Some prisoners during the Napoleonic wars would while away the time carving model ships using whatever material was available.
A fine early 19th century boxwood example (pictured top), made by an unknown French prisoner, of the first-class ship of the line HMS Foudroyant, 2ft 3in x 2ft 7in x 6in (69 x 79 x 15cm), is on offer in Bonhams’ Marine Sale in Knightsbridge on April 21.
Foudroyant was launched at Plymouth in 1798 and had originally been selected by Horatio Nelson while on the stocks to be his flagship in 1797. Unfortunately, she was not ready in time and therefore narrowly missed being the fleet flagship at the Battle of the Nile.
In June 1799 at Palermo, Nelson transferred his flag from HMS Vanguard to Foudroyant and she remained his flagship until his return to England in 1800. After a refit, she became the flagship of Lord Keith and was present at the capitulation of the French at Alexandria in 1801.
Estimate £18,000-24,000
bonhams.com or see this item at thesaleroom.com
Dowler patent corkscrew with ivory handle – estimate £100-150 at Denhams on April 21-22.
This Dowler patent corkscrew with ivory handle (which shows some cracking) is expected to bring £100-150 at Denhams in Horsham on April 21-22.
denhams.com or see this item at thesaleroom.com
'A View of Godmersham Park Kent on a Cloudy Day' by Algernon Cecil Newton, 1942 – estimate £3000-5000 at David Duggleby on April 16.
This Algernon Cecil Newton (1880-1968) oil signed and dated 1942 is titled A View of Godmersham Park Kent on a Cloudy Day.
It comes by descent from the family of the New York architect John Archibald Dunning (1928- 2019) and is for sale at David Duggleby in Scarborough on April 16 guided at £3000-5000.
The contents of Godmersham Park were sold by Christie’s in June 1983, probably where Dunning purchased this work.
Newton’s great-grandson Sir Mark Jones has assisted in cataloguing this lot, which is to be included in his forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist’s work.
davidduggleby.com or see this item at thesaleroom.com
Ceiling light from the first-class dining room and D Deck reception on RMS Olympic – estimate £6000-8000 at Henry Aldridge & Son on April 17.
Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes has made a name for itself in Titanic memorabilia but other items from her sister ships are also hugely collectable.
This light was originally part of RMS Olympic. The 13in (33cm) octagonal ceiling light was one of the fixtures of the first-class dining room and D Deck reception on the ship. It would have originally been fitted with cut crystal shades but this example has opaque versions dating it to the refit c.1920.
Olympic was the lead ship of the White Star Line’s trio of Olympic-class liners – the others being the Britannic (sunk by a mine in the First World War) and Titanic. Unlike its sister ships, Olympic achieved a long service career of 24 years (1911-35).
When the ship was broken up this light was reused in a cinema in Sheffield. It is now offered with an estimate of £6000-8000 at the Titanic, Liner and Transport memorabilia sale on April 17.
henry-aldridge.co.uk or see this item at thesaleroom.com
A 16th century stumpwork bible cover worked in coloured threads with the Crucifixion linked to Mary Queen of Scots – estimate £10,000-15,000 at Mitchells on April 14-16.
Mitchells reopens in Cockermouth this week with a three-day Antiques & Fine Art Sale from April 14-16. The sale had originally been scheduled for the end of March.
It includes selected contents from Greystoke Castle near Penrith, such as this 16th century stumpwork bible cover worked in coloured threads with the Crucifixion.
An accompanying plaque reads Bible cover owned by Mary Queen of Scots and given by her mother to Lady Elizabeth Stuart, later Countess of Arundel and Surrey who gave it to her son Charles Howard of Greystoke with similar words inked to the reverse.
Estimate £10,000-15,000.
mitchellsauction.co.uk or see this item at thesaleroom.com
Watercolour from an album of around 40 similar studies of British steam locomotives painted by LTW Watkins, 1930s – estimate £200-300 at Clarke & Simpson on April 17.
This watercolour is one of an album of around 40 similar studies of British steam locomotives painted by one LTW Watkins in the 1930s. At Clarke & Simpson, Framlingham, Suffolk, on April 17 they are expected to bring £200-300.
clarkeandsimpson.co.uk or see this item at thesaleroom.com
Model of the Maudslay Son & Filed columnar engine originally built for the 1862 International Exhibition at South Kensington – estimate £2000-3000 at Dreweatts on April 20.
Dreweatts’ Transport Sale on April 20 will include four private collections of steam model locomotives from Gauge 1 to large 7¼in gauge locomotives, stationary engines, lathes and workshop tooling, marine-related items, travel posters, automobilia and railwayana.
The model shown here is from a collection of stationary engines and traction engines, one of 12 constructed by the late Russ Titford of Essex. This model of the Maudslay Son & Filed columnar engine originally built for the 1862 International Exhibition at South Kensington is estimated at £2000-3000.
Titford was inspired to build a model of this engine after seeing it displayed at the Science Museum in South Kensington. Unfortunately it was not possible to properly photograph the engine or examine it as he would have liked. However, his close friend Anthony Mount, from the scant information available, produced a set of working drawings. He also made the patterns for the castings involved and arranged for their production at his chosen foundry.
dreweatts.com or see this item at thesaleroom.com
Rare eight-bore self-opening sidelock ejector gun built in 1919 by James Purdey & Sons – estimate £8000-12,000 at Gavin Gardiner’s auction on April 21.
A rare eight-bore self-opening sidelock ejector gun built in 1919 by James Purdey & Sons will be included in Gavin Gardiner’s auction of Modern & Vintage Sporting Guns on April 21.
The gun with 32-inch barrels is very unusual, as Purdey completed very few large calibre examples of this type and the auction house says it remains in a ‘very honest and original condition’.
Estimate £8,000-12,000.
Duke’s of Dorchester will sell the contents of Grade I-listed Dorset manor Dewlish House on April 15. Viewing is permitted at the house by appointment from April 12-14.
After two years on the market, Dewlish House, built in 1702 near Milborne St Andrew, Dorset, has just been sold for only the second time in its history. It was owned by the Michel family until the 1960s when, in near-derelict condition, it was bought and restored by financier Anthony (Tony) Boyden.
Highlights include this Henry VIII period oak bed as documented in the reference work The Dictionary of English Furniture. As a rare survivor from the early 16th century, it has a guide of £10,000-20,000.
dukes-auctions.com or see this item at thesaleroom.com
Rudolf Nureyev’s costume for 'The Nutcracker' at The Royal Opera House in 1968 by artist Nicholas Georgiadis – estimate £800-1200 at Chorley’s on April 27.
Chorley’s is offering a collection of paintings, antiques, works of art, costume design, theatre design and photographs from the collection of Sir Roy Strong and his late wife Julia Trevelyan Oman Lady Strong.
The collection was an important part of their “exquisite home which boasted one of the most beautiful private gardens in the country”, says Chorley’s.
Sir Roy, the English art historian, museum curator, writer and broadcaster, served as director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Julia was an English television, theatre, ballet and opera set designer.
Numerous stage and costume designs include Rudolf Nureyev’s costume for The Nutcracker at The Royal Opera House in 1968 by artist Nicholas Georgiadis. It is guided at £800-1200 in the auction at Prinknash Abbey Park on April 27.
chorleys.com or see this item at thesaleroom.com
Bronze of an ostrich from the workshop of Mannerist sculptor Giambologna – estimate £80,000-120,000 at Cheffins on April 22.
This bronze of an ostrich from the workshop of Mannerist sculptor Giambologna goes under the hammer at Cheffins in Cambridge on April 22 with a guide of £80,000-120,000.
In a private collection for over 180 years, it was previously part of the Horace Walpole collection at Strawberry Hill House.
Bought by Walpole between 1765-66 and detailed in A Description of the Villa of Horace Walpole (1774), it was sold at the ‘Great Sale’ of Strawberry Hill in 1842. The buyer then at £50 8s was John Dunn-Gardner of Suffolk, who at the time styled himself as the Earl of Leicester.
The late 16th or early 17th century work is one of only three known examples of the model, with the other two currently held by The Louvre and the Fitzwilliam Museum.
Traditionally recognised as Giambologna’s work, recent research points towards the possibility that this is the result of the amalgamation of his work with Pietro Tacca, the heir to his workshop.
cheffins.co.uk or see this item at thesaleroom.com
Charity parian ware figure group – estimate £150-300 at Mallams on April 28.
Designed by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887) for Wedgwood, this Charity parian ware figure group, with marks to the base, is 14½in (37cm) high.
It is estimated at £150-300 in Mallams’ April 28 auction in Cheltenham.
Watercolour on ivory portrait miniature by John Smart of Sarah Anne Fane, Countess of Westmorland – estimate £4000-6000 at Kinghams on April 23.
The Kinghams sale of Jewellery & Watches on April 23 – the firm’s second following its rebranding and a move from Evesham to Moreton-in-Marsh – includes this watercolour on ivory portrait miniature by John Smart (1742/43-1811).
Painted when the artist lived and worked in India, it is signed and dated 1788. The subject is Sarah Anne Fane (née Sarah Anne Child), Countess of Westmorland (1764-93), with the glazed gold case including a woven panel of her hair.
Estimate £4000-6000.
kinghamsauctioneers.com or see this item at thesaleroom.com
Wave Approaching Shore Line by Laurie Norman, signed and dated LJ Norman 94 – estimate £150-250 at Bellmans on April 20-23.
Bellmans’ series of auctions from April 20-23 in West Sussex includes 50 lots of Abtract paintings by local Hampshire artist Laurie Norman (1927-2019).
He began his career in 1942 as an apprentice draughtsman at Air Service Training, Hamble, and continued in the aircraft industry with Hawker Siddeley Group where he helped design some famous aircraft, including the Jet Provost, Gnat, Harrier and Trident, until he left in 1963.
Norman changed career to work for IBM Research & Development at Hursley, where he was involved in the creation of some revolutionary design developments, specifically relating to personal computers and cashpoint machines. In order to promote these innovations, he moved temporarily to the USA. He retired in 1987.
He came to Abstract painting when he took a course in the 1970s on Experimental Abstract Art. His work appeared in several combined exhibitions at various galleries including Southampton Art Gallery, Winchester Guildhall Gallery, Portsmouth Museum and Fisherton Mill Gallery in Salisbury.
Shown here is Wave Approaching Shore Line, 2ft 7in x 4ft (80cm x 1.21m), an oil on canvas signed and dated LJ Norman 94. Estimate £150-250.
One of two Op Art screen prints on perspex by Bridget Riley dated 1965 – estimate £15,000-20,000 each at Sworders on April 20.
Sworders’ April 20 sale of Modern British & 20th Century art includes two Op Art screen prints on perspex by Bridget Riley (b.1931).
Both dated 65 and numbered 1/1, Fragment 3 (pictured) and Fragment 5 are estimated at £15,000-20,000 each.
sworder.co.uk or see this item at thesaleroom.com
