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Letters from Tudor Monarchs to the Man Who Survived Them

BY SOTHEBY’S | JUL 9, 2019 It is a question many of us must have asked ourselves when watching Sunday night costume dramas on television, or visiting evocative historic palaces: could I have survived life at the Tudor court? Part of the public fascination with the Tudors is undoubtedly the fact that it was a time when politics was a game played for the highest possible stakes. Sotheby’s is fortunate to offer for sale six letters by three Tudor monarchs – Edward VI, Mary I (and her husband Philip of Spain), and Elizabeth I – written to one of the great survivors of the Tudor period, in July’s English Literature, History, Children’s Books and Illustrations sale.

William Paget (1505-63) was a Londoner from a family of small fortune, but his formidable abilities as an administrator and diplomat led to a rapid rise through the royal bureaucracy not unlike that of his near-contemporary Thomas Cromwell. By the 1540s he was one of the men closest to the ailing, short-tempered and often malevolent King Henry VIII: physical proximity is a key to power in a personal monarchy and Paget became the key conduit to an increasingly reclusive monarch.

Such positions bring wealth and power, and Paget soon accumulated vast estates from the recently-dissolved monasteries, but they also bring enemies. When Henry was on his deathbed, Paget struck a deal with Edward Seymour, the young Prince of Wales’s uncle, that would preserve his position. Thus, when the Prince became Edward VI, Seymour duly became Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector, with Paget as his principal advisor. The first lot in the sale is a letter from the early days of Edward VI’s regime, signed by Somerset and with a woodcut signature of the King.

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These Models Chart the Evolution of the Space Race

BY HALINA LOFT | JUL 12, 2019

The Space Exploration auction features several rare, out-of-this-world models from the biggest moments in the space race. Tune into the auction on 20 July, 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM EDT in New York, or place your bid online now .

This fantastic, rare modernist style contractor’s advertising model for the Altair rocket stage has it all: the starry sky, pictured on a metal plate behind the rocket, rotates, and the stars light up. A second window reveals a series of rocket features, and rotates on a metal plate. Starting in 1956, NASA & the US military commissioned the Hercules Powder Co. to develop solid-fuel rocket motors; this contract included Altair rocket stages for Vanguard rockets.

This very rare, large cut-away model depicts the Apollo capsule, complete with three seated astronaut figures. Looking closely, you can see the highly-detailed silver Mercury-era spacesuits, complete with NASA meatball patches, name tags and other fine details. Models such as this, complete with highly detailed figures, are few and far between. This is an excellent model manufactured and used by NASA for educational purposes.

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The Enigmatic Allure of Liangzhu Jades

BY SOTHEBY’S | JUL 19, 2019

Located in China’s lower Yangtze River Basin, the Liangzhu archaeological site shares its name with the Neolithic culture of the greater area, and was the location of the first documented findings of distinctive artefacts now considered characteristic of these communities. These man-made mounds were discovered in 1936, and subsequent excavations over the decades have led to the unearthing of more burial complexes and impressive ritual objects of jades, stones, pottery and other ceremonial tools. While this trove evokes the presence of a bygone culture, some objects still remain shrouded in mystery.

Liangzhu is considered one of the two most important Neolithic jade cultures in China, marked by the development of principal jade forms. Cong tubes, bi discs, yue axes and other ornaments were discovered close to the entombed dead, which suggests a special function in burial rites. Many of the ornaments, utensils, vessels and tools point to the importance of farming, fishing and hunting as a way of life, while the works of sophisticated jade craftsmanship are remnants of highly stratified social structures and religious practices.

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Rocking Wimbledon: History of the Tennis Bracelet

BY ASHLEY FLIGHT | JUL 19, 2019

As Wimbledon, the most exclusive sporting event of the summer, quickly approaches Sotheby’s Diamonds takes a look at the chicest way to accessorise your centre court attire: the tennis bracelet. Its history is one immortalised by world-ranked tennis star Chris Evert in 1987 during the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. An accomplished athlete, Evert won eighteen Grand Slam single tournaments in her career, including three Wimbledon Championships.

Known for her chic on-court attire of delicate lace dresses and elegant accessories, “The Ice Maiden” was one of the most talked about style stars. Her signature accessory was an eternity bracelet: a flexible, serpentine design of diamonds that provided flexibility even while landing her opponent a perfectly placed backhand shot. Popular in the 1920s, this elegant bracelet was worn by fashionable women at the time, who would stack them in multiples on their wrists.

During an exceptionally long rally in the 1987 Grand Slam, Chris’s diamond eternity bracelet snapped mid-game. Refusing to continue playing until her bracelet was recovered, officials halted the game till, at last, it was found. The elegant bracelet immediately gained notoriety; jewellers everywhere began receiving requests for diamond “tennis bracelets.” Despite the bracelet’s name throughout history, its timeless and classic design are sure to been seen from the grandstands of Wimbledon this year.