two examples of the Seringapatam Medal (one illustrated on the front cover), as well as an array of other awards charting the gradual conquest of India by the British, together with other foreign ‘adventures’ such as the 1st Anglo-Chinese war, which saw significant involvement of H.E.I.C. forces.
The late collector of these medals was an artillery officer, and the two themes of India and artillery lead neatly to consideration of a splendid early 19th Century model of a 5 ½ inch howitzer, the trail bearing a brass plaque with the legend “Captain Thew 1822 Agent Bombay”. The H.E.I.C maintained its own armament factories, including, in the case of the Bombay Presidency, a gun carriage manufactory on Colaba Island. Captain Robert Thew (a soldier with a distinguished career including action in the battle of Kirkee during the Third Anglo Maratha War) was the company’s agent for gun carriages from 1821 to 1827. This model is one of a number built to provide a template to aid Indian craftsmen in building full sized gun carriages. It is not only a magnificent ornament, but also a fascinating historical artefact.
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CLARICE CLIFF, ART DECO & DESIGN 29th March 2017
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SPECIALIST: MICHAEL JEFFERY +44 (0) 1722 424 505 mj@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. Skater, a bronze figure cast and carved from a model by Ferdinand Preiss, 33.5cm high. Estimate: £3,000 – 5,000
1. Indiscreet, a bronze
figure cast and carved from a model by Demetre Chiparus, 44cm high. Estimate: £5,000 – 10,000
2. Shimmer, a bronze figure cast and carved from a model by Demetre Chiparus, 38cm high. Estimate: £15,000 – 20,000
3. The Courting Couple, a
patinated bronze cast from a model by Josef Lorenzl, 20.5cm high. Estimate: £700 – 1,000
Closing date for entries, 3rd February
1 A highlight of the Art Deco period and this forthcoming auction are the graceful sculptures produced by the German Ferdinand Preiss and the Romanian Demetre Chiparus. Johann Ferdinand Preiss (1892-1943) was based in the busy German capital, Berlin, where he was apprenticed to his uncle after the death of his parents in 1898. His early figures, from 1906, produced in partnership with Arthur Kassler had a distinctly classical feel, but through his frequent trips to Paris he developed a more avant-garde subject matter of dancers or athletes such as the Skater (opposite), included in the sale. She is modelled gracefully balanced on one skate, her arms and leg outstretched to balance. The bronze body is subtly painted in colours while the original stepped rectangular base is of black marble with green onyx bands.
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Demetre Chiparus (1886-1947) studied sculpture in Italy before moving to Paris, initially to continue his apprenticeship and then to set up his works. He exhibited at the Salons from 1914. Chiparus shared the modern subject matter of sports men, women and also dancers with Preiss. He took inspiration from the exotic and controversial Ballet Russe by Serge Diaghilev, performed in Paris between 1909 and 1929, with costumes designed by artists including Picasso, Matisse and Leon Bakst. Whilst not inspired directly from the Ballet Russe, Shimmer shows an exotic dancer in patinated bronze, balancing with arms outstretched on a veined red marble base. The sale will also include glass, ceramics, works on paper, metal ware and furniture from the Art Deco period.
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ASIAN ART 16th & 17th May 2017
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SPECIALIST: JOHN AXFORD +44 (0) 1722 424 506 jea@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Closing date for entries, 3rd March
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Opposite. A large Chinese
Imperial carnelian-agate double brush-holder or vase, with a green stained ivory and zitan stand, Qianlong 1736-95, 19cm. Estimate: £10,000 – 20,000
1. Receipt of sale from
John Sparks, 128 Mount Street, 1st July 1937.
2. A fine Chinese celadon archaistic vase carved with taotie masks, Kangxi 1662-1722, 21cm. Provenance: the collection of Herr Paul Baerwald, purchased by John Sparks 1st July 1937. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
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Imperial Agate The Chinese scholar Zhou Hui records that during the Zhenghe years (1111-1118), agate came from Ruzhou and Caizhou in central and south China; but by the 18th century it was imported from as far afield as India and the Americas. It was treasured for its intense colours and translucent quality, and was one of several hardstones valued as much as jade. This we witnessed through the small Yongzheng Imperial dish of fine translucent agate featured in our last Sales News which fetched £91,500 in our November auction (shown on page 26). The 18th century Imperial brush-holder (opposite) is carnelian-agate which is the reddish-orange variety of chalcedony.
Here the carver has used the rich orange tones of the stone to contrast the pomegranates (representing fertility) with the pale crystalline matrix of the gnarled pine tree which forms a double brush-holder or vase. The green stained ivory stand is carved as rocks amongst which lingzhi fungi (representing long life) are growing. Provenance: Arthur Wellesley Gosset (b.1837) and then a French private collection. Arthur Wellesley Gosset is recorded in the London Gazette upon entry into the British Army as: ‘Gent., to be Ensign, by purchase, vice Mulock. Dated 24th October 1856’.
This image shows Mr Robert Chang, one of the most important Chinese art collectors, holding the doucai jar and cover which made the top price this year. Full report on page 26.
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STAFF NEWS Christine Johnson
Amanda Lawrence
Marta Olszewska
Paul Viney writes: Christine Johnson, who has been my P.A. for the last 16 years, has decided to retire and will be leaving us at the end of March. For the last four years she has had the added responsibility of working for Clive Stewart-Lockhart. She will be much missed by all the staff here (as well as many of our clients) and none more than me. Her efficiency, her attention to detail, the astounding speed with which she types all the insurance and probate valuations have been exemplary; and having someone on whom I can totally rely has certainly made my life a lot easier. We wish her a long and happy retirement with her husband Will.
Christine’s replacement will be Amanda Lawrence who joined us 3 years ago. Initially she worked with the Ceramics and Decorative Arts departments at Salt Lane and more latterly she has been part of our team on reception. Prior to joining us Amanda worked for the Operations Director of the transport company Stagecoach.
Marta Olszewska has joined the Asian art department with John Axford and the rest of his team in her role as researcher and cataloguer for the twice yearly sales. Having completed her studies in Warsaw with a BA in Japanese studies and an MA in art history in 2008, she gained experience working for several Asian art dealers in London. She has also worked with the V&A Museum and Manggha Museum in Krakow.
Dave Jordan Most of our clients will be familiar with David Jordan, our saleroom manager. Behind the scenes he and the porters are responsible for the transportation, laying out and packing up of sales, together with a host of other duties necessary for ensuring the smooth running of the auctions. To help keep himself in shape for this physically demanding role Dave is a keen athlete. To raise money for charity he recently swam the length of Lake Windermere in aid of The Salisbury Stars appeal, for which he raised £830 for the District Hospital. Emerging from the ten-mile swim, which took 6 hours and 50 minutes, in a water temperature of 16 degrees, Dave commented ‘This is the type of physical test I really enjoy and therefore I thought I would put my enthusiasm to good use and raise money for my local charity’. For his next fund raising effort, Dave is considering swimming the English Channel.
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SALES RE VIEW JULY
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
Silver & Vertu
Jewellery & Watches
After the antique. A 19th century bronze classical figure of a man. Sold for £11,600
A George IV five-piece silver tea set, by John Bridge, London 1825. Sold for £5,125
A Renaissance Revival bracelet set with sapphires and diamonds by Carlo and Arthur Giuliano. Sold for £30,500
SEPTEMBER
Old Masters & British & European Paintings
English & European Porcelain & Glass
Archibald Thorburn (1860-1935) Cock pheasant in a woodland. Sold for £29,900
A façon de Venise tazza late 16th/17th century. Sold for £6,100
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SALES RE VIEW SEPTEMBER
Tribal Art is now homeward bound, selling for over double the top estimate at £34,150. Two large Aboriginal churinga’s also exceeded expectations. Both were purchased from the family of Henry Hubert, a road engineer working in the Kalgoorie and Northern
Goldfields area prior to WWI, and sold for £29,300 and £15,850. The sale achieved a total of £362,500.
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
Design
An early George III mahogany serpentine dressing-commode attributed to William Gomm. Sold for £34,150
Ugo Zannoni (Italian 1836-1919). A 19th century white marble figure, ‘Her Favourite Pets’, 110cm high. Sold for £26,850
A rare brass and glass ceiling light probably designed by C.F.A. Voysey. Sold for £11,600
The market for Tribal Art continues to be very strong with the 2016 sales reaffirming our position as the leading regional saleroom for this department. The highlight of the September sale was a South East Australian Aboriginal broad shield which
OCTOBER
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SALES RE VIEW OCTOBER
Coins, Medals, Arms & Armour A full saleroom, together with strong internet bidding for the inaugural sale saw a 90% sold rate and a total of £190,670. Highlights from the medals section included the Distinguished Flying Cross, and Double Air Force Cross to Group Captain Harry Alexander Purvis R.A.F. which sold for
£6,100 and the Boer War D.S.O. pair to Captain Harry Crewe Godley which sold for £4,400. The top lot of the sale was £14,650 for a fine Arab sword (nimcha).
The Arthur Holder Collection of Silver & Vertu (Part I) Three top lots eclipsed the previous record price for a ‘castle-top’ card case offered at auction, setting a new world record. The lots were offered as part of The Arthur Holder Collection which included 48 lots of ‘castle-top’ card cases. The first lot to surpass the previous record of £8,500 in 2014, was of Eddistone lighthouse by Nathaniel Mills, Birmingham 1849.
This was followed by another Victorian ‘castletop’ card case of Arundel Castle by George Unite, Birmingham 1858. Both selling for £11,220. The highlight was The Post Office, Dublin, by Alfred Taylor, Birmingham 1860, which sold for five times the top estimate at £12,000 (image left).
The Fine Silver sale saw a top price of £18,900 for a pair of Elizabeth I silver Apostle spoons (image right), The Master and St. Peter, maker’s mark of a bird’s claw, for Francis Jackson, London 1562. In all, 1310 lots were offered between the two sales, achieving a total of £1,135,640
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SALES RE VIEW OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
Fine Jewellery
Fine Jewellery
Asian Art
A sapphire and diamond ring by Graff, the cushion-shaped sapphire weighs 4.58cts. Sold for £280,600
A rare yellow diamond, enamel and gold ring, last quarter 17th century. The cushionshaped old brilliant-cut yellow diamond weighs 3.16 carats. Sold for £219,600
A Chinese agate dish. Sold for £91,500
Recognised as the star lot of the sale and featured on the front cover of the Asian Art I catalogue, the exceptionally rare Chinese Imperial doucai jar and cover was only one of a handful made during the Yongzheng period (1723-35). It was bought in 1946 for £9 10s and seventy years later it sold for a premium inclusive price of £968,400.
John Axford commented ‘It is quite a responsibility to look after something that is very small, fragile and breakable which is then viewed by so many people before it can be sold. Items from the Yongzheng period are very desirable and the rarity and condition of this piece is exceptional. We are delighted to have had the opportunity to sell it on behalf of the vendors.’
Asian Art The footfall for the four days of viewing in our Mayfair office and in Salisbury gave an indication to the turnout expected at the November offering of Asian Art. During Asian Art in London, held a week prior to the auction, top dealers reported our sale as ‘the best collection of Chinese porcelains currently on the auction market’ and four lots had international press coverage before the sale. With standing-room only throughout the day and over 300 telephone bids from around the world, the auction produced a sale total of £3.6 million with an 80% sold rate. 26 | Woolley & Wallis
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SPECIALIST DEPART MENTS
Chairman
Insurance & Probate Valuations
Paul Viney ASFAV T: +44 (0) 1722 424 502
pslv@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Deputy Chairman
Managing Director
John Axford MRICS ASFAV
Clive Stewart-Lockhart FRICS FRSA
Victor Fauvelle
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 506
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 598
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 503
jea@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
csl@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
vf@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Paintings
Asian Art
English & European Ceramics & Glass
Jo Butler
Alexandra Aguilar DomĂŠracki
Clare Durham
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 592
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 583
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 507
jb@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
aad@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
cd@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
20th Century Design
Asian Art
Jewellery
Michael Jeffery
Freya Yuan
Jonathan Edwards FGAA
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 505
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 589
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 504
mj@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
fy@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
je@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Jewellery
Tribal Art & Antiquities
Silver
Marielle Whiting FGA
Will Hobbs
Rupert Slingsby
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 595
T: +44 (0) 1722 339 752
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 501
mw@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
wh@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
rs@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Silver
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
Asian Art
Lucy Chalmers
Mark Richards
Marta Olszewska
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 594
T: +44 (0) 1722 411 854
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 591
lc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
mr@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
moW@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Arms, Armour, Medals, Coins & Militaria
PA to the Directors
Marketing
Ned Cowell
Christine Johnson
Tamzin Corbett
T: +44 (0) 1722 341 469
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 509
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 590
nc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
cj@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
tc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Asian Art
Paintings
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