SALE NEWS Spring/Summer 2019
AUCTION CALENDAR APRI L 16th
Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu
18th
Fine Jewellery
English & European Ceramics 30th & Glass
FREE VALUATION MORNINGS First Friday of every month 10am-1pm. No appointment necessary.
MAY 1st
Medals & Coins, Arms & Armour
Asian Art, Chinese Paintings, 21st & 22nd Japanese Works of Art
JUNE 5th Modern British & 20th Century Art 19th
Next Valuation Dates: 3rd May, 7th June, 5th July Please note there will be no valuation day on 2nd August.
Arts & Crafts
J U LY 3rd
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
16 & 17
Silver & Objects of Vertu
18
Jewellery
th th
th
SE P TE MB E R 11th Old Masters, British & European Paintings 18th
Tribal Art & Antiquities
OCTO BER 2nd Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks English & European Ceramics 15th & Glass 16th
Design
NO V E M B E R 12th & 13th Asian Art, Chinese Paintings & Japanese Works of Art
+44 (0) 1722 424509 enquiries@woolleyandwallis.co.uk 51-61 Castle Street, Salisbury SP1 3SU
www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk Dates may be subject to change. 2 | Woolley & Wallis
Front Cover.
Opposite.
Below.
Back Cover.
A pair of Italian maiolica two-handled jars and covers, one dated 1579, Pesaro, 42.5cm. Provenance: The Countess of Midleton, Eastwell Park Estate, Kent and thence by descent. Estimate: £3,000 – 5,000
Detail from a Japanese matchlock carbine with gold and silver inlays, Edo period (1615-1868), signed Tomioka Saheiji Yoshihisa. Estimate: £10,000 – 15,000
A rare gun shield from the armoury of King Henry VIII of England. Detail. Estimate: £30,000 – 50,000
The Mambury Set of Apostle Spoons: A rare set of ten James I silver Apostle spoons, by Daniel Cary, London 1607. Detail. Estimate: £40,000 – 60,000
Issue 126
CONTENTS 4 Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu 6
Fine Jewellery
8 English & European Ceramics & Glass 10 Medals & Coins, Arms & Armour 12 Fine Chinese Paintings & Works of Art 14 Japanese Works of Art 16 Modern British & 20th Century Art 18 Arts & Crafts 20 Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks 22 Tribal Art & Antiquities 24 Sale Review 28 News & Events
Visit woolleyandwallis.co.uk/buying for additional charges on final hammer price.
chairman’s introduction
While over the last few years we have seen a steady increase in telephone bidding at our auctions, the growth in internet bidding has been much more significant and now accounts for 50% or more of our bids at many of our auctions. In order to accommodate those who wish to bid on the internet we have recently introduced our own online bidding service called WoolleysLive which can be accessed via bid.woolleyandwallis.co.uk, see page 30 for more details. There is no charge for this service and we have designed it to be efficient, swift and user-friendly. Of course one of the downsides of more internet and telephone bidding is that, come the auction,
the salerooms tend to be far less crowded than in days of yore when every sale had a packed and lively crowd in attendance. However, there are thankfully those loyal stalwarts who still turn up either for the excitement and theatre of an auction or possibly because they are unwilling to rely on modern technology, which as we all know can occasionally combust. Hopefully this will still continue to be the case and the Kafkaesque prospect of an auctioneer selling to an empty room will never come to pass. Paul Viney
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
Contents | 3
FINE SILVER & OBJECTS OF VERTU 16th April 2019
4 | Woolley & Wallis
SPECIALISTS: RUPERT SLINGSBY +44 (0) 1722 424 501 rs@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
LUCY CHALMERS +44 (0) 1722 424 594 lc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. The Mambury Set of Apostle Spoons: A rare set of ten James I silver Apostle spoons, by Daniel Cary, London 1607. Estimate: £40,000 – 60,000
1. A James I silver spice or sugar box, maker’s mark of B.T with two staves in saltire between, possibly for Balthasar Trimson, London 1611, 14.5cm total length. Estimate: £15,000 – 20,000
2. A set of four George III cast
4. A late 19th century Russian
silver candlesticks, by John Romer, London 1769, 29.8cm height. Estimate: £5,000 – 7,000
silver-gilt and enamel scent flask, by Pavel Ovchinnikov, Moscow 1876, assay master V. Savinsky, 20cm height. Estimate: £600 – 800
3. A set of twelve George IV regimental silver soup plates, by Robert Garrard, London 1829, 25.5cm diameter. Estimate: £5,000 – 7,000
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Early sets of Apostle spoons almost never come onto the open market, and documentary sets are an even more rare occurrence at auction, so it is a privilege indeed to be offering The Mambury Set of ten Apostle Spoons in our April sale. The set, by London silversmith and famed spoon maker, Daniel Cary, was produced in 1607 and was once part of the Cookson Collection. The set is well documented by Commander G and Mrs J How, who were widely accepted to be the leading authority on early spoons, and carries an estimate of £40,000 – 60,000. Other spoons from the same private collection also feature, including three Elizabeth I Lion Sejant spoons, by Thomas Matthew, Barnstaple circa 1580, estimated at £3,000 – 6,000.
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Irish), vinaigrettes, over 30 toothpick boxes, Scottish provincial flatwares, and some 30 lots of Russian silver, with several enamelled silver-gilt items from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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We are currently accepting entries for our next sale of Silver & Objects of Vertu on 16th and 17th July.
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Continuing with early silver, the James I silver spice or sugar box (Fig 1.) was made in London 1611, possibly by Balthasar Trimson, and was a wedding present to Sir Godfrey Nicholson, Bt and his wife, Lady Katharine (the fifth daughter of the 27th Earl of Crawford). The box was on public display in the silver galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum from 1974 until 2017. Diversity is something of a byword for this sale, and it covers a number of private collections including wine labels (English and
F ine S ilver & O bject s
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FINE JEWELLERY 18th April 2019
6 | Woolley & Wallis
SPECIALISTS: MARIELLE WHITING FGA +44 (0) 1722 424595 mw@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
JONATHAN EDWARDS FGAA (CONSULTANT) +44 (0) 1722 424504
Opposite.
2. A Boucheron Serpent
5. A George III diamond
Fabergé – A gold and enamel parasol handle in the Louis XVI manner, workmaster Michael Perchin, 8cm high. Estimate: £10,000 – 15,000
Boheme Toi Moi diamond-set bangle, c.1968, 7cm diameter. Estimate: £10,000 – 20,000
cluster necklace, 38cm long. Estimate: £8,000 – 12,000
7. An asscher-cut diamond solitaire ring, weighing 4.04cts Estimate: £40,000 – 60,000
6. A fine spinel and diamond
8. Fabergé – A silver-gilt and
ring, the cushion-shaped red spinel weighs 9.797cts, 1.4cm high. Estimate: £10,000 – 15,000
gold strawberry red enamel box, workmaster Michael Perchin, 8.5cm wide. Estimate: £10,000 – 15,000
je@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
1. A George III orange topaz and diamond pendant, 4cm long. Estimate: £6,000 – 8,000
3. Fabergé – A lilac enamel and diamond gold lozenge brooch, 3.8cm wide. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
4. An Art Nouveau natural pearl and diamond pendant by Tiffany & Co, 9cm high. Estimate: £15,000 – 20,000
The items of Fabergé included in the April 18th auction are of excellent quality with private provenance and copies of their original valuations from Wartski from the 1960s and 70s. The design of the parasol handle by workmaster Michael Perchin takes inspiration from the decorative arts executed under King Louis XVI of France. The strawberry red box represents a departure from the more typical work of Fabergé’s head of jewellery August Wilhelm HolmstrÖm. Complete elegance has been achieved with the vivid red enamel, proportions and restraint of decoration, all set off by the fitted Fabergé Hollywood case. One of the lots included in the sale is a 4.04ct asscher-cut diamond (fig. 7). The original asscher-cut was created in 1902 by Joseph Asscher, the shape is square step-cut with faceted corners to increase light intake with an ideal length to width ratio of 1 to
1.04. It has a high crown and deep pavilion which create the ‘hall of mirrors’ effect. It was the first diamond cut to receive a patent, yet by 1940 as many of the employees of the Asscher Diamond Company were victims of the Holocaust, the company and its assets were seized by the Nazis and the patent was dissolved. Having previously cut the Excelsior diamond, Joseph Asscher was commissioned to cut the Cullinan in 1908. After months of deliberation, in front of an audience gathered in Amsterdam his blade broke and he decided to reconsider the venture. It was a month later with newer, stronger tools that Joseph Asscher finished what he started, creating nine principal stones, some of which are now part of the crown jewels. It is said, that on the first cleave, where the Cullinan was separated into two pieces along an internal fracture the cutter momentarily fainted before inspecting his work.
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F ine J ewellery | 7
ENGLISH & EUROPEAN CERAMICS & GLASS 30th April 2019
8 | Woolley & Wallis
SPECIALIST: CLARE DURHAM +44 (0) 1722 424 507 cd@woolleysandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. A pair of Italian maiolica two-handled jars and covers, one dated 1579, Pesaro, 42.5cm. Provenance: The Countess of Midleton, Eastwell Park Estate, Kent and thence by descent. Estimate: £3,000 – 5,000
1. A rare French faïence moulded dish attributed to Bernard Palissy, c.1580-1600, 25cm. Provenance: previously in the collection of Hector Binney, Pampisford Hall. Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
2. A German stoneware jug c.1580-1600, probably Frechen or Cologne, applied with three medallions containing the arms of the City of Amsterdam, 23cm. Estimate: £300 – 500
3. An Iznik (Turkey) dish, c.1575-80, decorated in underglaze colours with flower sprays radiating from a central rosette, 26.2cm. Estimate: £400 – 600
While certain areas of the more decorative porcelain market are suffering from being somewhat out of current fashion, other areas of the pottery market are experiencing something of a renaissance. Recent sale results have shown a good following for early pottery items, particularly those with a strong social historical connection such as drinking vessels, apothecary items and storage jars.
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The term pottery in fact covers a broad spectrum of body materials, from early slip-decorated earthenware through tin-glazed pieces and salt-glazed stonewares, to later pearlware and creamware bodies of the 18th and 19th centuries. Being so far behind its Far Eastern rivals when it came to the production of porcelain, the strongest tradition of pottery is found in Europe, especially Northern Europe where German stonewares vie for pole position with Italian maiolica, Dutch Delft and English slipware. Even in the 16th century, objects varied hugely across the continent, and here we feature several examples coming up in our sale on 30th April.
Italy
Although most European countries have a tradition in tin-glazed pottery, arguably the finest pieces (and certainly the most decorative) were being produced in Italy from the time of the Renaissance, reaching a height in the 1500s. The pair of apothecary jars featured opposite are from a known series that feature the goddess Fortuna – several smaller jars are in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, bequeathed by George and Florence Blumenthal. These jars were previously in the collection of Madeline Cecilia Carlyle Brodrick, later Countess of Midleton, at Eastwell Park in Kent.
France
One of the earliest French potters had actually struggled for years to make porcelain to rival that being produced in China. Having failed in his quest, Bernard Palissy turned his attention to making a particular type of rustic pottery that now bears his name. Produced in the second half of the 16th century, the style saw a revival in the 19th century and particularly inspired the Victorian manufacturers of Majolica.
Turkey
Frechen area of Germany, near Cologne, and Frechen stonewares from the 16th century have been found on shipwrecks from North America to the western coast of Australia. Trade links were especially important with England and Holland, and stoneware vessels frequently featured English royal monograms or armorials; the Frechen jug featured here (fig. 2) bears the coat of arms for the City of Amsterdam and jugs bearing the same arms have been found on early 17th century shipwrecks relating to the Dutch East India Company.
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Whilst not strictly European, Iznik pottery, made in Ottoman Turkey from the early 16th century, nonetheless had a strong impact on later European wares. Marked by its bold palette of blue, turquoise, red and black, the motifs derive from the natural world, with striking carnations, saz leaves and other foliate designs featuring strongly. The radiating pattern around a central flowerhead, featured on the dish here, was a popular design in the last quarter of the 16th century.
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Germany
Having produced earthenwares from the 13th century, in the mid 1500s German potters turned their hand to creating stoneware vessels, which became a strong trading commodity in the wider world. Over 500 potters are recorded in the E nglish & E uropean C eramics & G lass | 9
MEDALS & COINS, ARMS & ARMOUR 1st May 2019
10 | Woolley & Wallis
SPECIALIST: NED COWELL +44 (0) 1722 341 469
Opposite. A rare gun shield from the armoury of King Henry VIII of England. Detail. Estimate: £30,000 – 50,000
nc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
1. The historic Santa Fe Incident (Operation Paraquet) South Atlantic Medal to LCpl Jeremy ‘Rocky’ Rowe, Royal Marines. Estimate: £1,000 – 2,000
A Tudor rarity
By the force of his personality as much as by the profound changes that he wrought in English society, King Henry VIII of England (1491-1547) projects an image of tremendous potency into the present day. One may laud him as the paragon of a Renaissance prince; or one may revile him as a hulking tyrant; but one cannot deny the magnetism of his aura. One may contemplate with a smile his precipitation of the English Reformation; or one may dwell with a frown upon his plundering of monastic institutions; but he remains one of the most important monarchs in our history.
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We in the Arms & Armour department remember Henry VIII, chiefly, for his fervent pursuit of the warlike arts, and we celebrate his mania for weapons and armour – the more opulent or exotic the better. Every year thousands of tourists visit the armoury at the Tower of London and the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, where they marvel at the splendid armours and innovative weapons that remain one of the major legacies of his reign. Among the many remarkable items to be found at these sites are a form of combination weapon in which a shield is provided with a matchlock pistol that projects through its face. The bearer not only had a means of protecting himself from sword cuts; but could, at a carefully chosen moment, discharge the pistol at his opponent. Henry is known to have acquired several. The great majority of surviving examples are now held in museums, and it is with a profound sense of privilege that we announce the inclusion of a Henrician gun shield in the catalogue for our 1st May auction. Our example, though bereft of the accompanying firearm, has been subjected to a detailed study which has confirmed its place among the group of gun shields attributed to Henry VIII’s collection. When considering these artefacts as a group one is struck by the variety displayed in the incidental detail of their construction. We think that ours, with a conical central boss accompanied by eight smaller such projections, presents a particularly impressive aspect; but this is subjective. What is not a matter of opinion is the singular importance of this gun shield to the world of arms and armour collecting. Desirable enough for its age and rarity, its status is spectacularly
elevated by the direct link that ownership will offer to a towering figure in our national history.
A split-second decision
April 1982. Lance Corporal Jeremy ‘Rocky’ Rowe, Recce Section Sniper, 42 Commando, Royal Marines, stands with a pistol in the control room of a captured Argentine submarine. Metaphorically, he is standing at one of life’s crossroads, and the choices he makes in the next moment will have profound consequences. A captive Argentine submariner makes a dash for a set of levers, and Rocky shoots him dead. At first flush this will seem to readers to be highly controversial, and at the time Rocky’s actions attracted some hostility. But there is more to this story. The duty with which he had been charged at that point was of preventing the prisoner, Petty Officer Felix Artuso, from either scuttling the submarine, or using its torpedos to attack HMS Antrim. He had therefore taken the judicious step of
ascertaining which controls represented a danger. In moving to manipulate these controls Artuso appeared to Rocky to be engaging in a hostile act that imperilled the lives of all those aboard the submarine. It was in their defence that he opened fire. It was a clear appreciation of his duty, and the stern resolve needed to discharge it, that led Rocky to act as he did. It was a cruel tragedy that the technical advice he had been given was erroneous. Artuso had been attempting merely to adjust the trim of the submarine. Medal enthusiasts collect stories as much as they do numismatic objects. Rocky’s story – this part of it at least – is a sobering one, but it deserves to be recognised as representative of the burden placed upon our armed forces, to this very day, of making fateful decisions under great pressure. It is the story of a man who confronted danger and who acted in good faith, and it will find a well deserved place in someone’s collection, when we offer Rocky’s South Atlantic Medal for sale in our 1st May auction.
M edals & C oins , A rms & A rmour | 11
FINE CHINESE PAINTINGS & WORKS OF ART 21st & 22nd May 2019
12 | Woolley & Wallis
SPECIALISTS: JOHN AXFORD +44 (0) 1722 424 506 jea@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
JEREMY MORGAN +44 (0) 7812 601 098 jm@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
FREYA YUAN-RICHARDS +44 (0) 1722 424 589
Opposite. ZHANG DAQIAN (1899-1983), The Grand View of Chao Mountain, dated 1965. 191cm x 101cm. Detail. Provenance: an English private collection, Berkshire. Estimate: £100,000 – 150,000
1. A fine and large Chinese blue and white yen yen vase, Kangxi 1662-1722, 73.5cm. Provenance: an English private collection, Berkshire. Estimate: £8,000 - 12,000
fyr@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
2. A rare Chinese archaic bronze jue, Shang dynasty c.1600-1100BC, 21.3cm. Provenance: the collection of Dr Robert Heilbroner (1919-2005), and then the collection of Mr H J Lowenthal, from which we will be offering a further fifteen bronzes in this sale. Estimate: £30,000 – 40,000
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Zhang Daqian
The unusual scroll painting detailed on the opposite page is a Grand View of Chao Mountain by Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) – one of the most prolific & influential artists in modern Chinese Art. Zhang Daqian’s landscape paintings are not merely conjured from his imagination but based on his travels. In Brazil in the 1950s he started experimenting with splash ink and splash colour, where he let the ink diffuse across the paintings with minimal intervention, only occasionally lifting and turning the paper surface to guide the ink flow.
In his Grand View of Chao Mountain, beginning from the top, branches are outlined and reach out from the Mountain, and flowing waterfalls disappear into clusters of pine trees, all giving the viewer a sense of closeness as if you could walk across the mountain and through the trees. Together with his now famous splash ink technique, Zhang Daqian creates a paradise which can be seen but never be reached. As this painting is depicting early spring, he further enriches the landscape by adding green and blue pigment, representing the sprouting of new vegetation, and red to indicate the start of plum blossom, which is so famous on Chao Mountain.
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Jue
The jue is a ritual tripod vessel used for drinking warm wine, and it was used in ceremonies performed by the Chinese of the ancient Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. This piece is cast with the typical decoration of archaic Chinese bronzes, with taotie masks against a leiwen ground. Whilst the shape was copied throughout later dynasties, this particular item dates from the late Shang dynasty making it one of the oldest items being included in this sale.
Yen Yen
Symbolising wealth and honour and considered the ‘king of flowers’, the decoration of peony on this vase is a popular and auspicious subject in Chinese art. Yen yen vases are also known as ‘phoenix tail’ vases, and this one will be included in our sale on 21st May with an estimate of £8,000 – 12,000.
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JAPANESE WORKS OF ART 21st May 2019
14 | Woolley & Wallis
SPECIALIST: ALEXANDRA AGUILAR +44 (0) 1722 424 583 aa@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
VIEWING MAYFAIR: 11th-14th May (highlights) SALISBURY: 18th-21st May
‘…Yet thirty years ago Japanese soldiers wore huge grotesque iron mask helmets to frighten the enemy, chain and lacquer armour to turn his blows – their great shoulder-cannon would have been antiquated in England at the time of the Armada – and they were led by a man with a fan!’ Sir Henry Norman, 1st Baronet Privy Councillor (1858-1939) In 1892, Sir Henry Norman published The Real Japan, Studies of Contemporary Japanese Manners, Morals, Administration and Politics. The book was based on a long trip around the world he had undertaken a few years earlier, working then as a journalist for the Pall Mall Gazette. Originally planned as a six month trip, Sir Henry had remained abroad for nearly four years, visiting countless countries including Japan, China, Korea, Siam and Malaya. In the chapter entitled ‘Japan as an Eastern Power’, Sir Henry had described its complex military system. After the RussoJapanese war (1904-05), he felt the urgent need to rewrite the whole chapter as the Japanese army ‘had undergone an enormous development’ and he had to explain ‘what her fighting power really was’. He went on to demonstrate what a military power Japan had become, claiming it was ‘a cyclone in a smooth sea of commonplace progress’ – and that what other nations were doing ‘may be described as progress’, but what Japan was doing had to be described ‘as a phenomenon’. Like many of his contemporaries, Sir Henry was taken by surprise by the country’s unprecedented development which culminated in the defeat of Russia against Japan. The Japanese Works of Art sale on 21st May will include two Edo period (1615-1868) suits of armour from the private collection of Sir Henry Norman (one illustrated opposite). Two of the
OPPOSITE. A Japanese suit of armour, Edo Period (early 17th century), the helmet signed Saotome Iehisa, 170cm. Provenance: from the collection of Sir Henry Norman (1858-1939) of Ramster Hall, Surrey. Estimate: £3,000 – 5,000
many souvenirs he brought back from his travels, these suits of armour illustrate his fascination for a country which in less than a century had transformed itself from a feudal society to one of the most powerful nations at the dawn of the 20th century. The sale will also include several pieces from the collection of R. Soame Jenyns (1904-1976). Assistant Keeper of Antiquities at the British Museum, Jenyns is also known for having written seminal works on Chinese and Japanese art. This cup stand, tenmoku-dai (fig.1), is an unusual example of Japanese red and black negoro-style lacquer with relief decoration. The elegant shape is based on the Chinese zhantuo, a tall stand used to hold ceramic bowls for tea. This type of stand, inspired by the classic early Ming six-lobed shape, became popular in Japan during the Muromachi era (1333-1573) and remained prized throughout the Edo period for the more formal style of tea ceremonies.
1. A Japanese red and black negoro-style lacquer cup stand, tenmoku-dai, Muromachi (1333-1573) or later, 16cm diameter. Provenance: from the collection of a private English gentleman, purchased from Spink. Previously from the collection of Roger Soames Jenyns (1904-1976). Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
2. A tall Japanese cloisonné enamel vase with two crows emerging from behind snow-covered branches of bamboo, Ando Jubei mark to the base, 45.3cm. Estimate: £3,000 – 4,000
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In the 1960s, Soame Jenyns left London for Japan with the aim of writing a book on Japanese lacquer, which he didn’t complete. During his time in Japan, he was shown around the country’s best collections by his friend Haruo Igaki of Mayuyama & Co. The fact that this cup features a paper label reading ‘Mayuyama & Co., Tokyo’ also shows that Jenyns purchased pieces from the respected dealership. Featuring approximately 230 lots, the sale will also include a rare Edo-period matchlock carbine with inlaid decoration signed Tomioka Saheiji Yoshihisa (detail illustrated p. 2), an early karatsu dish painted with reeds and goodquality cloisonné pieces, such as this tall vase by Ando Jubei (fig.2), amongst many other pieces.
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MODERN BRITISH & 20TH CENTURY ART 5th June 2019
16 | Woolley & Wallis
SPECIALIST: VICTOR FAUVELLE +44 (0) 1722 446 961 vf@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite.
1. Patrick Heron (1920-1999)
3. John Piper (1903-1992)
4. Fredda Brilliant (1903-1999)
Sir Matthew Smith (1879-1959) Still Life with Gothic Figure Signed with initials Oil on canvas 51 x 61cm Estimate: £15,000 – 20,000
Still Life with Hyacinths, Plaice and Lemon Signed and dated ‘46, Oil on canvas 52.5 x 63cm Estimate: £50,000 – 70,000
Parsac, France Signed, titled and dated 15.10.61 Gouache and coloured crayon 22.5 x 30.5cm Estimate: £3,500 – 4,500
Mahatma Gandhi (Indian, 1869-1948) Signed and dated 1964 Bronze 94.5cm high Estimate: £800 – 1,200
2. John Piper (1903-1992) Buckinghamshire Landscape Estimate: £6,000 – 8,000
In our upcoming Modern British & 20th Century Art auction on the 5th June we have a varied selection of interesting paintings, including a beautiful still life by Patrick Heron. Heron was a renowned British artist and one of the leading painters of the St Ives School as well as being a highly acclaimed writer and critic, respected by his contemporaries for being able to write from the standpoint of a practitioner. This Still Life with Hyacinths, Plaice and Lemon is one of his earlier works. Painted in 1946, a year before his first solo exhibition, the painting is a fine example of Heron’s exploration of colour and light. The work also exemplifies how Heron would strive to make all areas of the composition of equal importance; highlighting the influence Matisse’s colour harmonies and ‘all-overness’ had on Heron’s early works. In addition, a still life by Sir Matthew Smith will also be offered in June. Smith studied under Henri Matisse in Paris, inspiring an interest in Fauvism. The influence of Fauvism is seen in Smith’s use of bold and bright colours. Smith’s first one-person show was held at Tooth’s Gallery, London in 1926, after becoming a member of The London Group in 1920. He returned to London in 1940 and continued to paint still lifes and landscapes, as well as figure compositions and some portraits. The clay figure seen in this still life is a recurring element of many of Smith’s still lifes. Richard Smart (director of Tooth’s Gallery at the time) has suggested that the frequent use of a sculptural image may have reflected the artist’s long
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standing friendship with Jacob Epstein and can be seen to substitute the reclining nude. There are also three strong works by John Piper CH, one of the most versatile British artists of the 20th century. At the outbreak of World War Two, Piper became an official war artist. He was commissioned by the War Arts Advisory Committee to capture the effects of war on the British landscape. His atmospheric depictions of bomb-damaged churches made Piper perhaps Britain’s best war artist. Piper lived at his beloved home of Fawley Bottom Farmhouse in Buckinghamshire (fig.2), along with his wife, the librettist Myfanwy Piper, from the mid-1930s for the rest of their lives. Piper died there in 1992. We are also offering works from the studio of Fredda Brilliant which have been in private hands since her death in 1999. This collection includes a bronze sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi, the full-size version of which stands in Tavistock Square, London, which was unveiled in 1965 by Harold Wilson, then Prime Minister and is Brilliant’s most famous work. Gandhi’s quiet compassion and resilience is depicted in her sculpture, as he sits cross legged, wearing a dhoti. Fredda Brilliant was not just a sculptor, but an actress, writer, singer and script writer. She sculpted some of the greatest figures of her lifetime, including: Jawaharlal Nehru, V.K. Krishna Menon, Indira Gandhi, President
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John F. Kennedy and Buckminster Fuller; many of which are in the collection in bronze, resin and plaster. Brilliant received no formal artistic training and was primarily self-taught, beginning in her childhood when she sculpted models of children in the courtyard outside her house. She was passionate about depicting women in her work, once saying, “It is important that women, too, are remembered”.
M odern B ritish & 20 th C entury A rt | 17
ARTS & CRAFTS 19th June 2019
18 | Woolley & Wallis
SPECIALIST: MICHAEL JEFFERY +44 (0) 1722 424 505 mj@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. Fame, an allegorical siren, enamelled lava by Arthur Henri Lefort des Ylouses, dated 1889, 55 x 42.5cm (image). Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000
1. Mermaids, a Limoges enamel plaque by JS, 20.5 x 14.5cm (image). Estimate: £200 – 300
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Among the many techniques championed by proponents of the Arts and Crafts movement at the turn of the 20th century was that of enamelling metal ware. The process was taught at its handicraft schools, led by metalworkers including Alexander Fisher, Harold Stabler and Nelson Dawson, and pieces produced by both them and their students were exhibited around the country. Among their students at the Guild of Handicrafts was Fleetwood Charles Varley, and his box (fig. 4) featuring a stylized riverscape
and gilt pendant necklace by Omar Ramsden, dated 1921, 7cm high. Estimate: £3,000 – 5,000
2. Evening Enchanter, an enamel panel by Eleanor Varley, 14.3 x 7.3cm (image). Estimate: £200 – 300
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3. St George & the Dragon, a fine silver
panel was produced for retail at Liberty & Co. Varley had worked as a landscape watercolourist before joining the Guild in the 1890s, and his skill as a painter helped him bridge the gap in technique. The panel illustrated opposite is one of two large enamel panels by Arthur Henri Lefort des Ylouses (1876-1912) which are consigned for this sale. The somewhat forgotten painter and ceramicist developed a technique of enamelling onto a lava panel, and exhibited at the much heralded Exposition Universelle in
4. A Liberty & Co Tudric pewter cigarette box and cover, with inset enamel panel by Fleetwood Charles Varley (1874-1959), 8.7 x 17cm. Estimate: £800 – 1,200
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Paris in 1889, around the time that these two panels were made. Also included in the sale are ceramics by the Martin Brothers, fine William De Morgan tiles, private collections of Della Robbia and Pilkington’s Lancastrian pottery, glass from James Powell & Sons, Whitefriars, textiles, wallpaper and furniture by Morris & Co, silver and metal ware by the Guild of Handicrafts, Liberty, C.F.A Voysey, M.H. Baillie Scott and a private collection of Arts and Crafts jewellery.
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FURNITURE, WORKS OF ART & CLOCKS 3rd July 2019
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SPECIALISTS: MARK YUAN-RICHARDS +44 (0) 1722 411 854 myr@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
JIM GALE +44 (0) 1722 339 161 jg@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite. A late 19th century French gilt brass and champlevé enamel four glass mantel clock, 32cm high. Estimate: £500 – 800
1. From the collection of the late Mrs Brodrick, Dunley Manor, Hampshire. Estimates from: £200 – 2,000
3. A set of six Victorian giltwood side chairs attributed to Holland & Sons, 92cm high. Estimate: £800 – 1,200
2. A Queen Anne walnut and seaweed marquetry longcase clock of one month’s duration, by R. Baterson, 212.5cm high. Provenance: Sold by the Executors of the late Pamela Spater, Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Estimate: £4,000 – 6,000
4. An 18th century style red lacquer display cabinet, 205.7cm high. Provenance: Sold by the Executors of the late Pamela Spater, Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Estimate: £400 – 600
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Dunley Manor, Hampshire
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4 Our Summer sale is starting to take shape and we have a number of items already consigned, including works of art and rugs from the estate of the late Mrs Brodrick, removed from Dunley Manor, Hampshire. From other sources we have a collection of clocks and furniture from the estate of the late Pamela Spater. We will be accepting entries for this sale until 3rd May, and are pleased to offer free advice on items for sale.
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F urniture , W orks
of
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TRIBAL ART & ANTIQUITIES 18th September 2019
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SPECIALIST: WILL HOBBS +44 (0) 1722 339 752 wh@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Opposite.
1. A Tibetan tiger saddle cover
A Rennell Island ritual shark hook Solomon Islands 29.5cm high. Estimate: £3,000 – 5,000
125cm long. Estimate: £3,000 – 5,000
2. A collection of Aboriginal clubs, shields and a churinga. Estimates from £200 – 800
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The main illustration is a magnificent shark hook from one of the southern islands of the Solomon Islands, Rennell Island, the second largest raised coral atoll in the world. The surrounding waters are home to finned and scaled seafood, rather than the easier to catch shellfish, lobsters and other marine creatures. This large ritual shark hook, gaung’akao, would have been used by the priest to invoke the gods before fishing. The curve was achieved by tying a branch down so it would grow in the desired way. Following the exceptional results for the group of Tibetan tiger rugs from the Dr Tim Gordon collection we sold last year, the saddle cover illustrated is another example of this interesting group of textiles. The admiration of the tiger is skilfully portrayed in an object that would remain close to the owner whilst travelling rather than in the more traditional meditation rug. A small collection of Australian Aboriginal pieces will also be included in the sale of which five items are illustrated. The angled club is a version of a ‘Leangle’ club found in the western Victoria area. These were considered to be the most lethal of all clubs, as their sharply pointed heads could reach around the narrow parrying shields. Churingas are in effect message boards carved with sacred symbols; the example shown second from left has concentric circles linked by parallel lines. The two shields shown far right have integral handles and were used in general combat to deflect spears and blows from clubs.
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SALE REVIEW
JANUARY Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
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While shoppers on Britain’s High Streets bemoaned the lack of a decent January sale in the wake of too many pre-Christmas deals, buyers at Woolley and Wallis’s first sale of the New Year had no such complaints. With over 700 lots of furniture, clocks, treen and other works of art on offer, bidders were keen to kick-start 2019 with some exciting buys and they certainly put their money where it counted. A busy saleroom fought hard against bidders on the telephone and the internet, resulting in a sale total of £801,562 (including buyer’s premium), and a selling rate of 86% - results that fly in the face of oft-repeated claims that the furniture market is a moribund one. Contributing in no small part to the sale were 165 lots from the collection of Sir Jeremy Lever QC, which put over £315,000 towards the final total. The collection included one of the sale’s top lots, a pair of Grand Tour white marble caryatid figures that stood nearly a metre high and sold on the telephone to a UK buyer for £22,500. Also featured was a marble specimen low table that had previously graced several of the homes of the late Hollywood actor, Dirk Bogarde. It sold to a Continental buyer for £17,500. The top lot of the sale was another rare table, from an American private collection; this time an Italian scagliola table top by Don Pietro Belloni. It was dated 1754 and related to a very similar table currently in the collection at Uppark House in West Sussex. That also sold on the telephone to an overseas buyer for £25,000. Head of Furniture, Mark Yuan-Richards, was delighted with what ranks as his department’s most successful sale ever: “Against all trends and expectations, the early January sale has always been a strong one for us, but this was quite remarkable. While it is true that some areas of the furniture market are not performing in the way that they were, I think auctions like this one prove that if you can source the right objects and pitch them at the right estimate then people are still very keen to buy.” 1. A rare mid-18th century Italian Florentine Grand Tour scagliola table top by Don Pietro Belloni. Sold for £25,000. 2. A mid-19th century Italian specimen marble and micromosaic Grand Tour table top. Sold for £17,500. 3. A pair of white marble Grand Tour Greek style caryatid figures. Sold for £22,500.
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SALE REVIEW
JANUARY Silver & Objects of Vertu Including The KB Collection of Pencils
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1. By Christopher Lawrence, a modern parcel-gilt silver centre-piece, London 1973. Sold for £4,500. 2. A French gold and enamel pencil, by Cartier, Paris. Sold for £9,000. 3. A rare American novelty silver pencil modelled as The Metropolitan Life Tower, by Tiffany and Co. Sold for £2,750.
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Jewellery
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1. A George III diamond-set flower head brooch pendant, c1790. Sold for £35,000. 2. A George III diamond-set Maltese cross pendant c1800. Sold for £13,750.
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SALE REVIEW
FEBRUARY Fine Porcelain & Pottery
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1. An important and previously unrecorded American porcelain teabowl and saucer attributed to John Bartlam (Cain Hoy, South Carolina) c.1765-69. Sold for £50,000. 2. A Chelsea model of a flycatcher c.1750-52. Sold for £11,250. 3. A Staffordshire slipware honey pot c.1700. Sold for £4,750.
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Tribal Art & Antiquities 1. A Yami magamaog, Taiwan, carved wood and buffalo horn. Sold for £9,375. 2. A Luba Hemba standing female figure, Democratic Republic of Congo. Sold for £15,000.
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SALE REVIEW
MARCH Old Masters, British & European Paintings 1
1. William Collins RA (1788-1847). A view near Hastings, buying fish on the beach. Signed and dated 1825, oil on canvas, 87 x 111.5cm. Sold for £12,500.
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2. Attributed to Charles Robertson (1844-1891), A large panoramic view of Constantinople. Signed with initials C.R. and dated 1885, oil on canvas, 115 x 196cm. Sold for £20,000.
Clarice Cliff, Art Deco & Design
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1. Dame Lucie Rie (1902-1995). A fine, flaring conical bowl on slender foot. Sold for £30,000. 2. ‘Applique Etna’ a rare Clarice Cliff Bizarre 265 vase. Sold for £4,250.
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NEWS & EVENTS
Woolley and Wallis Support Local Quest 2020 Appeal for St Thomas’s Church A team of our specialists were on hand at St Thomas’s Church in Salisbury on Wednesday 20th February to take part in a specially organised valuation evening. Just one year off its 800 year anniversary, the medieval church in the heart of the city needs to raise £2,000,000 for repairs and renovations, and is holding a series of fundraising events and initiatives. Our staff were only too pleased to be invited to take part in the event, which saw participants pay £10 to have their items valued while enjoying a glass of wine and a plate of nibbles, provided by Maul’s Wine and Cheese Bar and served by volunteers from the church. Over a hundred people came along to the church, and our specialists handled a broad spectrum of items with fascinating family histories, including a sandwich picnic set awarded to a relative who had been a world class female athlete in the 1930s, a bottle discovered in the city’s river during a hot summer swim, an early Rubik’s cube, and items of silver and jewellery that had been handed down through generations. A raffle concluded the evening, drawn by Woolley and Wallis’s Deputy Chairman, John Axford, and over £1,400 was raised to go towards the church’s daunting target.
The Grand Quiz for Salisbury Hospice Charity Two teams of Woolley and Wallis staff pooled their knowledge to take on other local firms and groups at the Salisbury Hospice Grand Quiz on 28th February. As sponsors of the event, Woolley and Wallis were up against twelve other teams in the annual event at Salisbury Guildhall, with the quiz led by professional MC and toastmaster, Verity Bartlett. The evening included a two course dinner and ended with an auction hosted by Ned Cowell, our Head of Medals & Coins, Arms & Armour, with lots donated by other local businesses including Howard’s House Hotel, jeweller Suzanne Ball and Salisbury Escape Rooms. Despite a valiant effort (and not too many arguments) one of the staff teams was just pipped to the winning post by a combination of staff from estate agent Strutt & Parker, and tax specialists Smith & Williamson. The evening raised £8,000 for the local hospice charity, which needs to raise around £1.5m a year to enable it to provide palliative care, emotional support and various therapies for those in need across the area.
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NEWS & EVENTS
Upcoming Event The Chalke Valley History Festival ‘Napoleon – the Man behind the Myth’ By Adam Zamoyshi Friday 28th June at 8.45pm We were the first ever sponsors of the festival and we are proud, once again, of becoming a sponsor for its 9th year. Initially created in 2011, as a fundraiser for the local cricket club, this festival has grown immensely and is now the largest UK festival dedicated to history. ‘The aim is to excite, enthral and entertain about the past. All proceeds from the festival have, since 2012, been directed to the Chalke Valley History Trust, which promotes the understanding of history to all ages, but especially children.’ - Chalke Valley History Festival Ltd. This year we will be sponsoring a lecture entitled ‘Napoleon – the Man behind the Myth’ delivered by Adam Zamoyshi. As a freelance historian and author, Zamoyshi has had dozens of books published, most notable of which include his history of Poland, ‘The Polish Way’, and his account of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812. He is well respected for his knowledge surrounding the history of Poland and his sharing of this has set a benchmark handbook on the subject. The Chalke Valley History Festival takes place on 24th-30th June 2019. Visit www.cvhf.org.uk for full festival details.
Join Us On Social Media We enjoy sharing with our clients the vast array of items that pass through Woolley and Wallis Salerooms throughout the year. Our social media platforms allow us to keep you up to date with the latest happenings from all our departments. Auctions, events, top lots, behind the scenes, meet the specialists, press, media and more are delivered to you through our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn networks. At Woolley and Wallis we see the past come to life in every item that passes through our auctions. Each has a story to be told. Come and join us, get to know us and experience more of the auction world though our social media platforms. Facebook: @woolleyandwallis Twitter: @woolleywallis Instagram: @woolleyandwallissalerooms Pinterest: Woolley and Wallis LinkedIn: Woolley and Wallis Salisbury Salerooms Weibo: @艾思福
N ews & E vent s | 29
NEWS & EVENTS
WoolleysLive
From Our Clients
When we first introduced online bidding to our sales, some 8 or 9 years ago, it was with a great deal of initial reluctance. Our former chairman, Tim Woolley, (although retired) was still on the rostrum and his habit of selling over 200 lots an hour in a silver sale struck fear into the heart of any poor unfortunate soul trying to keep up with him on a computer keyboard. However, one cannot fight the rise of technology and internet bids soon became a regular and, as Paul Viney pointed out in his Chairman’s Introduction, a fast growing feature of all our auctions.
A large part of the introduction of any new process is obtaining feedback from the customers using it, and we have had some very helpful conversations which will enable us to streamline the process and iron out any wrinkles in the technology. One of those clients is Cynthia McKinley of Wigs on the Green Fine Art in York, who became the very first person to purchase a lot via WoolleysLive – only the second lot to come under the hammer. She shares her thoughts below:
It was with great pleasure, therefore, that we were able back in March to launch our own online bidding platform in WoolleysLive, allowing registered users to participate in our auctions at the touch of a button or, indeed, the click of a mouse. Unlike third party platforms such as the-saleroom.com, we do not charge any additional fee for this – it is a wholly free-to-use service, in the same way that we provide the option to bid by telephone. (Indeed, several telephone bidders have already taken advantage of the option of watching the sale online so that they can anticipate when the phone might ring).
“When I started Wigs on the Green 25 years ago, my stock was sourced locally within Yorkshire with the odd adventurous foray further afield. The development of online auction bidding changed all that and brought salerooms like Woolley & Wallis within reach. I embraced it straightaway and have been a long-standing client of the-saleroom.com. However, I was dismayed when they raised their online commission and so resolved to look for alternative means of bidding whenever possible. But nothing beats the flexibility and ease of live online bidding, so the development of in-house live bidding platforms has been most welcome and it has been great to see WoolleysLive leading the way in this area. Their new service was convenient and intuitive to use but what’s best about it is that they offer it free of commission.”
At the time of writing, the system has only been live for two auctions, but around 150 clients have registered for each sale, and many more clients continue to register in advance of our forthcoming auctions throughout April and May. More information is available on our website at woolleyandwallis.co.uk/ live-bidding or go straight to bid.woolleyandwallis.co.uk to register.
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We hope to welcome more of our clients to WoolleysLive over the coming year, but would like to reassure those who prefer a less anonymous form of bidding that we will continue to offer a free telephone bidding service on all lots.
SPECIALISTS Chairman
Deputy Chairman
Managing Director
Paul Viney ASFAV
John Axford MRICS ASFAV
Clive Stewart-Lockhart FRICS FRSA
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 502
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 506
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 598
pslv@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
jea@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
csl@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
20th Century Design
Asian Art
Chinese Paintings
Michael Jeffery
Jeremy Morgan
Freya Yuan-Richards
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 505
T: +44 (0) 7812 601 098
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 589
mj@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
jm@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
fyr@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Insurance & Probate Valuations
Asian Art
Insurance & Probate Valuations
English & European Ceramics & Glass
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks
Clare Durham
Mark Yuan-Richards
James Gale
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 507
T: +44 (0) 1722 411 854
T: +44 (0) 1722 339 161
cd@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
myr@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
jg@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Japanese Works of Art
Jewellery
Jewellery (consultant)
Alexandra Aguilar
Marielle Whiting FGA
Jonathan Edwards FGAA
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 583
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 595
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 504
aa@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
mw@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
je@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Medals & Coins, Arms & Armour
Paintings
Silver
Ned Cowell
Victor Fauvelle
Rupert Slingsby
T: +44 (0) 1722 341 469
T: +44 (0) 1722 446 961
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 501
nc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
vf@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
rs@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Silver
Tribal Art & Antiquities
Lucy Chalmers
Will Hobbs
T: +44 (0) 1722 424 594
lc@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
T: +44 (0) 1722 339 752
wh@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
Specialist Departments | 31