Highlights will be on view in Dublin on 23 and 24 October in Knight of Glin Exhibition Room, City Assembly House. We are very grateful to The Irish Georgian Society for their generous support.
Wednesday 13 November 9.00 am - 5.00 pm
Thursday 14 November 9.00 am - 8.00 pm
Friday 15 November 9.00 am - 5.00 pm
Saturday 16 November 12.00 pm - 5.00 pm
Sunday 17 November 12.00 pm - 5.00 pm
Monday 18 November 9.00 am - 5.00 pm
AUCTIONEERS
Sarah Reynolds, Nicholas Orchard, Clementine Sinclair and Piers Boothman
AUCTION CODE AND NUMBER
In sending absentee bids or making enquiries, this sale should be referred to as FARM-22990
ABSENTEE AND TELEPHONE BIDS
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CONDITIONS OF SALE
The sale of each lot is subject to the Conditions of Sale, Important Notices and Explanation of Cataloguing Practice, which are set out in this catalogue and on christies.com. Please note that the symbols and cataloguing for some lots may change before the auction.
For the most up to date sale information for a lot, please see the full lot description, which can be accessed through the sale landing page on christies.com.
BUYER’S PREMIUM
In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol.
Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.
Please scan for complete auction information
SPECIALISTS AND SERVICES FOR THIS AUCTION
Elizabeth Comba Head of Sale, Specialist, Private & Iconic Collections ecomba@christies.com
+44 (0)20 7389 2681
Pippa Jacomb
Director, Specialist, Modern British and Irish Art pjacomb@christies.com
First initial followed by last name @christies.com (eg. Clementine Swallow = cswallow@christies.com)
For general enquiries about this auction, please email the sale coordinator.
Nicholas Orchard Senior Director, Head of Modern British and Irish Art norchard@christies.com +44 7770 963 628
Angus Granlund Director, Senior Specialist, Modern British and Irish Art agranlund@christies.com
+44 207 752 3240
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Buying At Christie’s
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What a mighty stroke of good fortune it was meeting Alan and Mary Hobart
What a mighty stroke of good fortune it was meeting Alan and Mary Hobart together with their wonderful Irish Setter Sam, at Pyms Gallery on Motcomb Street in Belgravia in their pre-Mayfair days. We recognised some rapport and immediately formed a simple, straightforward business connection. I was the fledgling collector they were the seasoned experts.
It was over 30 years ago and we never in our wildest dreams could have imagined that our business relationship would develop into a commercial association of such magnitude –alongside a truly exceptional and enduring, life-changing friendship like no other. A rare and precious relationship that grew one single, patient step at a time. Built on the rock-solid foundations of mutual trust, absolute loyalty, transparency and honesty.
Along the way Alan and Mary tutored me in the finesse and art of buying Art. Of researching Art, its provenance and its condition, colour, form and light. Of anticipating trends, choosing well and paying the right price. The importance of creating and developing art world connections, of increasing knowledge through listening, growing relationships, of forever learning more to feed the curiosity and develop the passion. Museums, exhibitions, dealers and Auction House visits, catalogues, journals, periodicals and academic tomes were de rigueur. We learnt and shared how best to maximise the pleasures and fulfilment of owning and enjoying Art; after all Alan and Mary had the insight of being gallerists and collectors too. It was a finer education, by far, than Oxbridge or Harvard.
I was introduced to and rubbed shoulders with (metaphorically) some great GLOBAL artists, Masters of Yesteryear, and today, including Gentileschi and Poussin, Constable and Gainsborough, Van Gogh and Picasso, Hockney and Warhol – even Banksy. But only after first being introduced to Mary Swanzy, John Lavery, Jack Yeats, William Orpen and the many famous and distinguished artists that Alan the dealer and collector enthusiastically promoted as representatives of his beloved Ireland, where he and Mary made that wonderful ‘homefromhome’ for 30 years on the West Coast. I felt particularly privileged that they invited my wife and me to stay with them in Connemara, the place they so adored. It was their private oasis, a haven in which to recharge the batteries, escape the big city bustle and pressures, to relax and enjoy time with their beloved donkeys, DONLA (Brown Lady) and BOANN (River Goddess).
It was impossible not to recognise just how talented and exceptional Alan and Mary were, and thankfully their enthusiasm was infectious. By any and all measures they were nothing short of ‘excellent in the extreme’ at what they did together. I saw it constantly demonstrated. It was a magical wizard’s mix of both culture and commerce. The formidable combination of Mary’s overwhelming good taste and Alan’s extraordinary dealer instincts was what made them such a force to reckon with. They were the perfect team: a ‘quiet’ yet dynamic duo committed to their craft. They encouraged my input and working alongside each other as our business together as Art dealer and collector flourished and grew so did the bonds of our friendship. Over three decades we transacted levels of business that were eye-watering on occasions, business that has proved incidentally to be a wise financial investment although that was never a prime criterion. Incidentally, I never ever exchanged a letter of intent, document of commitment or note of promise, not even a handshake or verbal pledge of honour with Alan or Mary: such was the measure of our total trust in each other.
Pyms Gallery of Mayfair was not simply a successful business, a profession, a job or a career to Alan and Mary: it was their life, a total commitment, an all-consuming passion.
The Hobarts had some scope of ambition and laboured with care to maximise every opportunity to strengthen and grow their business and to support Ireland and Irish Art, Alan as a board member of the National Gallery of Ireland Foundation. They wanted to help provide for those they loved and to enhance the reputation of the business that they were so proud of. It was through those relentless, driving efforts – seeking out quality and stellar high standards in Art – that Alan and Mary secured not only ‘eminently adequate’ financial rewards but a feeling of intense satisfaction and fulfilment together with the high regard of their clients and peers. I was ever proud to see that everyone they trusted received the very same Pyms’ generosity, Mayfair 5-star service, support and guidance that I did. Benefitting from Alan and Mary’s hard-earned expertise, wide experience and rare connections. No call for advice was left unanswered, art related or otherwise.
After all, as true professionals the Hobarts recognised the huge value of highly satisfied clients as enthusiastic advocates and no caveat ambassadors for their business.
Neither Alan nor I saw any conflict between hard work and fun and so, so many times we laughed and laughed until we cried as Alan reprised and reviewed art world experiences with a view to a debrief analysis to improve and learn how to do better. Alan’s unique character contradictions added so much joy to our incredible relationship. One minute he was Mr Shouty and Mr Tough Negotiator, the next moment Mr Proud, Mr Loyal, Mr Understanding, Mr Never Let You Down and best of all Mr Laugh like a drain.
Whilst the Hobarts sold to museums globally and to top private collectors, Alan’s approach was low key, shunning public recognition, personal praise and accolades. He was a consummate professional.
Never easily impressed himself, Alan was impressive, truly excellent, private and discreet in all that he did, working confidently in the comforting knowledge that Mary, his stalwart partner and wife of 53 years, who he loved dearly, was alongside him every single step of the way.
Great friends, phenomenal Art dealers, connoisseurs and wise counsellors, to this very day together with my extended family in their own homes we live surrounded by paintings, drawings, sculptures, carpets, objets d’art, furniture, lighting and personal possessions that were bought by, sold by, or massively influenced by the opinion, recommendation and advice of Alan and Mary Hobart.
The Hobarts’ input, example, education and shared experiences enlivened and enriched my mind, helped to develop my eye and shape my taste, enabling me to understand better and consequently appreciate and love Art, design and style even more, with a passion almost to rival their own. A priceless gift I can never repay.
Lord Graham Kirkham KCVO
Boann in the Hobarts’ garden at their home in Faul, Connemara
Mary and Alan Hobart of Pyms Gallery were long acknowledged in the international market as among the most successful and influential art dealers of their generation
Mary and Alan Hobart of Pyms Gallery were long acknowledged in the international market as among the most successful and influential art dealers of their generation. However, an exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) last year revealed what was known to far fewer – the seriousness with which they had collected in the area of nineteenth- and twentieth-century art. The IMMA show focused on the Hobarts’ collecting of Irish art, a field which they pioneered. This auction, by contrast, offers a wider perspective to their collecting, offering, in addition to masterpieces by some of the greatest Irish artists, works by British, French, Spanish, German and Australian artists which they owned. The Hobarts’ love of Ireland was profound, but their keen eye respected no national boundaries. Over several very different categories, they sought the same qualities: innovation, rarity, condition and provenance. This collection, which had graced their London townhouse and homes in the south of France and west of Ireland, highlights the relentless search for artistic excellence in any given category.
Pyms Gallery was set up by the young Hobarts in 1975. It traded from galleries in Belgravia and Mayfair until 2013 when the couple closed their Mount Street premises to deal privately from their home, round the corner in Farm Street. In this they were ably assisted by Mary’s niece, Lara Daly. From its quite humble beginnings, Pyms quickly became one of the most successful commercial galleries. Quite what was being unpacked when one called into the gallery could vary from a 1st Century B.C. Roman torso of a dancing faun, to one of Edward Munch’s famous series, Girls on a Bridge.
However, the Hobarts were most often associated with – and certainly took greatest pride in - a series of exhibitions which championed Irish art in London at a time when it was little appreciated or valued. Many of the paintings in their early exhibitions have become famous exemplars of Irish art, frequently reproduced or now the treasures of public collections, but others, equally iconic, such as Jack Yeats’s O’Connell Bridge (lot 87) were retained by the Hobarts and come to the market for the first time in decades.
Unlike so many art dealers who grew in the family firm, when they started in business the Hobarts had no connections whatsoever in the trade. Mary was born in rural Ireland and had moved to London as a child in 1950. A visit to the Festival of Britain inspired her love of design in all its manifestations and her instinctively scholarly approach to dealing led her to produce the catalogues with which Pyms set new standards of scrupulous research and elegant presentation.
Long before it became the orthodoxy, the Hobarts pioneered the work of women artists, mounting, for example, three exhibitions of the art of Mary Swanzy. It was something of a gamble to take on the task of administering the Swanzy estate and sorting the diverse contents of the studio of this immensely long-lived artist. Much needed to be done, from stretching canvases and framing paintings to establishing a chronology of her work – as she hardly ever dated pictures. But, three exhibitions later - each with a scholarly catalogue, the task was complete and Swanzy’s critical position was assured. As in so many instances, Pyms was ahead not just of the market but also of Irish art institutions. In 2018, IMMA mounted a major exhibition on Swanzy’s
art, more than thirty years after Pyms had first argued for her significance.
The Hobarts’ expertise in Irish art and their unrivalled ability at tracking down masterpieces attracted a generation of wealthy individuals who collected with a degree of knowledge, taste and discrimination hitherto rarely seen in Ireland – or indeed equalled subsequently. Tony Ryan, Carmel and Martin Naughton, Barney Eastwood and members of U2 were all frequent customers.
Many clients have spoken or written about the excitement of a visit to Pyms. Lochlann Quinn, former chair of both IMMA and the National Gallery of Ireland, who, with his wife Brenda, has formed an outstanding collection – recounted how he visited the gallery when one of the Swanzy shows was being prepared: ‘I saw these Swanzys on the floor, which were tremendous, full of colour and I said “oh wow”’. It was not long after Quinn had become involved in Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud (Dublin’s finest), ‘I bought eight…unframed and on the floor, and we put them up in Guilbaud’s where they got a great reaction’.
In Northern Ireland, meanwhile the Earl of Belmore has similarly fond memories of these days: ‘I chanced upon Alan and Mary Hobart’s Pyms Gallery … where I bought some great works by McKelvey, Scott, Kernoff and Swanzy [they] always had wonderful things and they published some excellent catalogues which have greatly underpinned Irish art’. In similar vein, in 2003 Fred Krehbiel from Chicago looking back on many years of friendship recalled: ‘We discovered that right round the corner from our London flat were the leading dealers in Irish art, Alan and Mary Hobart of Pyms Gallery. We paid them a visit and walked out with our first Irish picture … a landscape by Paul Henry’.
From the moment that they could afford to the Hobarts ‘brought pictures home’. Inevitably, personal taste dictated what was collected and it echoed, but did not completely overlap with, what they traded. For example, their collection includes a noticeably higher proportion of abstract work than Pyms’s stock books record they ever sold. But many of the artists and themes with which Pyms engaged for so long, and so successfully, are represented here, the work of William Orpen, for example, and particularly his war pictures, or the complex art of Mary Swanzy including a powerful nude (lot 92) and the apocalyptic Day of Judgment (lot 95).
The example of Swanzy neatly shows how the Hobarts’ pioneering art dealing also found an echo in their private collection. The search for the innovative led them to purchase works directly from Eileen Agar in the early 1980s (lot 5), long before her reputation was in anyway solidified – only recently has she had a, belated, major show at Whitechapel Gallery.
The Hobarts’ collecting was a quiet and private passion reflecting the couple’s joint taste forged over five decades of handling masterpieces. The art they chose to live with reflects this accumulated wisdom, taste and judgment, and, most importantly, the lifelong love of art that made Mary and Alan Hobart such influential arbiters of taste.
William Laffan
Alan with Tom Otternesss Large Bear outside Rockefeller Center
Many of the great artworks Alan bought either for himself, or for his trusted collectors, were purchased at auction and I was frequently the auctioneer
Mary and Alan Hobart were an inseparable couple, a perfect match who loved each other’s company. They were sticklers for discretion and valued professional honesty, integrity and humility above all else in the people they befriended. They also shared a very deep passion for the art and culture of England and Ireland. Anyone who ventured through the doors of the Pyms Gallery, on the curving terrace opposite the Connaught, stepped into a quiet haven of classical English taste showing very good British and Irish art at very sensible prices. More often than not visitors would be museum curators or collectors looking for high level advice about Irish art or updates on the great international auctions taking place in London or New York in the coming season.
It was on one of Alan’s frequent visits to New York in the 1990s that I first experienced his kindness. Leaving a Sotheby’s sale in New York one cold, wet November evening I was looking for a taxi when the door of a black limousine swung open and there was Alan, with his beaming smile, ushering me to take shelter out of the driving rain. Never one for pomp nor ceremony Alan invited me to join him for a quick dinner at a low-key restaurant a few blocks away from York Avenue. That evening cemented a long and meaningful friendship. Alan became a trusted confidante for me as the auction market grew at tremendous pace. Indeed, I recall that at that rainy November dinner we covered many topics which would become the key concerns of the art market in the years to come.
As Alan saw it, the auction houses were beginning to dominate the top of the market and consequently he advised that we should help make the 20th Century market more accessible to collectors outside the traditional centres of America and Europe. He recognised the collecting shift towards Modernism and insisted that the great collections formed in the 60s and 70s in America would be the source of the greatest artworks we would handle in the 1990s and 2000s. He was 100% right. The best auction business in the new millennium would be the company which dominated the American market. I recall that he also praised Christopher Davidge’s early efforts to operate in China, stating that the rise of Asian buyers was exciting, inevitable and necessary. Whilst he read the future well, at that stage he could not have predicted the power of Russian and Middle Eastern buying, the sharp rise in the value of Contemporary Art, nor the incredible impact that the internet would have on the art world. These were four growth areas we would discuss regularly in later years.
In the Irish field, he and Mary shone bright and from the early days of their well titled ‘The Irish Revival’ exhibition, Pyms committed themselves to promoting 20th century Irish artists and setting them alongside their international contemporaries. Their confidence in the artists they championed was demonstrated not just by their exhibitions, and scholarly research but also their strong market presence.
Many of the great artworks Alan bought either for himself, or for his trusted collectors, were purchased at auction and I was frequently the auctioneer. Alan loved auction. He felt it. He understood it. He always preferred to sit at the very front of the saleroom where he could see every twitch and “reveal” of the auctioneer, and, when he felt he held the advantage, would join the bidding late with his signature bid: a raise of his eyebrows. He trusted his judgement and the careful research he and his team had done. He boldly chased the highest quality works, and he rarely lost. Many of these works would come back onto the market in the years that followed, and almost all outperformed. He bought a plethora of major works by the early 20th century masters, with a particular nod to British and Irish artists. Picasso, Hepworth, Moore and Frink were a regular target. He and Mary were equally comfortable buying Old Masters by both the Italian Renaissance and British masters of the 18th and 19th centuries. Alan was a born winner and he knew how to celebrate his wins. He could be vocal in the saleroom and was quickly frustrated by auctioneers who did not acknowledge his bid or bring the hammer down in what he felt was a timely way. He demanded fairness in all things. At the tail of The Barney A. Ebsworth sale he stayed on in the front row to buy the very last lot of the sale, Tom Otterness’s Large Bear. The delight on his face is captured in the great photograph taken of him immediately afterwards on the Plaza outside Rockefeller Center.
Alan and Mary Hobart, who made such indelible marks on the art world and were such guiding lights in the Irish market for so many years, are greatly missed. We now all have the opportunity to bid for the many jewels from the Hobart Collection. It is so fitting that my colleagues at Christie’s should be helping with the sale. I may not have the opportunity to auctioneer them for you but I will certainly be there to view the sale and encourage collectors to follow your great taste. Alan and Mary, thank you for all the great contributions you both made to the cultural world in England and Ireland over a period of 50 years.
Jussi Pylkkänen
Alan on the rostrum at The Ireland Funds Dinner at Christie’s in May 2000
WILLIAM CROZIER, H.R.H.A. (1930-2011)
Aegean Island
signed, inscribed and dated 'William Crozier/'Aegean Island'/1994' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
8√ x 10¬ in. (22.5 x 26.6 cm.)
Painted in 1994.
£1,500-2,500
PROVENANCE:
US$2,000-3,300
€1,800-3,000
with William Jackson Gallery, London, where purchased by Michael Croft, 2nd Lord Croft in 1995.
His estate sale; Sotheby's, Olympia, 4 July 2002, lot 564, where acquired for the present collection.
Aegean Island is one of several paintings of islands made by William Crozier in 1994-95 whose inspiration was a fusion of a brief trip to the Aegean islands in 1993 and the familiar islands where he lived by Roaring Water Bay, off the coast of West Cork. Crozier wrote ‘To my mind the scenes were interchangeable and I painted many of these islands, giving them a dual nationality, a shared history. Making Athenians and Spartans out of O’Driscolls and McCarthys’ (Crozier archive. MS. No. 25). Crozier’s island subjects are totemic. He explained ‘They are the perfect subject for my emotional and intellectual concerns. These are a condition of exile, a sense of loss, a love of the sea and a longing for the horizon’. (Crozier archive. MS. No. 25a)
We are very grateful to Katharine Crouan for her assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.
SEAN SCULLY, R.A. (B. 1945)
3.2.97
signed, dedicated and dated 'For Masami Corey + Kai/Sean Scully 3.2.97' (along the lower edge) watercolour on paper
12 x 9¿ in. (30.5 x 23 cm.)
Executed in 1997.
£15,000-25,000
US$20,000-33,000
€18,000-30,000
PROVENANCE: A gift from the artist to the previous owners in 1997. Their sale; Christie's, London, 17 February 2011, lot 194, where acquired for the present collection.
3
AUSTIN WRIGHT (1911-1997)
Lovers
lead, on a wooden base 11 in. (27.9 cm.) high, including base
Conceived and cast in 1955.
£5,000-8,000
US$6,600-11,000
€6,000-9,500
PROVENANCE: Dr Jeffrey Sherwin; his sale, Christie's, London, 21 November 2019, lot 28, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Wakefield, Wakefield Cathedral, Crib, December 1955, no. 110, another cast exhibited, catalogue not traced.
LITERATURE:
J. Hamilton, The Sculpture of Austin Wright, London, 1994, p. 24, 25, 84, no. S71, another cast illustrated.
λ4
SIMON-ALBERT BUSSY (1870-1954)
Heron Blanc
signed with monogram (lower right), signed again and inscribed 'Simon Bussy 40 rue Verdi Nice', and inscribed again 'Heron Blanc' (on the stretcher) oil on canvas 13¿ x 9½ in. (33.3 x 24.1cm.)
£4,000-6,000
US$5,300-7,900 €4,800-7,200
PROVENANCE: with Galerie Charpentier, Paris. Catherine Gamble Curran. Her sale; Sotheby's, London, 8 October 2008, lot 22, where acquired for the present collection.
EILEEN AGAR, R.A. (1899-1991)
All Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix signed 'AGAR' (lower right), signed again and dated 'AGAR/1947' (on the backboard), inscribed and dated again 'ALL BIRDS PAY HOMAGE/TO THE PHOENIX/1947' (on the artist's label attached to the canvas overlap) oil on canvas
24º x 32º in. (61.6 x 81.9 cm.)
Painted in 1947.
£20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE:
US$27,000-39,000
€24,000-36,000
Acquired directly from the artist for the present collection in July 1984.
EXHIBITED:
Halmstad, Mjellby Konstmuseum, Eileen Agar : Angel of Anarchy, September 2021 - January 2022, ex. cat. : this exhibition travelled to Leeds, Art Gallery, January - May 2022.
JOHN BANTING (1902-1972)
Standing Woman
pencil, watercolour and gouache on paper 19¡ x 13º in. (49.2 x 33.6 cm.)
£1,500-2,500
PROVENANCE: with Fine Art Society, London, August 1976. Richard Ivor, London.
US$2,000-3,300
€1,800-3,000
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 5 July 1983, lot 164, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Hastings, Museum and Art Gallery, John Banting 1902-1972, SeptemberOctober 1987, exhibition not numbered: this exhibition travelled to Rye, Art Gallery, October - December 1987.
London, Pyms Gallery, British and Irish Works on Paper: 1900-2000, JuneJuly 2004, pp. 54-55, no. 25, illustrated.
We are very grateful to Michel Remy for his assistance in cataloguing this lot. 16
JOHN BANTING (1902-1972)
Self Portrait
signed and dated 'J. Banting/1928' (lower right), signed again and inscribed 'Self-Portrait/John Banting/Charlotte St' (on the artist's label attached to the canvas overlap)
oil on canvas
25¡ x 21¡ in. (64.4 x 54.3 cm.)
Painted in 1928.
£15,000-25,000
PROVENANCE: Edward Sackville-West, and by descent.
US$20,000-33,000
€18,000-30,000
LEONARD BASKIN (1922-2000)
Seated Fat Man
bronze with a green gold patina, on a wooden plinth
20º in. (51.5 cm.) high, including plinth
Conceived circa 1956.
£3,000-5,000
PROVENANCE: Bernarda and Ben Shahn.
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
Their sale; Rago Auctions, New Jersey, 14 November 2010, lot 1048, where acquired for the present collection.
JOHN TUNNARD, A.R.A. (1900-1971)
Abstract for a billet
signed with initials and dated 'JT 41' (lower right) oil and pencil on gesso-prepared board
5¡ x 7¡ in. (13.7 x 18.7 cm.)
Painted in 1941.
£12,000-18,000
PROVENANCE:
US$16,000-24,000
€15,000-21,000
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 13 January 1983, lot 26, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Cooling Galleries, The London Group, October - November 1941, no. 78.
LITERATURE:
A. Peat and B.A. Whitton, John Tunnard: His Life and Work, Aldershot, 1997, p. 154, no. 202.
We are very grateful to Professor Brian Whitton for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.
PATRICK HERON (1920-1999)
VARIOUS BLUES : JUNE 1964
signed, inscribed and dated 'Patrick Heron/Various Blues : June 1964' (on the reverse)
gouache on paper
23 x 30Ω in. (58.4 x 77.5 cm.)
Executed in 1964.
£30,000-50,000
PROVENANCE:
US$40,000-66,000
€36,000-60,000
Michael Croft, 2nd Lord Croft, purchased at the 1964 exhibition. His estate sale; Sotheby's, Olympia, 4 July 2002, lot 541, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Waddington Galleries, Patrick Heron, November - December 1964, no. 23.
London, Pyms Gallery, British and Irish Works on Paper: 1900-2000, JuneJuly 2004, pp. 82-83, no. 39, illustrated.
We are very grateful to Susanna Heron and Andrew Wilson for assisting in the preparation of this catalogue entry.
ROBERT COLQUHOUN (1914-1962)
Conjuror
signed 'Colquhoun' (upper right) oil on canvas
17¡ x 11√ in. (44.2 x 30.2 cm.)
Painted in 1947.
£20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE:
Sir Colin and Lady Anderson.
US$27,000-39,000
€24,000-36,000
Her estate sale; Christie's, London, 5 March 1987, lot 176, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Lefevre Gallery, Colquhoun - New Paintings, October - November 1947, no. 24.
London, Whitechapel Gallery, Robert Colquhoun, an exhibition of Paintings Drawings and Prints, from 1942 to 1958, March - May 1958, no. 52.
Edinburgh, Douglas & Foulis Art Gallery, Robert Colquhoun Memorial Exhibition, March - April 1963, no. 8.
LITERATURE:
R. Bristow, The Last Bohemians: The Two Roberts Colquhoun and MacBryde, Bristol, 2010, pp. 362, 375, 388.
Lots 8, 9, 12, 17, 88
EILEEN AGAR, R.A. (1899-1991)
From the Broken Branch Came Forth Words and Blood
signed 'AGAR' (lower left), inscribed '"FROM THE BROKEN BRANCH CAME/ FORTH WORDS AND BLOOD"/DANTE INFERNO CANTO XIII' (on the reverse)
oil on paper laid on board
26 x 20¿ in. (66 x 51.1 cm.)
Painted circa 1947.
£15,000-25,000
PROVENANCE:
with J. Leger & Son, London, March 1947.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 1 March 1968, lot 175.
US$20,000-33,000
€18,000-30,000
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 9 November 1984, lot 118, where acquired for the present collection.
BRIDGET RILEY, C.H. (B. 1931)
Revision of December 21
signed and dated 'Bridget Riley '87' (lower right), inscribed 'Revision of December 21.' (lower left) gouache on paper
25Ω x 34¿ in. (64.8 x 86.6 cm.)
Executed in 1987.
£120,000-180,000
PROVENANCE:
US$160,000-240,000
€150,000-210,000
with Mayor Rowan Gallery, London, where purchased by Michael Croft, 2nd Lord Croft.
His estate sale; Sotheby's, Olympia, 4 July 2002, lot 635, where acquired for the present collection.
Revision of December 21 embodies Riley’s core philosophy: beneath simplicity lies complexity. Planes of blue, orange, peach, red, pink and teal interlock at rhythmic intervals to create a mesmerising chromatic symphony.
The present work was executed during a new phase in Riley’s oeuvre: the ‘Rhomboid’ or ‘Zig’ paintings. The rhomboid presented Riley with a shape that seemingly straddled two-dimensionality and threedimensionality, producing a feeling of motion that broke away from her iconic ‘Stripes’ compositions of the early 80s. These divergent compositions are ‘something like a coherent fabric of colour which advances and recedes in planes’, Riley notes. The rhomboids ‘assume the potentiality of planes, being separated components which can hold different colours, which in turn can take up different positions in
pictorial depth’ (‘Bridget Riley in Conversation with Michael Harrison’, in Bridget Riley: Colour, Stripes, Planes and Curves, exhibition catalogue, Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, 2011, pp. 12, 16). Riley utilises the rhomboid to introduce an element of depth to the canvas, a significant development in her career-long exploration of opticality.
Here, the carefully constructed shapes provoke associations with the nebulous light of a developing winter sunrise. Riley’s work is informed by her academic interest in art history, drawing particular inspiration from the work of Claude Monet and his interaction with the natural landscape. Despite the clear juxtaposition between the abstract and the figurative subjects, a definitive visual parallel can be drawn between the shimmering undulations of colour and form seen in Monet’s Nymphéas series and those in the present work.
SEAN SCULLY, R.A. (B. 1945)
PLACE 3.8.94
signed, inscribed and dated 'PLACE Sean Scully 3.8.94' (upper right) oil on paper
30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.9 cm.)
Executed in 1994.
£60,000-80,000
PROVENANCE:
US$79,000-110,000
€72,000-95,000
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, New York, 16 May 2001, lot 346, where acquired for the present collection.
'My paintings talk of relationships. How bodies come together. How they touch. How they separate. How they live together, in harmony and disharmony... Its edge defines its relationship to its neighbour and how it exists in context. My paintings want to tell stories that are an abstracted equivalent of how the world of human relationships is made and unmade. How it is possible to evolve as a human being in this' (S. Scully interview with W. Smerling, Constantinople or the Sensual Concealed. The Imagery of Sean Scully, exhibition catalogue, MKM Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst, Duisburg, 2009, p. 8).
In 1969, Scully travelled to Morocco and became captivated by the sights he discovered there: the strips of colour-dyed wool hanging up
to dry, the rich carpets and tents, the faded and fragmented facades of buildings he photographed. In 1972 he was awarded a scholarship to Harvard and soon after devoted himself exclusively to abstraction. At first his approach was informed by Minimalism's brand of formal purism but by the early 1980s he came to the conclusion that 'the Minimalists [had] removed the content from Abstract Expressionism. Accordingly art reached the point where it had lost its ability to communicate'; a function and capacity for art which he now deems fundamental (S. Kleine, 'The Imagery of Sean Scully', Constantinople or the Sensual Concealed. The Imagery of Sean Scully, exhibition catalogue, MKM Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst, Duisberg, 2009, p. 18).
TONY BEVAN, R.A. (B. 1951)
Face
signed, inscribed and dated 'Bevan/87/Face' (on the reverse)
acrylic and pigment on canvas
32¬ x 27 in. (82.8 x 68.6 cm.)
Painted in 1987.
£12,000-18,000
US$16,000-24,000
€15,000-21,000
PROVENANCE: with Michael Hue-Williams Gallery, London, where purchased by the previous owner circa 1998.
Their sale; Christie's, London, 17 October 2009, lot 202, where acquired for the present collection.
28 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.
16
SEAN SCULLY, R.A. (B. 1945)
2.25.97
signed and dated 'Sean Scully 2.25.97' (lower right) watercolour on paper
29¬ x 22º in. (75.2 x 56.5 cm.)
Executed in 1997.
£50,000-80,000
PROVENANCE:
US$66,000-110,000
€60,000-95,000
with Galerie Lelong, Paris. Acquired from the above by Johan H. Stenersen, Oslo. His estate sale; Christie's, London, 22 October 2003, lot 85, incorrectly illustrated, where acquired for the present collection.
PETER RANDALL-PAGE, R.A. (B. 1954)
Holding It Together
Kilkenny limestone, unique 15½ in. (39.4 cm.) high Carved in 1988.
£8,000-12,000
US$11,000-16,000
€9,600-14,000
PROVENANCE: Sir Stephen and Lady Winifred Tumim. Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 10 December 2013, lot 170, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Contemporary Art Society, Art Market, May - July 1988, catalogue not traced.
Manchester, City Art Gallery, The Cutting Edges: Contemporary Carvings and Woodcuts, May - July 1989, catalogue not traced.
Leeds, City Art Gallery and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Peter Randall-Page Sculpture and Drawings 1980-1992, April - June 1992, pp. 47, 82, no. 87, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Edinburgh, Royal Botanic Garden, JuneAugust 1992, and Bristol, Arnolfini Gallery, August - October 1992.
We are very grateful to the artist for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.
WILLIAM SCOTT, R.A. (1913-1989)
Harvesting
signed and dated 'W. SCOTT/45' (lower right), signed with initials and inscribed 'Harvesting/Pastel. W.S' (on the reverse) gouache, coloured chalk and ink on paper 17¬ x 22Ω in. (44.8 x 57.2 cm.)
Executed in 1945.
This work is registered in the William Scott Archive as number 857.
£12,000-18,000
PROVENANCE:
US$16,000-24,000
€15,000-21,000
with J. Leger & Son, London, July 1947, as 'Resting - Hayricks'. Anonymous sale; Phillips, London, 25 March 1986, lot 127, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, The Leger Galleries, Watercolours and Drawings by William & Mary Scott, December 1945, no. 31.
London, Pyms Gallery, Irish Renascence: Irish Art in a Century of Change, November 1986, pp. 124-125, no. 50, illustrated.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, William Scott: Paintings and Drawings, July - November 1998, p. 42, no. 7, illustrated.
London, Pyms Gallery, British and Irish Works on Paper: 1900-2000, June-July 2004, pp. 64-65, no. 30, illustrated.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, pp. 74-75, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
F. Ormsby, Northern Windows, Belfast, 1987, illustrated.
We are very grateful to The William Scott Foundation for their assistance in cataloguing this lot.
SEAN SCULLY, R.A. (B. 1945)
Untitled, 1982
signed and dated 'Sean Scully 1982' (lower right) pastel on paper
11æ x 10¬ in. (29.9 x 26.8 cm.) Executed in 1982.
£12,000-18,000
US$16,000-24,000
€15,000-21,000
PROVENANCE: with Juda Rowan Gallery, London. Michael Croft, 2nd Lord Croft. His estate sale; Sotheby's, Olympia, 4 July 2002, lot 541, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED: London, Pyms Gallery, British and Irish Works on Paper: 1900-2000, June-July 2004, pp. 92-93, no. 44, illustrated.
GERARD DILLON (1916-1971)
Three Men in a Bog
signed 'Gerard Dillon' (lower left) oil on board
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm.)
£25,000-35,000
PROVENANCE:
US$33,000-46,000
€30,000-42,000
Queen's University, Belfast. Their sale; Christie's, Dublin, 24 October 1988, lot 473, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, Irish Exhibition of Living Art, April - May 1956, no. 36.
Sheffield, Graves Art Gallery, Contemporary Art in Ulster, 1957, no. 25.
Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, A Free Spirit: Irish Art 1860-1960, JuneJuly 1990, p. 218, no. 89, illustrated.
We are very grateful to Karen Reihill for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.
PATRICK HERON (1920-1999) STILL-LIFE WITH TIN JUG : 1948
signed and dated 'P. Heron/48' (lower right) oil on canvas
18 x 14 in. (45.7 x 35.6 cm.)
Painted in 1948.
£40,000-60,000
PROVENANCE:
US$53,000-79,000
€48,000-72,000
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 20 July 1988, lot 383, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Redfern Gallery, Paintings by Patrick Heron, October - November 1948, no. 20 as 'STILL LIFE WITH WINDOW AND TIN JUG'.
Bristol, City Art Gallery, Contemporary English Painting, February - March 1950, no. 52, as 'THE TIN JUG'.
London, Arts Council of Great Britain, Five Contemporary Painters, MarchJune 1950, no. 19 as 'THE TIN JUG : 1948'.
We are very grateful to Susanna Heron and Andrew Wilson for assisting in the preparation of this catalogue entry. The Patrick Heron Trust is in the process of researching the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work and would like to hear from owners of any works by Patrick Heron, so that these can be included in this comprehensive catalogue. Please write to The Patrick Heron Trust, c/o Christie's Modern British Art Department, 8 King Street, London, SW1Y 6QT, or email at ccampbell-gray@christies.com.
FREDERICK EDWARD MCWILLIAM, A.R.A. (1909-1992)
Bilateral Relief
signed with initials and numbered 'McW 1/5' (on the base) bronze with a green patina 75 in. (190.5 cm.)
Conceived and cast in 1959. This is the only known cast from the intended edition of 5.
£18,000-25,000
PROVENANCE: with Waddington Galleries, London, 1961.
US$24,000-33,000
€22,000-30,000
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 24 May 1990, lot 683, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Waddington Galleries, F.E. McWilliam, February - March 1961, no. 4. Paris, Musée Rodin, 2nd International Exhibition of Contemporary Sculpture, June - October 1961, no. 160.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, p. 64, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
R. Penrose (intro.), McWilliam, London, 1964, n.p., no. 52, illustrated. J. Marle and T.P. Flanagan, exhibition catalogue, F.E. McWilliam, Belfast, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Ulster Museum, 1981, illustrated as a frontispiece.
M. Gooding, exhibition catalogue, F.E. McWilliam: Sculpture 1932-1989, London, Tate Gallery, 1989, p. 21, illustrated.
D. Ferran, exhibition catalogue, F.E. McWilliam at Banbridge, Banbridge, The F.E. McWilliam Gallery & Studio, 2008, pp. 16-17, illustrated.
D. Ferran and V. Holman, The Sculpture of F.E. McWilliam, Much Hadham, 2012, p. 126, no. 184, illustrated.
We are very grateful to Denise Ferran for her assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.
Lot 22 in the artist’s Holland Park garden. Left to Right - Terry Frost, Patrick Heron, Bryan Wynter, F. E. McWilliam, Mary Scott, Beth McWilliam, William Scott, Delia Heron and Roger Hilton
WILLIAM SCOTT, R.A. (1913-1989)
Reclining Nude (Orange and Silver)
signed 'W. SCOTT' (lower right)
charcoal, gouache and silver paint on paper 29Ω x 41º in. (74.9 x 104.8 cm.)
Executed in 1956.
This work is registered in the William Scott Archive as number 1284.
£60,000-80,000
PROVENANCE:
with Martha Jackson Gallery, New York. Franklin H. Kissner, New York.
US$79,000-110,000
€72,000-95,000
His estate sale; Christie's East, New York, 17 November 1988, lot 249, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
New York, Martha Jackson Gallery, William Scott Paintings and Drawings, October - November 1956, no. 20.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, pp. 66-67, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
'I have no theory. I am not concerned only with ‘space construction’. What matters to me in a picture is the ‘indefinable’’ (W. Scott, quoted in, L. Alloway, Nine Abstract Artists, London, 1954).
Painted in 1956, Reclining Nude (Orange and Silver) forms part of a series of figure paintings that Scott executed between 1953 and 1957.
In 1953, Scott travelled to New York where he was introduced by Martha Jackson to Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline. Although the monumental, energetic abstracts and the New York artists that created them impressed Scott, he realised that these painters came from a different artistic lineage, stating ‘there’s a whole tradition, the descent from Chardin through Cézanne to Braque and Bonnard, which has no part in their painting, and that’s the tradition I’ve always held to’ (W. Scott quoted in, N. Lynton, William Scott, London, 2004, p. 7).
Scott resolved to explore what he had seen in the United States but from the perspective of the European tradition that he had grown up in. This particularly resonated with him as he explored the female nude as a subject, figure painting having played a major part in his training at the Royal Academy Schools. Scott explained, ‘continual figure painting made me aware of the great paintings of nudes. The pictures I had in mind amongst the Old Masters were Cranach, Titian, Giorgione, Goya, Boucher, and among later paintings, Corot, Manet, Gaugin,
Modigliani, Bonnard and Matisse’ (W. Scott, quoted in op. cit., p. 65). Scott particularly admired Pierre Bonnard’s The Bath, painted in 1925, that hung in the Tate Gallery, so much so he commissioned a young painter called Joan Gee to produce a full-sized copy which he hung in his home.
In 1954, Scott visited the famous cave paintings at Lascaux in France, which were to have a great impact on his work. He recalled, ‘I went to see the Lascaux Caves, and my experience of these terrific drawings helped me to rethink what art was about. It renewed my earlier interest in primitivism, and set me on a new course’ (W. Scott, quoted in ibid., p. 70).
The boldness of these pre-historic drawings spoke to Scott and drew him back to Bonnard and the Nabis group. One can see this influence in Reclining Nude, which has a timelessness, broken only by the palpable presence of the artist through the physical marks and the bold black outline of the woman’s figure. Reclining Nude is simultaneously new and ancient, abstract and representational. The figure has emerged from the vibrant orange and silver background and floats on the surface of the work. Ephemeral yet timeless. She has existed for centuries yet is contemporary: ‘indefinable’.
We are very grateful to The William Scott Foundation for their assistance in cataloguing this lot.
WILLIAM CROZIER, H.R.H.A.
The Dancer
inscribed 'THE DANCER' (on the stretcher) oil on canvas
67æ x 67æ in. (172.1 x 172.1 cm.)
Painted in 1969-75.
£20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE:
(1930-2011)
US$27,000-39,000
€24,000-36,000
Acquired directly from the artist for the present collection in 2010.
EXHIBITED:
Glasgow, Compass Gallery, William Crozier. New Paintings, November 1975, no. 5, as ‘Steppen Wolf’.
Ayr, McLaurin Gallery, William Crozier. Paintings and Drawings 1951-85, May - June, 1985, no. 7.
Cork, Crawford Art Gallery, William Crozier: Paintings 1949-1990,1990 - 1991: this exhibition travelled to Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy London, Pyms Gallery, William Crozier Early Work, June - July 2010, pp. 6869, no. 41, illustrated.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, p. 73, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
K. Crouan, William Crozier, Aldershot, 2007, p. 83, illustrated.
The Dancer, probably painted in the early 1970s, is one of a series of monumental paintings of skeletal figures in the landscape made by William Crozier between 1961 and 1975. It is, however, unusual in this body of work in that the subject was inspired by a literary source, Herman Hesse’s 1927 novel, Steppenwolf, itself a counter-cultural classic in the 1960s.
Steppenwolf is the name the artist used when referring to The Dancer and is the title he chose when the painting was first exhibited. Crozier described many of his figure paintings as self-portraits and it is not difficult to see parallels between the tormented protagonist of Hesse’s novel, Harry Haller, and the crises within the artist’s life at that time. In the narrative of the novel, Haller is rescued from his despair by learning to dance and to embrace the positive in life. Crozier wrote that he wanted his human figures and the landscape to be indivisible, in the sense that someone who is in a state of stress or isolation sees the world as a projection of themselves'. While The Dancer amply illustrates this intention, the energy of the dancing figure and the gaiety of the colour palette echo the triumphant, redemptive message of Hesse’s novel.
We are very grateful to Katharine Crouan for her assistance with cataloguing this lot.
WILLIAM SCOTT, R.A. (1913-1989)
Painting
oil on canvas
16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm.)
Painted in 1956.
£40,000-60,000
PROVENANCE:
US$53,000-79,000
€48,000-71,000
Purchased by Michael Croft, 2nd Lord Croft at the 1956 exhibition. His estate sale; Sotheby's, Olympia, 4 July 2002, lot 544, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Arthur Tooth & Sons, Critic's Choice: Selection by Herbert Read, September - October 1956, no. 14.
London, Tate Gallery, Private Views: Works from the Collections of Twenty Friends of the Tate Gallery, April - May 1963, no. 65.
Bern, Kunsthalle Bern, Victor Pasmore: William Scott, July - August 1963, no. 10.
Belfast, Ulster Museum, William Scott, September - October 1963, no. 10. London, Pyms Gallery, Summer Show, June 2003.
LITERATURE:
B. Taylor, 'Critic's Choice', Spectator, 21 September 1956.
S. Whitfield (ed.), William Scott: Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings 19521959, Vol. 2, London, 2013, p. 145, no. 290, illustrated.
We are very grateful to The William Scott Foundation for their assistance in cataloguing this lot.
44
SIR SIDNEY ROBERT NOLAN, O.M., R.A. (1917-1992)
Explorers (Antarctica)
oil on board
48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm.)
Painted in 1964.
£20,000-30,000
US$27,000-39,000
€24,000-36,000
PROVENANCE: with Marlborough-Gerson Gallery, New York. Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 6 December 2000, lot 240, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, Sir Sidney Nolan, April - May 2006, no. 7, illustrated. Victoria, Mornington Peninsular Regional Gallery, Sidney Nolan: Antarctic Journey, November 2006 - February 2007, no. 31.
*27
SIR SIDNEY ROBERT NOLAN, O.M., R.A. (1917-1992)
A Man feeding a horse oil on coated paper
20Ω x 25 in. (52 x 63.5 cm.)
Executed circa 1961.
£5,000-8,000
US$6,600-11,000
€6,000-9,500
PROVENANCE:
Acquired directly from the artist by the father of the previous owner. Their sale; Sotheby's, London, 15 November 2001, lot 13, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, British and Irish Works on Paper: 1900-2000, JuneJuly 2004, pp. 78-79, no. 37, illustrated.
SIR SIDNEY ROBERT NOLAN, O.M., R.A. (1917-1992)
Antarctica
signed 'Nolan' (lower right); signed, inscribed and dated 'Antarctica/ Marlborough/Nolan 1964' (on the reverse) acrylic on board
48 x 48 in. (121.9 x 121.9 cm.)
Painted in 1964.
£15,000-25,000
US$20,000-33,000
€18,000-30,000
PROVENANCE: with Agnews, London, where acquired for the present collection in January 2001.
EXHIBITED: Victoria, de Mornington Peninsular Regional Gallery, Sidney Nolan: Antarctic Journey, November 2006-February 2007, exhibition not numbered. London, Pyms Gallery, Sir Sidney Nolan, April - May 2006, no. 9, illustrated.
λ29 HENRY CLIFFE (1919-1983)
Seated Figure
signed and numbered 'H CLIFFE 8/8' (on the underside) bronze with a dark brown patina 10¡ in. (26.4 cm.) high
Conceived in 1953.
£2,000-4,000
PROVENANCE:
US$2,700-5,300
€2,400-4,800
with Katharine House Gallery, Marlborough where acquired by the previous owner in 2017. Their sale; Sotheby's, London, 17 November 2020, lot 357.
Gifted to the present collection in December 2021.
λ30 ANTONI CLAVÉ (1913-2005)
La Folle
signed 'Clavé' (lower right) oil on board laid on panel 19√ x 16 in. (50.5 x 40.5 cm.)
Painted in 1946.
£6,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
Fenosa Collection, Barcelona.
US$7,900-11,000
€7,200-9,500
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 11 February 2005, lot 172, where acquired for the present collection.
LITERATURE:
P. Seghers, Clavé, Barcelona, 1971, no. 340, illustrated.
CECIL COLLINS, R.A. (1908-1989)
The Dreaming Fool
signed and dated 'Cecil Collins/1942.' (upper right); signed and dated again 'Cecil Collins/1942' and inscribed '"A Fool dreaming" (1942)/from the suite "The Holy history of Fools"' (on the reverse) pencil and watercolour on paper 11 x 9 in. (27.9 x 22.9 cm.)
Executed in 1942.
£8,000-12,000
US$11,000-16,000
€9,600-14,000
PROVENANCE: with Alex Reid & Lefevre Ltd, London. S. Schofield, by 1947. Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 18 January 1984, lot 324, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, British and Irish Works on Paper: 1900-2000, JuneJuly 2004, pp. 60-61, no. 28, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
C. Collins, The Vision of the Fool, London, 1947, n.p., no. 16, illustrated.
ALAN REYNOLDS (1926-2014)
Snow, The Church signed and dated 'Reynolds/50' (lower right) oil on board
12 x 16 in. (30.5 x 40.6 cm.) Painted in 1950.
£10,000-15,000
US$14,000-20,000
€12,000-18,000
PROVENANCE: with Redfern Gallery, London, where purchased by Miss E. May in 1952. with Leicester Galleries, London. Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 6 February 1985, lot 471, where acquired for the present collection.
CHARLES GINNER, A.R.A. (1878-1952)
Doran's Farm, Mourne Mountains signed 'C. GINNER' (lower right) oil on canvas
30 x 22º in. (76.2 x 56.5 cm.)
Painted in 1930.
£15,000-25,000
PROVENANCE:
US$20,000-33,000
€18,000-30,000
Anton Lock, acquired at the 1933 exhibition. His sale; Christie's, London, 8 June 1979, lot 31, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, The London Group: Twenty-Eighth Exhibition, October 1930, no. 45. London, Leger Gallery, Paintings by Charles Ginner, February - March 1933. London, Royal Academy, 1946, no. 186, as 'Doran's Farm, Mourne Mountains'. Darlington, Arts Council of Great Britain, Art Gallery, Charles Ginner: Paintings and Drawings, November 1953, no. 14, as 'County Down': this exhibition travelled to Bristol, Art Gallery, November - December 1953; Carlisle, Art Gallery, January 1954; London, Tate Gallery, January - February 1954; Southampton, Art Gallery, February - March 1954; and Norwich, Assembly House, March - April 1954.
LITERATURE: C. Ginner, Notebooks, Vol. III, p. 78.
Lots 3, 10, 14, 15, 18, 32, 33, 35,
47, 48, 107
AFTER ÉDOUARD MARCEL SANDOZ (1881-1971)
'Singe assis', designed circa 1925
glazed ceramic
10¿ in. (25.5 cm.) high; 6¿ in. (15.5 cm.) wide; 6¿ in. (15.5 cm.) deep marked with a pen 'E.M. Sandoz' and 'REF. 812-ARIA' (on the underside)
£500-700
PROVENANCE:
US$660-920 €600-830
with Matthew Foster, London, where acquired for the present collection in January 2017.
LITERATURE:
F. Marcilhac, Édouard Marcel Sandoz, Sculpteur figuriste et animalier 1881-1971. Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre sculpté, Paris, 1993, p. 527, no. MNS 8-1929/1, (for an original model illustrated).
■35
AN IRISH GEORGE II
MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE
SECOND HALF 18TH CENTURY AND ADAPTED
The rounded rectangular later top with moulded edge, the waved frieze centred by a carved shell on shell-capped cabriole legs with paw feet, with typed Harrods depository label for 'VISCOUNT DAVID A. N. Stewart/ OLD LODGE/ NUTLEY/SUSSEX/ 11/7/39', the side rails replaced and the table reduced in depth 30½ in. (77.5 cm.) high; 49 in. (124.5 cm.) wide; 21 in. (53.4 cm.) deep
£3,000-5,000
PROVENANCE: Eleanor, Countess Castle Stewart, by 1939.
US$4,000-6,600 €3,600-5,900
A PAIR OF CHINESE FAMILLE
VERTE
BALUSTER VASE TABLE LAMPS
THE VASES 19TH/20TH CENTURY, LATER MOUNTED
Decorated with phoenix in flight amidst peony scrolls, on giltwood bases with oversize cream pleated silk shades 14 in. (35.5 cm.) high, excluding filaments (2)
£1,500-2,500
US$2,000-3,300
€1,800-3,000
AN ALABASTER VASE 19TH CENTURY
resting on four lion's paw feet 11¬ in. (29.5 cm.) high
£800-1,200
■•38
A CHINESE ELM POPLAR AND PINE ALTAR TABLE 19TH CENTURY
The top supported by ruyi-form spandrels and outswept legs joined by a pair of stretchers, with traces of lacquer remaining 34¼ in. (87 cm.) high; 44 in. (111.8 cm.) wide; 15º in. (38.7 cm.) deep
£1,000-1,500
US$1,400-2,000
€1,200-1,800
US$1,100-1,600 €960-1,400
PROVENANCE: with Stair and Co, London, where acquired for the present collection in June 2002.
A REGENCY MAHOGANY AND FOSSIL MARBLE OCCASIONAL TABLE
CIRCA 1820
The circular marble top above a foliate-clasped column, on a concave-sided triform base with scroll feet
29¾ in. (75.6 cm.) high; 22¾ in. (57.6 cm.) diameter
£2,000-3,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from Rupert Hastie, London.
US$2,700-3,900
€2,400-3,600
A Town House in Mayfair; Christie's, London, 20 November 2008, lot 615, where acquired for the present collection.
A PAIR OF RESTAURATION MAHOGANY FAUTEUILS CIRCA 1820-40
The padded back, seat and arms covered in green cotton, the arm rests on swan uprights on square tapering legs and paw feet
36 in. (91.5 cm.) high; 24 in. (61 cm.) wide; 22 in. (56 cm.) deep (2)
£1,500-2,500
US$2,000-3,300
€1,800-3,000
A PAIR OF IRISH BLUE AND CLEAR GLASS OVAL MIRRORS
20TH CENTURY
Each with alternating faceted studded border
24 x 15 in. (61 x 38 cm.) (2)
£3,000-5,000
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
A PAIR OF ORMOLU AND BRASS-MOUNTED SANGDE-BOEUF VASES
THE CHINESE VASES 18TH/19TH CENTURY, MOUNTED BY GAGNEAU, LATE 19TH CENTURY, AND LATER CONVERTED TO ELECTRICITY
Originally oil lamps, signed 'Gagneau', with cream card shades
17¼ in. (43.8 cm.) high, excluding fitments (2)
£2,000-3,000
US$2,700-3,900
€2,400-3,600
ALAN LYDIAT DURST, A.R.A. (1883-1970)
Bull
lignum vitae, unique 18½ in. (47 cm.) long
£6,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
US$8,100-11,000
€7,200-9,600
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 13 July 2007, lot 335, where acquired for the present collection.
LITERATURE:
C. J. Gordon, 'The Carvings of Alan Durst', The Studio, January 1950, vol. 139, pp. 10-13, no. 682, illustrated.
JULES BASTIEN-LEPAGE (1848-1884)
Autoportrait
signed 'J. BASTIEN-LEPAGE' (lower left), inscribed and dated 'a mon amie Mademoiselle D. Tennant /Londres 1882' (centre right) oil on panel
10¬ x 8º in. (27.1 x 21.2 cm.)
Painted in 1882.
£10,000-15,000
PROVENANCE:
Lady Dorothy Stanley, London.
Acquired for the present collection in July 1994.
LITERATURE:
US$14,000-20,000
€12,000-18,000
Mrs H.M. Stanley, ‘Bastien-Lepage in London’, The Art Journal, 1897, p. 53 illustrated.
K. McConkey, ‘The Bouguereau of the Naturalists – Bastien-Lepage and British Art’, Art History, Vol 1, September 1978, no. 3, p. 373, pl. 45.
K. McConkey, ‘Un petit cercle de thuriféraires – Bastien-Lepage et la Grande Bretagne’, in 48/14, La revue du Musée d’Orsay, no. 24, Printemps 2007, p. 20 illustrated.
During his visit to London in 1880, Jules Bastien-Lepage was introduced by the artist, George Frederick Watts to Dorothy Tennant, daughter of Lady Gertrude and Sir Charles Tennant MP. A talented young woman, Miss Tennant had studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and under Jean-Jacques Henner in Paris. A friendship ensued. Back in the 1840s, her mother had grown up in France, had befriended Gustave Flaubert in her youth, and family house parties in Whitehall were compared to Paris salons from the time of Louis-Philippe
(McConkey 1978, p. 373). In this congenial Francophile ambiance, the present souvenir portrait was painted in 1882, during Lepage’s last visit to the British capital.
It is likely to have been painted in Dorothy’s studio while the artist was working on the celebrated Marchande de fleurs à Londres, (sold Christie’s New York, 10 November 2022), and the Petit cireur de bottes à Londres (Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris) and several views of the Thames – works that she describes in The Art Journal. Lionised by London society, in previous years Lepage had painted portraits of Laura Alma-Tadema (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford), Henry Irving (National Portrait Gallery, London), Edward Burne-Jones (Birmingham Museums Trust) and the London-based cartoonist, Carlo Pellegrini (National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin).
Attending a dinner with Irving and Sarah Bernhardt at the Lyceum Theatre, Bram Stoker noted that Lepage spoke about his work with deep seriousness. ‘Je suis ré-a-liste!’ he declared, ‘… the short hair of his bullet head seemed to bristle like the hair of an excited cat …’ (Reminiscences of Henry Irving, 1906, vol II, p. 164). Short haircuts were trending at the time, as indeed were ‘smart’ tightly knotted neckties. His London hostess remembered the artist’s love of sharp suits, ordered, we are told, ‘from the most fashionable London tailor’ (Mrs H.M. Stanley, 1897, p. 56).
However, it is that almost ideological commitment to the record of lived experience that impressed Miss Tennant the most, and it is this that we carry away from the present work.
Professor Kenneth McConkey
EMIL BENEDIKTOFF HIRSCHFELD
(1867-1922)
Portrait of William John Leech
signed and dedicated 'E. B. Hirschfeld/ to Leech dreaming.' (lower left) oil on panel
5¬ x 7 in. (14.3 x 17.8 cm.)
£400-600
PROVENANCE: William John Leech.
US$540-800
€480-720
Private collection, where acquired for the present collection in August 1986.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, Irish Renascence: Irish Art in a Century of Change, November 1986, p. 42, no. 11, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
A. Denson, An Irish Artist, W. J. Leech, R.H. A., Kendal, 1968, illustrated.
A. Denson, Visual Taste: Catalogue of an author's art collection, Volume I, London, 1971, n.p, no. 73.
A. Denson, Visual Taste: Catalogue of an author's art collection, Volume II, London, 1971, n.p, pl. II, illustrated.
WILLIAM JOHN LEECH, R.H.A. (1881-1968)
Glion
signed 'Leech' (lower left), signed again and inscribed 'Glion./W.J. Leech.
R.H.A.' (on the artist's label attached to the stretcher) oil on canvas
24 x 19æ in. (61 x 50.2 cm.)
Painted circa 1910.
£20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE:
Purchased by Sir Robert Park Lyle at the 1912 exhibition. Mrs Sylvia Bride.
US$27,000-40,000
€24,000-36,000
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 8 June 1984, lot 107, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Goupil Gallery, 1912.
London, Barbican Art Gallery, Impressionism in Britain, January - May 1995, no. 121.
Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland, William John Leech: An Irish Painter Abroad, October - December 1996, p. 141, no. 26, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Quimper, Musée des Beaux Arts, January - March 1997; and Belfast, Ulster Museum, March - June 1997.
LITERATURE:
A. Denson, W.J. Leech R.H.A. II: His Life Work, Kendal, 1969, n.p., no. 20.
MAURICE DENIS (1870-1943)
Piazza del Campo, Sienne
signed and dated 'MAVD.07' (lower right) oil on board
14¬ x 13 in. (37.2 x 33 cm.)
Painted in 1907.
£18,000-25,000
PROVENANCE:
US$24,000-33,000
€22,000-30,000
Henri Aubry, by whom acquired directly from the artist in 1908. Galerie Druet, Paris, by whom acquired in 1912.
Charles Pacquemont, Paris, by whom acquired from the above, by 1924; his sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 12 December 1932, lot 16.
Solange Rosenmacke (née Autard de Bragard), Paris, by whom acquired at the above sale.
Anonymous sale, Hôtel des ventes de Quimper, Paris, 28 April 1996, lot 130.
Anonymous sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 14 November 1997.
Neal Fiertag & W.M. Brady & Co., Paris & New York. with Concorde Fine Arts Inc., Delaware, where acquired for the present collection in May 1998.
EXHIBITED:
Paris, Galerie Druet, Maurice Denis, November - December 1908, no. 30, p. 15 (titled 'Piazza del Campo').
London, The Goupil Gallery, Salon, 1912, no. 80.
Paris, Hôtel de la Curiosité et des Beaux-Arts, Première exposition de collectionneurs au profit de la Société des Amis du Luxembourg, March - April 1924, no. 190, (titled 'Sienne').
Paris, Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs, Pavillon de Marsan, Exposition Maurice Denis, 1888-1924, April - May 1924, no. 157 or 158, p. 11 (titled 'Sienne').
LITERATURE:
C. Zappia, Maurice Denis e l'Italia, Journal, carteggi, carnets, Perugia, 2001, no. 34b, p. 68 (illustrated; titled 'Piazza del Campo jour de pluie').
Claire Denis and Fabienne Stahl will include this work in their forthcoming Denis catalogue raisonné.
WALTER RICHARD SICKERT, A.R.A. (1860-1942)
Saint Jacques with a Butcher's Shop signed and dated '1912-/Sickert.' (lower right) oil on canvas
13¿ x 16º in. (33.2 x 41.2 cm.) Painted in 1912.
£20,000-30,000
US$27,000-40,000
€24,000-36,000
PROVENANCE: with Leicester Galleries, London. Mrs Wemyss Honeyman. Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 13 November 1987, lot 391, as 'St Jacques, Dieppe', where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, Life and Landscape in French, British and Irish painting at the turn of the century, May - June 1991, pp. 60-61, no. 24, illustrated. London, Pyms Gallery, Truth to Nature: French, British and Irish painting of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, April - May 1996, pp. 72-73, no. 26, illustrated.
LITERATURE: W. Baron, Sickert: Paintings and Drawings, New Haven and London, 2006, p. 356, no. 328, illustrated.
AUGUSTUS JOHN, O.M., R.A. (1878-1961)
Three Figures in a Landscape pen, ink and wash on paper
7¬ x 9Ω in. (19.3 x 24.2 cm.)
Executed circa 1900.
£1,000-1,500
PROVENANCE:
US$1,400-2,000
€1,200-1,800
with Brandon-Davis, London. with Roland, Browse & Delbanco, London, where acquired by J. W. Freshfield by 1940.
with Arthur Tooth & Sons, London, where acquired by the Hon. John Fremantle by 1946, and by descent.
Their sale; Christie's, London, 22 November 1994, lot 126, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, National Gallery, British Painting since Whistler, March - August 1940, no. 590.
London, British Institute of Adult Education, 1943, no. 303B, catalogue not traced.
Leeds, Temple Newsam, Augustus John, July - August 1946, no. 71. London, Royal Academy, Augustus John, March - June 1954, no. 160.
London, Pyms Gallery, Truth to Nature: French, British and Irish Painting of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, April - May 1996, pp. 82-83, no. 31, illustrated.
London, Pyms Gallery, British and Irish Works on Paper: 1900-2000, June - July 2004, pp. 40-41, no. 18, illustrated.
We are very grateful to Rebecca John for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.
λ50
AUGUSTUS JOHN, O.M., R.A. (1878-1961)
Portrait of Dorelia wearing a head scarf pencil on paper
17Ω x 10 in. (44.5 x 25.4 cm.)
Executed circa 1908.
£4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE:
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,200
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 23 March 1995, lot 175, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, British and Irish Works on Paper: 19002000, June - July 2004, pp. 42-43, no. 19, illustrated.
We are very grateful to Rebecca John for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.
ROGER FRY (1866-1934)
Tulips
signed and dated 'Roger Fry. 1917.' (lower left) oil on canvas, in the artist's painted frame
19æ x 23¬ in. (50.2 x 60 cm.) including frame Painted in 1917.
£10,000-15,000
US$14,000-20,000
€12,000-18,000
PROVENANCE: with Carfax & Co., London. Sir John and Lady Witt. Their sale; Sotheby's, London, 19 February 1987, lot 398, where acquired for the present collection.
We are very grateful to Richard Shone for his assistance with cataloguing this lot.
AUGUSTUS EDWIN JOHN, O.M., R.A. (1878-1961)
An Afternoon in Dorset signed and dated 'John/1914' (lower right) oil on panel 11æ x 18¿ in. (29.8 x 46 cm.)
Painted in 1914.
£80,000-120,000
PROVENANCE:
Private collection, London.
US$110,000-160,000
€96,000-140,000
Acquired from the above by the present collection in December 2000.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, Orpen and the Edwardian Era, 1987, no. 40, as 'A Conversation'.
LITERATURE:
A. Rutherston, Augustus John, London, 1923, p. 5, pl. 11.
Painted in 1914, An Afternoon in Dorset depicts two women sitting together within a rural idyll. A blue ribbon of water stretches across the landscape behind them, likely the Blue Pool in Wareham near John’s home at Alderney Manor. The sky spread with vibrant planes of pinks and purples, this tranquil scene appears to have been painted at sun set. Dorelia McNeill, the artist's second wife and most enduring subject, is seated to the right of the picture, sporting a spotted headscarf. She was to give birth to the artist's second daughter, Vivien John, the following year in March 1915. The figure to the left is Nora Brownsword, who had recently begun sitting for Augustus and who was to bear his first illegitimate child, Gwyneth Johnstone, who was born in June 1915 and was to be come an artist in her own right.
The waters of the Blue Pool, a former clay pit, would have been particularly attractive to John, as in certain weather conditions it emulated the glorious colours he had enjoyed in the South of France
in preceding years. He had spent the summer of 1910 with Dorelia painting by the Étang de Berre, an inland lake on the Mediterranean coast. The present work, with its rich Post-Impressionist palette, reveals this new inspiration for John.
Commenting on the artist’s Modernist journey, C. Lewis Hind wrote: ‘John is the chief of the English representatives of the new movement in art. His artistic antennae have long drawn in the stimulation of the spirit that inspired the movement. He does not copy. In a flash he will suck the essence from a Cezanne landscape, from a Gauguin savage, inform the essence with his own personality, and lo! it is not imitation, it is new life’ (C. L. Hind, 1911, quoted in D. B. Haycock, Brilliant Destiny: The Age of Augustus John, London, 2023, p. 184.)
We are very grateful to Rebecca John for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
•53
A GROUP OF FIVE ENGLISH CERAMIC TEAPOTS
SECOND HALF OF THE 18TH CENTURY, BLUE CRESCENT MARK TO THE WORCESTER EXAMPLE, AND PATTERN NUMBER 'N.173' TO THE NEWHALL EXAMPLES
Comprising: A Worcester porcelain moulded blue and white teapot and cover, a Staffordshire creamware teapot and cover decorated with puce stripes and flower-sprays, possibly Leeds, a Staffordshire creamware teapot and cover with pierced gallery decorated with green stripes, possibly Leeds, two Newhall porcelain teapots and covers, in sizes, both marked in iron red and puce 'N.173' the largest 9√ in. (25.1 cm.) wide (5)
£1,000-1,500
■54
US$1,400-2,000
€1,200-1,800
A VENETIAN ETCHED GLASS MIRROR
LATE 19TH/ EARLY 20TH CENTURY
The bevelled plate surrounded by an etched border with foliate cresting
57Ω x 30Ω in. (146 x 77.5 cm.)
£1,500-2,500
US$2,000-3,300
€1,800-3,000
A CHINESE BLUE-GROUND
FAMILLE ROSE JARDINIERE
20TH CENTURY
Decorated in reserve with two roundels enclosing ducks in a lotus pond, the interior decorated with five goldfish and foliage 14º in. (36.2 cm.) high
£1,000-2,000
US$1,400-2,700
€1,200-2,400
A GEORGE II BLACK AND GILT-JAPANNED CABINET-ONSTAND
MID 18TH CENTURY
The doors decorated with figures and foliage enclosing an arrangement of ten drawers, the stand reduced in height 54.5 in. (138.4 cm.) high; 39¡ in. (100 cm.) wide
£2,500-4,000
US$3,300-5,300
€3,000-4,800
A GEORGE IV MAHOGANY BERGERE CIRCA 1830
Upholstered in pale blue velvet on splayed supports with brass caps and castors, later mounts to the arms
38º in. (97 cm.) high; 26Ω in. (67 cm.) wide; 24Ω in. (62 cm.) deep
£1,200-1,800
US$1,600-2,400
€1,500-2,100 •58
A FIJAN HARDWOOD 'CULACULA' PADDLE CLUB
19TH CENTURY
With handwritten label 'South Sea Islands/ Rev. W. Cotton/ Ass. to Bishop Selwyn'; together with a Fijian ironwood gun stock barrel club with handwritten label 'FIJI ISLAND/ PEARL' (2)
£1,200-1,800
PROVENANCE: Rev. W. Cotton/ Ass. to Bishop Selwyn, Australia.
US$1,600-2,400
€1,500-2,100
A CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN VASE TABLE LAMP
LATE 20TH CENTURY
On ebonised base with cream pleated silk shade 17 in. (43.2 cm.) high, excluding filaments
£800-1,200
US$1,100-1,600
€960-1,400
•
60 A CHINESE BRONZE POLYCHROME-DECORATED ‘FIGURAL’ CENSER MING DYNASTY
The scholar seated on a mule, one hand holding a ruyi-sceptre, patinated bronze with rubbing to the gilt decoration 15Ω in. (39.4 cm.) high
£1,000-2,000
US$1,400-2,600
€1,200-2,400
A LOUIS XVI ORMOLUMOUNTED TULIPWOOD AND AMARANTH DEMI-LUNE COMMODE
BY ANTOINE HERICOURT, CIRCA 1780
The moulded grey-veined white marble top with square projecting corners above two drawers inlaid sans traverse with Greek key framing flanked by neoclassical mounts, on square tapering legs and later castors, stamped 'A HERICOURT JME'
35 in. (88.9 cm.) high; 32 in. (81.3 cm.) wide
£3,000-5,000
PROVENANCE:
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
Rev. Lord Augustus FitzClarence, vicar of Maple Durham, illegitimate son of William IV and thence by descent until 1973. Anonymous sale; Bonhams, London, 1 October 2002, lot 152, where acquired for the present collection.
Antoine Hericourt, maître in 1773.
Antoine Héricourt was received Master in 1773. Piérre Kjellberg (Le Mobilier Français du XVIII Siècle, pp. 397-398, pl. B) illustrates a similar commode.
■
A SWEDISH BRASS-MOUNTED MAHOGANY COMMODE CIRCA 1800
The rectangular inset Sarrancolin marble top above a drawer fitted with divisions, the panel decorated with scrolling foliage above two drawers between fluted pilasters headed by reeded panels hung with drapery, on square tapering legs and block feet, with enamelled handles
32¾ in. (83.2 cm.) high; 32 in. (81.3 cm.) wide; 18¾ in. (47.6cm.) deep
£3,000-5,000
PROVENANCE:
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-6,000
The Property of a Lady of Title; Christie's, London, 12 December 2002, lot 172, where acquired for the present collection.
•63
AN IZNIK POTTERY DISH
OTTOMAN
TURKEY, 17TH CENTURY
The white ground decorated under the glaze with a pair of mammals between two floral sprays, the border with alternating flowers and blue crescents, the exterior with blue circles, colour fading throughout 9æ in. (24.8 cm.) diam.
£700-900
PROVENANCE: Kolkhorst Collection.
US$920-1,200
€840-1,100
•64
AN IZNIK POTTERY DISH
OTTOMAN
TURKEY, 17TH CENTURY
The white ground decorated with a bole-red scalloped lozenge containing a blue fishscale pattern, flanked by carnation and hyacinth plants, the rim with a floral meander, the outer rim decorated with alternating blue flowerheads and leaves, intact, chipping to the glaze 9æ in. (24.8cm.) diam.
£1,200-1,800
PROVENANCE: Kolkhorst Collection.
US$1,600-2,400
€1,500-2,100
Exiles from Erin Mary and Alan Hobart and the rebirth of Irish Art
Kenneth McConkey recalls the early years of Pyms Gallery
When you sat at the table in the dining room at 24 Farm Street, it was always good to be placed facing the picture in the corner by the fireplace. The conversation never flagged but in odd moments a tin-hatted ‘Tommy’ caught your eye. This was William Orpen’s Great War painting, The Thinker on the Butte de Warlencourt. Under that ominous sky, clothed in khaki and posed with his rifle on a mound of chalk rubble, dotted with debris, if this solitary soldier had thoughts, they can only have been about the futility of war. There was no more challenging recreation to Rodin’s famous Thinker than this. For Alan and Mary Hobart, it had been a triumphant acquisition.
First catalogued in 1993, Orpen’s Thinker was a painting they were never terribly keen to sell and thereafter, were happy to live with. It was the latest in a series of important Orpen acquisitions that included masterpieces such as - Bridgit, a picture of Miss Elvery and the iconic Young Ireland … Painted not long after the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme The Thinker … encapsulated all the uncertainties and contradictions of the time - emergent Irish nationhood in the midst of the greatest conflict the world had seen up to that point. It caught the complexity of its maker, someone Alan and Mary did so much to reveal - a painter who never completely turned his back on his native land, even though after 1916 he never went there. Like James Joyce and Samuel Beckett in heroic exile, he somehow saw Ireland more clearly from a distance, and in 1924, committed his memories to an eccentric volume – Stories of Old Ireland and Myself
In a sense, exile from Erin was what drew us together for I first encountered the Hobarts in 1979 on the steps of the Travellers Club in Pall Mall, when I was called to the front door to view a painting they had recently bought for stock. It turned out to be ‘wrong’ – but ‘right’ in the sense that it brought me to a friendship that lasted over forty years. We had Ireland in common: Mary was from Monaghan; Alan, although from Devon, had an Irish mother; and I was born in Belfast. Roots develop stronger in rough soil, and who, in those days of the Northern Irish ‘Troubles’ would deliberately set themselves up as its champions in the former Imperial hub when even in Ireland there was not the enthusiasm for art that there is today? This mission, emerging in the early 1980s, was what distinguished the Hobarts from others in the London art trade. They began in the wake of Anne Crookshank and the Knight of Glin’s Painters of Ireland, 1660-1920, (1978) at the point where book’s survey concludes and the very moment when the
story gets interesting – when at the turn of the twentieth century, to paraphrase WB Yeats, the ‘bones’ were ‘stirring’. First proposed by Hugh Lane in 1904, they addressed the viability of a distinctive Irish School of painting, developing from Lane’s core collection of Impressionist masterpieces, and for which Orpen’s assistance as goad and gadfly of its rising artists was sought.
Like Lane, the Hobarts looked in the first instance to France taking opportunities where they could, by buying and selling works by French Naturalist masters such as Jules Breton, Léon Lhermitte, Jules BastienLepage, Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret and Jean-François Raffaelli at a time when these names were scarcely known. It was to be the route to further extensions into Impressionists and selected Modern Masters - to Manet, Degas, Monet, Sisley, Gauguin, Cézanne and Picasso, and a different order of magnitude. What a thrill to get close and personal with Manet’s Sketch for ‘The Bar at the Folies Bergère’, or Degas’ Woman trying on a hat, c. 1884 from Henry Moore’s private collection.
Mary and Alan Hobart with Cézanne’s La Toilette funéraire ou L’Autopsie
Mary and Alan in the 1980s
It is less unusual today to eulogise collectors and traders in art than it used to be. Historians have expanded art’s social history, sometimes sadly neglecting the transformative power of the visual. Commerce in art means little, if you resist the moving hand of its maker. Ever keen to learn, Alan and Mary’s enthusiasm for the exploration of new fields was always infectious – as in the affection for modern sculpture shared with one important collector. It overflowed and could take you by surprise. In the early days on a visit to their house in Hampstead, I stood in front Charles Ginner’s Doran’s Farm, Mourne Mountains. I had walked those hills as boy, I could see them from the bedroom window in my brother’s house - but Ginner? The Camden Town painter? What could be more unexpected?
Such discoveries were not bought to turn a profit; they were things to live with, enjoy and talk to yourself about. They meant something. Carried around in the head, they would be checked at intervals and in moments of reunion, the heart leapt. Yes, in front of William Scott’s magisterial Reclining Nude you thought how important this was – its place in the oeuvre, its place in history - a work that had been shown in
the fabled Martha Jackson Gallery in New York in the halcyon days of Abstract Expressionism. What would de Kooning or Rauschenberg have made of it? But there, in front of your random thoughts, was something that came from the sinews of an arm that was reaching out.
It took no time for the table talk to drift back to Irish art. The high points of many careers were found on the Pyms Gallery walls. Lavery’s haunting Gold Turban, Jellett’s hieratic Homage to Fra Angelico, Lamb’s Dancing at a Northern Crossroads, Keating’s Dun Aengus, Jack B. Yeats’ Going to Wolfe Tone’s Grave and Le Brocquy’s The Family, all passed through the Pyms Gallery portals and on to major collections, public and private. A remarkable rollcall. Mary Swanzy’s rediscovery is down to them as a result of four dedicated exhibitions between 1986 and 2020 with her extraordinary Propellers going the National Gallery of Ireland, while many other reputations – those of Grace and Paul Henry, Maurice MacGonigal, Gerard Dillon to name a few – have been greatly enhanced by their shows. At the same time, forays into the contemporary included William Crozier, Hector McDonnell and Rita Duffy.
John Lavery, The Gold Turban, 1928, shown in Pyms Gallery’s exhibition, The Irish Revival, 1982
Mainie Jellett, Homage to Fra Angelico, 1928, shown in Pyms Gallery’s exhibition, The Irish Renascence, 1985
But for Mary and Alan, Orpen, more than any other single painter, unlocked the national school, the ‘renascence’ of which they committed so much of their energy. Their Orpen emerged from James White’s remarkable show in their much-loved National Gallery of Ireland (1978), and in Bruce Arnold’s seminal biography (1981). They responded to this character more than any other Irish painter.
As you left the table, walking round the room, you realized that this was one of the most thought-provoking settings in which to dine. Other Orpens - drawings and watercolours - took you from an oyster bar with the youthful, inebriated Augustus John, to a dinner with Hugh Lane, then to the table in South Bolton Gardens, around which George Moore and his friends deliberate under the watchful eye of Manet’s Eva Gonzalès in 1907, and thence to the Café Royal for a spat between John and James Pryde. So many of the issues you have thought about were well-rehearsed here in these talisman images.
Thereafter the greatest delight was in store. It was to repair to the library – a room dominated by Orpen’s The Poet. On a good day, sunlight from the Farm Street windows would obey the lines of its tracery. Yeats at the end of his life in a short poem ruminated on the way a ‘girl standing there’ could easily deflect him from Roman, Russian or Spanish politics. Twenty years earlier, this had been Orpen’s plot. Here was an exercise in mythmaking in the year before the Easter Rising. It was jokingly serious. Under its brilliant surface lies the sense that versifying is the release of an inner being and to be passed on as a gift to others. His poet sang of lost love as the guns roared.
For all their many achievements, it is with raising the banner for Ireland’s artists that Alan and Mary Hobart’s names will be remembered.
Mary and Alan Hobart with Kenneth McConkey, in the Gallagher Galleries of the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin at the opening of A Free Spirit – Irish Art 1860-1960
signed with initials and dated '.w.o. 1905' (lower right) and inscribed 'A JURY' (lower centre)
conté and red chalk on paper
7¿ x 10¿ in. (18.1 x 25.6 cm.)
Executed in 1905.
£4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE:
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,200
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 12 November 1986, lot 64, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, Orpen and the Edwardian Era, November - December 1987, pp. 60-61, no. 21, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
K. McConkey, The New English, A History of the New English Art Club, London, 2006, p. 91, illustrated.
Orpen began exhibiting at the New English Art Club in the spring of 1899 when it had become dominated by staff and fellow students from the Slade School of Fine Art. By 1905 when the present drawing was made, its selecting jury included the bald-headed Rothenstein, with, to the right, in profile, Henry Tonks, Frederick Brown and Philip Wilson Steer, the senior staff of the Slade. Augustus John, barbu, in loud check, dominated the background with the diminutive Orpen looking over his elbow as all examine a possible entrant for one of that year’s exhibitions. The work relates to the artist’s semi-satirical painting The Selecting Jury of the New English Art Club 1909 (see previous page).
Professor Kenneth McConkey
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.A., R.H.A. (1878-1931)
Some Men and a Picture (Study for Homage to Manet)
signed and dated 'William Orpen 1907' (lower left) pencil, ink and watercolour on paper 9 x 7¼ in. (22.8 x 18.4 cm.)
Executed in 1907.
£4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE:
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
Anonymous sale; Christie's, Dublin, 29 April 1985, lot 156, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, Orpen and the Edwardian Era, November-December 1987, pp. 84-85, no. 29, illustrated, as 'Some Men and a Picture'. Compton, Watts Gallery, William Orpen, Method & Mastery, November 2019February 2020, pp. 21-29, exhibition not numbered. Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, p. 43, illustrated, exhibition not numbered.
LITERATURE:
Exhibition catalogue, When Time Began to Rant and Rage: Figurative Painting from Twentieth Century Ireland, London, 1998, p. 34, illustrated.
K. McConkey, Memory and Desire, Painting in Britain and Ireland at the turn of the Twentieth Century, London, 2002, pp. 203-225, illustrated.
Some Men and a Picture is the only extant known preparatory study for Orpen’s Portrait Group (Homage to Manet), 1909 (Manchester City Art Galleries) remaining in a private collection. It shows the Irish writer, George Moore on the left, with figures on the right who became Philip Wilson Steer, Walter Sickert, DS MacColl, Hugh Lane and Henry Tonks in the final painting. A proposed sequence for the five studies (three in Manchester City Art Galleries and one in the National Gallery of Ireland) is set out in McConkey, 2019, in which the present work is no. 3. The ‘picture’ is of course, Edouard Manet’s celebrated, Eva Gonzalès (National Gallery, London/Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin). Professor Kenneth McConkey
JEROME CONNOR (1874-1943)
The Supreme Sacrifice signed, inscribed and dated 'Jerome Connor/ 19.THE SUPREME SACRIFICE.16' (at the base) white marble, unique 12º in. (31.2 cm.) long Carved in 1916.
£3,000-5,000
PROVENANCE:
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
Anonymous sale; James Adam & Sons, Dublin, 29 September 1999, lot 58, where acquired for the present collection.
Lot 67, 68, 79, 120
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.A., R.H.A. (1878-1931)
The Thinker on the Butte de Warlencourt signed 'ORPEN' (lower right) oil on canvas
36¿ x 30º in. (91.8 x 76.9 cm.)
Painted in 1918.
£400,000-600,000
PROVENANCE:
US$530,000-790,000
€480,000-710,000
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 8 November 1989, lot 54. Private collection, UK.
Acquired from the above for the present collection in February 1995.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, An Ireland ... Imagined: An Exhibition of Irish Paintings and Drawings, October - November 1993, no. 30, illustrated. London, Imperial War Museum, William Orpen: Politics, Sex & Death, January - May 2005, pp. 122, 157, no. 61, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Dublin, National Gallery of Art, June - August 2005.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, pp. 34-35, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
P.G. Konody and S. Dark, Sir William Orpen: Artist & Man, London, 1932, p. 278.
B. Arnold, Orpen: Mirror to an Age, London, 1981, pp. 322, 325, 340, 402. K. McConkey, ‘Killing Fields’, The Guardian, 15 January 2005, p. 19, illustrated. R. Upstone and A. Weight (eds.), William Orpen: An Onlooker in France, A Critical Edition of the Artist’s War Memoir, London, 2008, p. 125, illustrated. P. Gough, A Terrible Beauty, British Artists in the First World War, Bristol, 2010, p. 190.
Exactly a year after the Easter Rising in Dublin, William Orpen found himself heading for the Western Front as an Official War Artist. His reputation as a portrait painter had gone before him and it was expected among the General Staff that they would be his priority. However, once he had painted Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig KT, GCVO, KCIE, and Major General Hugh Townsend of the Royal Flying Corps, he was keen to make it clear that his brief was much wider than the portrayal of military leaders in uniform, and he moved closer to the theatre of war. Travelling ‘up the line’, the long straight road from Arras to Bapaume, he found a highway peopled by exhausted soldiers and littered on either side with the debris of battle. By the summer, having passed through the shattered villages of Combles and Péronne, he had reached the Somme, and was looking across the torn terrain to the hillock, or ‘butte’, of Warlencourt, the scene of some of the bitterest recent fighting near the village of Le Sars
‘It looked’, he recalled, ‘very beautiful in the afternoon light’, glowing ‘… pale gold against the sky’. As he moved closer, he observed that this scene of eerie tranquillity had been transformed, and the once verdant farmlands were converted into masses of chalky rubble, pockmarked with deserted dugouts and the bodies of the enemy dead.
With winter approaching, Orpen groped for ways in which to address the deep feelings this experience had unleashed, in works such as A Highlander passing a Grave (Imperial War Museum, London) and with the news of Auguste Rodin’s
death in November, his thoughts may well have turned to his celebrated Thinker of 1905, the classic colossus that emerged from his unfinished Gates of Hell commission. The French master had been a popular figure in Edwardian Britain, visiting London as President of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers, a role that Orpen himself would eventually occupy. A large London retrospective of the sculptor’s work in 1914 guaranteed instant recognition for Orpen’s source.
Parody was Orpen’s forte. Everyone would get the message that after centuries of western civilisation, stretching back to the Greeks, it had come to this. The idea was then sketched in watercolour, and shown at the painter’s ‘WAR’ exhibition of 125 paintings and drawings at William Agnew’s London gallery, the following May.
Such was the success of this exhibition that critics, especially that of the influential Burlington Magazine, encouraged the painter to go further by developing his ‘piquant sense of the grotesque-romantic’ for ‘the amplification of his impressions’, using some of ‘the many figure studies and landscapes sketches in the exhibition’ (vol. 34, July 1918, p. 35). The present canvas takes up this challenge. Orpen darkens the sky for the oil version, dramatically projecting the figure onto the picture plane. Piquancy does indeed describe the infantryman’s facial expression – it was one that the quizzical painter perfected in the mirror. And garbed in the accoutrements of modern warfare, he must be asking ‘Why?’.
Fallen Soldier (study for The Bronx Victory Memorial)
signed and inscribed 'Jerome Connor/ fecit' (on the base)
bronze with a black brown patina
8Ω in. (21 cm.) high; 11æ in. (30 cm.) wide
Conceived in 1924-25.
£3,000-5,000
PROVENANCE:
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
Anonymous sale; Whyte's, Dublin, 26 November 2007, lot 109, where acquired for the present collection.
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.A., R.H.A. (1878-1931)
Changing Billets, Picardy signed 'ORPEN' (lower left) oil on canvas
36 x 30 in. (91.5 x 76.2 cm.)
Painted in 1918.
£250,000-350,000
PROVENANCE:
US$330,000-460,000
€300,000-420,000
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 8 November 1989, lot 52, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, New English Art Club, 1929, no. 142.
Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, A Free Spirit: Irish Art 1860-1960, JuneJuly 1990, p. 146-147, no. 38, illustrated.
London, Pyms Gallery, An Ireland … Imagined: An Exhibition of Irish Paintings and Drawings, October - November 1993, pp. 54 - 55, no. 30, illustrated. London, Imperial War Museum, William Orpen: Politics, Sex & Death, January - May 2005, p. 36, no. 60, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Dublin, National Gallery of Art, June - August 2005.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, p. 36, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
W. Orpen, An Onlooker in France: 1917-1919, London, 1921, p. ix, pl. XXIII. ‘London Art Shows’, The Scotsman, 12 November 1929, p. 13.
‘The New English Art Club’, Western Morning Mail, 13 November 1929, p. 3. ‘Round the Autumn Art Shows’, The Bystander, 20 November 1929, p. 394.
P.G. Konody and S. Dark, Sir William Orpen: Artist and Man, London, 1932, pp. 256, 280, pl. LXIII.
B. Arnold, Orpen: Mirror to an Age, London, 1981, p. 339.
R. Upstone and A. Weight (eds.), William Orpen: An Onlooker in France, A Critical Edition of the Artist’s War Memoir, London, 2008, p. 135, illustrated.
William Orpen’s ‘WAR’ exhibition at Agnew’s in May 1918, coupled with the gift of its entire contents to the fledgling Imperial War Museum, made him a celebrity. Suspicions concerning his health and mental state were dispelled and he returned to the trenches for a second tour. Although there were more portraits to paint, the ‘grotesque romantic’ tendencies noted by the Burlington Magazine critic, became more insistent, leading the artist to some of his most unnerving allegories. The present canvas is one of the most challenging of these.
Here a soldier, resting on kit-bag pillows, and taken from a magisterial drawing produced on the Arras road, looks on as his comrade passionately embraces his barefoot girlfriend – a surviving occupant of one of the bomb-blasted ruins that surround them. The neat delineation of these dilapidated edifices is taken from drawings such as The Warwickshires entering Péronne
This is mere scene-setting for the dramatic fanning across the night sky of four searchlights – a reminder of the increasing importance of aerial bombardment. These created, according to James Laver, ‘a wonderful design’ in which the figures and a wall ‘its shutter hanging by a single hinge’, appear in an ‘unnatural glare’. (Portraits in Oil and Vinegar, 1925, p. 73).
Orpen waited until the winter of 1929 before sending Changing Billets, Picardy along with Armistice Night, Amiens (Private Collection) and The Mad Woman of Douai (Imperial War Museum) to the New English Art Club. They were, according to the press, a reminder of the artist’s ‘amazing technical ability’ expressed in the ‘full variety of moods – satire, sentiment, comedy …’ The Bystander reported one irate visitor condemning the exhibition as ‘pretentious nonsense’, but added ‘I do not believe him’ for in the artist’s works there was ‘much to be enjoyed’. Orpen’s war allegories had evidently outlasted the devastating circumstances of their creation. He had, as Arnold Bennett astutely observed, in the WAR catalogue, witnessed and recreated ‘the landscape, shell-holes, ruined trees and buildings … the tragedy and comedy of human existence … as though no one had ever seen them before’.
pencil, coloured chalks and watercolour on buff paper
13¬ x 9 in. (34.5 x 22.8 cm.)
£8,000-12,000
PROVENANCE:
US$11,000-16,000
€9,600-14,000
Wilfrid Evill, and by descent to Honor Frost. Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 19 November 1980, lot 163, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Brighton, Art Gallery and Museum, The Wilfrid Evill Memorial Exhibition, June - August 1965, no. 126.
We are very grateful to Professor Kenneth McConkey for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.A., R.H.A. (1878-1931)
Kit
signed 'ORPEN' (lower left) pencil, pen and watercolour on paper
13√ x 10Ω in. (35.2 x 29.2 cm.)
£10,000-15,000
PROVENANCE:
US$14,000-20,000
€12,000-18,000
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 28 September 1994, lot 43, where acquired for the present collection.
We are very grateful to Professor Kenneth McConkey for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.
Lot 70, 72, 74, 75, 77, 79
AN IRISH GEORGE III CUTGLASS OVAL MIRROR
LATE 18TH/EARLY 19TH CENTURY
The oval mirror backplate with faceted studded border, the reverse with hand-written label 'R.D. Baker, Whitehall' 22 x 14ƒ in. (55.8 x 36.5 cm.)
£2,500-4,000
PROVENANCE:
US$3,300-5,300
€3,000-4,800
R. D. Baker, Whitehall Towers, Rathfarnham, County Dublin.
EARLY 19TH CENTURY
Each with bar back, stuffover seat covered in brown leather on sabre legs, two with original splat with central roundel (13)
£4,000-6,000
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
PROVENANCE: Lord Farnham (1931-2001); his estate sale, Christie's, 15 May 2002, lot 217, where acquired for the present collection.
THE BASE EARLY 19TH CENTURY, THE TOP LATER, POSSIBLY IRISH
The circular twin-flap top above a fluted frieze on square tapering legs on castors
29 in. (73.7 cm.) high; 78 in. (198.1 cm.) diameter, open
£2,000-3,000
US$2,700-3,900
€2,400-3,600
AN IRISH GEORGE III GILTDECORATED BLUE AND WHITE GLASS OVAL MIRROR CHANDELIER
THE MIRROR LATE 18TH/EARLY 19TH CENTURY
The mirror border with alternating glass tiles, the chandelier issuing three-branch candelabra, with some 18th century glass elements, losses and replacements 29º x 18 in. (74.5 x 46 cm.)
£5,000-8,000
US$6,600-11,000
€6,000-9,500
A REGENCY GILTWOOD CONVEX MIRROR
EARLY 19TH CENTURY
The mirror plate with ebonised reeded slip, surmounted by twin dolphins and displaying eagle, refreshments to decoration 40 x 22 in. (101.5 x 56 cm.) (2)
£2,000-3,000
US$2,700-3,900
€2,400-3,600
A similar pair of mirror chandeliers were sold Christie's London, 27 May 2010, lot 40, and a single Irish mirror chandelier, now in the Cecil Higgins Museum, Bedford is illustrated in M. Mortimer, 'Irish Mirror Chandeliers', Country Life, 16 December 1971, fig. 4, p. 1741; M. Mortimer, The English Glass Chandelier, Woodbridge,2000, p. 164, figs. 101-102 and The Knight of Glin & J. Peill, Irish Furniture, New Haven and London, 2007, p.269, no. 254. The latter mirrorchandelier bears the inscription of the Grafton Street, Dublin glass-cutter and retailer 'John D. Aykbowm' who, in 1800, advertised his 'New Venice' glass and crystal manufacture on the Blackrock Road, Dublin.
A PAIR OF VICTORIAN GILTWOOD AND GILT GESSO COMPOSITION
TORCHERES
19TH CENTURY
Each with circular top and ram's mask triple monopodia supports with hoof feet and circular base, remains of inventory label to the underside of one, re-gilt
34 in. (86.4 cm.) high; 12 in. (30.5 cm.) diam. (2)
£2,000-3,000
US$2,700-3,900
€2,400-3,600
A PAIR OF FRENCH ORMOLUMOUNTED COROMANDEL LACQUER AND KINGWOOD
SIDE CABINETS
LATE 19TH CENTURY, REUSING 17TH/18TH CENTURY CHINESE COROMANDEL LACQUER PANELS
Each with rouge royal marble top above a pair of doors each inset with a polychrome decorated panel of figures amidst rockwork and fenced pavilions on bracket feet enclosing a shelves, on bracket feet
36Ω in. (92.7 cm.) high; 43æ in. (109.9 cm.) wide; 15æ in. (40 cm.) deep (2)
£8,000-12,000
US$11,000-16,000
€9,600-14,000
A
REGENCY ORMOLU-MOUNTED
BLACK
AND GILT-JAPANNED
PAPIER MACHE, EBONISED AND MAHOGANY SIDE CABINET
BY HENRY CLAY, CIRCA 1825
The later rectangular white marble top painted to simulate Siena marble, above two papier-mâché doors decorated with simulated Japanese lacquer panels, enclosing an adjustable shelf, flanked by spirally-reeded columns and bun feet, stamped 'CLAY LONDON' to the reverse of each door 31 in. (78.7 cm.) high; 49¾ in. (126.4 cm.) wide; 12 in. (30.5 cm.) deep
£6,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
US$7,900-10,000
€7,200-9,500
The Property of a Trust; Christie's, 23 November 2006, lot 68, where acquired for the present collection.
LITERATURE:
Y. Jones, Japanned Papier Mâché and Tinware, c. 1740-1940. Woodbridge, 2012, pp. 244-245, pl. 266.
Henry Clay originally operated his business from Birmingham but by the 1780s had established premises in King Street, Covent Garden, London. He described himself as 'Japanner to Their Majesties' on his trade card, and his clients included George III, Queen Charlotte, and later George IV when he was Prince of Wales. Clay was renowned for his patented technique of ‘stoved’ or baked japanning on papiermâché, introduced in 1772. He is best known today for his tea caddies, tea wares, trays, and rare pieces of furniture, which were significant commissions in their time. Notable examples include a japanned side cabinet with chinoiserie landscape panels, stamped by Clay and illustrated in C. Gilbert, Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture, Leeds, 1996, fig. 203, and a japanned mahogany Pembroke table in the Etruscan Room at Osterley Park, described in an inventory of 1782 as 'A Pembroke table richly Japanned by Clay', illustrated in Maurice Tomlin, Catalogue of Adam Period Furniture, V&A, p.84, pl.J/5. Additionally, Clay supplied the japanned panels for the hall doors at Chatsworth.
Lots 29, 74, 80, 109, 114, 118, 119, 184
FREDERICK EDWARD MCWILLIAM, A.R.A.
(1909-1992)
Le Banc
signed with initials 'McW' (on the base) resin composition and metal armature, unique 16¼ in. (41.1 cm.) wide
Conceived in 1953.
£2,000-4,000
PROVENANCE:
US$2,700-5,300
€2,400-4,800
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 21 May 1997, lot 102, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Hanover Gallery, F.E. McWilliam: Sculpture, February - March 1956, no. 22.
Belfast, Queen's University, 1960, catalogue not traced.
Belfast, Arts Council of Ireland, Ulster Museum, F.E. McWilliam, April - May 1981, no. 22: this exhibition travelled to Dublin, Douglas Hyde Gallery, MayJune 1981; and Cork, Crawford Municipal Gallery, July - August 1981.
LITERATURE:
R. Penrose, McWilliam, London, 1964, nos. 27, 28, illustrated.
D. Ferran and V. Holman, The Sculpture of F.E. McWilliam, Farnham, 2012, p. 113, no. 96, illustrated.
We are very grateful to Denise Ferran for her assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.
‘The only means I have ever had of knowing anything has been through painting’
MARY SWANZY, H.R.H.A. (1882-1978)
Female Nudes with Horse and Viaduct signed 'SWANZY' (lower left) oil on canvas
30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm.)
Painted in the 1930s.
£30,000-50,000
PROVENANCE:
US$40,000-66,000
€36,000-60,000
The artist, and by descent to Mary St Clair Swanzy Tullo. Acquired from the above for the present collection in September 1986.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, An Exhibition of Paintings by Mary Swanzy, September 1986, pp. 40-41, no. 5, illustrated.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Mary Swanzy Voyages, October 2018February 2019, exhibition not numbered, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Cork, Crawford Art Gallery, March - June 2019; and Limerick, City Art Gallery, June - September 2019.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, p. 51, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
Painted in the 1930s, Female Nudes with Horse and Viaduct is a powerful example of Mary Swanzy’s lyrical mature style, combining a delicate sense of colour and precise drawing with a dream-like play of figures and monuments, set within a mysterious landscape. Swanzy’s work underwent a vital transformation during this period—while her compositions remained rooted in the figurative, her subjects became increasingly enigmatic and complex, favouring almost hallucinatory images that elude interpretation. This shift may have been influenced by the rise of Surrealism in Europe, which the artist had encountered during her numerous visits to Paris through the 1920s and 1930s. While she was never one to follow the latest fashionable “isms” of the art world, Swanzy engaged with a plurality of avant-garde styles across her artistic career, from Cubism to Fauvism, Expressionism to Symbolism, often switching between idioms from one canvas to the next. With its focus on dreams and mystery, Surrealism struck a chord with Swanzy, and she absorbed many of the movement’s ideas and visual strategies into her unique painterly approach.
Executed in an array of subtly variegated blue and green tones, Female Nudes with Horse and Viaduct presents an ethereal, otherworldly scene, using a series of overlapping, semi-transparent planes to combine multiple different worlds within a single composition, in a manner that recalls Francis Picabia’s “Transparency” paintings. To the right of the composition, a pair of monumental nude figures and a horse rest within a rolling green landscape, offering a glimpse into a seemingly pastoral arcadia, where humans and animals co-exist in harmony. Their idyllic world is punctuated by the rhythmic arches of an enormous viaduct, its vertiginous profile directly recalling the monument near Sémur in France, which Swanzy painted on multiple occasions. Weaving these various diaphanous layers together, Swanzy creates a mesmerising composition that plays with the viewer’s sense of perspective and perception, blurring the boundaries between one scene and the next to conjure a strange, mystical image.
DOD PROCTER, R.A. (1891-1972)
Model Resting (Eileen Mayo)
signed and dated 'Dod Procter - 1924.' (lower right) oil on canvas
25 x 16¡ in. (63.5 x 41.6 cm.)
Painted in 1924.
£30,000-50,000
PROVENANCE:
US$40,000-66,000
€36,000-59,000
Anonymous sale; Bonhams, London, 2 December 1982, lot 139, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, Impressions and Realities, November - December 1985, no. 26. Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, Dod Procter and Ernest Procter, April - May 1990, pp. 14-15, 41, no. 17, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Penzance, Newlyn Art Gallery, June - July 1990; and Newcastle upon Tyne, Laing Art Gallery, July - August 1990.
Penzance, Penlee House Gallery & Museum, A Singular Vision: Dod Procter, September - November 2007, p. 80, illustrated, exhibition not numbered: this exhibition travelled to Nottingham, Djanogly Art Gallery, December 2007 - February 2008.
LITERATURE:
A. James, A Singular Vision - Dod Procter 1890-1972, 2007, p. 80, illustrated. Exhibition catalogue, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, 2023, p. 27, fig. 20.
Painted in 1924, Model Resting (Eileen Mayo) was executed at the height of Dod Procter’s artistic career, when she was one of the most well-known artists in Britain. When her 1926 painting, Morning, was displayed at the 1927 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, it was voted Picture of the Year and subsequently bought for the Tate Gallery, where it currently hangs. Throughout the 1920s Procter continued to paint single figures, sometimes nude, others in softly draped clothes.
The present work belongs to the series that Procter began around 1922: simplified, monumental portraits of young women that she knew. Shown in a relaxed pose and with her eyes closed, Eileen Mayo is painted with great sensitivity, indicative of a close bond between the artist and sitter. In the 1920s and 1930s, Mayo was an in-demand model for artists including Dame Laura Knight and Vanessa Bell, as well as Procter. She herself had studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts and went on to forge a long and successful career as a multi-disciplinary artist. In 2022, Towner Eastbourne held a major solo exhibition of Mayo’s work.
GERALD LESLIE BROCKHURST, R.A. (1890-1978)
Study of a girl with long hair
signed 'G.L. Brockhurst.' (lower right) and with estate stamp (lower right)
pen and black ink and wash on paper
14¬ x 10√ in. (37.2 x 27.6 cm.)
£10,000-15,000
PROVENANCE: Robert M. Light, Boston. with Martyn Gregory, London.
US$14,000-20,000
€12,000-18,000
EXHIBITED: London, Martyn Gregory, An Exhibition of English Watercolours, April 1983, no. 14, illustrated.
GRACE HENRY, H.R.H.A. (1868-1953)
The Rosary
signed 'G. Henry.' (lower left) oil on canvas
15√ x 14¿ in. (40.3 x 35.9 cm.)
Painted circa 1910.
£20,000-30,000
US$27,000-39,000
€24,000-36,000
PROVENANCE: with Brook Street Gallery, London. Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 19 May 2000, lot 219, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Paris, Galeries Barbazanges, Exposition d'Art Irlandais, January – February 1922, no. 21, as ‘Femme recitant son chapelet’.
Dublin, Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, The Paintings of Paul and Grace Henry, November - December 1991, no. 2, illustrated.
Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, A Free Spirit: Irish Art 1860-1960, JuneJuly 1990, p. 164, no. 50, illustrated.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, pp. 40-41, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
Painted circa 1910, The Rosary uses vivid planes of colour in a distinctly Post-Impressionist style to depict an intimate interior scene in the west of Ireland. The subject of the repeating of the Rosary had been treated by artists such as Cézanne. In the present work, Henry addresses religious observance in a cloissoniste style, reflecting the ceremonial aspect of religion which was widely practiced in Connemara communities at the time. This act, usually undertaken before bedtime, is both religious and familial – reflecting the coming together of a family at a regular time each day and continues to be repeated in the west of Ireland today.
The present work was exhibited as part of The Irish Race Conference in Paris in 1922. Henry was one of several female artists given prominent representation in this exhibition. The conference was intended to provide a platform for Ireland to represent itself as an independent nation through culture. It highlighted Ireland’s sovereignty enabling opportunities between Ireland and the rest of the world.
JACK BUTLER YEATS, R.H.A. (1871-1957)
The Sun
signed 'JACK B YEATS' (lower left), inscribed 'THE SUN' (on the stretcher) oil on canvas
13√ x 21¿ in. (35.3 x 53.7 cm.)
Painted in 1947.
£100,000-150,000
PROVENANCE:
with HCE Gallery, Massachusetts, 1961. Joseph H. Hirshhorn, New York, 1961.
US$140,000-200,000
€120,000-180,000
A gift from the above to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C., in 1966.
Their sale; Sotheby's, London, 10 May 1989, lot 152, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Tuam Art Club Exhibition, 1948, no. 3, catalogue not traced. York, City Art Gallery, Jack Butler Yeats: Painting, 1960, no. 48. Montreal, Waddington Galleries, Jack Butler Yeats: Paintings, OctoberNovember 1961, n.p., no. 36, illustrated.
Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, A Free Spirit: Irish Art 1860-1960, JuneJuly 1990, pp. 184-185, no. 67, illustrated.
Manchester, City Art Gallery, Jack B. Yeats: A Celtic Visionary, March - April 1996, n.p., no. 19, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Leeds, City Art Gallery, April - June 1996; and Belfast, Ormeau Baths Gallery, June - July 1996.
LITERATURE:
H. Pyle, Jack B. Yeats: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, Vol. II, London, 1992, p. 766, no. 851, illustrated.
H. Pyle, Jack B. Yeats: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, Vol. III, London, 1992, p. 442, no. 851, illustrated.
JACK BUTLER YEATS, R.H.A. (1871-1957)
O'Connell Bridge
signed 'JACK B YEATS' (lower left), inscribed 'O'CONNELL/BRIDGE' (on the reverse), 'inscribed again 'O'Connell Bridge' (on the stretcher) oil on canvas
18 x 24 in. (45.7 x 61 cm.)
Painted in 1925.
£400,000-600,000
PROVENANCE:
US$530,000-790,000
€480,000-720,000
Acquired directly from the artist by Dr E. MacCarvill, Dublin, in 1945. Anonymous sale; James Adam & Sons, Dublin, 10 July 1986, lot 59, where acquired by Cynthia O'Connor Gallery on behalf of the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Arthur Tooth & Sons, Pictures of Irish Life, March - April 1925, no. 17.
Dublin, Engineers' Hall, Jack Butler Yeats: Paintings, October 1925, no. 10.
Dublin, Royal Dublin Society Spring Show, Paintings and Sculpture by Irish Artists, May 1941.
Dublin, Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Yeats at the Municipal Gallery, 1959, no. 55.
London, Pyms Gallery, Irish Renascence: Irish Art in a Century of Change, November 1986, no. 32.
Dublin, Gorry Gallery, An Exhibition of 18th, 19th and 20th Century Irish Paintings, November - December 1988, no. 55.
Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, A Free Spirit: Irish Art 1860-1960, June -
July 1990, pp. 71-72, fig. 56, ex. cat., illustrated.
Bristol, Arnolfini, Jack B. Yeats: The Late Paintings, February - March 1991, pp. 40-41, no. 3, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to London, Whitechapel Art Gallery, April - May 1991; and The Hague, Haags Gemeentemuseum, June - September 1991.
Manchester, City Art Galleries, Jack B. Yeats: A Celtic Visionary, March - April 1996, n.p., no. 5, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Leeds, City Art Gallery, April - June 1996; Belfast, Ormeau Baths Gallery, June - July 1996. Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, When Time Began to Rant and Rage, October 1998 - December 1999, no. 28: this exhibition travelled to California, Berkeley Art Museum, February - May 1999; New York, Grey Art Gallery, May - July 1999.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, p. 50, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
H. Pyle, Jack B. Yeats: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, Vol. I, London, 1992, p. 227, no. 253, illustrated.
H. Pyle, Jack B. Yeats: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, Vol. III, London, 1992, p. 273, no. 253, illustrated.
T.G. Rosenthal, The Art of Jack B. Yeats, London, 1993, p. 75, p. 277, no. 28, illustrated.
K. Milligan, Painting Dublin: Visualising a Changing City, 1886-1949, Manchester, 2020, pp. 109-110.
Amid the ranks of passers-by, Jack Butler Yeats and his wife Cottie, a few steps behind him, cross O’Connell Bridge in the early evening. Flanked by the softly illuminated shopfronts along the quays, the river Liffey is painted in ribbons of deep indigo blue, shaping Dublin with its rushing waters as it carves through the centre of the city. Linking the two banks, O’Connell Bridge forms part of the rich tapestry of Dublin’s history. From the myriad bridges that span its waters and the traffic along the quays, to the newsboys and street-sellers hawking their wares and the throngs of people that navigate its length, Yeats was captivated by the play of life that enveloped the river. O’Connell Bridge places the viewer at the very heart of the city, immersed in the rhythm of Dubliners as they go about their daily lives.
Looking upstream towards the nearby Ha’penny Bridge, Yeats presents a dramatic vision of the river, allowing the profiles of the buildings and the pin pricks of the street lamps that line the waterway to emphasise the sharp recession of the Liffey, as it stretches into the distance. With glimpses of liquid yellow and white, Yeats models the cast of characters on the bridge in deft strokes of pigment, woven together to fill the painting with emotion - in the figures’ individual expressions as well as in the cool evening breeze. While the artist’s face is cast largely in shadow, Cottie’s is bathed in golden light, the evening sun catching her features as she directs her gaze to the viewer.
The inclusion of the artist himself coincides with an increasingly personal and emotional style of painting in the mid-1920s. At a pivotal moment for Yeats’ artistic expression, O’Connell Bridge embodies a new sophistication in the artist’s painterly technique at this time. While retaining the precise outlines of his early work, Yeats began to embrace a more fluid and immediate application of his pigments - describing his scenes in a distinctly modern manner with free, vigorous brushstrokes and an increasingly vivid palette.
In many ways, O’Connell Bridge recalls one of Yeats’ best-known works of this period, The Liffey Swim, which won a silver medal in the painting competition at the Paris Olympics in 1924. Achieved at an intense moment of celebration, this was the first Olympic medal that Ireland had won following Independence. Quickly acquired for the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland in 1931, this work depicts the moment the city comes to a standstill as crowds of spectators throng the quaysides and bridges in order to watch the annual swimming race from Victoria Quay in the Liberties, to Burgh Quay.
From the earliest stages of his career, Yeats had been fascinated by urban life. Following his move to Ireland, Dublin became his primary source for these subjects. Making his way from his home in Donnybrook, Yeats would wander through the city centre with a sketchbook in hand, filling the pages with rapid drawings and annotations of all he encountered. In a profile of the artist printed in The Irish Times in 1928, Yeats was described ‘dressed in his unfailing Donegal tweeds, with a carnation in his coat lapel. Sometimes, the artist strides forward at a rapid pace, unconscious probably of the onlookers, but keenly alive to his surroundings’ (quoted in K. Milligan, Painting Dublin: Visualising a Changing City, 1886-1949, Manchester, 2020, p. 96). In O’Connell Bridge, Yeats depicts his own subjective experience of the city - these were the streets he traversed, the people he encountered, the views he glimpsed, as he ambled through Dublin.
9½ in. (24.1 cm.) high; 12 in. (30.5 cm.) wide; 6 in.(15.2 cm.) deep, including base
£4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE:
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
with Oriel Gallery, Dublin, where acquired for the present collection in October 1988.
Edward Delaney was one of the most distinguished Modern Irish sculptors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Horse on a
Seaweed Bed is typical of Edward Delaney's smaller bronze figurative work. The title is unusual, however, and dates from Delaney's time living in Connemara on the west coast of Ireland where seaweed beaches and horses were a common sight. The piece was cast by him in his own foundry there.
We are very grateful to Eamon Delaney, the sculptor's son, for his assistance in cataloguing this lot. Eamon is the author of Breaking the Mould, A Story of Art and Ireland, which explores his father's career and the Irish arts scene of the 1960s to 1980s.
JACK BUTLER YEATS, R.H.A. (1871-1957)
Something Happening in the Street
signed 'JACK B./YEATS' (centre left), inscribed 'SOMETHING HAPPENING/IN THE STREET' (on the reverse)
oil on panel
9 x 14¡ in. (22.8 x 36.5 cm.)
Painted in 1944.
£30,000-50,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired directly from the artist by Leo Smith in 1944. Laetitia Hamilton.
Great Southern Hotel, Sligo, by 1966. with Dawson Gallery, Dublin.
US$40,000-66,000
€36,000-59,000
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 13 November 1987, lot 428, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Dublin, National College of Art, National Loan Exhibition, June - July 1945, no. 166.
Belfast, Ulster Museum, Modern Irish Paintings in Great Southern Hotels, October - November 1966, no. 63: this exhibition travelled to Dublin, Building Centre, December 1966 - January 1967.
Sligo, County Museum and Library, An Exhibition of the Works of Jack B. Yeats and His Family, October - December 1971, no. 39.
Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, A Free Spirit: Irish Art 1860-1960, JuneJuly 1990, p. 184, no. 66, illustrated.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, p. 52, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
H. Pyle, Jack B. Yeats: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, Vol. II, London, 1992, p. 590, no. 646, illustrated.
H. Pyle, Jack B. Yeats: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, Vol. III, London, 1992, p. 363, no. 647, illustrated.
λ90
ANDRÉ DERAIN (1880-1954)
Nu au bord de la mer
signed 'aderain' (lower right) oil on canvas
14æ x 8æ in. (37.3 x 22.1 cm.)
Painted circa 1924.
£2,000-3,000
PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Switzerland. Dr. Fritz & Peter Nathan, Zurich.
US$2,700-3,900
€2,400-3,600
Private collection, by whom acquired from the above in August 1967, and thence by descent; sale, Sotheby's, London, 4 February 2004, lot 252, where acquired for the present collection.
The late Michel Kellerman has confirmed the authenticity of this work in 2004.
CHRISTOPHER WOOD (1901-1930)
The Wardrobe Mistress oil on canvas
21¬ x 18¡ in. (54.9 x 46.7 cm.)
Painted in 1925.
£35,000-55,000
US$46,000-72,000
€42,000-65,000
PROVENANCE: with Redfern Gallery, London, where purchased by Richard Troy in April 1935. Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 13 July 1973, lot 257. Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 2 March 1979, lot 137, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Nottingham, Castle Museum, Art in Performance - Performance in Art, MayAugust 1987, no. 48.
LITERATURE: E. Newton, Christopher Wood, London, 1938, p. 66, no. 88.
MARY SWANZY, H.R.H.A. (1882-1978) Nude Study, Samoa
oil on canvas
18 x 21Ω in. (45.7 x 54.6 cm.)
Painted in 1924.
£20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE:
The artist, and by descent to Mary St Clair Swanzy Tullo.
US$27,000-39,000
€24,000-36,000
Acquired from the above for the present collection in September 1986.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, An Exhibition of Paintings by Mary Swanzy, September - October 1986, p. 48, no. 22, illustrated.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Mary Swanzy Voyages, October 2018February 2019, pp. 84-85, exhibition not numbered, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Cork, Crawford Art Gallery, March - June 2019; and Limerick, City Gallery of Art, June - September 2019.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, pp. 48-49, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
Lots 53, 57, 62, 63, 83, 92, 140
MARY SWANZY, H.R.H.A. (1882-1978)
The Storm oil on canvas
18 x 21¿ in. (45.7 x 53.6 cm.)
£15,000-25,000
PROVENANCE:
US$20,000-33,000
€18,000-30,000
The artist, and by descent to Mary St Clair Swanzy Tullo. Acquired from the above for the present collection in September 1986.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, An Exhibition of Paintings by Mary Swanzy, September - October 1986, p. 78, no. 56, illustrated.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, p. 54, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
‘The best of Irish art’
It was highly unusual in the 1970s to meet an art dealer at a conference of the Association of Art Historians but that is where I, as a postgraduate student, first encountered Alan and Mary Hobart. They seemed, to put it mildly, a surprising pair, the ebullient man with his loud laugh; Mary, quiet, elegant and with a keen interest in the scholarship underpinning the art. The success of their partnership in art and in life was based on this complementarity – and the fact that both possessed a great ‘eye’ for quality in art.
Back then they had just opened a gallery, they said. And what a gallery! At its height, a private view at Pyms brought together the key players in the arts and business communities from Ireland, Britain and beyond at a time when all things Irish were somewhat non grata in London. Pyms Gallery simply put Irish art on the map in Britain. The Hobarts were educating British taste in the best of Irish art and demonstrating the international quality of Irish art to the Irish. And all that while quietly supporting cash-strapped museums with generous loans, publications and purchases. Over 50 years of friendship, I and my husband, Bill Crozier had numerous occasions to be grateful for their kindness and good advice. They will be missed.
Katharine Crouan
‘Artworld
trailblazers’
Calling on Alan and Mary at their Mayfair gallery was both a joy and an education. The gallery was always arrayed with an impeccable display, frequently focusing on Irish art and artists. Their passion and enthusiasm for art was infectious. The anticipated highlight to each visit was the invitation to go downstairs and view the latest additions to their holdings when Alan would elaborate on the story behind the prized items which he had discovered.
In addition to Alan’s critical appreciation of art and particularly on Irish art, was his knowledge of the art market and how it operated. I was uniquely fortunate in benefiting from his unparalleled insights into the workings of the salesrooms. He frequently represented the Gallery (National Gallery of Ireland) at auction, on a pro bono basis, when we ventured into the international salesrooms in pursuit of noteworthy additions to the collection.
Alan and Mary were remarkable artworld trailblazers, establishing a unique gallery in the heart of Mayfair which set a new benchmark for the presentation of Irish artists alongside the names more familiar to their London audience. The impeccable displays were accompanied by well researched, handsomely produced, catalogues which played an important role in promoting a better awareness and understanding of the history and evolution of Irish art. Mary and Alan played a crucial role in cultivating the taste for Irish art which had previously languished as a poor relation of its international counterparts.
Raymond Keaveney, Former Director of National Gallery of Ireland (1988-2012)
‘The excitement of the deal’
The friendship between the four of us — Alan and Mary, Sheelagh and I, started in the late 1970’s, and continued, due to our mutual deep interest in Irish Art . There was always further joy to be had in discussing art world news, the excitement of the deal, the confidential talk of a discovery - especially in the early days when catalogues were poorly illustrated and Irish art was only considered by the very few. This friendship understood, and withstood, the necessity of bidding against each other - actions fought but seldom won by the Cynthia O’Connor Gallery. Mary and Alan were kind, generous and interested Godparents to our late son, James.
Alan and Mary’s huge success has always been one of the stories of the art world, especially in a time that has seen the closing of many of London’s very long established commercial galleries. How, in these circumstances, did Pyms prosper? For the Hobarts integrity was total and fundamental to their longevity.
An eye, of course - quality, condition, academic importance - Alan and Mary excelled in this area. Pyms catalogues were, and are, outstanding.
Allied to this ability was an early understanding that the best is priceless, and that inferior works are just that.
Attention to detail and complete commitment - the concept of ‘t’will do’ was just not in either Mary’s nor Alan’s vocabulary. The task was always done thoroughly and the Hobarts could always be relied upon.
An ability to see where the market was going, and predict it’s course. To see, to understand, and then to act on the market for Irish art with an insight that most (including ourselves) just did not possess. Spotting an undervalued area early - but, in later years, also not staying dogmatically locked in the past, as market interest waned.
Finally, courage: surely this was the key. To follow their judgment, to bid what it took to get the best - in the early days, when funds were limited, this must have been at times hair raising. As observers and participants, we were shocked at the new prices that Irish art commanded - and Pyms were the key to this major change.
This huge bravery was again very apparent when the advancing years of life threw up many personal challenges, but no complaint was heard.
Alan and Mary are sorely missed.
Sir Robert and Lady Goff
Mary with Donla and Boann
DAME ELISABETH FRINK, R.A. (1930-1993)
Crucifix maquette Altar Cross signed and numbered '7/7 Frink' (on the top of the base) bronze with a brown patina 11¡ in. (28.4 cm.) high
Conceived and cast in 1966.
£8,000-12,000
PROVENANCE:
US$11,000-16,000
€9,600-14,000
Anonymous sale; Bonhams, Chelsea, 15 November 1994, lot 83.
Anonymous sale; Gorringes, 12 June 2008, lot 2541, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Bath, Contemporary Art Fair, May 1990, another cast exhibited, exhibition not numbered.
London, Lumley Cazalet, Elisabeth Frink Sculpture and Drawings 1965-1993, November - December 1994, no. 5, another cast exhibited.
Guildford, Guildford Cathedral '50, July 2011, another cast exhibited, catalogue not traced.
LITERATURE:
B. Robertson, Elisabeth Frink Sculpture Catalogue Raisonné, Salisbury, 1984, p. 170, no. 154, another cast illustrated.
A. Ratuszniak, Elisabeth Frink: Catalogue Raisonné of Sculpture 1947-93, London, 2013, p. 105, no. FCR179, another cast illustrated.
MARY SWANZY, H.R.H.A. (1882-1978)
The Day of Judgement signed 'SWANZY' (lower left)
oil on canvas laid on board
16√ x 24√ in. (41.5 x 63.1 cm.)
£8,000-12,000
PROVENANCE:
US$11,000-16,000
€9,600-14,000
The artist, and by descent to Mary St Clair Swanzy Tullo. Acquired from the above for the present collection in July 1998.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, Mary Swanzy, May 1998, no. 36, illustrated. Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, p. 53, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
BÉLA KÁDÁR (1877-1956)
Nu assis
signed 'KÁDÁR BÉLA' (lower right) gouache on paper
31¬ x 23Ω in. (80.2 x 59.8 cm.)
Executed circa late 1930s - early 1940s.
£5,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
US$6,600-11,000
€6,000-9,500
Anonymous sale, Christie's, London, 24 June 2011, lot 163. Private collection, Switzerland, by whom acquired at the above sale; sale; Christie's, London, 28 June 2017, lot 227, where acquired for the present collection.
(1892-1966)
Femme
signed and dated 'J Lurçat 1923' (on the reverse) oil on canvas
18¿ x 14√ in. (46 x 37.8 cm.)
Painted in 1923
£2,000-3,000
PROVENANCE:
US$2,700-3,900
€2,400-3,600
Anonymous sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 29 June 2016, lot 104, where acquired for the present collection.
This work will be included in the supplement to the catalogue raisonné of the work of Jean Lurçat currently being prepared by Gérard Denizeau under the auspices of the Institut de France.
JEAN LURÇAT (1892-1966)
Plate, designed circa 1947-1948, manufactured in the 1960-1970s by Sant Vicens
glazed crackled ceramic
9æ in. (24.8 cm.) diameter
signed 'J. Lurcat' with the manufacturer's mark 'Sant. Vicens' and the marks 'N.Z.A. Dessin' (on the underside)
£500-1,000
US$660-1,300
€600-1,200
Gérard Denizeau has confirmed the authenticity of this lot.
JEAN LURÇAT (1892-1966)
'Le coq fanfares' tapestry, manufactured by Tabard Frères et Soeurs, designed 1947-1949
signed 'Lurcat' (lower left), inscribed 'Fanfare' (upper right) and with the manufacturer's monogram 'Tabard Frères et Soeurs' (lower right)
wool
69¿ x 75¬ in. (175.5 x 192 cm.)
£2,000-4,000
PROVENANCE:
US$2,700-5,300
€2,400-4,800
Anonymous sale; Rieunier-Bailly-Pommery, Paris, 25 November 1998, where acquired for the present collection.
Gérard Denizeau has confirmed the authenticity of this lot.
•100
AFTER MARCEL-ANDRÉ BOURAINE (1886-1948)
'Penthesilea', designed circa 1925
patinated bronze
20¿ in. (51 cm.) high; 34º in. (87 cm.) long; 9¬ in. (24.5 cm.) deep
signed 'BOURAINE' (at the base)
£2,000-3,000
US$2,700-3,900
€2,400-3,600
λ101
LINE VAUTRIN (1913-1997)
'Chardon', mirror, designed in 1960
Talosel, mirrored glass inlays and convex mirror
8Ω in. (21.5 cm.)
Signed LINE VAUTRIN and numbered XII (to the backside)
£7,000-10,000
PROVENANCE:
Tajan sale, 19 October 2001, lot 64, where acquired for the present collection.
LITERATURE:
US$9,300-13,000
€8,400-12,000
P. Mauriès, Line Vautrin, Miroirs, exhibition catalogue, Le Promeneur-Galerie Chastel Maréchal, Paris, 2004, p. 100-101. (for another example of the same model) 130 In addition to the
λ102
LINE VAUTRIN (1913-1997)
'Sequins' mirror, designed circa 1960
Talosel, mirrored glass inlays, Lumaline, metal and mirrored glass 21æ in. (55.5 cm.)
Signed LINE VAUTRIN and with the ROI stamp (to the backside)
£40,000-60,000
LITERATURE:
US$53,000-79,000
€48,000-71,000
C. Prague, ‘Avec de l’ancien on peut faire de la décoration moderne’, Mobilier et décoration, Paris, November 1963, n. 8, p. 23. (for another example of the same model)
P. Mauriès, Line Vautrin, Miroirs, exhibition catalogue, Le Promeneur-Galerie Chastel Maréchal, Paris, 2004, p. 40, 74-75. (for another example of the same model)
•104
RENÉ LALIQUE (1860-1945)
'Laurier' vase, model 'N. 947', designed in 1922
patinated opalescent mould-blown glass
7 in. (17.9 cm.) high; 4º in. (11 cm.) diameter
etched 'R. LALIQUE FRANCE' (along the base) and numbered 'N. 947' (on the underside)
£500-700
LITERATURE:
US$660-920
€600-830
F. Marcilhac, R. Lalique Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre de verre, les éditions de l'amateur, Paris, 2011, p. 427, n. 947. (for another example of the same model)
•103
RENÉ LALIQUE (1860-1945)
'Ceylan' vase, model 'N. 905', designed in 1924
patinated opalescent mould-blown glass
9Ω in. (24 cm.) high; 5º in. (13.5 cm.) diameter
etched 'R. LALIQUE FRANCE' and numbered 'N. 905' (on the underside)
£3,500-4,500
LITERATURE:
US$4,600-5,900
€4,200-5,400
F. Marcilhac, R. Lalique Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre de verre, les éditions de l'amateur, Paris, 2011, p. 418, no. 905. (for another example of the same model)
•105
RENÉ LALIQUE (1860-1945)
'Archers' vase, model 'N. 893', designed in 1921
patinated coloured mould-blown glass
10Ω in. (26.5 cm.) high; 9 in. (23 cm.) diameter
etched 'R. Lalique France' and numbered 'N. 893' (to the underside)
£3,000-5,000
LITERATURE:
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
F. Marcilhac, R. Lalique Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre de verre, les éditions de l'amateur, Paris, 2011, p. 415, n. 893. (for another example of the same model)
RENÉ LALIQUE (1860-1945)
'Domrémy' vase, model 'N. 979', designed in 1926
patinated mould-blown glass
8º in. (21 cm.) high; 7Ω in. (19 cm.) diameter
etched 'R. Lalique France' (to the underside)
£600-800
LITERATURE:
US$790-1,100
€720-950
F. Marcilhac, R. Lalique Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre de verre, les éditions de l'amateur, Paris, 2011, p. 434, n. 979. (for another example of the same model)
•108
RENÉ LALIQUE (1860-1945)
'Montmorency' vase, model 'N. 1050', designed in 1930
patinated opalescent and coloured mould-blown glass
8 in. (20 cm.) high; 8¿ in. (20.5 cm.) diameter
etched 'R. LALIQUE FRANCE' (on the underside)
£2,000-3,000
LITERATURE:
•107
RENÉ LALIQUE (1860-1945)
'Cerises' vase, model 'N. 1035', designed in 1930
patinated opalescent mould-blown glass
7æ in. (19.6 cm.) high; 8Ω in. (21.5 cm.) width
etched 'R. LALIQUE' (on the underside)
£1,000-1,500
LITERATURE:
US$1,400-2,000
€1,200-1,800
F. Marcilhac, R. Lalique Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre de verre, les éditions de l'amateur, Paris, 2011, p. 446, no. 1035. (for another example of the same model)
US$2,700-3,900
€2,400-3,600
F. Marcilhac, R. Lalique Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre de verre, les éditions de l'amateur, Paris, 2011, p. 449, n. 1050. (for another example of the same model)
•109
RENÉ LALIQUE (1860-1945)
'Rampillon' vase, model 'N. 991', designed in 1927
patinated opalescent mould-blown glass
5 in. (12.7 cm.) high; 4√ in. (12.5 cm.) diameter
etched 'LALIQUE FRANCE' (on the underside)
£700-900
LITERATURE:
US$920-1,200
€840-1,100
F. Marcilhac, R. Lalique Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre de verre, les éditions de l'amateur, Paris, 2011, p. 437, n. 991.
THE HOBARTS' MODERN ART REFERENCE LIBRARY
LETTERS A TO C
A large number of books devoted to Art and Design. Sold as a group not subject to return.
£1,000-2,000
US$1,400-2,600
HOBARTS' MODERN ART REFERENCE LIBRARY
LETTERS D TO H
A large number of books devoted to Art and Design. Sold as a group not subject to return.
£1,000-2,000
US$1,400-2,600
€1,200-2,400
€1,200-2,400 ■•112 THE HOBARTS' MODERN ART REFERENCE LIBRARY
LETTERS H TO P
A large number of books devoted to Art and Design. Sold as a group not subject to return.
£1,000-2,000
US$1,400-2,600 €1,200-2,400
HOBARTS' MODERN ART REFERENCE LIBRARY
LETTERS P TO Z
A large number of books devoted to Art and Design. Sold as a group not subject to return.
£1,000-2,000
US$1,400-2,600
€1,200-2,400
Lots 110, 111, 112, 113, 116, 179
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.A., R.H.A. (1878-1931)
Portrait of Grace Gifford - study for 'Young Ireland'
signed 'William Orpen' (lower left)
Conté on paper
8½ x 8¼ in. (21.6 x 21 cm.)
Executed circa 1907.
£6,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
US$8,100-11,000
€7,200-9,600
Anonymous sale; Phillips, London, 17 September 1991, lot 63, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Leicester Galleries, Drawings by the Late Sir William Orpen, KCB, RA, December 1931, no. 2A, as Study for ‘Young Ireland, 1907’
We are very grateful to Professor Kenneth McConkey for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.
136 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.
AUGUSTUS JOHN, O.M., R.A. (1878-1961)
Woman in the Tent oil on canvas
21º x 17 in. (54 x 43.2 cm.)
Painted 1905.
£15,000-25,000
PROVENANCE:
US$20,000-33,000
€18,000-30,000
The Hon. Evan Morgan, Viscount Tredegar, by 1932, and by descent to The Hon. John Morgan, by 1954.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 13 November 1987, lot 294, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
possibly London, New English Art Club, Winter 1906, as 'In the Tent'. Venice, XVIII Biennale, 1932.
London, Royal Academy, Augustus John, March - June 1954, no. 339. London, Pyms Gallery, Life and Landscape: In French, British and Irish Painting at the Turn of the Century, May - June 1991, pp. 40-41, no. 15, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
Colour Magazine, Vol. 4, June 1916, p. 167, illustrated.
M. Easton and M. Holroyd, The Art of Augustus John, London, 1974, p. 114.
We are very grateful to Rebecca John for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.A., R.H.A. (1878-1931)
The Poet
signed 'ORPEN' (upper right) oil on canvas
43¿ x 33æ in. (109.5 x 85.7 cm.)
Painted circa 1915.
£200,000-300,000
PROVENANCE:
Mrs Evelyn St. George.
Her sale; Sotheby's, London, 26 July 1939, lot 95.
US$270,000-390,000
€240,000-360,000
Mrs Vivien Wynch, née Stanley-Clarke, and by descent to Anthony StanleyClarke.
Acquired for the present collection in January 1985.
EXHIBITED:
London, New English Art Club: Sixty-Fourth Summer Exhibition, June - July 1921, no. 87.
Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland, William Orpen: A Centenary Exhibition, November - December 1978, no. 89.
London, Christie's, New English Art Club Centenary Exhibition, AugustSeptember 1986, no. 143.
London, Pyms Gallery, Irish Renascence, November 1986, pp. 72-75, no. 26, illustrated.
London, Imperial War Museum, William Orpen: Politics, Sex & Death, January - May 2005, p. 94, no. 37, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Dublin, National Gallery of Art, June - August 2005.
LITERATURE:
P.G. Konody and S. Dark, Sir William Orpen: Artist & Man, London, 1932, p. 272.
In his semi-autobiographical Stories of Old Ireland and Myself, (1924), William Orpen reveals an inner conflict. Published just three years after the creation of the ‘new’ Ireland, its random reminiscences refer to the days of his youth when the country remained under British rule. During the Edwardian years he made annual visits to teach for a month at time at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin – sessions that brought him into contact with Celtic Revival worthies – those who, in the words of WB Yeats, ‘lived where motley is worn’ and who are satirized in drawings such as A Talented Picnic and I meet AE in the Street, the latter an encounter with the poet/painter and polymath George Russell.
Orpen had little time for these ‘intellectuals’, calling them out on one embarrassing occasion when Anna Pavlova danced in the city in January 1912. His natural sympathies were more with the habitués Jim Larkin’s Liberty Hall Soup Kitchen.
However, the world of Yeats-ian ‘motley’ is the subject of the present work in which the artist’s studio assistant, Séan Keating, takes on the title role. With theatrical flair he declaims his verses to a blond vamp reclining on Tarzan’s cushions. It is an extraordinary image that unites zebra hides, and a huge armorial drape with a cast of Andrea Verrocchio’s Putto with a Dolphin – studio properties that identify the artist’s abode at ‘Oriel’, 8 South Bolton Gardens, Kensington. All, including the crystal wall lights appear in contemporary photographs.
Although painted before his war service, Orpen did not unveil this work until after it. One reviewer found it a ‘pleasant change’ from his scenes of the Western Front, while another hailed it as a ‘dramatic set-piece’. Thoughts in this instance must have turned towards more histrionic treatments of the subject such as Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s Catullus reading his poems at Lesbia’s house, 1870 (Private Collection). Orpen’s overhaul of the historical genre reshapes such themes. His actors could not be more modern and their setting, more fashionable - ‘smart’, according to a reviewer. It was here that he stored Sir Hugh Lane’s Impressionist masterpieces, and here where George Moore had recounted his reminiscences of Manet and Degas – a cosmopolitan world where no ‘motley’ was tolerated. Deeply serious, The Poet almost anticipates Yeats’s late poem, Politics, and of course, WH Auden’s oft-quoted maxim that ‘poetry makes nothing happen’.
Professor Kenneth McConkey
William Orpen, I meet AE in the Street, from William Orpen, Stories of Old Ireland and Myself, 1924, p. 60.
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.A., R.H.A. (1878-1931)
The Water Nymph
signed and dated 'William Orpen 1905' (lower right)
pen and ink, watercolour, gouache and coloured chalks on paper
12æ x 9¬ in. (32.3 x 24.4 cm.)
Executed in 1905.
£8,000-12,000
PROVENANCE:
The Artist's family.
US$11,000-16,000
€9,600-14,000
Acquired from the above for the present collection in November 1987.
EXHIBITED: London, Pyms Gallery, Orpen and the Edwardian Era, November - December 1987, pp. 58-59, no. 20, illustrated.
We are very grateful to Professor Kenneth McConkey for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.A., R.H.A. (1878-1931)
Head of a Man signed, dedicated and dated 'Orpen to John R. 1921' (lower left), numbered '660' (lower right) red chalk on paper
10½ x 7¾ in. (26.7 x 19.7cm.)
Executed in 1921.
£5,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
US$6,600-11,000
€6,000-9,500
Sir John Rothenstein, and by descent. Their sale; Sotheby's, London, 28 September 1994, lot 59, where acquired for the present collection.
We are very grateful to Professor Kenneth McConkey for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.A., R.H.A. (1878-1931)
Still Life with Chinese Porcelain Figure signed and dated 'ORPEN 1908' (lower right) oil on canvas
30 x 25º in. (76.2 x 64.2 cm.)
Painted in 1908.
£20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE:
US$27,000-39,000
€24,000-36,000
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 11 December 1931, lot 58, as 'Still Life'.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 12 March 1952, lot 134, as 'Still Life'.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 12 March 1982, lot 65. with Pyms Gallery, London. Virginia S. Mailman.
Her estate sale; Sotheby's, London, 7 March 2008, lot 127, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Beaux Arts, Leading British Artists, 1932, no. 40. London, Beaux Arts, Flower Pieces and Still Lives, March - April 1935, no. 26. Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, A Free Spirit: Irish Art 1860-1960, JuneJuly 1990, pp. 138-139, no. 34, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
P.G. Konody and S. Dark, Sir William Orpen: Artist & Man, London, 1932, p. 267, as 'Still Life: A white Chinese figure against a black back-ground'.
When William Orpen exhibited Reflections: China and Japan (Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin) at the New English Art Club in 1903, not only did this mark the painter’s engagement with the most testing of genres, its address to both surface and symbol instinctively appealed to his complex sensibility. The objects chosen were powerful signifiers. They would stand for intertwined Oriental polities now, with the rise of Japanese militarism, at enmity. Cultural significance to the western connoisseur’s eye was honed to a visual conversation between a ‘laughing Buddha’, and Guanyin (Bodhisattva), the Chinese goddess of mercy in 1906. These items of Dehua porcelain were artfully posed in a work later sold to the artist’s important Australian patron, RD Elliott.
Depending on where and how the objects were placed, the milk-white blanc-de-chine figures were uniform in tone but fired with translucent glaze that puzzled the eye with random reflections. In Still Life with Chinese Porcelain Figure, the present, and most reductive work in the sequence, the hieratic figure of the goddess dispenses with her sedentary male companion and sits enthroned, her base washed by the tidal folds of silken shawl.
This important canvas enables us to explore an important friendship. In 1904 Orpen and William Nicholson were founding members of the
Society of Twelve, a group of distinguished artists keen to promote drawing and printmaking. Within three years the pair were conferring regularly, holidaying together with their respective families, and Nicholson, now living in Mecklenburg Square, was an occasional user of Orpen’s new studio at ‘The Boltons’ – borrowing Orpen’s collection, including the Guanyin figurine. Adding Rothenstein’s little Rodin Brother and Sister bronze, his placing of the Laughing Buddha, echoes Orpen’s earlier The Reflection (Self-Portrait of the Artist in his Studio) (Private Collection) where same blanc-de-chine Buddha casts his mischievous grin over the proceedings from a lower corner of the picture.
Nicholson was not the only Orpen follower to take up still-life at this point – although arguably the most important. Others followed into the twenties, including Orlando Greenwood, Albert E Cox and WB McInnes, while in Bronze Buddha and Scarlet Hippeastrum 1948 (National Trust, Chartwell), Winston Churchill even tackled the genre. However, even in the post-war years, Orpen remained the unacknowledged forerunner of modern still-life painting, and with Still Life with Chinese Porcelain Figure, its master.
Professor Kenneth McConkey
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.A., R.H.A. (1878-1931)
The Merchants Arch, Dublin signed and dated 'ORPEN/ 1907' (centre left) pencil, pen, black ink and watercolour on paper 10½ x 8½ in. (26.7 x 21.6 cm.)
Executed in 1907.
£3,000-5,000
PROVENANCE:
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
Anonymous sale; deVeres, Dublin, 21 November 2000, lot 234, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, British and Irish Works on Paper: 1900-2000, JuneJuly 2004, pp. 30-31, no. 13, illustrated.
146 In
Returning to Dublin in the Edwardian years, one location fascinated Orpen above all others – this was the ancient ‘Merchant’s Arch’ connecting Crown Alley with the Quays and the Ha’penny Bridge. Orpen used it as a setting for the dubious activities depicted in two major oils – The Knacker’s Yard 1909 (National Gallery of Ireland) and The Dublin Brawl, c. 1910 (Private Collection). Here he proposes a third motif – a group of street performers with a bear, in part derived from Study for ‘The Wild Beast’ 1907 (Pyms Gallery, 1983, no. 27). This unruly gang generated another major sequence of paintings and drawings involving performing bears.
Professor Kenneth McConkey
JAMES FERRIER PRYDE (1866-1941)
The Play (A Scene on Stage) oil on canvas
16 x 12 in. (40.6 x 30.5 cm.)
£6,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
US$7,900-11,000
€7,200-9,500
Mrs M. R. Lousada; her estate sale, Christie's, London, 20 March 1953, lot 39, as 'A Scene on the Stage' (63 gns to Gerault).
Mrs W. H. Miller; her sale, Sotheby's, London, 14 July 1965, lot 56, as 'The Play' (£280 to Agnews).
with Thos. Agnew and Sons, London, no. 26373. Lord Parmoor, The Manor House, Sutton Veny.
The Remaining Contents of The Manor House, Sutton Veny, Warminster, Wiltshire; Sotheby's, Billingshurst, 6 May 1987, lot 298, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Possibly, Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute, 14th Annual Exhibition, 1910, no. 231, as 'An Interior'.
Berlin, 1907, untraced.
London, Pyms Gallery, Orpen and the Edwardian Era, November - December 1987, no. 9.
Edinburgh, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, James Pryde, AugustOctober 1992, no. 35.
LITERATURE:
Exhibition catalogue, Orpen and the Edwardian Era, London, Pyms Gallery, 1987, pp. 36-7, no. 9, illustrated.
SIR WILLIAM ROTHENSTEIN
(1872-1945)
Hablant Espagnol
signed and dated 'Wm Rothenstein/ '95'' (lower left) oil on canvas
32 x 18 in. (81.3 x 45.8 cm.)
Painted in 1895.
£10,000-15,000
PROVENANCE:
US$14,000-20,000
€12,000-18,000
Edith Hacon, née Broadbent, later Mrs William Robichaud (1875-1952), by 1950.
with Michael Parkin Fine Art, London, where acquired for the present collection in July 1981.
EXHIBITED:
London, New English Art Club, Spring 1895, no. 28.
London, Tate Gallery, William Rothenstein, Memorial Exhibition, 1950, no. 11.
London, Pyms Gallery, Edwardian Impressions, October - November 1981, no. 48.
London, Pyms Gallery, Orpen and the Edwardian Era, November - December 1987, pp. 20-23, no. 3, illustrated.
London, Barbican Art Gallery, Impressionism in Britain, January - May 1995, pp. 183-84, no. 183, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Dublin, Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, June - July 1995.
Tokyo, Daimaru Museum, British Impressionism, May 1997, no. 63; this exhibition travelled to Tokushima, Modern Art Museum, May - July 1997 and Osaka, Navio Museum of Art, Osaka, September 1997.
LITERATURE:
Pall Mall Gazette ‘Extra’, The Pictures of 1895, p. 124, illustrated.
‘New English Art Club’, The Saturday Review, 6 April 1895, p. 506.
‘New English Art Club’, London Evening Standard, 6 April 1895, p. 5.
‘New English Art Club’, The Globe, 8 April 1895, p. 3.
‘New English Art Club’, The Westminster Gazette, 9 April 1895, p. 2.
‘New English Art Club’, The Daily Telegraph, 16 April 1895, p. 8.
K McConkey, The New English, A History of the New English Art Club, London 2006, p. 79, fig. 53, illustrated.
K McConkey, ‘Dark Identities, Orpen’s Hispanic Repertory’, The British Art Journal, vol VII, no. 3, p. 63, illustrated.
K. McConkey, Towards the Sun, The Artist-Traveller at the Turn of the Twentieth Century, London 2021, pp. 136-7, fig. 6.5, illustrated.
Spain, its historic cities, landscape, history and culture, was a source of great curiosity in Britain, throughout the nineteenth century, since the days of Wellington – such that by the 1890s, for many young artists, it was almost regarded as a rite of passage. An overland tour that began or ended in Tangier or Gibraltar would take them to the principal cities and in William Rothenstein’s case, this meant spending time in Seville with his travelling companion, RB Cunninghame Graham, and meeting the young Spanish painter, Ignacio Zuloaga.
He had seen John Singer Sargent’s glamorous Carmencita 1890 (Musée d’Orsay, Paris), and fired by an old print of the legendary mid-century dancer, Aurora la Cujiñi, he set off to find her modern equivalent. It may well have been Graham who pointed him to the city’s old Bohemian ‘Triana’ district where, in cafés-cantantes, one would find the true passion of the flamenco. Here the glittering gown of the stage performer was exchanged for garments that were shabby, ‘ill-fitting and ill-made’. At first the dancer looked ‘heavy and dull’, but when she took to floor, she shed her ennui. ‘Never had I seen such dancing,’ he wrote, ‘beginning slowly and gracefully, getting more and more impassioned, while the men shouted and took off their hats and even coats, in their excitement, and flung them at the feet of the dancers.’ (William Rothenstein, Men and Memories, vol 1, 1931, pp. 223-4).
Now in its ninth year, the New English Art Club, having ejected the conservative members of the Newlyn School, remained controversial. Reporters who viewed Spain through a lens of saccharine sweetness derived from an even earlier generation were, it must be said, mostly critical of Rothenstein’s realistic truth. Such reservations were, to a great extent contradicted by DS MacColl in The Saturday Review when he praised the young artist’s fine sense of colour and ‘certainty of touch which mark him out as one of the ablest members of this confraternity’.
In Hablant Espagñol there was no concession to popular taste. Cunninghame Graham could have had the picture in mind when he evoked the Cujiñi performances, suggesting that ‘at witches’ Sabbaths she still dances … sometimes the curious may see her still, dancing before a Venta … her head thrown back, her hair, en catagon, with one foot pointing to a hat to show her power over, and her contempt for all the sons of man’ (RB Cunninghame Graham, Charity, 1912, p. 161). Echoes of Goya? – the artist on whom Rothenstein would publish his short monograph, some five years later.
Professor Kenneth McConkey
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.A., R.H.A. (1878-1931)
Woman at a Writing Desk (Grace Orpen)
coloured chalks on grey toned paper
10¡ x 10¡ in. (26.3 x 26.3 cm.)
£4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE:
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
Anonymous sale; Phillips, London, 19 June 1984, lot 40, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, The Irish Revival: An Exhibition of Irish Paintings from 1880 to 1950, May - June 1982, no. 42, illustrated.
We are very grateful to Professor Kenneth McConkey for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.
(1910-1974)
Procession, Westminster signed with initial 'S' (lower right) oil on board
10¡ x 8º in. (26.4 x 21 cm.)
£2,500-3,500
PROVENANCE: Private collection, UK. Acquired from the above in October 1983.
US$3,300-4,600
€3,000-4,200
EDWARD SEAGO, R.W.S., R.B.A.
WILLIAM CRAMPTON GORE, R.H.A. (1871-1946)
Still Life
signed and dated 'William Gore/ 1911' (lower left); signed and inscribed 'Still Life/ Nature Morte/ William Gore/ 15 rue St. Senoch/ Paris 17e' (on the reverse) oil on panel
12√ x 16¿ in. (32.7 x 40.9 cm.)
Painted in 1911.
£2,500-3,500
PROVENANCE:
US$3,300-4,600
€3,000-4,200
Dr Brendan O'Brien, Dublin, and by descent. Acquired from the above for the present collection in April 1984.
EXHIBITED:
London, Goupil Gallery, Salon, November - December 1911, no. 156. London, Pyms Gallery, Irish Renascence: Irish Art in a Century of Change, November 1986, pp. 38-39, no. 9, illustrated.
EDMUND DULAC (1882-1953)
Inspector James Pryde S.C.
signed and dated 'Edmund/Dulac/15.' (lower left) pencil, pen and black ink, watercolour and bodycolour on artist's board 11¬ x 10√ in. (29.6 x 27.5 cm.)
Executed in 1915.
£4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE:
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,200
Miss Vivien Leigh, purchased from the 1944 exhibition. Her estate sale; Sotheby's, London, 6 December 2000, lot 32, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Leicester Galleries, Artists of Fame and Promise - Part II, August 1944, no. 1.
London, Pyms Gallery, British and Irish Works on Paper: 1900-2000, JuneJuly 2004, pp. 48-49, no. 22, illustrated.
London, The Fleming Collection, Rascals and Ruins: The Romantic Vision of James Pryde, September-December 2006, no.2.
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.H.A., R.A. (1878-1931)
Study for ‘Café Royal’
inscribed 'Nicholson/BILLIE./De Vere Coles mistress/in love with John/Pryde/ GEORGE MOORE- /Rich/John myself & someone/not settled yet.' (along the lower edge)
pencil, ink and watercolour on paper 9½ x 11¾ in. (24.2 x 29.8 cm.)
Executed in 1911.
£5,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
US$6,600-11,000
€6,000-9,500
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 14 November 1984, lot 36, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, Orpen and the Edwardian Era, November-December 1987, pp. 94-95, no. 33, illustrated.
London, Fleming Collection, Rascals & Ruins: the Romantic Vision of James Pryde, September - December 2006, pp. 10, 64, no. 1, fig. 6.
LITERATURE:
P.G. Konody and S. Dark, Sir William Orpen, Artist & Man, London, 1932, pp. 213-214, pl. XLIX.
B. Arnold, Orpen, Mirror to an Age, London, 1981, pp. 281-282, illustrated.
Around 1911 Orpen conceived the idea of following his Portrait Group (Homage to Manet) with a second rendez-vous des amis. This time the leading actors - the painters, James Pryde and Augustus John - are thought to be in dispute over a matter of dress – John having arrived wearing the ‘topper’ and cloak hanging in the background, and Pryde, his habitual ‘black billy-cock’ or cabman’s hat. The present working drawing indicates other witnesses to the contretemps including the painters, William Nicholson and Alfred William Rich, Horace de Vere Cole’s mistress, George Moore, the unnamed waiter, Orpen himself and another figure, not yet identified.
It will be recalled that Moore defined an intellectual or artistic movement as ‘five persons who habitually quarrel with one another.’ In the final painting (Musée d’Orsay, Paris), the unnamed figure became the Dublin surgeon/author, Oliver St John Gogarty. The event occurs in the elaborate Café Royal in Regent Street, London, notable for its elaborate Second Empire décor. Prominent in both study and final work, is the glass of Absinthe and flagon of water with which the green liquor is diluted – a potent symbol of the protagonists’ Bohemian world.
Professor Kenneth McConkey
GRANVILLE REDMOND (1871-1935)
Poppy Field near Millbrae signed 'G. Redmond' (lower left), inscribed 'Poppy field/near Millbrae' (on the reverse)
oil on cigar box panel
5¿ x 7¿ in. (13 x 18.2 cm.)
£4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE: with Schussler Brothers, San Francisco. Acquired for the present collection in January 1981.
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
SIR PETER LELY (SOEST, WESTPHALIA 1618-1680 LONDON)
A shepherd and shepherdess with their dog, in a landscape oil on panel
12 x 15Ω in. (30.5 x 39.3 cm.)
with inscription 'a Petitot' (upper left, on the reverse)
£10,000-15,000
PROVENANCE:
US$14,000-20,000
€12,000-18,000
Anonymous sale; Bonhams, London, 9 July 2002, lot 138, as 'Circle of Jacob van Loo', where acquired for the present collection.
PAUL HENRY, R.H.A. (1877-1958)
Portrait of G.K. Chesterton
signed 'Paul Henry' (lower right)
Conté on tissue-thin paper
7¿ x 4¿ in. (18.1 x 10.5 cm.)
Executed in 1904.
£1,200-1,800
PROVENANCE:
US$1,600-2,400
€1,500-2,100
Acquired by Charles R. Gordon, New York at the 1957 exhibition. with Spink and Son, London, where acquired for the present collection in March 1982.
EXHIBITED:
Limerick, Shannon Free Airport, Paul Henry: Paintings and Drawings, August 1957, no. 42.
London, Pyms Gallery, The Irish Revival, May - June 1982, no. 42. Belfast, Ulster Museum, Paul Henry: An Irish Portrait, November 1997 - April 1998, exhibition not numbered.
Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland, Paul Henry: Retrospective Exhibition, February - May 2003, p. 38, no. 3, illustrated.
London, Pyms Gallery, British and Irish Works on Paper: 19002000, June - July 2004, pp. 26-27, no. 11, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
P. Henry, An Irish Portrait, London, 1951, p. 42.
DAVID WYNNE (1926-2014)
Christ on the Ass
bronze with a brown patina 9¾ in. (24.8 cm.) high
£1,200-1,800
PROVENANCE:
US$1,600-2,400
€1,500-2,100
Anonymous sale; Christie's, South Kensington, 17 May 2006, lot 462, where acquired for the present collection.
The present work is a study for Entry into Jerusalem, 1954.
133
MILDRED ANNE BUTLER, R.W.S. (1858-1941)
Unpacking the picnic, on a hillside, Kerry watercolour, heightened with touches of white on paper 7 x 10 in. (18 x 25 cm.)
£1,500-2,500
PROVENANCE:
US$2,000-3,300
€1,800-3,000
Mrs Doreen Archer Houblon (1899-1977), the artist's cousin, removed from Kilmurray, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, the artist's home. Private collection, from where acquired for the present collection.
134
JOHN BOYNE (1750-1810)
The County Chronicle signed and dated '1808 J Boyne' (lower left) pencil, pen and grey ink and watercolour with scratching out on paper 22Ω x 28æ in. (57 x 73 cm.)
Executed in 1808.
£2,000-3,000
PROVENANCE:
US$2,700-3,900
€2,400-3,600
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 17 November 1981, lot 121.
Private collection, United Kingdom, from where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Royal Academy, 1809, no. 455. Cork, Crawford Art Gallery, Whipping the Herring: Survival & Celebration in Nineteenth Century Irish Art, May - August 2006, pp. 19, 142-143, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
W. Laffan (ed.), The Art of a Nation: Three Centuries of Irish Painting, London, pp. 38-39, no. 9, illustrated.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, The Irish Revival: An Exhibition of Irish Paintings from 1880 to 1950, May - June 1982, no. 22, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
W. Laffan, (ed.), The Art of a Nation: Three Centuries of Irish Painting, London, pp. 77-78, no. 20, illustrated.
135
HOWARD HELMICK (1845-1907)
The Dispensary Doctor - West of Ireland
signed and dated 'H. Helmick. 82.' (lower left) oil on canvas
22Ω x 31æ in. (57.2 x 80.6 cm.)
Painted in 1882.
£2,000-4,000
EXHIBITED:
US$2,700-5,300
€2,400-4,800
London, Royal Academy, 1883, no. 1488.
London, Pyms Gallery, Irish Renascence: Irish Art in a Century of Change, November 1986, pp. 16-17, no. 2, illustrated.
Cork, Crawford Art Gallery, Whipping the Herring: Survival and Celebration in Nineteenth Century Irish Art, May - August 2006, pp. 194-195, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
Boston, McMullen Museum of Art, Rural Ireland: The Inside Story, February - June 2012, p. 170, no. 39, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
H. Blackburn, Academy Notes, 1883, p. 78. W. Laffan (ed.), The Art of a Nation: Three Centuries of Irish Painting, London, 2002, p. 65, fig. 16, illustrated.
136
HOWARD HELMICK (1845-1907)
Between Two Fires
signed and dated 'Helmick 85' (lower right) oil on canvas
23 x 32½ in. (58.4 x 82.6 cm.)
Painted in 1885.
£2,000-4,000
PROVENANCE:
US$2,700-5,300 €2,400-4,800
Anonymous sale; Bearnes Auctioneers, Exeter, 28 February 2006, lot 325, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Boston, McMullen Museum of Art, Rural Ireland: The Inside Story, February - June 2012, p. 171, no. 40, illustrated.
137
NATHANIEL HONE, R.H.A. (1831-1917)
Coastal Scene
oil on canvas laid down on panel
7æ x 12æ in. (19.2 x 32.4 cm.)
£2,000-4,000
US$2,700-5,300
€2,400-4,800
PROVENANCE: Constantine Curran, Dublin. Maurice MacGonigal, P.R.H.A., Dublin. Anonymous sale; James Adam & Sons, Dublin, 24 September 1997, lot 11, where acquired for the present collection.
138
NATHANIEL HONE, R.H.A. (1831-1917)
Sand Dunes and Gorse, Malahide oil on canvas
9¿ x 12¬ in. (22.9 x 32.1 cm.)
£2,000-4,000
PROVENANCE: with Combridge Fine Arts Ltd., Dublin. Acquired for the present collection in July 1993.
US$2,700-5,300
€2,400-4,800
λ139
STEPHEN WARD (1912-1963)
Portrait of Christine Keeler
signed and dated 'Stephen Ward/ 62' (lower right)
charcoal on paper 13¡ x 9½ in. (34 x 24.1 cm.)
Executed in 1962.
£800-1,200
US$1,100-1,600
€960-1,400
λ140
ENZO PLAZZOTTA (1921-1981)
Reposé (Nadia Nerina)
signed 'Plazzotta' and numbered '9/12' (at the base) bronze with a black green patina, on a marble base 19º in. (48.9 cm.) high, including marble base
Conceived and cast in 1967.
£2,500-3,500
PROVENANCE:
US$3,300-4,600
€3,000-4,200
Anonymous sale; Christie's, South Kensington, 3 June 1999, lot 124, where acquired for the present collection.
LITERATURE: C. Plazzotta and R. O'Conor, Enzo Plazzotta - A Catalogue Raisonné, London, 1986, p. 40, no. 63, another cast illustrated.
λ141
SIR CECIL BEATON (1904-1980)
Stage Set with a Chaise Longue
pencil and pastel on buff paper
9¡ x 12¬ in. (23.3 x 31.8 cm.)
£1,200-1,800
PROVENANCE:
US$1,600-2,400
€1,500-2,100
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 21 July 1988, lot 371, where acquired for the present collection.
λ142
JACK HANLON (1913-1968)
Flowers
signed with initials 'JPH' (lower left)
oil on canvas
24 x 20 in. (61 x 50.8 cm.)
£1,000-2,000
US$1,400-2,600
€1,200-2,400
PROVENANCE: with Cynthia O'Connor Gallery, Dublin, where acquired for the present collection in August 1988.
EXHIBITED:
Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, A Free Spirit: Irish Art 18601960, June - July 1990, pp. 188-189, no. 70, illustrated.
λ143
MARGARET LOVELL (B. 1939)
Marina Form
polyphant stone, mounted on a wooden base, unique 8¬ in. (21.9 cm.) long
Carved in 1968 and remounted in 1974.
£800-1,200
PROVENANCE:
λ144
GRAHAM SUTHERLAND, O.M. (1903-1980)
Crucifix Figure
stamped with initials 'GS' and numbered 'III/9', mark of Louis Osman, London, 1965
sterling silver with a dark grey patina, on a marble base 21√ in. (55.7 cm.) high, including marble base
£4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE:
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 5 December 2003, lot 146, where acquired for the present collection.
Crucifix Figure's composition relates to the altar cross which Sutherland was commissioned to design in collaboration with Louis Osman for Ely cathedral. The heart shape in which the crucifix figure is set symbolises continuing life.
US$1,100-1,600
€960-1,400
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 16 March 2016, lot 200, where acquired for the present collection.
λ145
ARTHUR LETT-HAINES (1894-1978)
Rough Trade
signed 'Lett' and dated indistinctly (lower right)
watercolour and crayon on paper
10½ x 9 in. (26.7 x 22.9 cm.)
Executed in 1935.
£1,000-1,500
PROVENANCE:
G.Q.B. Stewart.
US$1,400-2,000
€1,200-1,800
Acquired from the above by the artist in 1970. with Michael Parkin Gallery, London, where acquired for the present collection in October 1986.
EXHIBITED:
Colchester, The Minories, Petites Sculptures 1965-74 –Paintings and Drawings 1919-74, October - November 1974, ex. cat.
- not included in - see scans in clips: London, Redfern Gallery, Arthur Lett Haines, March - April 1984, ex. cat.
London, Michael Parkin Gallery, Nina Hamnett and her Circle, October - November 1986, no. 67: this exhibition travelled to Hull, University of Hull Art Collection, November - December 1986.
λ146
MICHAEL AYRTON (1921-1975)
Figures in snow
signed and dated 'Michael ayrton. 52' (upper left) oil on canvas
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm.)
Painted in 1952.
£3,000-5,000
PROVENANCE:
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
Roy Boulting, purchased at the 1953 exhibition. Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 9 November 1984, lot 202, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Redfern Gallery, Michael Ayrton, Graham Sutherland, Bryan Wynter, Michael Rothenstein, October 1953, no. 5.
λ147 WILLIAM SCOTT, R.A. (1913-1989) Shelter
crayon, pen and black ink and watercolour on paper 5¼ x 8¡ in. (13.3 x 21.2 cm.)
Executed circa 1944.
This work is registered in the William Scott Archive as number 1852.
£6,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
Sheila Shannon, and by descent.
US$7,900-11,000
€7,200-9,500
Anonymous sale; Bonhams, London, 15 June 2004, lot 63, where acquired for the present collection.
We are very grateful to The William Scott Foundation for their assistance in cataloguing this lot. λ148
PETER COKER, R.A. (1926-2004)
Salmon Nets No. 4
signed with initials 'PC' (lower right); signed and dated 'Peter Coker 1987' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
36 x 60 in. (91.4 x 152.4 cm.)
Painted in 1987.
£4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE: Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 5 December 2001, lot 136, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED: London, Royal Academy, 1990, no. 1136, illustrated.
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
WILLIAM SCOTT, R.A. (1913-1989)
Dried River Bed, North Wales
signed with initials 'W.S' (lower right); titled 'DRIED RIVER BED/ N. WALES' (on the reverse)
watercolour on paper
7¿ x 11¿ in. (18.1 x 27.9 cm.)
Executed in 1944-45.
This work is registered in the William Scott Archive as number 806.
£3,000-5,000
PROVENANCE:
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 13 June 1986, lot 419, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, J. Leger & Son, Water-Colour Drawings by William Scott, February 1945, no. 12.
London, Pyms Gallery, Irish Renascence: Irish Art in a Century of Change, November 1986, pp. 120-121, no. 48, illustrated.
London, Pyms Gallery, An Ireland … Imagined: An Exhibition of Irish Paintings and Drawings, OctoberNovember 1993, pp. 102-103, no. 70, illustrated.
London, Pyms Gallery, British and Irish Works on Paper 1900-2000, June - July 2004, no. 31.
We are very grateful to The William Scott Foundation for their assistance in cataloguing this lot.
λ150
WILLIAM SCOTT, R.A. (1913-1989)
Dramatic Landscape
signed and dated 'W. SCOTT/ 44' (lower right) watercolour on paper
9 x 13 in. (22.9 x 33 cm.)
Executed in 1944.
This work is registered in the William Scott Archive as number 809.
£2,500-3,500
PROVENANCE:
US$3,300-4,600
€3,000-4,200
with J. Leger & Son, London, February 1945. probably Gerry Field-Reid.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 13 June 1986, lot 415, where acquired for the present collection.
We are very grateful to The William Scott Foundation for their assistance in cataloguing this lot.
λ151
FLORENCE HENRI (1893-1982)
Composition
signed 'F. Henri.' (lower right)
pencil, watercolour and collage on tissue-thin paper 10 x 12æ in. (25.4 x 32.5 cm.)
£3,000-5,000
PROVENANCE:
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
Purchased at the 1967 exhibition by Mr A. Mayor.
Anonymous sale; Sworders, 20 April 2021, lot 62, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Hanover Gallery, Florence Henri, March 1967, no. 20.
λ152
BERNARD AUBERTIN (1934-2015)
Tableau Clous
signed and dated 'Bernard Aubertin 1969' (on the backboard)
acrylic and nails on wood 19½ x 19½ in. (49.5 x 49.5 cm.)
Executed in 1969.
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity provided by the Archivio Opere Bernard Aubertin and is registered under the archive number TCLR96-100075423.
£2,000-4,000
PROVENANCE:
Private Collection, Italy.
US$2,700-5,300
€2,400-4,800
Anonymous sale; Phillips, 9 March 2018, lot 136, where acquired for the present collection.
■λ153
BEN NICHOLSON, O.M. (1894-1982)
signed ‘BEN NICHOLSON’, dated ‘DEC 29 49D 1954’, numbered [621 KN 11] and ‘19397 3’ (on the underside)
wool
38¿ x 53 in. (97 x 134.5 cm.)
£2,000-4,000
US$2,700-5,200
€2,400-4,800
PROVENANCE: Anonymous sale; Bonhams, London, 19 November 2008, lot 71, where acquired for the present collection.
Carpet
FREDERICK EDWARD MCWILLIAM, A.R.A.
(1909- 1992)
Bean IV (Roman Bean)
signed with initials and numbered 'McW 1/5' (on the base) bronze with a polished patina 21¬ in. (54.9 cm.) high
Conceived and cast in 1965 by John Galizia, London. This is the only known cast from the intended edition of 5.
£7,000-10,000
PROVENANCE:
Private Collection, Belfast. Acquired for the present collection at the 2007 exhibition.
EXHIBITED:
US$9,200-13,000
€8,400-12,000
Belfast, Ulster Museum, Retrospective Exhibition - F. E. McWilliam, AprilMay 1981, p.60 , no. 73, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Dublin, Douglas Hyde Gallery, May - June 1981; Cork, Crawford Gallery, July - August 1981; and Derry, Orchard Gallery, September - October 1981. London, Tate Gallery, F.E.
McWilliam - Sculpture 1932-1989, May - July 1989, p.59, no. 55, illustrated. Dublin, Solomon Gallery, Collectibles, October 2007, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
Banbridge, F.E. McWilliam Gallery, F.E. McWilliam at Banbridge, September 2008 - February 2009, p.85, ex. cat., illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Drogheda, Highlanes Gallery, March - April 2009.
LITERATURE:
D. Ferran and V. Holmen, The Sculpture of F.E. McWilliam, Farhham, 2012, no. 290, p. 143, illustrated.
We are very grateful to Denise Ferran for her assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.
168 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.
WILLIAM SCOTT, R.A. (1913-1989)
Ivy Leaves
signed and dated 'W. SCOTT 42' (lower right) oil on canvas
16 x 20¿ in. (40.7 x 51.1 cm.)
Painted in 1942.
£25,000-35,000
PROVENANCE:
US$33,000-46,000
€30,000-42,000
Purchased by M.A. Tachmindji at the 1942 exhibition. Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 13 June 1986, lot 414, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Leger Galleries, Paintings by William Scott, September 1942, no. 14. London, Arts Council of Great Britain, An Exhibition of Work by Four Young British Painters: Michael Ayrton, John Minton, William Scott, Keith Vaughan, 1946, no. 17.
London, Arts Council of Great Britain, Contemporary Flower Paintings, 1948, no. 23.
London, Whitechapel Art Gallery, Painters' Progress, May - July 1950, no. 88. Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, A Free Spirit: Irish Art 1860-1960, JuneJuly 1990, p. 211, no. 84, illustrated.
LITERATURE:
J. Piper, Spectator, 18 September 1942. N. Lynton, William Scott, London, 2004, pp. 45-46, no. 17, illustrated. S. Whitfield (ed.), William Scott: Catalogue Raisonné of Oil Paintings 1913-1951, Vol. 1, London, 2013, p. 128, no. 76, illustrated.
We are very grateful to The William Scott Foundation for their assistance in cataloguing this lot.
λ156
DAVID TINDLE, R.A. (B. 1932)
Figure and Trees
signed and dated 'Tindle 63.' (lower right) oil on canvas
38 x 38 in. (96 x 96.5 cm.)
Painted in 1963.
£1,500-2,500
PROVENANCE:
US$2,000-3,300
€1,800-3,000
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 18 July 1984, lot 422, where acquired for the present collection.
SEAN SCULLY, R.A. (B. 1945)
PLACE 3.5.94
signed, inscribed and dated 'PLACE Sean Scully 3.5.94' (upper left)
oil on paper
30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.9 cm.)
Executed in 1994.
£40,000-60,000
US$53,000-79,000
€48,000-71,000
PROVENANCE: with M. Knoedler & Co., New York, where purchased by Camille OliverHoffman. Her sale; Sotheby's, New York, 16 May 2001, lot 343, where acquired for the present collection.
WILLIAM CROZIER, H.R.H.A. (1930-2011) (Untitled)
Landscape
signed 'William Crozier' (lower left) oil on paper
23æ x 29º in. (60.3 x 74 cm.)
Executed in 1960-61.
£2,000-4,000
PROVENANCE:
US$2,700-5,300
€2,400-4,800
Acquired directly from the artist for the present collection circa 2010.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, William Crozier: Early Work, June - July 2010, pp. 8, 42, no. 18, illustrated.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April-July 2023, p. 65, illustrated, exhibition not numbered.
We are very grateful to Katharine Crouan for her assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.
λ*159
TONY O'MALLEY, H.R.H.A. (1913-2003)
Pale Spring Inscape with Caw of Crow
signed, dated and inscribed '"Pale Spring Inscape/ with Caw of Crow"/ Ghost lines of winter and crow flight/23/9/82/ Tony O'Malley', signed and inscribed again 'Antóine Ó Maille/ 4 Porthmeor Studios/ St Ives/ Cornwall' and numbered '325' (on the reverse) oil on board
48 x 36 in. (121.9 x 91.4 cm.)
Painted in 1982.
£6,000-8,000
US$7,900-11,000
€7,200-9,500
PROVENANCE: with Taylor Galleries, Dublin, where acquired for the present collection in December 1984.
EXHIBITED: Dublin, Arts Council, Tony O'Malley Retrospective, 1984, no. 122.
λ160
OISIN KELLY (1915-1981)
Shoal of fish
bronze with a green gold patina
23Ω in. (59.7 cm.) long
£1,500-2,500
US$2,000-3,300
€1,800-3,000
PROVENANCE: with Oriel Gallery, Dublin, where acquired for the present collection in October 1988.
LITERATURE:
F. S. Kelly, The Life and Work of Oisín Kelly, Dundalk, 2015, p. 72, pl. 31, illustrated.
PRUNELLA CLOUGH (1919-1999)
Canal
signed 'Clough' (lower right) oil on canvas
39Ω x 32 in. (100.3 x 81.3 cm.) Painted in 1964.
£10,000-15,000
PROVENANCE:
US$14,000-20,000
€12,000-18,000
Purchased at the 1964 exhibition by Michael Croft, 2nd Lord Croft. His estate sale, Sotheby's, Olympia, 4 July 2002, lot 591, where acquired for the present collection.
Bristol, Arnolfini Gallery, Prunella Clough, December 1967 - January 1968, no. 10, illustrated.
Sheffield, Graves Art Gallery, Prunella Clough, September - October 1972, no. 26.
SEAN SCULLY, R.A. (B. 1945)
9.26.87
signed and dated 'Sean Scully/ 9.26.87' (lower right) pastel on paper
22Ω x 30 in. (57.2 x 76.2 cm.)
Executed in 1987.
£50,000-80,000
US$66,000-110,000
€60,000-95,000
PROVENANCE: with Mayor Rowan Gallery, London. Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 28 June 2001, lot 319, where acquired for the present collection.
‘The pastels, those big pastels that I make, are very monumental. And they have a dryness. The material is pressed into the paper over and over and over again. Behind glass, they’re blurred, they’re indistinct. They have a physicality, but they have the physicality of powder … or chalk, whereas the paintings are shiny, inherently shiny. In other words a pastel doesn’t really have a skin. It’s full of air. You know, a pastel, one doesn’t get the sense with a pastel that it has an outer skin, that it has a beginning and an end. It seems, well, it’s powder, so one is chasing its outer and inner extremities when one’s looking at it, because you don’t really know where it starts and where it ends. But with the skin of oil paint, you do.’
Sean Scully (in Ned Rifkin (ed.), Sean Scully: Twenty years 1976–1995, London, 1995, p. 79).
λ163
HARTMUT BÖHM (1938-2021)
Quadratrelief, no. 53
signed 'Bohm' (on a label on the reverse)
white Plexiglas relief
22√ x 23 in. (58.1 x 58.4 cm.)
Executed in 1969.
£4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE:
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
Acquired at the Genoa 1970 exhibition by a previous owner and by descent. Their sale; Bonhams, London, 12 March 2020, lot 34, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Nyon, Galerie Historial, Hartmut Böhm, February - March 1970, exhibition not numbered.
Genoa, Galleria la Polena, Böhm, March - April 1970, no. 15, illustrated.
178 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.
λ*164
TONY O'MALLEY, H.R.H.A. (1913-2003)
Bonnan Bui
signed, inscribed and dated 'Bonnan Bui (in Gaelic)/Antóine Ó Maille/ 4
Porthmeor Studios/ St Ives/ Nov 1982' and inscribed again and numbered 'Bonnan Bui (in Gaelic)/ 324' (on the reverse)
oil on board
48 x 36 in. (121.9 x 91.4 cm.)
Painted in 1982.
£4,000-6,000
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
PROVENANCE: with Taylor Galleries, Dublin, where acquired for the present collection in December 1984.
EXHIBITED: Dublin, Arts Council, Tony O'Malley Retrospective, 1984, no. 121.
λ165
OISIN KELLY (1915-1981)
Maeve in the Forest signed with initials and dated 'O.K. 72' (on the underside)
bronze with a green gold patina, on a wooden base 17½ in. (44.5cm.) high
Conceived and cast in 1972.
£1,500-2,500
PROVENANCE:
US$2,000-3,300
€1,800-3,000
with Oriel Gallery, Dublin, where acquired for the present collection in September 1986.
WILLIAM CROZIER, H.R.H.A. (1930-2011)
Untitled
signed 'William CROZIER' (lower right) gouache on paper
30¿ x 23¿ in. (76.4 x 61.4 cm.)
£2,000-4,000
PROVENANCE:
EXHIBITED:
US$2,700-5,300
€2,400-4,800
Acquired directly from the artist for the present collection circa 2010.
London, Pyms Gallery, William Crozier: Early Work, June - July 2010, p. 40, no. 16, illustrated.
We are very grateful to Katharine Crouan for her assistance with the cataloguing of this lot. 165
SIR SIDNEY ROBERT NOLAN, O.M., R.A. (1917-1992)
Wimmera
signed and dated 'Nolan/ 1966' (lower right), signed again, inscribed and dated again 'Nolan WIMMERA 1966' (on the stretcher)
oil on canvas
60 x 48 in. (152.4 x 121.9 cm.)
Painted in 1966.
£12,000-18,000
PROVENANCE:
US$16,000-24,000
€15,000-21,000
Australian City Properties, Perth. with Agnews, London, where acquired for the present collection in January 2001.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, Sir Sidney Nolan, April - May 2006, no. 12, illustrated.
■λ168
SIR SIDNEY ROBERT NOLAN, O.M., R.A.
(1917-1992)
Chinese Mountain Landscape with Boat acrylic and lacquer spray on canvas
72 x 63 in. (182.9 x 160 cm.)
Painted circa 1982.
£8,000-12,000
US$11,000-16,000
€9,600-14,000
PROVENANCE: with Agnews, London, where acquired for the present collection in January 2001.
EXHIBITED:
London, Agnews, Nolan's Nolans: A Reputation Reassessed, June - July 1997, no. 84.
London, Pyms Gallery, Sir Sidney Nolan, April - May 2006, no. 19, illustrated.
λ169
SIR SIDNEY ROBERT NOLAN, O.M., R.A. (1917-1992)
Bird signed 'Nolan' (lower right), signed again and dated '5th July/1975/Nolan' (on the reverse) ripolin on board
48 x 36 in. (122 x 91.5 cm.) Painted in 1975.
£7,000-10,000
US$9,200-13,000
€8,400-12,000
PROVENANCE: with Marlborough Fine Art, London. The estate of the artist. Their sale; Sotheby's, Melbourne, 16 September 2001, lot 55, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
London, Pyms Gallery, Sir Sidney Nolan, April - May 2006, no. 17.
λ*170
DAVID TINDLE, R.A. (B. 1932)
Apples I
signed and dated 'David Tindle 1962' (lower right) oil on canvas
36 x 34 in. (91.4 x 86.4 cm.)
Painted in 1962.
£1,200-1,800
US$1,600-2,400
€1,500-2,100
PROVENANCE: with Piccadilly Gallery, London, where acquired by a previous owner at the 1963 exhibition. Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 18 July 1984, lot 421, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED: London, Piccadilly Gallery, David Tindle, June 1963, no. 14, illustrated.
VICTOR PASMORE, C.H., R.A. (1908-1998)
Senza titolo 3
etching and aquatint in colours, 1989, on chine collé wove paper, signed with initials and dated in pencil, numbered 62/90 (there were also 15 artist’s proofs in Roman numerals), published by 2RC Edizioni d'arte, Rome, with their blindstamp, and Marlborough Fine Art Ltd., London
Plate 560 x 950 mm.
£1,500-2,500
LITERATURE: Lynton G56
US$2,000-3,300
€1,800-3,000
λ172
ROBERT ADAMS (1917-1984)
Shell Form
signed, numbered and dated 'Adams 5/6 1980' (on the edge) polished bronze 14in. (35.6cm.) wide
Conceived and cast in 1980.
£3,000-5,000
EXHIBITED:
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
New York, Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer Gallery, Robert Adams, April - May 1981, no. 5, another cast exhibited. London, Gimpel Fils, Late Bronzes, September - October 1988, no. 26, another cast exhibited.
LITERATURE: A. Grieve, The Sculpture of Robert Adams, London, 1992, p. 238, no. 665, another cast illustrated. 186 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.
λ*173
RITA DUFFY (B. 1959)
Tea Cosy Gun
oil on board
12Ω x 15 in (31.8 x 38.1 cm.)
Painted in 1999.
£800-1,200
PROVENANCE: with Hillsboro Fine Art, Dublin.
US$1,100-1,600
€960-1,400
Anonymous sale; deVeres, Dublin, 25 November 2008, lot 62, where acquired for the present collection.
We are very grateful to the artist for her assistance with cataloguing this lot.
RITA DUFFY (B. 1959) Crossroads Dancing
signed 'Rita Duffy' (lower right); signed again, inscribed and dated 'Crossroads Dancing 2015/ Rita Duffy' (on the reverse) oil on linen
48⅛ x 72⅛ in. (122.2 x 183.2 cm.)
Painted in 2015.
£5,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired for the present collection at the 2016 exhibition.
US$6,600-10,000
€6,000-9,500
EXHIBITED:
Dublin, Arts Council of Ireland, The Souvenir Shop by Rita Duffy, April - June 2016, p. 35, exhibition not numbered.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, pp. 76 - 77, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
We are very grateful to the artist for her assistance with cataloguing this lot.
λ175
RITA DUFFY (B. 1959)
Shirt
signed 'Rita Duffy' (lower right); inscribed and dated 'Connolly Shirt/ 2014' (on the reverse) oil on canvas
47√ x 36¿ in. (121.6 x 91.7 cm.)
Painted in 2014.
£2,000-3,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired for the present collection at the 2016 exhibition.
US$2,700-3,900
€2,400-3,600
EXHIBITED: Dublin, Arts Council of Ireland, The Souvenir Shop by Rita Duffy, April - June 2016, pp. 34, 37, exhibition not numbered.
We are very grateful to the artist for her assistance with cataloguing this lot.
Connolly
λ*176
DAME ELISABETH FRINK, R.A. (1930-1993)
Wounded Horse
signed and dated '87 Frink' (lower right)
charcoal and gouache on paper
30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.9 cm.)
Executed in 1987.
£4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE:
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 19 November 2004, lot 218, where acquired for the present collection.
λ177
ANDRÉ BRASILIER (B. 1929)
Vase aux chevaux, manufactured by Sassi Milici Vallauris
glazed stoneware
20º in. (51.4 cm.) high; 19Ω in. (49.5 cm.) wide; 7Ω in. (19 cm.) deep impressed stamp 'SASSI-MILIC/-VALLAURIS-/ EMPREINTE/ ORIGINALE/ A. BRASILIER/ Andre Brasilier' (on the underside)
£2,500-4,000
PROVENANCE:
US$3,300-5,300
€3,000-4,800
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 24 March 1999, lot 182, where acquired for the present collection.
λ*178
BARRIE COOKE (1931-2014)
Green Stones
inscribed, signed and dated '"Green Stones" / Barrie Cooke 2000' (on the reverse)
acrylic on canvas
38 x 40 in. (96.5 x 101.6 cm.)
Painted in 2000.
£4,000-6,000
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
PROVENANCE: with Art Space Gallery, London, where acquired for the present collection in October 2000.
~■180
CARL MALMSTEN (1888-1972)
Chest of drawers, manufactured by Nordiska Kompaniet, circa 1930
Veneered zebrano, Indian rosewood and burr wood
31º in. (79.5 cm.) high; 47 in. (119.5 cm.) wide 20¡ in. (51.7 cm.) deep
Stamped ‘CM’ three times to the drawers and marked with the manufacturer’s plate ‘NK A.B. NORDISKA KOMPANIET’ (on the inner side of one drawer) and with two manufacturer's metal plates ‘NK R34655-C34070’ and ‘NK RMADE IN-CSWEDEN’ (on the underside)
£2,500-4,000
•179
WERKSTÄTTE HAGENAUER (EST. 1898)
Two boxers
gilt metal
the tallest: 11 in. (28 cm.) high; 6¿ in. (15.5 cm.) wide; 3º in. (8.2 cm.) deep
the smallest: 7¬ in. (19.3 cm.) high; 5√ in. (15 cm.) wide; 4Ω in. (11.5 cm.) deep each stamped with manufacturer's mark 'wHw/ MADE IN AUSTRIA' (i. on the underside of the foot, ii. on the underside of the base) (2)
£1,200-1,800
US$1,600-2,400
€1,500-2,100
PROVENANCE: with Morgan Strickland Decorative Arts, London, where acquired for the present collection in September 2019.
US$3,300-5,300
€3,000-4,800
PROVENANCE:
Anonymous sale; Bukowski, Stockholm, 7 November 2002, lot 1382, where acquired for the present collection.
LITERATURE:
G. L. Munthe, Moderna Möbler, Stockholm, 1931, n. p., no. 13, illustrated.
PIERRE CHAREAU (1883-1950)
'MU265' bookcase, circa 1923
burr walnut and brass
27æ in. (70.5 cm.) high; 77 in. (196 cm.) wide; 13.3.4 in. (35 cm.) deep
£15,000-25,000
PROVENANCE:
Francis Lamond collection, France.
US$20,000-33,000
€18,000-30,000
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 16 May 2001, lot 57, where acquired for the present collection.
LITERATURE:
M. Vellay and K. Frampton, Pierre Chareau, Architect and craftsman, Thames & Hudson, London, 1985, p. 304. (for another example of the same model)
M.Bédarida and F. Lamond, Pierre Chareau, Biographie, Expositions, Mobilier, vol.1, Norma, Paris, 202, p. 231. (for another example of the same model)
λ•*182
ATTRIBUTED TO MARJATTA WECKSTRÖM (1932-2017)
Apple
gilt-bronze
3Ω in. (8.5 cm.) high; 3 in. (7.5 cm.) wide signed 'H.g' (on the side)
£800-1,200
US$1,100-1,600
€960-1,400
*183
RITSUE MISHIMA (B.1962)
'Cellula 21' vase, executed with the master glassblower Andrea Zilio, 2000
hand-blown and sanded glass
10 in. (25.4 cm.) high; 11 in. (27.9 cm.) diameter etched with artist's chop mark and 'Mishima' and dated '2000' (on the underside)
£3,000-5,000
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
λ184
JOHN WARD (1938-2023)
Bowl with inverted rim, unique stamped with artist's seal (on the underside) hand-built glazed stoneware
8¿ in. (20.6 cm.) high
£2,500-3,500
US$3,300-4,600
€3,000-4,200
λ•*185
EMMANUEL BABLED (B.1967)
Three 'Aramaici' vases, manufactured by Venini, 2000-2008
coloured glass
the tallest: 15¿ in. (38.5 cm.) high
each signed 'EMMA BABLED' and respectively dated '2008', '2000', '2001', numbered '67/99', 8/30', '10/30', two with the manufacturer's mark 'venini' (on the underside) (3)
£1,500-2,500
PROVENANCE:
US$2,000-3,300
€1,800-3,000
with Venini, Milan, where acquired for the present collection in June 2008.
•*186
GIANNI VERSACE (1946-1997)
'V.V.V. Pezzato' vase, manufactured by Venini, 2004 and a 'Coppa Rivoli' vase, manufactured by Venini, 2002
coloured glass
the tallest: 10º in. (26 cm.) high
one signed 'Gianni Versace', dated '2004' and with the manufacturer's mark 'Venini' (on the underside), the other signed 'Versace', dated '2002' and with manufacturer's mark 'Venini' (on the underside) along with the manufacturer's sticker 'MURANO MADE IN ITALY VENINI' (to the side) (2)
£800-1,200
US$1,100-1,600
€960-1,400
Ω■
187 ARNE JACOBSEN (1902-1971)
Pair of 'Swan' swivel chairs, 'Model 3320', designed in 1958, manufactured by Fritz Hansen in 2005
fabric and brushed metal
78 cm. (30æ in.) high ; 72 cm. (28¡ in.) wide; 65 cm. (25Ω in.) deep each with the manufacturer's label 'Republic of Fritz Hansen' and dated '2005' (to the underside) (2)
£1,000-1,500
US$1,400-2,000
€1,200-1,800
SEAN SCULLY, R.A. (B. 1945)
Red Triptych
soft-ground etching and aquatint in colours, 1985, on cream wove paper, signed, dated and titled in pencil, numbered 11/25, printed by Mohammed Khalil, New York, with their blindstamp
Image 445 x 605 mm.
Sheet 559 x 762 mm.
£3,000-5,000
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
PROVENANCE: with Juda Rowan Gallery, London. Michael Croft, 2nd Lord Croft; his estate sale, Sotheby's, Olympia, 4 July 2002, lot 573, where acquired for the present collection.
SEAN SCULLY, R.A. (B. 1945)
7.31.84
signed and dated 'Sean Scully 7.31.84' (lower right)
charcoal and pastel on paper
22 x 30 in. (55.9 x 76.2cm.)
Executed in 1984.
£30,000-50,000
US$40,000-66,000
€36,000-59,000
PROVENANCE: with David McKee Gallery, New York. Anonymous sale; Christie's, South Kensington, 28 March 2001, lot 69, where acquired for the present collection.
FREDERICK EDWARD MCWILLIAM, A.R.A.
(1909-1992)
Women of Belfast 2 (Women in Crossfire
II)
signed with initials and numbered 'McW 4/5' (on the base) bronze with a brown patina 29 in. (73.66 cm.) wide
Conceived in 1972 and cast by Art Bronze Foundry.
£10,000-15,000
US$14,000-20,000
€12,000-18,000
PROVENANCE: with Mayor Gallery, London, where acquired for the present collection at the 2006 exhibition.
EXHIBITED:
London, Waddington Galleries, F.E. McWilliam: Sculpture 1972/3 Women of Belfast, October - November 1973, exhibition not numbered, illustrated, another cast exhibited.
Belfast, McClelland Galleries International, Women of Belfast: New Bronzes by F.E. McWilliam 1972/3, November 1973, no. 2, illustrated, another cast exhibited.
Belfast, Ulster Museum, F.E. McWilliam Retrospective, April - May 1981, p. 70, no. 101, another cast illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Dublin, Douglas Hyde Gallery, May - June 1981; Cork, Crawford Gallery, July - August 1981; and Derry, Orchard Gallery, September - October 1981.
London, Mayor Gallery, F.E. McWilliam, May - June 2006, catalogue not traced.
Banbridge, F.E. McWilliam Gallery, F.E. McWilliam at Banbridge, September 2008 - February 2009, p.99, ex. cat., another cast illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Drogheda, Highlanes Gallery, March - April 2009.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, pp. 78-79, exhibition not numbered.
LITERATURE:
D. Ferran and V. Holmen, The Sculpture of F.E. McWilliam, Farhham, 2012, no. 378, p. 155, another cast illustrated.
We are very grateful to Denise Ferran for her assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.
MICHEAL FARRELL (1940-2000)
En Ardêche et la Rûche
signed, dated and inscribed 'Micheal Farrell 1978/ en ardêche et la Rûche' (on the reverse) oil on canvas
56⅞ x 63¼ in. (144.5 x 160.7 cm.)
Painted in 1978.
£5,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
US$6,600-11,000
€6,000-9,500
Anonymous sale; Bukowskis, Stockholm, 23 April 2008, lot 706, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April-July 2023, pp. 70-71, illustrated, exhibition not numbered.
CECIL KING (1921-1986) Break Away
signed 'C King' (lower right) and inscribed 'Break away' (on the stretcher) oil on canvas
48 x 36 in. (122 x 91.5 cm.)
Painted in 1965.
£4,000-6,000
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
PROVENANCE: with Ritchie Hendriks Gallery, Dublin, where purchased by Dr & Mrs J.B. Kearney in June 1965.
Anonymous sale; James Adam & Sons, Dublin, in association with Bonhams, 4 December 2007, lot 31, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April-July 2023, pp. 60-61, illustrated, exhibition not numbered.
MICHEAL FARRELL (1940-2000)
Variation on a Contained Motif 3
signed, inscribed and dated 'variation on a Contained motif #3/ august 1966/ Micheal Farrell.' oil on canvas
65¾ x 77½ in. (167 x 196.9 cm.)
Painted in 1966.
£4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE:
US$5,300-7,900
€4,800-7,100
Acquired directly from the artist by the previous owner in the late 1960s. Their sale; Sotheby's, London, 30 October 2007, lot 11, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, p. 58, illustrated, exhibition not numbered.
■λ194
CHARLES TYRRELL (B.1950)
Up and About oil on canvas
83Ω x 57⅛ in. (212 x 145.2 cm.)
Painted in 1974.
£5,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
US$6,600-11,000
€6,000-9,500
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 30 October 2007, lot 18, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Dublin, An tOireachtas, 1974, catalogue not traced. Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, pp. 62-63, exhibition not numbered, illustrated.
HOWARD HODGKIN (1932-2017) Palmette
signed with initials and dated 'HH 87' (lower centre) gouache and acrylic on paper
29º x 34 in. (74.3 x 86.4 cm.)
Executed in 1987.
£20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Massachusetts.
US$27,000-39,000
€24,000-36,000
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 19 November 2004, lot 192, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
New York, M. Knoedler & Co., Works on Paper, September 1987, exhibition not numbered.
We are very grateful to Guy Robertson for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.
λ196
CECIL KING (1921-1986)
Baggot Street Painting 1
signed, inscribed and dated 'Cecil King/ Blue Painting 69' (on the reverse) oil on canvas
48 x 36 in. (122 x 91 cm.)
Painted in 1969.
£3,000-5,000
US$4,000-6,600
€3,600-5,900
PROVENANCE: with Ritchie Hendriks Gallery, Dublin, where purchased by Dr & Mrs J.B. Kearney, Cork in December 1971.
Their sale; James Adam & Sons, Dublin in association with Bonhams, 4 December 2007, lot 56, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED: Cork, Art Society Gallery, Cecil King, December 1971, no. 1, catalogue not traced.
Dublin, Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Cecil King Retrospective Exhibition, October - November 1981, no. 35.
Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, April - July 2023, p. 59, illustrated, exhibition not numbered.
ANTONI TÀPIES (1923-2012)
Atencion Cataluña signed 'tapies' (lower right) acrylic and collage on newspaper 19Ω x 26¿ in. (49.5 x 66.4 cm.) Executed in 1969.
£8,000-12,000
US$11,000-16,000
€9,600-14,000
PROVENANCE: with Martha Jackson Gallery, New York. with David Anderson Gallery, Buffalo, by 1992, where acquired by a previous owner.
Their sale; Sotheby's, London, 16 February 2011, lot 142, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Buffalo, Albright-Knox Gallery, Antoni Tàpies: Thirty-three Years of His Work, January - March 1977, p. 84, no. 100, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to
Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art; San Antonio, March - May 1977, Marion Koogler McNay Art Institute, May - July 1977; Des Moines, Art Center, August - October 1977; Montreal, Musée d'Art Contemporain, OctoberNovember 1977.
LITERATURE:
P. Gimferrer, Tàpies i L'esperit Català, Barcelona, 1974, p. 46, no. 68, illustrated.
J. Vallès Rovira, Tàpies Empremta, Barcelona, 1983, no. 165, illustrated.
A. Agustí, Tàpies: The Complete Works: Volume 3: 1969-1975, Barcelona, 1992, p. 62, no. 2014, illustrated.
We are very grateful to Toni Tàpies for their assistance in cataloguing this lot.
RAINER FETTING (B. 1949) Killer
signed and dated 'Fetting 83' (lower right)
acrylic on paper
27½ x 39 in. (69.9 x 99.1 cm.)
Executed in 1983.
£2,500-3,500
PROVENANCE:
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 27 June 1985, lot 731.
US$3,300-4,600
€3,000-4,200
1000 Ways of Seeing: The Private Collection of the late Stanley J. Seeger; Sotheby's, London, 6 March 2014, lot 975, where acquired for the present collection.
EXHIBITED:
Milan, Studio d'Arte Cannaviello, Rainer Fetting, September - October 1983, pp. 82 - 83, no. 36, illustrated: this exhibition travelled to Berlin, Galerie Silvia Menzel, October 1983; and Berlin, Raab Galerie, October - November 1983.
We are very grateful to Lorenz Willkomm for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
ALBERT IRVIN, R.A. (1922-2015) Study for Homerton
signed and dated 'Irvin '87' (on the overlap) oil on canvas
60 x 72 in. (152.4 x 182.9 cm.)
Painted in 1987.
£7,000-10,000
PROVENANCE:
US$9,200-13,000
€8,400-12,000
with Gimpel Fils, London, where purchased by the previous owner. Their sale; Sotheby's, 13 July 2007, lot 176, where acquired for the present collection.
CONDITIONS OF SALE • BUYING AT CHRISTIE’S
CONDITIONS OF SALE
These Conditions of Sale and the Important Notices and Explanation of Cataloguing Practice set out the terms on which we offer the lots listed in this catalogue for sale. By registering to bid and/or by bidding at auction you agree to these terms, so you should read them carefully before doing so. You will find a glossary at the end explaining the meaning of the words and expressions coloured in bold. As well as these Conditions of Sale, lots in which we offer Non-Fungible Tokens for sale are governed by the Additional Conditions of Sale – Non-Fungible Tokens, which can be found at Appendix A to these Conditions of Sale. For the sale of Non-Fungible Tokens, to the extent there is a conflict between the “London Conditions of Sale Buying at Christie's” and “Additional Conditions of Sale – NonFungible Tokens”, the latter controls.
Unless we own a lot ( symbol), Christie’s acts as agent for the seller. This means that we are providing services to the seller to help them sell their lot and that Christie’s is concluding the contract for the sale of the lot on behalf of the seller. When Christie’s is the agent of the seller, the contract of sale which is created by any successful bid by you for a lot will be directly between you and the seller, and not between you and Christie’s.
A BEFORE THE SALE
1 DESCRIPTION OF LOTS
(a) Certain words used in the catalogue description have special meanings. You can find details of these on the page headed ‘Important Notices and Explanation of Cataloguing Practice’ which forms part of these terms. You can find a key to the Symbols found next to certain catalogue entries under the section of the catalogue called ‘Symbols Used in this Catalogue’.
(b) Our description of any lot in the catalogue, any condition report and any other statement made by us (whether orally or in writing) about any lot, including about its nature or condition, artist, period, materials, approximate dimensions or provenance are our opinion and not to be relied upon as a statement of fact. We do not carry out in-depth research of the sort carried out by professional historians and scholars. All dimensions and weights are approximate only.
2 OUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR DESCRIPTION OF LOTS
We do not provide any guarantee in relation to the nature of a lot apart from our authenticity warranty contained in paragraph E2 and to the extent provided in paragraph I below.
3 CONDITION
(a) The condition of lots sold in our auctions can vary widely due to factors such as age, previous damage, restoration, repair and wear and tear. Their nature means that they will rarely be in perfect condition Lots are sold ‘as is’, in the condition they are in at the time of the sale, without any representation or warranty or assumption of liability of any kind as to condition by Christie’s or by the seller.
(b) Any reference to condition in a catalogue entry or in a condition report will not amount to a full description of condition, and images may not show a lot clearly. Colours and shades may look different in print or on screen to how they look on physical inspection. Condition reports may be available to help you evaluate the condition of a lot Condition reports are provided free of charge as a convenience to our buyers and are for guidance only. They offer our opinion but they may not refer to all faults, inherent defects, restoration, alteration or adaptation because our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. For that reason they are not an alternative to examining a lot in person or taking your own professional advice. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have requested, received and considered any condition report.
4 VIEWING LOTS PRE-AUCTION
(a) If you are planning to bid on a lot, you should inspect it personally or through a knowledgeable representative before you make a bid to make sure that you accept the description and its condition We recommend you get your own advice from a restorer or other professional adviser.
(b) Pre-auction viewings are open to the public free of charge. Our specialists may be available to answer questions at pre-auction viewings or by appointment.
5 ESTIMATES
Estimates are based on the condition, rarity, quality and provenance of the lots and on prices recently paid at auction for similar property. Estimates can change. Neither you, nor anyone else, may rely on any estimates as a prediction or guarantee of the actual selling price of a lot or its value for any other purpose. Estimates do not include the buyer’s premium or any applicable taxes.
6 WITHDRAWAL
Christie’s may, at its option, withdraw any lot at any time prior to or during the sale of the lot. Christie’s has no liability to you for any decision to withdraw.
7 JEWELLERY
(a) Coloured gemstones (such as rubies, sapphires and emeralds) may have been treated to improve their look, through methods such as heating and oiling. These methods are accepted by the international jewellery trade but may make the gemstone less strong and/or require special care over time.
(b) It will not be apparent to us whether a diamond is naturally or synthetically formed unless it has been tested by a gemmological laboratory. Where the diamond has been tested, a gemmological report will be available.
(c) All types of gemstones may have been improved by some method. You may request a gemmological report for any item which does not have a report if the request is made to us at least three weeks before the date of the auction and you pay the fee for the report.
(d) Certain weights in the catalogue description are provided for guidance purposes only as they have been estimated through measurement and, as such, should not be relied upon as exact.
(e) We do not obtain a gemmological report for every gemstone sold in our auctions. Where we do get gemmological reports from
internationally accepted gemmological laboratories, such reports will be described in the catalogue. Reports from American gemmological laboratories will describe any improvement or treatment to the gemstone. Reports from European gemmological laboratories will describe any improvement or treatment only if we request that they do so, but will confirm when no improvement or treatment has been made. Because of differences in approach and technology, laboratories may not agree whether a particular gemstone has been treated, the amount of treatment or whether treatment is permanent. The gemmological laboratories will only report on the improvements or treatments known to the laboratories at the date of the report. We do not guarantee nor are we responsible for any report or certificate from a gemmological laboratory that may accompany a lot
(f) For jewellery sales, estimates are based on the information in any gemmological report or, if no report is available, assume that the gemstones may have been treated or enhanced.
8 WATCHES & CLOCKS
(a) Almost all clocks and watches are repaired in their lifetime and may include parts which are not original. We do not give a warranty that any individual component part of any watch or clock is authentic Watchbands described as ‘associated’ are not part of the original watch and may not be authentic. Clocks may be sold without pendulums, weights or keys.
(b) As collectors’ watches and clocks often have very fine and complex mechanisms, a general service, change of battery or further repair work may be necessary, for which you are responsible. We do not give a warranty that any watch or clock is in good working order. Certificates are not available unless described in the catalogue.
(c) Most watches have been opened to find out the type and quality of movement. For that reason, watches with water resistant cases may not be waterproof and we recommend you have them checked by a competent watchmaker before use. Important information about the sale, transport and shipping of watches and watchbands can be found in paragraph H2(g).
B REGISTERING TO BID
1 NEW BIDDERS
(a) If this is your first time bidding at Christie’s or you are a returning bidder who has not bought anything from any of our salerooms within the last two years you must register at least 48 hours before an auction to give us enough time to process and approve your registration. We may, at our option, decline to permit you to register as a bidder. You will be asked for the following:
(i) for individuals: Photo identification (driving licence, national identity card or passport) and, if not shown on the ID document, proof of your current address (for example, a current utility bill or bank statement).
(ii) for corporate clients: Your Certificate of Incorporation or equivalent document(s) showing your name and registered address together with documentary proof of directors and beneficial owners; and (iii) for trusts, partnerships, offshore companies and other business structures, please contact us in advance to discuss our requirements.
(b) We may also ask you to give us a financial reference and/or a deposit as a condition of allowing you to bid. For help, please contact our Credit Department on +44 (0)20 7839 9060.
2 RETURNING BIDDERS
We may at our option ask you for current identification as described in paragraph B1(a) above, a financial reference or a deposit as a condition of allowing you to bid. If you have not bought anything from any of our salerooms in the last two years or if you want to spend more than on previous occasions, please contact our Credit Department on +44 (0)20 7839 9060.
3 IF YOU FAIL TO PROVIDE THE RIGHT DOCUMENTS
If in our opinion you do not satisfy our bidder identification and registration procedures including, but not limited to completing any anti-money laundering and/or anti-terrorism financing checks we may require to our satisfaction, we may refuse to register you to bid, and if you make a successful bid, we may cancel the contract for sale between you and the seller.
4 BIDDING ON BEHALF OF ANOTHER PERSON
(a) As authorised bidder. If you are bidding on behalf of another person who will pay Christie’s directly, that person will need to complete the registration requirements above before you can bid, and supply a signed letter authorising you to bid for him/her.
(b) As agent for a principal: If you register in your own name but are acting as agent for someone else (the “ultimate buyer(s)”) who will put you in funds before you pay us, you accept personal liability to pay the purchase price and all other sums due. We will require you to disclose the identity of the ultimate buyer(s) and may require you to provide documents to verify their identity in accordance with paragraph E3(b).
5 BIDDING IN PERSON
If you wish to bid in the saleroom you must register for a numbered bidding paddle at least 30 minutes before the auction. You may register online at www.christies.com or in person. For help, please contact the Credit Department on +44 (0)20 7839 9060.
6 BIDDING SERVICES
The bidding services described below are a free service offered as a convenience to our clients and Christie’s is not responsible for any error (human or otherwise), omission or breakdown in providing these services.
(a) Phone Bids
Your request for this service must be made no later than 24 hours prior to the auction. We will accept bids by telephone for lots only if our staff are available to take the bids. If you need to bid in a language other than in English, you must arrange this well before the auction. We may record telephone bids. By bidding on the telephone, you are agreeing to us recording your conversations. You also agree that your telephone bids are governed by these Conditions of Sale.
(b) Internet Bids on Christie’s LIVE™
For certain auctions we will accept bids over the Internet. For more information, please visit www.christies.com/register-and-bid
As well as these Conditions of Sale, internet bids are governed by the Christie’s LIVE™ Terms of Use which are available at www.christies.com/christies-live-terms
(c) Written Bids
You can find a Written Bid Form at any Christie’s office or by choosing the sale and viewing the lots online at www.christies.com. We must receive your completed Written Bid at least 24 hours before the auction. Bids must be placed in the currency of the saleroom. The auctioneer will take reasonable steps to carry out written bids at the lowest possible price, taking into account the reserve. If you make a written bid on a lot which does not have a reserve and there is no higher bid than yours, we will bid on your behalf at around 50% of the low estimate or, if lower, the amount of your bid. If we receive written bids on a lot for identical amounts, and at the auction these are the highest bids on the lot, we will sell the lot to the bidder whose written bid we received first.
C CONDUCTING THE SALE
1 WHO CAN ENTER THE AUCTION
We may, at our option, refuse admission to our premises or decline to permit participation in any auction or to reject any bid.
2 RESERVES
Unless otherwise indicated, all lots are subject to a reserve. We identify lots that are offered without reserve with the symbol • next to the lot number. The reserve cannot be more than the lot’s low estimate, unless the lot is subject to a third party guarantee and the irrevocable bid exceeds the printed low estimate. In that case, the reserve will be set at the amount of the irrevocable bid. Lots which are subject to a third party guarantee arrangement are identified in the catalogue with the symbol º♦
3 AUCTIONEER’S DISCRETION
The auctioneer can at his sole option:
(a) refuse any bid; (b move the bidding backwards or forwards in any way he or she may decide, or change the order of the lots; (c) withdraw any lot; (d) divide any lot or combine any two or more lots;
(e) reopen or continue the bidding even after the hammer has fallen; and (f) in the case of error or dispute related to bidding and whether during or after the auction, to continue the bidding, determine the successful bidder, cancel the sale of the lot or reoffer and resell any lot If you believe that the auctioneer has accepted the successful bid in error, you must provide a written notice detailing your claim within 3 business days of the date of the auction. The auctioneer will consider such claim in good faith. If the auctioneer, in the exercise of his or her discretion under this paragraph, decides after the auction is complete, to cancel the sale of a lot, or reoffer and resell a lot, he or she will notify the successful bidder no later than by the end of the 7th calendar day following the date of the auction. The auctioneer’s decision in exercise of this discretion is final. This paragraph does not in any way prejudice Christie’s ability to cancel the sale of a lot under any other applicable provision of these Conditions of Sale, including the rights of cancellation set forth in section B(3), E(2)(i), F(4) and J(1).
4 BIDDING
The auctioneer accepts bids from: (a) bidders in the saleroom; (b) telephone bidders, and internet bidders through ‘Christie’s LIVE™ (as shown above in Section B6); and (c) written bids (also known as absentee bids or commission bids) left with us by a bidder before the auction.
5 BIDDING ON BEHALF OF THE SELLER
The auctioneer may, at his or her sole option, bid on behalf of the seller up to but not including the amount of the reserve either by making consecutive bids or by making bids in response to other bidders. The auctioneer will not identify these as bids made on behalf of the seller and will not make any bid on behalf of the seller at or above the reserve If lots are offered without reserve, the auctioneer will generally decide to open the bidding at 50% of the low estimate for the lot. If no bid is made at that level, the auctioneer may decide to go backwards at his or her sole option until a bid is made, and then continue up from that amount. In the event that there are no bids on a lot, the auctioneer may deem such lot unsold.
6 BID INCREMENTS
Bidding generally starts below the low estimate and increases in steps (bid increments). The auctioneer will decide at his or her sole option where the bidding should start and the bid increments
7 CURRENCY CONVERTER
The saleroom video screens (and Christies LIVE™) may show bids in some other major currencies as well as sterling. Any conversion is for guidance only and we cannot be bound by any rate of exchange used. Christie’s is not responsible for any error (human or otherwise), omission or breakdown in providing these services.
8 SUCCESSFUL BIDS
Unless the auctioneer decides to use his or her discretion as set out in paragraph C3 above, when the auctioneer’s hammer strikes, we have accepted the last bid. This means a contract for sale has been formed between the seller and the successful bidder. We will issue an invoice only to the registered bidder who made the successful bid. While we send out invoices by post and/or email after the auction, we do not accept responsibility for telling you whether or not your bid was successful. If you have bid by written bid, you should contact us by telephone or in person as soon as possible after the auction to get details of the outcome of your bid to avoid having to pay unnecessary storage charges.
9 LOCAL BIDDING LAWS
You agree that when bidding in any of our sales that you will strictly comply with all local laws and regulations in force at the time of the sale for the relevant sale site.
D THE BUYER’S PREMIUM, TAXES AND ARTIST’S RESALE ROYALTY
1 THE BUYER’S PREMIUM
In addition to the hammer price, the successful bidder agrees to pay us a buyer’s premium on the hammer price of each lot sold. On all lots we charge 26% of the hammer price up to and including £800,000, 21% on that part of the hammer price over £800,000 and up to and including £4,500,000, and 15.0% of that part of the hammer price above £4,500,000. VAT will be added to the buyer’s premium and is payable by you. For lots offered under the VAT Margin Scheme or Temporary Admission VAT rules, the VAT may not be shown separately on our invoice because of tax laws. You may be eligible to have a VAT refund in certain circumstances if the lot is exported. Please see the “VAT refunds: what can I reclaim?” section of ‘VAT Symbols and Explanation’ for further information.
2 TAXES
The successful bidder is responsible for all applicable tax including any VAT, GST, sales or compensating use tax or equivalent tax wherever such taxes may arise on the hammer price and the buyer’s premium. VAT charges and refunds depend on the particular circumstances of the buyer. It is the buyer’s responsibility to ascertain and pay all taxes due. VAT is payable on the buyer’s premium and, for some lots, VAT is payable on the hammer price. Following the departure of the UK from the EU (Brexit), UK VAT and Customs rules will apply only.
For lots Christie’s ships or delivers to the United States, sales or use tax may be due on the hammer price, buyer’s premium and/or any other charges related to the lot, regardless of the nationality or citizenship of the purchaser. Christie’s will collect sales tax where legally required. The applicable sales tax rate will be determined based upon the state, county, or locale to which the lot will be shipped or delivered. Successful bidders claiming an exemption from sales tax must provide appropriate documentation to Christie’s prior to the release of the lot. For shipments/ deliveries to those states for which Christie’s is not required to collect sales tax, a successful bidder may be required to remit use tax to that state’s taxing authorities. Christie’s recommends you obtain your own independent tax advice with further questions.
For lots Christie’s ships or delivers to Jersey (Channel Islands), GST at a rate of 5% will be due on the hammer price, buyer’s premium, freight charges (as set out on your Shipping Quote Acceptance Form) and any applicable customs duty. Christie’s will collect GST from you, where legally required to do so.
For lots purchased by a successful bidder with a registered address in India and who has bid via Christie’s LIVE™, an Indian Equalisation Levy Tax at a rate of 2% will be due on the hammer price and buyer’s premium (exclusive of any applicable VAT). Christie’s will collect the Indian Equalisation Levy Tax from you, where required to do so.
3 ARTIST’S RESALE ROYALTY
In certain countries, local laws entitle the artist or the artist’s estate to a royalty known as ‘artist’s resale right’ when any lot created by the artist is sold. We identify these lots with the λ symbol next to the lot number. If these laws apply to a lot, you must pay us an extra amount equal to the royalty. We will pay the royalty to the appropriate authority on the seller’s behalf.
The artist’s resale royalty applies if the hammer price of the lot is 1,000 GBP or more if located in the United Kingdom at the time of sale. The total royalty for any lot cannot be more than 12,500 GBP. We work out the amount owed as follows:
Royalty for the portion of the hammer price (in Pound Sterling)
4% up to 50,000
3% between 50,000.01 and 200,000
1% between 200,000.01 and 350,000
0.50% between 350,000.01 and 500,000 over 500,000, the lower of 0.25% and 12,500 GBP.
E WARRANTIES
1 SELLER’S WARRANTIES
For each lot, the seller gives a warranty that the seller:
(a) is the owner of the lot or a joint owner of the lot acting with the permission of the other co-owners or, if the seller is not the owner or a joint owner of the lot, has the permission of the owner to sell the lot or the right to do so in law; and
(b) has the right to transfer ownership of the lot to the buyer without any restrictions or claims by anyone else.
If one or more of the above warranties are incorrect, the seller shall not have to pay more than the purchase price (as defined in paragraph F1(a) below) paid by you to us. The seller will not be responsible to you for any reason for loss of profits or business, expected savings, loss of opportunity or interest, costs, damages, other damages or expenses. The seller gives no warranty in relation to any lot other than as set out above and, as far as the seller is allowed by law, all warranties from the seller to you, and all other obligations upon the seller which may be added to this agreement by law, are excluded.
2 OUR AUTHENTICITY WARRANTY
We warrant, subject to the terms below, that the lots in our sales are authentic (our ‘authenticity warranty’). If, within five years of the date of the auction, you give notice to us that your lot is not authentic, subject to the terms below, we will refund the purchase price paid by you. The meaning of authentic can be found in the glossary at the end of these Conditions of Sale. The terms of the authenticity warranty are as follows:
(a) It will be honoured for claims notified within a period of five years from the date of the auction. After such time, we will not be obligated to honour the authenticity warranty
(b) It is given only for information shown in UPPERCASE type in the first line of the catalogue description (the ‘Heading’). It does not apply to any information other than in the Heading even if shown in UPPERCASE type.
(c) The authenticity warranty does not apply to any Heading or part of a Heading which is qualified Qualified means limited by a clarification in a lot’s catalogue description or by the use in a Heading of one of the terms listed in the section titled Qualified Headings on the page of the catalogue headed ‘Important Notices and Explanation of Cataloguing Practice’. For example, use of the term ‘ATTRIBUTED TO…’ in a Heading means that the lot is in Christie’s opinion probably a work by the named artist but no warranty is provided that the lot is the work of the named artist. Please read the full list of Qualified Headings and
a lot’s full catalogue description before bidding.
(d) The authenticity warranty applies to the Heading as amended by any Saleroom notice
(e) The authenticity warranty does not apply where scholarship has developed since the auction leading to a change in generally accepted opinion. Further, it does not apply if the Heading either matched the generally accepted opinion of experts at the date of the sale or drew attention to any conflict of opinion.
(f) The authenticity warranty does not apply if the lot can only be shown not to be authentic by a scientific process which, on the date we published the catalogue, was not available or generally accepted for use, or which was unreasonably expensive or impractical, or which was likely to have damaged the lot
(g) The benefit of the authenticity warranty is only available to the original buyer shown on the invoice for the lot issued at the time of the sale and only if, on the date of the notice of claim, the original buyer is the full owner of the lot and the lot is free from any claim, interest or restriction by anyone else. The benefit of this authenticity warranty may not be transferred to anyone else.
(h) In order to claim under the authenticity warranty, you must:
(i) give us written notice of your claim within five years of the date of the auction. We may require full details and supporting evidence of any such claim;
(ii) at Christie’s option, we may require you to provide the written opinions of two recognised experts in the field of the lot mutually agreed by you and us in advance confirming that the lot is not authentic. If we have any doubts, we reserve the right to obtain additional opinions at our expense; and
(iii)return the lot at your expense to the saleroom from which you bought it in the condition it was in at the time of sale.
(i) Your only right under this authenticity warranty is to cancel the sale and receive a refund of the purchase price paid by you to us. We will not, in any circumstances, be required to pay you more than the purchase price nor will we be liable for any loss of profits or business, loss of opportunity or value, expected savings or interest, costs, damages, other damages or expenses.
(j) Books. Where the lot is a book, we give an additional warranty for 14 days from the date of the sale that if on collation any lot is defective in text or illustration, we will refund your purchase price, subject to the following terms:
(i) This additional warranty does not apply to:
a. the absence of blanks, half titles, tissue guards or advertisements, damage in respect of bindings, stains, spotting, marginal tears or other defects not affecting completeness of the text or illustration;
b. drawings, autographs, letters or manuscripts, signed photographs, music, atlases, maps or periodicals;
c. books not identified by title;
d. lots sold without a printed estimate;
e. books which are described in the catalogue as sold not subject to return; or
f. defects stated in any condition report or announced at the time of sale.
(ii) To make a claim under this paragraph you must give written details of the defect and return the lot to the sale room at which you bought it in the same condition as at the time of sale, within 14 days of the date of the sale.
(k) South East Asian Modern and Contemporary Art and Chinese Calligraphy and Painting.
In these categories, the authenticity warranty does not apply because current scholarship does not permit the making of definitive statements. Christie’s does, however, agree to cancel a sale in either of these two categories of art where it has been proven the lot is a forgery. Christie’s will refund to the original buyer the purchase price in accordance with the terms of Christie’s authenticity warranty, provided that the original buyer notifies us with full supporting evidence documenting the forgery claim within twelve (12) months of the date of the auction. Such evidence must be satisfactory to us that the lot is a forgery in accordance with paragraph E2(h)(ii) above and the lot must be returned to us in accordance with E2h(iii) above. Paragraphs E2(b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g) and (i) also apply to a claim under these categories.
(l) Chinese, Japanese and Korean artefacts (excluding Chinese, Japanese and Korean calligraphy, paintings, prints, drawings and jewellery).
In these categories, paragraph E2 (b) – (e) above shall be amended so that where no maker or artist is identified, the authenticity warranty is given not only for the Heading but also for information regarding date or period shown in UPPERCASE type in the second line of the catalogue description (the “SubHeading”). Accordingly, all references to the Heading in paragraph E2 (b) – (e) above shall be read as references to both the Heading and the SubHeading
3 YOUR WARRANTIES
(a) You warrant that the funds used for settlement are not connected with any criminal activity, including tax evasion, and you are neither under investigation, nor have you been charged with or convicted of money laundering, terrorist activities or other crimes.
(b) Where you are bidding as agent on behalf of any ultimate buyer(s) who will put you in funds before you pay Christie’s for the lot(s), you warrant that:
(i) you have conducted appropriate customer due diligence on the ultimate buyer(s) and have complied with all applicable anti-money laundering, counter terrorist financing and sanctions laws;
(ii) you will disclose to us the identity of the ultimate buyer(s) (including any officers and beneficial owner(s) of the ultimate buyer(s) and any persons acting on its behalf) and on our request, provide documents to verify their identity;
(iii)the arrangements between you and the ultimate buyer(s) in relation to the lot or otherwise do not, in whole or in part, facilitate tax crimes;
(iv)you do not know, and have no reason to suspect that the ultimate buyer(s) (or its officers, beneficial owners or any persons acting on its behalf) are on a sanctions list, are under investigation for, charged with or convicted of money laundering, terrorist activities or other crimes, or that the funds used for settlement are connected with the proceeds of any criminal activity, including tax evasion; and
(v) where you are a regulated person who is supervised for anti-money laundering purposes under the laws of the EEA or another jurisdiction with requirements equivalent to the EU 4th Money Laundering Directive, and we do not request documents to verify the ultimate buyer’s identity at the time of registration, you consent to us relying on your due diligence on the ultimate buyer, and will retain their identification and verification documents for a period of not less than 5 years from the date of the transaction. You will make such
documentation available for immediate inspection on our request.
F PAYMENT 1 HOW TO PAY
(a) Immediately following the auction, you must pay the purchase price being:
(i) the hammer price; and
(ii) the buyer’s premium; and
(iii) any amounts due under section D3 above; and
(iv) any duties, goods, sales, use, compensating or service tax or VAT. Payment is due no later than by the end of the seventh calendar day following the date of the auction, or no later than 24 hours after we issue you with an invoice in the case of payment made in cryptocurrency, as the case may be (the ‘due date’).
(b) We will only accept payment from the registered bidder. Once issued, we cannot change the buyer’s name on an invoice or re-issue the invoice in a different name. You must pay immediately even if you want to export the lot and you need an export licence.
(c) You must pay for lots bought at Christie’s in the United Kingdom in the currency stated on the invoice in one of the following ways:
(i) Wire transfer
You must make payments to: Lloyds Bank Plc, City Office, PO Box 217, 72 Lombard Street, London EC3P 3BT. Account number: 00172710, sort code: 30-00-02 Swift code: LOYDGB2LCTY. IBAN (international bank account number): GB81 LOYD 3000 0200 1727 10.
(ii) Credit Card
We accept most major credit cards subject to certain conditions. You may make payment via credit card in person. You may also make a ‘cardholder not present’ (CNP) payment by calling Christie’s Post-Sale Services Department on +44 (0)20 7752 3200 or for some sales, by logging into your MyChristie’s account by going to: www.christies. com/mychristies. Details of the conditions and restrictions applicable to credit card payments are available from our Post-Sale Services Department, whose details are set out in paragraph (e) below.
If you pay for your purchase using a credit card issued outside the region of the sale, depending on the type of credit card and account you hold, the payment may incur a cross-border transaction fee. If you think this may apply to, you, please check with your credit card issuer before making the payment.
Please note that for sales that permit online payment, certain transactions will be ineligible for credit card payment.
(iii) Cash
We accept cash subject to a maximum of £5,000 per buyer per year at our Cashier’s Department only (subject to conditions).
(iv) Banker’s draft
You must make these payable to Christie’s and there may be conditions.
(v) Cheque
You must make cheques payable to Christie’s. Cheques must be from accounts in pounds sterling (GBP) from a United Kingdom bank.
(vi) Cryptocurrency
With the exception of clients resident in Mainland China, payment for a lot marked with the symbol may be made in a cryptocurrency or cryptocurrencies of our choosing. Such cryptocurrency payments must be made in accordance with the Terms for Payment by Buyers in Cryptocurrency set out at Appendix B in these Conditions of Sale.
(d) You must quote the sale number, lot number(s), your invoice number and Christie’s client account number when making a payment. All payments sent by post must be sent to: Christie’s, Cashiers Department, 8 King Street, St James’s, London, SW1Y 6QT.
(e) For more information please contact our Post-Sale Service Department by phone on +44 (0)20 7752 3200 or fax on +44 (0)20 752 3300.
2. TRANSFERRING OWNERSHIP TO YOU
You will not own the lot and ownership of the lot will not pass to you until we have received full and clear payment of the purchase price, even in circumstances where we have released the lot to the buyer.
3 TRANSFERRING RISK TO YOU
The risk in and responsibility for the lot will transfer to you from whichever is the earlier of the following:
(a) When you collect the lot; or
(b) At the end of the 30th day following the date of the auction or, if earlier, the date the lot is taken into care by a third-party warehouse as set out on the page headed ‘Storage and Collection’, unless we have agreed otherwise with you in writing.
4 WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO NOT PAY
(a) If you fail to pay us the purchase price in full by the due date, we will be entitled to do one or more of the following (as well as enforce our rights under paragraph F5 and any other rights or remedies we have by law):
(i) to charge interest from the due date at a rate of 5% a year above the UK Lloyds Bank base rate from time to time on the unpaid amount due;
(ii) we can cancel the sale of the lot. If we do this, we may sell the lot again, publicly or privately on such terms we shall think necessary or appropriate, in which case you must pay us any shortfall between the purchase price and the proceeds from the resale. You must also pay all costs, expenses, losses, damages and legal fees we have to pay or may suffer and any shortfall in the seller’s commission on the resale;
(iii) we can pay the seller an amount up to the net proceeds payable in respect of the amount bid by your default in which case you acknowledge and understand that Christie’s will have all of the rights of the seller to pursue you for such amounts;
(iv) we can hold you legally responsible for the purchase price and may begin legal proceedings to recover it together with other losses, interest, legal fees and costs as far as we are allowed by law;
(v) we can take what you owe us from any amounts which we or any company in the Christie’s Group may owe you (including any deposit or other part-payment which you have paid to us);
(vi) we can, at our option, reveal your identity and contact details to the seller;
(vii) we can reject at any future auction any bids made by or on behalf of the buyer or to obtain a deposit from the buyer before accepting any bids;
(viii) to exercise all the rights and remedies of a person holding security over any property in our possession owned by you, whether by way of pledge, security interest or in any other way as permitted by the
law of the place where such property is located. You will be deemed to have granted such security to us and we may retain such property as collateral security for your obligations to us; and
(ix) we can take any other action we see necessary or appropriate.
(b) If you owe money to us or to another Christie’s Group company, we can use any amount you do pay, including any deposit or other partpayment you have made to us, or which we owe you, to pay off any amount you owe to us or another Christie’s Group company for any transaction.
(c) If you make payment in full after the due date, and we choose to accept such payment we may charge you storage and transport costs from the date that is 30 calendar days following the auction in accordance with paragraphs Gd(i) and (ii). In such circumstances paragraph Gd(iv) shall apply.
5 KEEPING YOUR PROPERTY
If you owe money to us or to another Christie’s Group company, as well as the rights set out in F4 above, we can use or deal with any of your property we hold or which is held by another Christie’s Group company in any way we are allowed to by law. We will only release your property to you after you pay us or the relevant Christie’s Group company in full for what you owe.
However, if we choose, we can also sell your property in any way we think appropriate. We will use the proceeds of the sale against any amounts you owe us and we will pay any amount left from that sale to you. If there is a shortfall, you must pay us any difference between the amount we have received from the sale and the amount you owe us.
G COLLECTION AND STORAGE
(a) You must collect purchased lots within thirty days from the auction (but note that lots will not be released to you until you have made full and clear payment of all amounts due to us).
(b) Information on collecting lots is set out on the Storage and Collection page and on an information sheet which you can get from the bidder registration staff or Christie’s Post-Sale Services Department on +44 (0)20 7752 3200.
(c) If you do not collect any lot within thirty days following the auction we can, at our option:
(i) charge you storage costs at the rates set out at www.christies.com/storage.
(ii) move the lot to another Christie’s location or an affiliate or third party warehouse and charge you transport costs and administration fees for doing so and you will be subject to the third party storage warehouse’s standard terms and to pay for their standard fees and costs.
(iii) sell the lot in any commercially reasonable way we think appropriate.
(d) The Storage Conditions which can be found at www.christies.com/storage will apply.
H TRANSPORT AND SHIPPING
1 TRANSPORT AND SHIPPING
We will enclose a transport and shipping form with each invoice sent to you. You must make all transport and shipping arrangements. However, we can arrange to pack, transport and ship your property if you ask us to and pay the costs of doing so. We recommend that you ask us for an estimate, especially for any large items or items of high value that need professional packing before you bid. We may also suggest other handlers, packers, transporters or experts if you ask us to do so. For more information, please contact Christie’s Art Transport on +44 (0)20 7839 9060. See the information set out at www.christies.com/shipping or contact us at arttransportlondon@christies.com. We will take reasonable care when we are handling, packing, transporting and shipping a lot. However, if we recommend another company for any of these purposes, we are not responsible for their acts, failure to act or neglect.
2 EXPORT AND IMPORT
Any lot sold at auction may be affected by laws on exports from the country in which it is sold and the import restrictions of other countries. Many countries require a declaration of export for property leaving the country and/or an import declaration on entry of property into the country. Local laws may prevent you from importing a lot or may prevent you selling a lot in the country you import it into. We will not be obliged to cancel your purchase and refund the purchase price if your lot may not be exported, imported or it is seized for any reason by a government authority. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy the requirements of any applicable laws or regulations relating to the export or import of any lot you purchase.
(a) You alone are responsible for getting advice about and meeting the requirements of any laws or regulations which apply to exporting or importing any lot prior to bidding. If you are refused a licence or there is a delay in getting one, you must still pay us in full for the lot. We may be able to help you apply for the appropriate licences if you ask us to and pay our fee for doing so. However, we cannot guarantee that you will get one. For more information, please contact Christie’s Art Transport Department on +44 (0)20 7839 9060. See the information set out at www.christies.com/shipping or contact us at arttransport_ london@christies.com
(b) You alone are responsible for any applicable taxes, tariffs or other government-imposed charges relating to the export or import of the lot If Christie’s exports or imports the lot on your behalf, and if Christie’s pays these applicable taxes, tariffs or other governmentimposed charges, you agree to refund that amount to Christie’s.
(c) Lots made of protected species Lots made of or including (regardless of the percentage) endangered and other protected species of wildlife are marked with the symbol ~ in the catalogue. This material includes, among other things, ivory, tortoiseshell, crocodile skin, rhinoceros horn, whalebone, certain species of coral, and Brazilian rosewood. You should check the relevant customs laws and regulations before bidding on any lot containing wildlife material if you plan to export the lot from the country in which the lot is sold and import it into another country as a licence may be required. In some cases, the lot can only be shipped with an independent scientific confirmation of species and/or age, and you will need to obtain these at your own cost. Several countries have imposed restrictions on dealing in elephant ivory, ranging from a total ban on importing African elephant ivory in the United States to importing, exporting and selling under strict measures in other countries. The UK and EU have both implemented regulations on selling, exporting and importing elephant ivory. In our London sales, lots made of or including elephant ivory material are marked with the symbol and are offered with the benefit of being registered as ‘exempt’ in accordance with the UK Ivory Act. Handbags
containing endangered or protected species material are marked with the symbol ≈ and further information can be found in paragraph H2(h) below. We will not be obliged to cancel your purchase and refund the purchase price if your lot may not be exported, imported or it is seized for any reason by a government authority. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy the requirements of any applicable laws or regulations relating to the export or import of property containing such protected or regulated material.
(d) Lots of Iranian origin
As a convenience to buyers, Christie’s indicates under the title of a lot if the lot originates from Iran (Persia). Some countries prohibit or restrict the purchase and/or import of Iranian-origin property. It is your responsibility to ensure you do not bid on or import a lot in contravention of any sanctions, trade embargoes or other laws that apply to you. For example, the USA prohibits dealings in and import of Iranian-origin “works of conventional craftsmanship” (such as carpets, textiles, decorative objects, and scientific instruments) without an appropriate licence. Christie’s has a general OFAC licence which, subject to compliance with certain conditions, may enable a buyer to import this type of lot into the USA. If you use Christie’s general OFAC licence for this purpose, you agree to comply with the licence conditions and provide Christie’s with all relevant information. You also acknowledge that Christie’s will disclose your personal information and your use of the licence to OFAC.
(e) Gold
Gold of less than 18ct does not qualify in all countries as ‘gold’ and may be refused import into those countries as ‘gold’.
(f) Jewellery over 50 years old
Under current laws, jewellery over 50 years old which is worth £39,219 or more will require an export licence which we can apply for on your behalf. It may take up to eight weeks to obtain the export jewellery licence.
(g) Watches
Many of the watches offered for sale in this catalogue are pictured with straps made of endangered or protected animal materials such as alligator or crocodile. These lots are marked with the symbol ψ in the catalogue. These endangered species straps are shown for display purposes only and are not for sale. Christie’s will remove and retain the strap prior to shipment from the sale site. At some sale sites, Christie’s may, at its discretion, make the displayed endangered species strap available to the buyer of the lot free of charge if collected in person from the sale site within one year of the date of the sale. Please check with the department for details on a particular lot. For all symbols and other markings referred to in paragraph H2, please note that lots are marked as a convenience to you, but we do not accept liability for errors or for failing to mark lots
(h) Handbags
A lot marked with the symbol ≈ next to the lot number includes endangered or protected species material and is subject to CITES regulations. This lot may only be shipped to an address within the country of the sale site or personally picked up from our saleroom. The term “hardware” refers to the metallic parts of the handbag, such as the buckle hardware, base studs, lock and keys and/or strap, which are plated with a coloured finish (e.g. gold, silver, palladium). The terms “Gold Hardware”, “Silver Hardware”, “Palladium Hardware”, etc. refer to the tone or colour of the hardware and not the actual material used. If the handbag incorporates solid metal hardware, this will be referenced in the catalogue description
I OUR LIABILITY TO YOU
(a) We give no warranty in relation to any statement made, or information given, by us or our representatives or employees, about any lot other than as set out in the authenticity warranty and, as far as we are allowed by law, all warranties and other terms which may be added to this agreement by law are excluded. The seller’s warranties contained in paragraph E1 are their own and we do not have any liability to you in relation to those warranties.
(b) (i) We are not responsible to you for any reason (whether for breaking this agreement or any other matter relating to your purchase of, or bid for, any lot) other than in the event of fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation by us or other than as expressly set out in these Conditions of Sale; or (ii) we do not give any representation, warranty or guarantee or assume any liability of any kind in respect of any lot with regard to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, description, size, quality, condition, attribution, authenticity, rarity, importance, medium, provenance, exhibition history, literature, or historical relevance. Except as required by local law, any warranty of any kind is excluded by this paragraph.
(c) In particular, please be aware that our written and telephone bidding services, Christie’s LIVE™, condition reports, currency converter and saleroom video screens are free services and we are not responsible to you for any error (human or otherwise), omission or breakdown in these services.
(d) We have no responsibility to any person other than a buyer in connection with the purchase of any lot
(e) If, in spite of the terms in paragraphs (a) to (d) or E2(i) above, we are found to be liable to you for any reason, we shall not have to pay more than the purchase price paid by you to us. We will not be responsible to you for any reason for loss of profits or business, loss of opportunity or value, expected savings or interest, costs, damages, or expenses.
J OTHER TERMS
1 OUR ABILITY TO CANCEL
In addition to the other rights of cancellation contained in this agreement, we can cancel a sale of a lot if: (i) any of your warranties in paragraph E3 are not correct; (ii) we reasonably believe that completing the transaction is or may be unlawful; or (iii) we reasonably believe that the sale places us or the seller under any liability to anyone else or may damage our reputation.
2 RECORDINGS
We may videotape and record proceedings at any auction. We will keep any personal information confidential, except to the extent disclosure is required by law. However, we may, through this process, use or share these recordings with another Christie’s Group company and marketing partners to analyse our customers and to help us to tailor our services for buyers. If you do not want to be videotaped, you may make arrangements to make a telephone or written bid or bid on Christie’s LIVE™ instead. Unless we agree otherwise in writing, you may not videotape or record proceedings at any auction.
3 COPYRIGHT
We own the copyright in all images, illustrations and written material produced by or for us relating to a lot (including the contents of our catalogues unless otherwise noted in the catalogue). You cannot use them without our prior written permission. We do not offer any guarantee that you will gain any copyright or other reproduction rights to the lot
4 ENFORCING THIS AGREEMENT
If a court finds that any part of this agreement is not valid or is illegal or impossible to enforce, that part of the agreement will be treated as being deleted and the rest of this agreement will not be affected.
5 TRANSFERRING YOUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
You may not grant a security over or transfer your rights or responsibilities under these terms on the contract of sale with the buyer unless we have given our written permission. This agreement will be binding on your successors or estate and anyone who takes over your rights and responsibilities.
6 TRANSLATIONS
If we have provided a translation of this agreement, we will use this original version in deciding any issues or disputes which arise under this agreement.
7 PERSONAL INFORMATION
We will hold and process your personal information and may pass it to another Christie’s Group company for use as described in, and in line with, our privacy notice at www.christies.com/about-us/contact/privacy and if you are a resident of California you can see a copy of our California Consumer Privacy Act statement at https://www.christies.com/about-us/ contact/ccpa
8 WAIVER
No failure or delay to exercise any right or remedy provided under these Conditions of Sale shall constitute a waiver of that or any other right or remedy, nor shall it prevent or restrict the further exercise of that or any other right or remedy. No single or partial exercise of such right or remedy shall prevent or restrict the further exercise of that or any other right or remedy.
9 LAW AND DISPUTES
This agreement, and any contractual or non-contractual dispute arising out of or in connection with this agreement, will be governed by English law. Before either you or we start any court proceedings and if you and we agree, you and we will try to settle the dispute by mediation in accordance with the CEDR Model Mediation Procedure. If the dispute is not settled by mediation, you agree for our benefit that the dispute will be referred to and dealt with exclusively in the English courts; however, we will have the right to bring proceedings against you in any other court.
10 REPORTING ON WWW.CHRISTIES.COM
Details of all lots sold by us, including catalogue descriptions and prices, may be reported on www.christies.com. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and do not reflect costs, financing fees, or application of buyer’s or seller’s credits. We regret that we cannot agree to requests to remove these details from www.christies.com
K GLOSSARY
auctioneer: the individual auctioneer and/or Christie’s. authentic: a genuine example, rather than a copy or forgery of:
(i) the work of a particular artist, author or manufacturer, if the lot is described in the Heading as the work of that artist, author or manufacturer;
(ii) a work created within a particular period or culture, if the lot is described in the Heading as a work created during that period or culture;
(iii) a work for a particular origin source if the lot is described in the Heading as being of that origin or source; or
(iv)in the case of gems, a work which is made of a particular material, if the lot is described in the Heading as being made of that material.
authenticity warranty: the guarantee we give in this agreement that a lot is authentic as set out in section E2 of this agreement.
buyer’s premium: the charge the buyer pays us along with the hammer price.
catalogue description: the description of a lot in the catalogue for the auction, as amended by any saleroom notice
Christie’s Group: Christie’s International Plc, its subsidiaries and other companies within its corporate group.
condition: the physical condition of a lot
due date: has the meaning given to it in paragraph F1(a).
estimate: the price range included in the catalogue or any saleroom notice within which we believe a lot may sell. Low estimate means the lower figure in the range and high estimate means the higher figure. The mid estimate is the midpoint between the two.
hammer price: the amount of the highest bid the auctioneer accepts for the sale of a lot
Heading: has the meaning given to it in paragraph E2.
SubHeading: has the meaning given to it in paragraph E2. lot: an item to be offered at auction (or two or more items to be offered at auction as a group).
other damages: any special, consequential, incidental or indirect damages of any kind or any damages which fall within the meaning of ‘special’, ‘incidental’ or ‘consequential’ under local law.
purchase price: has the meaning given to it in paragraph F1(a).
provenance: the ownership history of a lot
qualified: has the meaning given to it in paragraph E2 and Qualified
Headings means the section headed Qualified Headings on the page of the catalogue headed ‘Important Notices and Explanation of Cataloguing Practice’.
reserve: the confidential amount below which we will not sell a lot
saleroom notice: a written notice posted next to the lot in the saleroom and on www.christies.com, which is also read to prospective telephone bidders and notified to clients who have left commission bids, or an announcement made by the auctioneer either at the beginning of the sale, or before a particular lot is auctioned.
UPPER CASE type: means having all capital letters.
warranty: a statement or representation in which the person making it guarantees that the facts set out in it are correct.
VAT SYMBOLS AND EXPLANATION
Important Notice
The VAT liability in force on the date of the sale will be the rules under which we invoice you.
You can find the meanings of words in bold on this page in the glossary section of the Conditions of Sale.
VAT Payable
Symbol
No Symbol We will use the VAT Margin Scheme in accordance with Section 50A of the VAT Act 1994 & SI VAT (Special Provisions) Order 1995. No VAT will be charged on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
†
θ We will invoice under standard VAT rules and VAT will be charged at 20% on both the hammer price and buyer’s premium and shown separately on our invoice. For qualifying books only, no VAT is payable on the hammer price or the buyer’s premium
* These lots have been imported from outside the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
Ω These lots have been imported from outside the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Customs Duty as applicable will be added to the hammer price and Import VAT at 20% will be charged on the Duty Inclusive hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
α The VAT treatment will depend on whether you have registered to bid with a UK address or non-UK address:
• If you register to bid with an address within the UK you will be invoiced under the VAT Margin Scheme (see No Symbol above).
• If you register to bid with an address outside of the UK you will be invoiced under standard VAT rules (see † symbol above)
‡ For wine offered ‘in bond’ only. If you choose to buy the wine in bond no Excise Duty or Clearance VAT will be charged on the hammer. If you choose to buy the wine out of bond Excise Duty as applicable will be added to the hammer price and Clearance VAT at 20% will be charged on the Duty inclusive hammer price. Whether you buy the wine in bond or out of bond, 20% VAT will be added to the buyer’s premium and shown on the invoice.
VAT refunds: what can I reclaim?
Non-UK buyer If you meet ALL of the conditions in notes 1 to 3 below we will refund the following tax charges:
No symbol We will refund the VAT amount in the buyer’s premium
† and α We will refund the VAT charged on the hammer price. VAT on the buyer’s premium can only be refunded if you are an overseas business. The VAT amount in the buyer’s premium cannot be refunded to non-trade clients.
‡ (wine only)
No Excise Duty or Clearance VAT will be charged on the hammer price providing you export the wine while ‘in bond’ directly outside the UK using an Excise authorised shipper. VAT on the buyer’s premium can only be refunded if you are an overseas business. The VAT amount in the buyer’s premium cannot be refunded to non-trade clients.
* and Ω We will refund the Import VAT charged on the hammer price and the VAT amount in the buyer’s premium
1. We CANNOT offer refunds of VAT amounts or Import VAT to buyers who do not meet all applicable conditions in full. If you are unsure whether you will be entitled to a refund, please contact Client Services at the address below before you bid.
2. No VAT amounts or Import VAT will be refunded where the total refund is under £100.
3. To receive a refund of VAT amounts/ Import VAT (as applicable) a non-UK buyer must:
a) have registered to bid with an address outside of the UK; and
b) provide immediate proof of correct export out of the UK within the required time frames of: 30 days of collection via a ‘controlled export’, but no later than 90 days from the date of the sale for * and Ωlots. All other lots must be exported within 90 days of the sale.
4. Details of the documents which you must provide to us to show satisfactory proof of export/shipping are available from our VAT team at the address below.
We charge a processing fee of £35.00 per invoice to check shipping/export documents. We will waive this processing
fee if you appoint Christie’s Shipping Department to arrange your export/ shipping.
5. Following the UK’s departure from the EU (Brexit), private buyers will only be able to secure VAT-free invoicing and/ or VAT refunds if they instruct Christie’s or a third party commercial shipper to export out of the UK on their behalf.
6. Private buyers who choose to export their purchased lots from the UK hand carry will now be charged VAT at the applicable rate and will not be able to claim a VAT refund.
7. If you appoint Christie’s Art Transport or one of our authorised shippers to
arrange your export/shipping we will issue you with an export invoice with the applicable VAT or duties cancelled as outlined above. If you later cancel or change the shipment in a manner that infringes the rules outlined above we will issue a revised invoice charging you all applicable taxes/charges. If you export via a third party commercial shipper, you must provide us with sufficient proof of export in order for us to cancel the applicable VAT or duties outlined above.
8. If you ask us to re-invoice you under normal UK VAT rules (as if the lot had been sold with a † symbol) instead of
under the Margin Scheme the lot may become ineligible to be resold using the Margin Schemes. You should take professional advice if you are unsure how this may affect you.
9. All reinvoicing requests, corrections, or other VAT adjustments must be received within four years from the date of sale.
If you have any questions about VAT refunds please contact Christie’s Client Services on info@christies.com
The meaning of words coloured in bold in this section can be found in paragraph K, Glossary, of the section of the catalogue headed ‘Conditions of Sale’.
º Christie’s has a direct financial interest in the lot. See Important Notices in the Conditions of Sale for further information.
º
♦
Christie's has provided a minimum price guarantee and has a direct financial interest in this lot. Christie's has financed all or a part of such interest through a third party. Such third parties generally benefit financially if a guaranteed lot is sold. See the Important Notices in the Conditions of Sale for further information.
Christie’s has a financial interest in the lot. See Important Notices in the Conditions of Sale for further information.
Christie's has a financial interest in this lot and has financed all or a part of such interest through a third party. Such third parties generally benefit financially if a guaranteed lot is sold. See the Important Notices in the Conditions of Sale for further information.
¤ A party with a direct or indirect interest in the lot who may have knowledge of the lot’s reserve or other material information may be bidding on the lot
λ
Artist’s Resale Right. See Section D3 of the Conditions of Sale for further information.
• Lot offered without reserve
∼ Lot incorporates material from endangered species which could result in export restrictions. See Section H2(c) of the Conditions of Sale for further information.
≈
Handbag lot incorporates material from endangered species. International shipping restrictions apply. See paragraph H2 of the Conditions of Sale for further information.
Lot incorporates elephant ivory material. See paragraph H2 of the Conditions of Sale for further information.
ψ
Lot incorporates material from endangered species which is shown for display purposes only and is not for sale. See Section H2(h) of the Conditions of Sale for further information.
Lot is a Non Fungible Token (NFT). Please see Appendix A –Additional Conditions of Sale – Non- Fungible Tokens in the Conditions of Sale for further information.
Lot contains both a Non Fungible Token (NFT) and a physical work of art. Please see Appendix A – Additional Conditions of Sale – Non-Fungible Tokens in the Conditions of Sale for further information.
With the exception of clients resident in Mainland China, you may elect to make payment of the purchase price for the lot via a digital wallet in the name of the registered bidder, which must be maintained with one of the following: Coinbase Custody Trust; Coinbase, Inc.; Fidelity Digital Assets Services, LLC; Gemini Trust Company, LLC; or Paxos Trust Company, LLC. Please see the lot notice and Appendix B – Terms for Payment by Buyers in Cryptocurrency in the Conditions of Sale for further requirements and information.
† , Ɵ, *, Ω, α, ‡ See VAT Symbols and Explanation in the Conditions of Sale for further information.
See Storage and Collection Page.
Please note that lots are marked as a convenience to you and we shall not be liable for any errors in, or failure to, mark a lot
IMPORTANT NOTICES
CHRISTIE’S INTEREST IN PROPERTY CONSIGNED FOR AUCTION
Δ Property in which Christie’s has an ownership or financial interest
From time to time, Christie’s may offer a lot in which Christie’s has an ownership interest or a financial interest. Such lot is identified in the catalogue with the symbol Δ next to its lot number. Where Christie's has an ownership or financial interest in every lot in the catalogue, Christie's will not designate each lot with a symbol, but will state its int erest in the front of the catalogue.
º Minimum Price Guarantees
On occasion, Christie’s has a direct financial interest in the outcome of the sale of certain lots consigned for sale. This will usually be where it has guaranteed to the Seller that whatever the outcome of the auction, the Seller will receive a minimum sale price for the lot. This is known as a minimum price guarantee. Where Christie’s holds such financial interest, we identify such lots with the symbol º next to the lot number.
º♦ Third Party Guarantees/Irrevocable bids
Where Christie’s has provided a Minimum Price Guarantee, it is at risk of making a loss, which can be significant if the lot fails to sell. Christie’s therefore sometimes chooses to share that risk with a third party who agrees, prior to the auction, to place an irrevocable written bid on the lot. If there are no other higher bids, the third party commits to buy the lot at the level of their irrevocable written bid. In doing so, the third party takes on all or part of the risk of the lot not being sold. Lots which are subject to a third party guarantee arrangement are identified in the catalogue with the symbol º♦
In most cases, Christie’s compensates the third party in exchange for accepting this risk. Where the third party is the successful bidder, the third party’s remuneration is based on a fixed financing fee. If the third party is not the successful bidder, the remuneration may either be based on a fixed fee or an amount calculated against the final hammer price. The third party may also bid for the lot above the irrevocable written bid. Third party guarantors are required by us to disclose to anyone they are advising their financial interest in any lots they are guaranteeing. However, for the avoidance of any doubt, if you are advised by or bidding through an agent on a lot identified as being subject to a third party guarantee you should always ask your agent to confirm whether or not he or she has a financial interest in relation to the lot
Property in which Christie’s has an interest and Third Party Guarantee/Irrevocable bid
Where Christie's has a financial interest in a lot and the lot fails to sell, Christie's is at risk of making a loss. As such, Christie's may choose to share that risk with a third party whereby the third party contractually agrees, prior to the auction, to place an irrevocable written bid on the lot. Such lot is identified with the symbol next to the lot number.
Where the third party is the successful bidder on the lot, he or she will not receive compensation in exchange for accepting this risk. If the third party is not the successful bidder, Christie's may compensate the third party. The third party is required by us to disclose to anyone he or she is advising of his or her financial interest in any lot in which Christie's has a financial interest. If you are advised by or bidding through an agent on a lot in which Christie's has a financial interest that is subject to a contractual written bid, you should always ask your agent to confirm whether or not he or she has a financial interest in relation to the lot
Bidding by parties with an interest
When a party with a direct or indirect interest in the lot who may have knowledge of the lot’s reserve or other material information may be bidding on the lot, we will mark the lot with this symbol ¤. This interest can include beneficiaries of an estate that consigned the lot or a joint owner of a lot. Any interested party that successfully bids on a lot must comply with Christie’s Conditions of Sale, including paying the lot’s full buyer’s premium plus applicable taxes.
Post-catalogue notifications
If Christie’s enters into an arrangement or becomes aware of bidding that would have required a catalogue symbol, we will notify you by updating christies.com with the relevant information (time permitting) or otherwise by a pre-sale or pre-lot announcement.
Other Arrangements
Christie’s may enter into other arrangements not involving bids. These include arrangements where Christie’s has advanced money to consignors or prospective purchasers or where Christie’s has shared the risk of a guarantee with a partner without the partner being required to place an irrevocable written bid or otherwise participating in the bidding on the lot. Because such arrangements are unrelated to the bidding process they are not marked with a symbol in the catalogue. Please see http://www.christies.com/ financial-interest/ for a more detailed explanation of minimum price guarantees and third party financing arrangements.
EXPLANATION OF CATALOGUING PRACTICE
Terms used in this catalogue have the meanings ascribed to them below. Please note that all statements in a catalogue as to authorship are made subject to the provisions of the Conditions of Sale, including the authenticity warranty. Our use of these expressions does not take account of the condition of the lot or of the extent of any restoration. Buyers are advised to inspect the property themselves. Written condition reports are usually available on request.
A term and its definition listed under ‘Qualified Headings’ is a qualified statement as to authorship. While the use of this term is based upon careful study and represents the opinion of specialists, Christie’s and the consignor assume no risk, liability and responsibility for the authenticity of authorship of any lot in this catalogue described by this term, and the authenticity warranty shall not be available with respect to lots described using this term.
PICTURES, DRAWINGS, PRINTS, MINIATURES AND SCULPTURE
Name(s) or Recognised Designation of an artist without any qualification: in Christie’s opinion a work by the artist.
QUALIFIED HEADINGS
“Attributed to…”: in Christie’s qualified opinion probably a work by the artist in whole or in part.
“Studio of …”/“Workshop of …”: in Christie’s qualified opinion a work executed in the studio or workshop of the artist, possibly under his supervision.
“Circle of …”: in Christie’s qualified opinion a work of the period of the artist and showing his influence.
“Follower of …”: in Christie’s qualified opinion a work executed in the artist’s style but not necessarily by a pupil.
“Manner of …”: in Christie’s qualified opinion a work executed in the artist’s style but of a later date.
“After …”: in Christie’s qualified opinion a copy (of any date) of a work of the artist.
“Signed …”/“Dated …”/ “Inscribed …”: in Christie’s qualified opinion the work has been signed/dated/inscribed by the artist.
“With signature …”/“With date …”/ “With inscription …”: in Christie’s qualified opinion the signature/ date/inscription appears to be by a hand other than that of the artist.
The date given for Old Master, Modern and Contemporary Prints is the date (or approximate date when prefixed with ‘circa’) on which the matrix was worked and not necessarily the date when the impression was printed or published.
STORAGE AND COLLECTION
COLLECTION LOCATION AND TERMS
Specified lots (sold and unsold) marked with a filled square ( ) not collected from Christie’s, 8 King Street, London SW1Y 6QT by 5.00pm on the day of the sale will, at our option, be removed to Crozier Park Royal (details below). Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite.
If the lot is transferred to Crozier Park Royal, it will be available for collection from 12.00pm on the second business day following the sale.
Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Crozier Park Royal. All collections from Crozier Park Royal will be by prebooked appointment only
Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com.
If the lot remains at Christie’s, 8 King Street, it will be available for collection on any working day (not weekends) from 9.00am to 5.00pm.
COLLECTION AND CONTACT DETAILS
Lots will only be released on payment of all charges due and on production of a Collection Form from Christie’s. Charges may be paid in advance or at the time of collection. We may charge fees for storage if your lot is not collected within thirty days from the sale. Please see paragraph G of the Conditions of Sale for further detail.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com
SHIPPING
AND DELIVERY
Christie’s Post-Sale Service can organise local deliveries or international freight. Please contact them on +44 (0)20 7752 3200 or PostSaleUK@christies.com.
CROZIER PARK ROYAL
Unit 7, Central Park Central Way London NW10 7FY
Vehicle access via Central Way only, off Acton Lane.
COLLECTION FROM CROZIER PARK ROYAL
Please note that the opening hours for Crozier Park Royal are Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm and lots transferred are not available for collection at weekends.
As a leader in the art market,
Christie’s is committed to building a sustainable business model that promotes and protects the environment. Our digital platform on christies.com offers a conscious approach, creating an immersive space where we bring art to life through high quality images, videos and in-depth essays by our specialists.
With this robust online support, Christie’s will print fewer catalogues to ensure that we achieve our goal of Net Zero by 2030. However, when we do print, we will uphold the highest sustainable standards.
Please scan for more information about our sustainability goals and projects.
The catalogue you are reading is:
printed on fully recycled paper;
printed with vegetable-based ink and biodegradable laminates;
printed in close proximity to our markets in an effort to reduce distribution emissions.
IDENTITY VERIFICATION
From January 2020, new anti-money laundering regulations require Christie’s and other art businesses to verify the identity of all clients. To register as a new client, you will need to provide the following documents, or if you are an existing client, you will be prompted to provide any outstanding documents the next time you transact.
Private individuals:
• A copy of your passport or other government-issued photo ID
• Proof of your residential address (such as a bank statement or utility bill) dated within the last three months
Please upload your documents through your christies.com account: click ‘My Account’ followed by ‘Complete Profle’. You can also email your documents to info@christies.com or provide them in person.
Organisations:
• Formal documents showing the company’s incorporation, its registered ofice and business address, and its oficers, members and ultimate benefcial owners
• A passport or other government-issued photo ID for each authorised user
Please email your documents to info@christies.com or provide them in person.
