1. Bronze maquette
This electroplated bronze maquette for the statue of the poet, dramatist and essayist Oliver Goldsmith at Trinity College, Dublin, by John Henry Foley, has an estimate of €6000-8000 at Whyte’s in Dublin on December 2
Today Whyte’s in Dublin is offering an electroplated bronze maquette of poet, dramatist and essayist Oliver Goldsmith. The maquette was made for the sculpture that Irish artist John Henry Foley (1818-74) created of Goldsmith for Trinity College Dublin in the 1860s.
This one-off piece, made without foundry marks or Foley’s signature, has an estimate of €6000-8000 at on December 2. View the bronze maquette via thesaleroom.com.
2. Fabergé brooch
Adam’s auction of Fine Jewellery and Watches in Dublin on December 3 includes several pieces by Fabergé, including this brooch attributed to senior workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, estimated at €1200-1800.
Adam’s auction of Fine Jewellery and Watches in Dublin on December 3 includes several pieces by Fabergé.
Although the maker’s mark is obscured, this cabochon sapphire and diamond brooch is attributed to senior workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, the self-taught goldsmith who learned his trade from rural craftsmen in the Olonets province but rose through the ranks to create more than half of the Imperial Easter eggs.
It has a provenance to Frederick James Merrilees, the son of the Anglo-Russian merchant who co-owned Moscow’s first and largest department store in the last days of the Russian Empire. Merrilees was guardian to a young girl he brought up as a friend and companion to his daughter from the age of eight to 18. This brooch was consigned by the granddaughter.
Estimate €1200-1800. View the Fabergé brooch via thesaleroom.com.
3. Flintlock pistol
This very rare flintlock 50-bore ‘duck’s foot’ type Mortimer pistol from c.1806-12 is estimated at £4000-6000 in the December 4 sale at Thomas Del Mar of Olympia Auctions.
The sale of Antique Arms, Armour & Militaria held by Thomas Del Mar of Olympia Auctions in London on December 4 includes the Howard Lee Munson collection of firearms by the Mortimer family of gunmakers.
Munson spent half a century studying and acquiring Georgian and Victorian firearms by the Mortimer family.
This very rare flintlock 50-bore ‘duck’s foot’ type pistol dates from c.1806-12. It is signed and inscribed Gunmaker to his Majesty alongside London proof marks and vignettes of engraved foliate and trophies-of-arms. A gun with a provenance to a number of well-known collectors, including William Keith Neal, it is also pictured in a number of reference works. The estimate is £4000-6000.
Another pistol of this type by the same makers when at this address, was formerly in the collection of Nelson’s prize agent, Alexander Davison, and last sold at Sotheby’s in 2002.
4. Elkington & Co Medallion
This medallion by Elkington & Co is estimated at £400-500 in a sale of Coins, Tokens and Historical Medals at Dix Noonan Webb in London.
This design for this 10in (26cm) silvered electrotype medallion by Elkington & Co comes from one of the panels of the so-called Milton Shield, designed by the French goldsmith and sculptor Léonard Morel-Ladeuil (1820-88), for the Paris international exhibition of 1867. The panel depicts an angel expelling Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.
The estimate is £400-500 at the December 4-5 sale of Coins, Tokens and Historical Medals held by Dix Noonan Webb in London. View the catalogue entry for this medallion on the thesaleroom.com.
5. Gustavsberg pottery tabby cat
This rotund tabby designed by Lisa Larson for Gustavsberg c.1965 as part of the Zoo range of stoneware animals is estimated at £600-800 at Mallams Oxford on December 5-6.
The large-scale figure of a rotund tabby was designed by Lisa Larson (b.1931) for Gustavsberg c.1965 as part of the Zoo range of stoneware animals.
Others in the series of 13 Larson models include a zebra, polar bear, giraffe, kangaroo and a walking cat with straight tail. Maxi-Katt stands just over 13in (34cm) high and was made in a number of colours from 1955-76.
It has an estimate of £600-800 as part of the design sale at Mallams Oxford on December 5-6. View the Lisa Larson cat on thesaleroom.com.
6. Scottish colourist picture
John Duncan Fergusson's 'Boulevard Montparnasse' estimated at £70,000-100,000 at Lyon & Turnbull on December 5.
John Duncan Fergusson painted Boulevard Montparnasse during his first year in Paris. Estimated at £70,000-100,000, the painting hints at the influence of his French contemporaries. Fergusson was a Scottish Colourist, a group of artists from Scotland who spent time in living and training in France.
The picture features in Lyon & Turnbull's specialist Scottish Paintings auction on December 5 which can be viewed and bid for via thesaleroom.com.
