A portrait by William Bruce Ellis Ranken, estimated at £1000-2000 at Young’s.
This painting which came from a modest house in Aldershot was part of a deceased estate and originally destined for the skip along with much of the other contents of the property. However, on a hunch, the deceased’s niece decided to call Young’s auction house in Surrey for advice.
A label to the back of the 3ft 7in x 2ft 9in (1.09m x 85cm) oil on canvas gives the artist as William Bruce Ellis Ranken (1881-1942) and the title as The Redcoat.
Ranken was born in Edinburgh and attended Eton before going on to study at the Slade School of Art in London under Henry Tonks. He held his first solo exhibition at the age of 23 at the Carfax Gallery, London, and was acquainted with the likes of John Singer Sargent and photographer Baron de Meyer.
His society connections helped him secure commissions to paint portraits of wealthy families and celebrities of their day, including in the US where he had a spell before returning to England and living in Eversley, Hampshire.
While the identity of the sitter remains unclear, the saleroom speculated that it may date from the period before the First World War. It is estimated at £1000-2000 in Farnham on February 17.
Poster for the Rome premiere of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly dating from 1966, estimated at £40,000-80,000 at Propstore.
This one-of-a-kind large-scale poster created for the Rome premiere of classic Spaghetti Western The Good, The Bad and The Ugly dating from 1966, an Italian 24-Sheet, is estimated at £40,000-80,000.
It leads a Propstore auction on February 8 which features rare posters from the archive of one of the world’s most prominent Clint Eastwood memorabilia collectors, David Frangioni.
However, lots are also available estimated from three to four figures, such as a 1965 Italian one-panel poster Italian one-panel (‘2-Fogli’) linen-backed poster for A Fistful of Dollars, guided at £3000-6000.
Self-portrait by George Rowlett, estimated at £1000-1500 at Smiths Newent Auctions.
An early oil on canvas self-portrait by George Rowlett (b.1941) is estimated at £1000-1500 by Smiths Newent Auctions on February 16.
The 19½ x 14in (49 x 36cm) painting comes to the Gloucestershire saleroom from a client who first met the artist when they were both living in London and Rowlett was studying at the Courtauld Institute. They became friends and when Rowlett invited him to his studio one day he admired the painting so much the artist gave it to him.
The painting is signed and titled in paint to the reverse of the canvas Self Portrait with Cropped Hair ‘75.
The auction house says: “This strongly coloured impasto painting is typical of his work and makes a great contrast with a recent series of four self-portraits made by Rowlett for his 80th birthday exhibition.”
Pair of François and Sido Thévenin Trône armchairs from the 1970s, estimated £7000-10,000 at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood.
The 20th Century & Contemporary Auction at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood on February 13 includes this pair of François and Sido Thévenin Trône armchairs from the 1970s.
Measuring 152cm high, 74cm wide, bronze mounted wrought iron and leather, the chairs have a provenance to Château de Vouzeron in the Loire, France. The estimate is £7000-10,000.
Born in 1931 on the French Riviera, François is an architect and sculptor as well as furniture designer, using primarily metal and wood since the 1960s.
He worked for much of his career alongside his late wife, Sido, often collaborating on one sheet of metal simultaneously.
Manuscript titled Signals from the Bell Rock Lighthouse to the Arbroath Signal Tower by Robert Stevenson, estimated £1200-1800 at Lyon & Turnbull.
The Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs auction at Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh on February 7 includes 50 lots from the Stevenson family – designers across four generations of many of the UK’s lighthouses.
Robert Stevenson (1772-1850), the grandfather of Treasure Island author Robert Louis Stevenson, built 19 lighthouses including the Bell Rock constructed off the coast of Arbroath between 1807-10 that is the oldest working rock lighthouse in the UK.
Through 28 hand-drawn and coloured illustrations, this manuscript titled Signals from the Bell Rock Lighthouse to the Arbroath Signal Tower demonstrates the workings of its communication system. The main methods of signalling were via coloured flags and large copper balls raised in the morning to indicate all was well.
Estimate £1200-1800.
Art Nouveau gem-set foliage panel ring by Henri Dubret, estimated £800-1200 at Dawsons.
Dawsons’ Fine Jewellery, Watches & Silver on February 22 includes an Art Nouveau gem-set foliage panel ring by Henri Dubret c.1900s.
The navette-shaped ring head frames pierced and enamelled ivy leaf motifs, decorated with delicate black enamelled foliage on the edge, interspersed with old-cut diamond highlights, centred with a cushion-cut citrine and flanked by single-cut diamonds on the shoulders. A D-section shank is signed H.Dubret.
The ring is struck with a French eagle head mark (indicating 18ct gold), as well as the lozenge maker’s mark. The ring head measures 29 x 12mm, ring size O, and the total weight is 4.5 gms.
Estimate £800-1200.
Mid-19th century silver-gilt and enamel singing bird box, estimated £10,000-15,000 at Elstob of Ripon.
This silver-gilt and enamel singing bird box is just one of 30 items that have been consigned to the Valentine’s Day sale at Elstob of Ripon as part of a single-owner collection.
In ‘excellent working order’, says the saleroom, the musical bird box dates from the mid 19th century and features a tiny, feathered bird that moves its beak, turns its head and flaps its wings while completing its performance.
Made by the renowned creator of automata, Charles Bruguier of Geneva (1788-1862), the box is of typical rectangular form and has a brightly enamelled lid decorated on top with an Alpine lake landscape and underneath a flower motif.
Once the lid is raised, the bird rises through a finely tooled and pierced grille. There is a separate compartment for the key and the movement is signed C Bruguier.
Measuring 4in wide x 2½in deep x 2in high (10 x 6.5 x 4.5cm), the box is estimated at £10,000-15,000 on February 14.
Patrick Caulfield print, estimated £15,000-20,000 at Chiswick Auctions.
Chiswick Auctions’ Prints and Multiples sale on February 13 includes this late work by British artist Patrick Caulfield (1936-2005) in which he pays homage to Pablo Picasso’s renowned oil Les demoiselles d’Avignon.
A visual pun on the screen-printing process, it depicts Picasso’s painting from the reverse, with the five women shown from behind. It was issued as a print in 1999 in an edition of 65 by the London dealership Alan Cristea Gallery. This example, signed and numbered 41/65, is estimated at £15,000-20,000.
Pair of late 18th century green silk lady’s shoes, estimated £800-1200 at Tennants.
Tennants’ Costume, Accessories and Textiles Sale in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, on February 9 includes this pair of late 18th century green silk lady’s shoes, estimated at £800-1200.
