BROOCH THE BELONGED TO QUEEN VICTORIA SELLS FOR £11,400

A GOLD, ENAMEL AND GARNET BODICE BROOCH FROM 1830 THAT BELONGED TO QUEEN VICTORIA MADE FOURTEEN TIMES ITS PRE-SALE ESTIMATE AT BONHAMS JEWELRY SALE THAT TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE. WITH A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £600–800, THE BROOCH SOLD FOR £11,400. THE FINELY DETAILED BROOCH IS EMBELLISHED WITH GREEN AND RED ENAMEL, SET WITH CABOCHON GARNETS THAT SUSPEND AN ELONGATED DROP OF A SIMILAR DESIGN. THE BROOCH ORIGINALLY BELONGED TO VICTORIA, DUCHESS OF KENT, WHO ON HER DEATH IN 1861 LEFT HER JEWELRY TO HER DAUGHTER, QUEEN VICTORIA. QUEEN VICTORIA SUBSEQUENTLY GAVE THE BROOCH TO HER THIRD DAUGHTER HELENA, PRINCESS CHRISTIAN OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, AS A PRESENT ON HER 24th BIRTHDAY IN 1870. THE REVERSE OF THE BROOCH HAS A SIMPLE, YET VERY PERSONAL ENGRAVING: 'BELONGED TO DEAR GRANDMAMMA V. FROM MAMA V.R. TO HELENA 25th MAY 1870'. ALTHOUGH PRINCESS HELENA MARRIED THE GERMAN PRINCE CHRISTIAN OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN IN 1866, THEY REMAINED IN BRITAIN CLOSE TO THE QUEEN, WHO LIKED TO HAVE HER DAUGHTERS NEARBY. HELENA WAS CONSIDERED THE MOST ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY, CARRYING OUT AN EXTENSIVE PROGRAM OF ROYAL ENGAGEMENTS. SHE WAS ALSO A COMMITTED PATRON OF CHARITIES, AND WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE RED CROSS. SHE WAS ALSO THE ORIGINAL PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SCHOOL OF NEEDLEWORK, AND PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL BRITISH NURSES' ASSOCIATION.

BONHAMS TO SELL RARE BOOK OF EARLY POEMS BY WILLIAM BLAKE

A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN COPY OF A VERY RARE BOOK OF EARLY POEMS BY WILLIAM BLAKE IS UP FOR AUCTION AT THE BOOKS, MAPS, MANUSCRIPTS AND HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS SALE AT BONHAMS IN LONDON ON 22.MARCH. IT IS ESTIMATED AT BETWEEN £60,000-80,000. THE POEMS IN POETICAL SKETCHES WERE WRITTEN BETWEEN 1768 AND 1777 WHEN BLAKE WAS IN HIS TEENS. IN 1783, A GROUP OF HIS FRIENDS BANDED TOGETHER AND PAID FOR THEM TO BE PRINTED IN A SLIM 70 PAGE VOLUME. APPROXIMATELY 50 COPIES WERE PRINTED BUT THE WHEREABOUTS OF ONLY 20 ARE KNOWN SO THE DISCOVERY OF THIS COPY, ONE OF A VERY FEW IN PRIVATE HANDS, IS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT. BLAKE WAS GIVEN THE PRINT RUN TO SELL OR GIVE AWAY BUT HE SEEMS NOT TO HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN PROMOTING THEM BECAUSE SEVERAL COPIES WERE FOUND AMONG HIS POSSESSIONS WHEN HE DIED. HIS FRIENDS, WHO INCLUDED THE SCULPTOR JOHN FLAXMAN, WERE KEEN TO SPREAD THE WORD OF BLAKE'S TALENT AND GAVE SOME VOLUMES AWAY ON HIS BEHALF BUT THE COPY FOR AUCTION WAS ACTUALLY GIVEN BY BLAKE HIMSELF. IT CARRIES HIS INSCRIPTION AND HIS ADDRESS NEAR LEICESTER FIELDS (PRESENT DAY LEICESTER SQUARE) WHERE HE LIVED FROM 1782 UNTIL JULY 1784, SO HE MUST HAVE GIVEN THE COPY AWAY FAIRLY SOON AFTER IT WAS PRINTED. THE IDENTITY OF THE RECIPIENT IS NOT KNOWN. THE BOOK ITSELF WAS LITTERED WITH ERRORS, SOME OF WHICH BLAKE CORRECTED BEFORE HANDING COPIES OUT. ALTHOUGH IT NEVER WENT INTO COMMERCIAL PUBLICATION DURING BLAKE'S LIFETIME, THE BOOK, WHICH INCLUDES WORKS SUCH AS 'MAD SONG' AND 'TO THE EVENING STAR' IS SEEN AS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF HIS OUTPUT, ANTICIPATING THE STYLE OF HIS MATURE WORK AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIS SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE.

BONHAMS TO SELL BROOCH THAT ONCE BELONGED TO QUEEN VICTORIA

A GOLD, ENAMEL AND GARNET BODICE BROOCH FROM 1830 THAT BELONGED TO QUEEN VICTORIA WILL BE OFFERED IN THE JEWELERY SALE, TAKING PLACE ON 6.APRIL AT BONHAMS KNIGHTSBRIDGE. THE FINELY DETAILED BROOCH IS EMBELLISHED WITH GREEN AND RED ENAMEL, SET WITH CABOCHON GARNETS THAT SUSPEND AN ELONGATED DROP OF A SIMILAR DESIGN. IT IS ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR £600 – 800. THE BROOCH ORIGINALLY BELONGED TO VICTORIA, DUCHESS OF KENT, WHO ON HER DEATH BED IN 1861 (THE SAME YEAR AS THE DEATH OF PRINCE ALBERT) LEFT HER JEWELRY TO HER DAUGHTER, QUEEN VICTORIA. QUEEN VICTORIA SUBSEQUENTLY GAVE THE BROOCH TO HER THIRD DAUGHTER HELENA, PRINCESS CHRISTIAN OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, AS A PRESENT ON HER 24th BIRTHDAY IN 1870. THE REVERSE OF THE BROOCH HAS A SIMPLE, YET VERY PERSONAL ENGRAVING: 'BELONGED TO DEAR GRANDMAMMA V. FROM MAMA V.R. TO HELENA 25th MAY 1870'. ALTHOUGH PRINCESS HELENA MARRIED THE GERMAN PRINCE CHRISTIAN OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN IN 1866, THEY REMAINED IN BRITAIN CLOSE TO THE QUEEN, WHO LIKED TO HAVE HER DAUGHTERS NEARBY. HELENA WAS CONSIDERED THE MOST ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY, CARRYING OUT AN EXTENSIVE PROGRAM OF ROYAL ENGAGEMENTS. SHE WAS ALSO AN ACTIVE PATRON OF CHARITIES, AND WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE RED CROSS. SHE WAS ALSO FOUNDING PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SCHOOL OF NEEDLEWORK, AND PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL BRITISH NURSES' ASSOCIATION.

BONHAMS TO SELL RARE 17th CENTURY MUGHAL PORTRAIT

THE LARGEST KNOWN MUGHAL PAINTING IS TO BE OFFERED AT BONHAMS, LONDON, ON 5.APRIL FOR AN ESTIMATED PRICE OF UPWARDS OF £1 MILLION. IT IS IN THE STYLE OF A EUROPEAN PORTRAIT OF THE EARLY 17th CENTURY. THE PORTRAIT WHICH WILL LEAD A SALE OF WORKS OF INDIAN AND ISLAMIC ART IS A UNIQUE PAINTING OF THE MUGHAL EMPEROR JAHANGIR WHO RULED INDIA 1605-27 AND IS ATTRIBUTED TO THE MUGHAL ARTIST ABUL HASAN, NADIR AL-ZAMAN OR 'WONDER OF THE AGE'. PREVIOUSLY SHOWN IN THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY IN AN EXHIBITION ON THE INDIAN PORTRAIT IN 2010, THE EMPEROR IS SHOWN ON A GOLD DECORATED THRONE HOLDING A GLOBE, WEARING ELABORATE ROBES AND JEWELRY. THE SURROUNDING PERSIAN INSCRIPTION STATE IT WAS PAINTED AT MENDU IN THE AH1026/AD1617. ALICE BAILEY, HEAD OF ISLAMIC AND INDIAN ART AT BONHAMS SAID: 'THIS IS ONE OF THE RAREST AND MOST DESIRABLE 17th CENTURY PAINTINGS EVER TO COME TO AUCTION. THERE IS NO OTHER WORK OF ITS KIND AND ITS IMPORTANCE CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED. THE EXTRAORDINARY DETAIL AND COMPLEXITY OF THE PAINTING BOTH FASCINATE AND BEWITCH THE VIEWER.'

BONHAMS TO SELL THREE IMAGES OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT

BONHAMS NEXT SALE OF ANTIQUITIES ON 13.APRIL INCLUDES THREE POWERFUL IMAGES OS ALEXANDER THE GREAT, A 2000 YEAR OLD RING BEARING HIS IMAGE AND TWO STUNNING SCULPTED HEADS FROM THE SAME ERA. MADELEINE PERRIDGE, HEAD OF ANTIQUITIES AT BONHAMS SAID; 'ALEXANDER THE GREAT SEEN AS THE GREATEST GENERAL AND RULER IN HISTORY. AFTER HIS DEATH HE WAS TREATED AS A DEMI-GOD, HIS IMAGE WAS EVERYWHERE AND HIS LEGENDARY EXPLOITS A POWERFUL PART OF GREEK AND ROMAN CULTURE. THE ROMAN EMPERORS EVEN ADOPTED HIM AS AN IDEAL AND REPRESENTED THEMSELVES IN HIS GUISE, A RING USED BY THE EMPEROR AUGUSTUS WAS ACTUALLY ADORNED WITH THE FIGURE OF ALEXANDER, POSSIBLY MUCH LIKE THE ONE WE ARE SELLING. THE THREE WORKS OF ART UP FOR AUCTION ARE PROOF OF THE POWER OF HIS IMAGE AND LEGEND THROUGHOUT THE HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN PERIODS, ENDURING EVEN IN THE PRESENT DAY.' THE FIRST SCULPTED HEAD OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT IS ROMAN FROM THE ANTONINE DYNASTY, CIRCA AD 138-161, IT IS OVER-LIFESIZE. HE IS DEPICTED WITH DISTINCTIVE WAVY HAIR FALLING AT HIS FURROWED BROW AND THE NAPE OF HIS NECK, HIS BROWS CARVED IN RELIEF WITH NOTCHED DETAILS, THE LIDDED EYES WITH INCISED IRISES AND DRILLED PUPILS, HIS SHAPELY LIPS ABOVE A STRONG CHIN. IT STANDS 12½in HIGH, AND IS ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR £150,000-200,000. THE SECOND ALEXANDER IN THE SALE IS ONCE AGAIN A ROMAN MARBLE HEAD OF ALEXANDER HELIOS CIRCA 1st CENTURY BC-AD. THE THICK WAVY HAIR SECURED WITH A FILLET WITH TWO LINES OF DRILL HOLES FOR INSERTION OF A RADIATE HEADDRESS, THE HEAD TILTED SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT, WITH SEEP-SET ALMOND-SHAPED EYES AND FULL LIPS, 7¾in HIGH. IT IS ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR £7,000-9,000. THE PIECE WAS ACQUIRED BY JOHN PETER DEERING, AN EMINENT ARCHITECT AND ROYAL ACADEMICIAN OF THE EARLY 19th CENTURY, PROBABLY ON A TRIP TO POMPEII CIRCA 1817. HE ALSO CO-WROTE WITH SIR WILLIAM GELL, AND ACCOUNT OF HIS TRIP TO POMPEII: 'THE TOPOGRAPHY, EDIFICES AND ORNAMENTS OF POMPEII'. THE THIRD ALEXANDER-LINKED OBJECT IN THE SALE IS A HELLENISTIC GOLD AND CARNELIAN INTAGLIO RING OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT CIRCA 2nd-1st CENTURY BC. A FLAT CIRCULAR STONE ENGRAVED WITH THE PROFILE HEAD OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT IN THE GUISE OF HERAKLES WEARING A LION'S SKIN, THE JAW PULLED UP OVER HIS HEAD WITH THE PAWS TIED AT THE NECK, SET IN THE ORIGINAL GOLD RING, THE HOOP FLARING AT THE BEZEL, IT IS ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR £40,000-50,000.

BONHAMS TO SELL RARE PAINTING OF WW2 BOMB STORE BY DAVID BOMBERG

A POWERFUL PAINTING OF A STAFFORDSHIRE BOMB STORE BY THE ARTIST DAVID BOMBERG WILL BE OFFERED BY BONHAMS, LONDON, IN THE 20th CENTURY BRITISH ART SALE ON 9.MARCH. THE STUNNING PAINTING IS ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR £80,000 – 120,000. AS WORLD WAR II BROKE OUT IN EUROPE, BOMBERG FELT A PRESSING NEED TO CONTRIBUTE IN SOME WAY AND REPEATEDLY SUGGESTED THAT ARTISTS BE EMPLOYED TO DEPICT AND DOCUMENT THE HISTORIC EVENTS. TO HIS SATISFACTION, IN 1939 IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT A WAR ARTIST'S ADVISORY COMMITTEE (WACC) WAS SET UP FOR EXACTLY THAT PURPOSE. FOLLOWING ALMOST FOUR YEARS OF INACTIVITY AND ALMOST 300 APPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING POSTS, BOMBERG'S REQUEST TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CAUSE WAS FINALLY ACCEPTED. IN 1943, HE WAS SENT TO BURTON ON TRENT IN STAFFORDSHIRE WHERE HE SPENT TWO WEEKS, NINETY FEET BELOW GROUND IN LONG DISUSED GYPSUM MINES. HERE, ALMOST TEN THOUSAND TONS OF BOMBS WERE STORED IN ANTICIPATION OF FUTURE AIR RAIDS ON GERMAN CITIES. BOMBERG WORK FEVERISHLY AND WHEN HE RAN OUT OF CANVAS, HE WORKED ON GREASEPROOF PAPER. OWING TO CENSORSHIP AND SECRECY, ALL HIS SKETCHES HAD TO BE STORED AT THE DEPOT OVERNIGHT AND HE COULD NOT DISCUSS THE PROJECT WITH ANYONE. THERE IS SPONTANEITY TO THE SURFACE, IN BOMBERG'S ANIMATED STROKES AND DASHES OF COLOUR. UNLIKE MANY OF HIS BOMB STORE WORKS, THIS IS SOMEWHAT 'EASY TO READ', PERHAPS A NOD TO THE WACC's PREFERENCE FOR CLARITY IN WORKS BY COMMISSIONED ARTISTS. HOWEVER, THERE IS NO PROPAGANDA HERE AND THE ARTIST PORTRAYS THE CHAMBER AND RACKS OF BOMBS IN A WAY THAT THE VIEWER IS IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS OF ITS PURPOSE, TO HOLD INSTRUMENTS OF WAR. BOMBERG HAD BEEN NERVOUS WHILST IN THE STORES AND JUSTIFIABLY SO, AS JUST A YEAR LATER ON 27.NOVEMBER.1944, THERE WAS A MASSIVE EXPLOSION THAT COULD BE FELT AS FAR AWAY AS ROME, KILLING 68 MEN AND 200 CATTLE. CAUSED BY SAFELY NEGLIGENCE, THE TERRIBLE ACCIDENT WAS COVERED UP FOR YEARS. NOT ONLY CAN THE PRESENT WORK BE SEEN AS A POWERFUL PAINTING BY BOMBERG EXECUTED IN DIFFICULT CONDITIONS, IT IS A HISTORICAL DOCUMENT OF A PLACE NOW DESTROYED AND A REVEALING INSIGHT INTO THE ATROCITIES OF WAR.

BONHAMS TO SELL NEWLY DISCOVERED SICKERT PAINTING

A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN PAINTING BY WALTER SICKERT, ENTITLED THE BLIND SEA CAPTAIN, IN ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 20th CENTURY BRITISH ART SALE AT BONHAM'S, NEW BOND STREET, LONDON ON 9.MARCH. THE PAINTING, WHICH IS ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR £40,000 – 60,000, IS FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, INHERITED BY THE VENDOR FROM HER GRANDFATHER. THE ART HISTORIAN WENDY BARON, WHO HAS DEVOTED HER LIFE TO STUDYING THE WORKS OF WALTER SICKERT, WAS ASTOUNDED TO FIND A PAINTING BY THE ARTIST THAT SHE HAD NEVER SEEN. SICKERT IS CONSIDERED A PROMINENT FIGURE IN THE TRANSITION FROM IMPRESSIONISM TO MODERNISM, AND AN IMPORTANT INFLUENCE ON DISTINCTIVELY BRITISH STYLES OF AVANT GARDE ART IN THE 20th CENTURY. NOTORIOUS FOR HIS PAINTINGS OF NUDES, FOUR OF THEM CONTROVERSIALLY ENTITLED, THE CAMDEN TOWN MURDER, AFTER A WELL PUBLICIZED AND GRUESOME MURDER OF A PROSTITUTE IN 1907, CERTAINLY GAINED SICKERT ATTENTION AND HE BECAME A PROMINENT MEMBER OF THE CAMDEN TOWN GROUP OF ARTISTS. THE BLIND SEA CAPTAIN IS FAR MORE SENTIMENTAL IN THEME, BUT IN THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR ONE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN APPROPRIATE SUBJECT FOR SICKERT. THE PICTURE ITSELF IS THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN PAINTED DURING THE SUMMER OF 1914 IN DIEPPE AND IS TYPICAL OF SICKERT'S PROFICIENCY AS A MASTER OF MOOD AND ALLUSION. WENDY BARON NOTES IN HER ARTICLE IN THE BONHAMS MAGAZINE, SICKERT HAS CREATED 'AN IMAGINARY GLIMPSE INTO THE LIVES OF A MAN BROKEN BY BLINDNESS WHO, BUT FOR THE DEVOTION OF HIS OLD MOTHER OR WIFE, WOULD BE DESTINED FOR THE WORKHOUSE.' AN UNFINISHED SKETCH IN OIL ON CANVAS, DATED 1912, KNOWN AS THE OLD SOLDIER HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY CATALOGED AND HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN THOUGHT TO BE THE SUM OF SICKERT'S WORK ON THE SUBJECT. HOWEVER, BARON COMMENT: 'UNTIL THE BLIND SEA CAPTAIN EMERGED FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION IN SCOTLAND A FEW MONTHS AGO, I HAD FOUND NOTHING DURING 58 YEARS SPENT STUDYING SICKERT'S PAINTINGS TO SUGGEST THAT HE EVER RETURNED TO THIS SUBJECT...ITS REDISCOVERY IS THUS ESPECIALLY EXCITING.'

BONHAMS TO SELL JEWELRY FROM THE HELLEU COLLECTION

JEWELRY AND SILVER BELONGING TO THE DAUGHTER OF THE FAMOUS FRENCH SOCIETY PAINTER PAUL CESAR HELLEU, ONE OF THE MODELS FOR A CENTRAL CHARACTER IN MARCEL PROUST'S MONUMENTAL NOVEL 'IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME' (SOMETIMES KNOWN AS 'REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST'), IS TO BE AUCTIONED OFF AT BONHAMS IN EDINBURGH ON 2.MARCH. BORN IN PARIS IN 1904, PAULETTE HOWARD-JOHNSTON (nee HELLEU), WHO DIED IN 2009 AGED 104, WAS ONE OF THE 21st CENTURY'S LAST LINKS TO THE BELLE EPOQUE, THE WORLD OF PROUST'S NOVEL, WHICH ENDED ABRUPTLY ON THE BATTLEFIELDS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR. THE WRITER DREW ON HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH PAULETTE'S FATHER IN CREATING THE CHARACTER OF THE PAINTER ELSTIR WHOSE WORK PROVIDES A CONSTANT POINT OF REFERENCE AND REFLECTION THROUGHOUT HIS MULTI-VOLUME MASTERPIECE. PAUL CESAR HELLEU, PAINTED SOME OF THE MOST CELEBRATED WOMEN OF THE DAY INCLUDING CONSUELO VANDERBILT, THE DUCHESS OF MALBOROUGH. TWO OF THE DUCHESS'S GIFTS TO THE ARTIST, AN 18 CARAT CIGARETTE CASE, ESTIMATED AT £1,000-1,200, AND AN EARLY 20th CENTURY FRENCH POCKET WATCH, ESTIMATED AT £1,000-1,200) ARE FEATURED IN THE SALE. HELLEU'S PORTRAIT OF HIS WIFE, ALICE GUERIN, IS KNOWN TO READERS THE WORLD OVER AFTER IT APPEARED ON THE COVER OF TRACY CHEVALIER'S BEST SELLING NOVEL 'THE VIRGIN BLUE'. NEW YORKERS CAN STILL SEE HELLEU'S ASTROLOGICAL CEILING DECORATION IN GRAND CENTRAL STATION, PAINTED IN 1912. FROM A YOUNG AGE, PAULETTE WAS USED TO MIXING IN ARTISTIC AND HIGH SOCIETY CIRCLES. SINGER SARGENT, MANET, BOLDINI AND MONET WERE FAMILY FRIENDS AND IT WAS MONET WHO TOLD YOUNG PAULETTE, 'YOU PAINT LIKE A BIRD SINGS'. HALF THE YEAR WAS SPENT LIVING ON HER FATHER'S YACHT IN DEUVILLE, WHERE HE ENTERTAINED HIS WEALTHY CLIENTS. IN TOTAL, 50 ITEMS WHICH BELONGED TO HOWARD-JOHNSTON AND HER FATHER ARE FOR SALE INCLUDING A STUNNING ART DECO DIAMOND BROOCH, ESTIMATED AT £8,000-10,000, A CARTIER MULTI-GEM PARROT BROOCH, WHICH IS ALSO ESTIMATED AT £8,000-10,000, AND A GROUP OF PLATES BY ODIOT OF PARIS.

BONHAMS TO SELL HENRY SCCOTT TUKE'S SLEEPING SAILOR

A BEAUTIFUL PAINTING BY THE PROLIFIC BRITISH MARITIME AND FIGURATIVE PAINTER, HENRY SCOTT TUKE(1858-1929), ENTITLED SLEEPING SAILOR, IS TO BE SOLD AT BONHAMS, NEW BOND STREET, LONDON, AS PART OF THE MARINE SALE ON 22.MARCH. INITIALLY SOLD FOR £15 TO ARTHUR TAYLOR, IT HAS NOW ATTRACTED A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £30,000 – 50,000. SLEEPING SAILOR WAS PAINTED ON BOARD A DERELICT FRENCH BARQUE, MAZATLAN, WHICH TUKE USED AS A TEMPORARY FLOATING STUDIO DURING THE SUMMER OF 1905. HIS MODEL, SHOWN POSING ON THE BOOM, WAS CALLED HARRY CLEAVE. IN AN EXCERPT FROM HIS DIARY ON 16.MAY.1905, TUKE WRITES: 'ANOTHER BRILLIANT DAY. HARRY ON THE MIZZEN MAST.' BORN IN YORK IN 1858, HENRY SCOTT TUKE AND HIS FAMILY MOVED TO FALMOUTH IN 1859. LATER, HE MOVED TO NEWLYN, CORNWALL, WHERE HE BECAME PART OF THE NEWLYN SCHOOL OF PAINTERS. HE IS BEST-KNOWN FOR HIS PICTURES OF NUDE BOYS AND YOUNG MEN. SLEEPING SAILOR WAS EXHIBITED AT FALMOUTH ART GALLERY IN 1905.

BONHAMS TO SELL 19th CENTURY SKYSCRAPER DESIGN

AN ASTONISHING MID 19th CENTURY DESIGN FOR WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE WORLD'S FIRST SKYSCRAPER IS FOR AUCTION AT BONHAMS GENTLEMAN'S LIBRARY SALE IN LONDON ON 19.JANUARY. AFTER THE GREAT EXHIBITION OF 1851, IT WAS DECIDED TO MOVE THE CRYSTAL PALACE FROM HYDE PARK AND PROPOSALS WERE INVITED TO REDESIGN THE BUILDING. BY FAR THE MOST IMAGINATIVE IDEA CAME FROM THE ARCHITECT CHARLES BURTON WHO PROPOSED STACKING THE IRON FRAME UPWARDS TO FIFTY STORIES. THIS MADE BURTON THE FIRST MAN EVER TO SUGGEST BUILDING A SKYSCRAPER. HIS DRAWING OF THE PROPOSED 1,000ft HIGH METAL AND GLASS BUILDING IS SET IN THE CONTEXT OF OTHER FAMOUS LARGE MAN-MADE STRUCTURES, SUCH AS ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL, THE BASILICA OF ST PETER'S IN ROME AND THE PYRAMIDS, TO SHOW HOW TALL IT WOULD HAVE BEEN. IT IS ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR BETWEEN £800-1,000. IN THE EVENT, OF COURSE, THE CRYSTAL PALACE WAS MOVED, IN AN ENLARGED FORM, TO AN AREA OF SYDENHAM IN SOUTH LONDON TO WHICH IT SUBSEQUENTLY GAVE ITS NAME. IT WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE IN 1936. BONHAMS 19th CENTURY PICTURE SPECIALIST, SAM TRAVERS, SAYS: 'THE FIRST SKYSCRAPER WENT UP IN AMERICA IN THE 1880s THOUGH THERE IS SOME DEBATE ABOUT WHICH BUILDING CAN CLAIM THE ACCOLADE. IT'S FASCINATING TO THINK THAT 30 YEARS EARLIER IN LONDON BURTON HAD QUIETLY COME UP WITH THE SAME IDEA.' THE GENTLEMAN'S LIBRARY SALE IS NOW IN ITS 11th YEAR. IT FEATURES ALL KINDS OF OBJECTS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN FOUND IN A VICTORIAN OR EDWARDIAN GENTLEMAN'S LIBRARY FROM FOSSILS TO CIGARETTE BOXES, LEATHER ARMCHAIRS TO GLOBES, CHESS SETS TO FAMILY PORTRAITS.

BONHAMS TO SELL BANKSY SAVE OR DELETE JUNGLE BOOK, 2001

AN ORIGINAL ART WORK BY THE LEGENDARY STREET ARTIST, BANKSY, FOR A GREENPEACE SAVE OR DELETE CAMPAIGN PHOTOGRAPHIC POSTER, IS TO BE SOLD AT BONHAM'S NEW BOND STREET, LONDON, AS PART OF ITS URBAN ART SALE ON 11.JANUARY. ESTIMATED AT £60,000 - 80,000, THE UNIQUE PIECE (LOT 67) WAS GIVEN TO THE VENDOR BY THE ARTIST HIMSELF. THE ARTWORK WAS COMMISSIONED BY GREENPEACE TO HIGHLIGHT THE PROBLEMS OF GLOBAL DEFORESTATION AS PART OF THEIR SAVE OR DELETE CAMPAIGN. THE IMAGE, WHICH FEATURES SOME OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS FROM DISNEY'S THE JUNGLE BOOK TRANSPOSED ONTO A PICTURE OF A DEVASTATED FOREST, WAS INTENDED FOR USE ON POSTERS, BILLBOARDS AND POSTCARDS. WHILE IT WAS PRINTED, IT WAS NEVER PUT INTO CIRCULATION BECAUSE OF THE PROTECTIONIST POLICIES AT DISNEY. A VERSION OF THE POSTER IS ILLUSTRATED IN BANKSY'S WALL AND PIECE BOOK. OTHER SALE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE A PERFORMANCE PIECE (LOT 18) CREATED BY AMERICAN GRAFFITI ARTIST, FUTURA 2000, FOR PUNK ROCK BAND THE CLASH'S COMBAT ROCK TOUR. BEST-KNOWN FOR PAINTING SUBWAY TRAINS DURING THE 1970s, FUTURA 2000 WAS COMMISSIONED TO PAINT THE STAGE BACKDROP FOR THE CLASH WHILST THEY PERFORMED. ESTIMATED AT £15,000 – 20,000, IT IS BELIEVED TO BE THE ONLY WORK TO HAVE SURVIVED FROM THE GIGS.


IN ADDITION TO BANKSY'S SAVE OR DELETE JUNGLE BOOK, 2001, THE SALE FEATURES NINE WORKS BY THE ARTIST. THEY INCLUDE:

• LOT 1 – BANKSY, BALLOON GIRL, 2004 (ESTIMATE £5,000 – 7,000)
• LOT 10 - BANKSY, RUDE COPPER, 2002 (ESTIMATE £4,000 – 6,000)
• LOT 11 - BANKSY, EVERYTIME I MAKE LOVE TO YOU I THINK OF SOMEONE ELSE, 2003 (ESTIMATE 30,000 – 40,000)
• LOT 27 – BANKSY, SOUP CAN, LILAC/CHERRY/MINT, 2005 (ESTIMATE £3,000 – 5,000)
• LOT 35 – BANKSY, WATCHTOWER, 2007 (ESTIMATE £5,000 – 7,000)
• LOT 36 – BANKSY, BOMB LOVE, 2004 (ESTIMATE £4,000 – 6,000)
• LOT 45 – BANKSY – PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST, circa 1998 (ESTIMATE £50,000 – 70,000)
• LOT 58 – BANKSY – HAVE A NICE DAY, 2002 (ESTIMATE £4,000 – 6,000)
• LOT 66 – BANKSY – FLAG (GOLD), 2007 (ESTIMATE £2,500 – 3,500)

BONHAMS TO SELL 1955 ASTON MARTIN ONCE OWNED BY KING BAUDOUIN OF BELGIUM

A 1955 ASTON MARTIN DB2/4 SPORTS SALOON, WHICH WAS OWNED BY KING BAUDOUIN OF BELGIUM, WHO REIGNED FROM 1951 UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1993, IS TO BE SOLD AT BONHAMS' PARIS SALE OF MOTOR CARS AT THE GRAND PALAIS ON 5.FEBRUARY.2011. THE CAR WHICH IS WAS SUPPLIED TO THE KING IN FEBRUARY 1955, HAS ATTRACTED A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF $250,000. KING BAUDOUIN WAS RENOWNED FOR HIS LOVE OF FAST CARS, AS WELL AS HAVING THE ASTON MARTIN, DESCRIBED IN AUTOCAR (1953) AS 'AN EXPENSIVE CAR DESIGNED TO CATER FOR THE CONNOISSEUR OF SPORTS CARS WHO IS NOT LIMITED BY FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS', HE ALSO OWNED A PORSCHE SPYDER AND WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT MASERATIS. ACCOMPANIED BY PHOTOGRAPHS OF KING BAUDOUIN WITH HIS BROTHER, THE PRESENT KING ALBERT II, THE CAR IS IN CONCOURS CONDITION FOLLOWING ITS COMPLETE RESTORATION TO ORIGINAL SPECIFICATIONS BETWEEN 2001 AND 2008. A 1956 BENTLEY S1 CONTINENTAL SPORTS SALOON OWNED BY ANOTHER WELL-KNOWN BELGIAN FIGURE, THE FINANCIER, BARON EMPAIN, IS ALSO TO BE OFFERED IN THE SALE. ESTIMATED AT $300,000, THE CAR WAS DELIVERED NEW TO THE BARON IN 1956 AND KEPT UNTIL 1960 WHEN HE SOLD IT TO A FAMILY MEMBER, COUNT D'ARSCHOT.

RARE BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN DRAGON VASE SELLS FOR RECORD $7,658,000

A BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN DRAGON JAR SOLD FOR $7,658,000 IN THE FINE ASIAN WORKS OF ART SALE ON MONDAY AT BONHAMS & BUTTERFIELDS IN SAN FRANCISCO. THE 360 LOT SALE BROUGHT MORE THAN $19 MILLION WITH THE CAST MAJORITY OF LOTS FETCHING MULTIPLES OF THEIR ESTIMATES. THE EXCITEMENT IN THE STANDING ROOM ONLY SALESROOM WAS PALPABLE, AS DETERMINED BIDDERS ON THE TELEPHONE AND IN THE AUDIENCE FOUGHT TO WIN THE MUCH COVETED JAR. BROOKE SIVO, THE SALE'S PRINCIPAL AUCTIONEER AND A 22 YEAR VETERAN OF THE ART WORLD, EXPERTLY GUIDED THE BIDDING ALONG UNTIL IT CULMINATED IN THE RECORD PRICE. THERE WAS MUCH ANTICIPATION AND DELIBERATION OVER THE DRAGON JAR. FOLLOWING CAREFUL PRE-SALE RESEARCH AND CONSULTATION, THE FIRM DESCRIBED THE JAR CONSERVATIVELY AS QIANLONG MARK, LATE QING/REPUBLIC PERIOD AND GAVE IT A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF $10,000-15,000. ULTIMATELY, TWO KEY BIDDERS BACKED THEIR OWN JUDGMENT AND THE DRAGON JAR SOLD FOR A REMARKABLE $7,658,000. THE BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN JAR MEASURES AN IMPRESSIVE 14 INCHES HIGH AND IS DECORATED WITH BANDS OF PLANTAIN LEAVES, WAVES, AND A CLOUD-COLLAR AT THE WAISTED NECK AND BROAD SHOULDERS. THE SIDES ARE DENSELY PAINTED WITH SIX METICULOUSLY RENDERED FIVE-CLAWED DRAGONS PORTRAYED EMERGING FROM THE CRASHING WAVES AND FLYING AMID STYLIZED CLOUDS AND FLAMES.

PICTURE BOUGHT JUST FOR FRAME SELLS FOR $78,000

A STUNNING WATERCOLOUR OF CANADIAN INDIAN TOTEMS SOLD AT BONHAMS IN TORONTO RECENTLY FOR $78,000, COMPLETING A HUGE ROUND-TRIP THAT TOOK THE PICTURE PAINTED IN WESTERN CANADA TO THE WEST COUNTRY IN ENGLAND, AND THEN BACK TO CANADA. CHARLES LANNING, BONHAMS REGIONAL DIRECTOR IN DEVON, SAYS: 'THE PICTURE WAS BROUGHT TO US AFTER IT WAS PURCHASED FOR ITS FRAME AT A LOCAL DEVON AUCTION. WHEN THE BUYER TOOK IT HOME HE RESEARCHED THE ARTIST AND FELT IT MIGHT BE MORE INTERESTING THAN HE HAD REALIZED. WE DECIDED TO SELL THIS CHARMING WATERCOLOUR PAINTED BY WALTER J PHILLIPS, TITLED THE HOH-HOK HOUSEPOSTS AT KARLOKWEES, IN OUR CANADIAN ART SALE. IT WAS THE OBVIOUS PLACE TO SELL AS THE ARTIST HAS A REPUTATION IN NORTH AMERICA. THIS IS JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF BONHAMS INTERNATIONAL REACH. THE CLIENT IS DELIGHTED WITH THE RESULT, ESPECIALLY AS HE ONLY PAID A FEW POUNDS FOR SOMETHING PRICED TO SELL FOR ITS FRAME.' WRITING IN WET PAINT HIS UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT ON WATERCOLOUR TECHNIQUE, PHILLIPS WAS TAKEN WITH THE VILLAGE KARLUKWEES, '...NEVER HAVE I SEEN A MORE DELECTABLE SKETCHING GROUND...I REGRETTED LEAVING THE COAST, AND I LONG TO RETURN.' PAINTED IN THE LATE 1920s, WHILE TRAVELING ON THE PACIFIC COAST, THE WATERCOLOUR WOULD BE TRANSLATED INTO THE SECOND WOOD CARVING IN HIS 1930 PORTFOLIO, AN ESSAY IN WOODCUTS. THE PICTURE WAS USED ON THE FRONT COVER OF THE BONHAMS CATALOG FOR THE CANADIAN ART SALE.

BONHAMS SELLS MINIATURE PORTRAIT OF ELIZABETH I FOR £40,800

BONHAMS ANNOUNCED THAT A PORTRAIT MINIATURE OF ELIZABETH I EXCEEDED THE PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £15,000 - £20,000, TO SELL FOR £40,800 IN THE FINE PORTRAIT MINIATURES SALE HELD AT KNIGHTSBRIDGE ON 24.NOVEMBER, WITH A TOTAL SALE REALIZING £371,000. THE PORTRAIT WAS PAINTED BY ONE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH'S FAVORITE MINIATURISTS, NICHOLAS HILLIARD, WHO CHOSE TO SPECIFICALLY CONCENTRATE ON HER COSTUME AND JEWELRY, WHILST ALWAYS PAINTING THE QUEEN'S FACE SIMPLY AND YOUTHFULLY. A SMART OFFICER WEARING A RED COATEE, PAINTED BY THE ARTIST JOHN SMART DURING HIS TIME IN INDIA IN 1794, WAS ALSO ONE OF THE TOP LOTS OF TE SALE, REALIZING £24,000. FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED A PORTRAIT MINIATURE BY HORACE HONE OF SARAH SIDDONS, A BRITISH ACTRESS WHO FOUND FAME ON DRURY LANE FOR HER PORTRAYAL OF LADY MACBETH AND BECAME THE BEST KNOWN TRAGEDIENNE OF THE 18th CENTURY. THE PORTRAIT SOLD FOR £12,000 AGAINST A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £6,000 – 8,000.

BONHAMS TO SELL ROLL-ROYCE PHANTOM III THAT APPEARED IN PAN'S LABRYINTH

THE FIRST ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM III TO BE SOLD TO AMERICA, WHICH FEATURED IN THE AWARD-WINNING 2006 FILM 'PAN'S LABYRINTH', IS TO BE SOLD AT BONHAMS TRADITIONAL END OF YEAR SALE OF IMPORTANT MOTOR CARS AND FINE AUTOMOBILIA ON 6.DECEMBER, WHICH THIS YEAR TAKES PLACE AT MERCEDES-BENZ WORLD AT BROOKLANDS IN SURREY. A TOTAL NUMBER OF 24 PHANTOM III ROLLS-ROYCES ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN SOLD TO AMERICA NEW, WITH THIS CAR LISTED TO HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FIRST ON 2.DECEMBER.1936. ESTIMATED AT £60,000 – 70,000 AND IN FANTASTIC CONDITION, THE CAR WAS USED ALONGSIDE A BENTLEY IN A CAR CHASE IN THE FILM PAN'S LABYRINTH, WHICH WAS DIRECTED BY GUILLERMO DEL TORO. IT HAS BEEN OWNED BY A PROMINENT CONNOISSEUR OF PRE-WAR LUXURY CARS SINCE THIS TIME AND KEPT IN SOUTHERN EUROPE.
300,000).

BONHAMS BREAKS RECORDS WITH SNUFF BOTTLE SALE

BONHAMS HONG KONG RECENTLY CELEBRATED ITS SECOND 'GOLDEN GAVEL AUCTION', WHEN PART II OF THE WORLD'S FINEST COLLECTION OF IMPORTANT CHINESE SNUFF BOTTLES, THE MARY AND GEORGE BLOCH COLLECTION, SOLD 100% AND ACHIEVED WORLD RECORD PRICES. AGAINST PRESALE
ESTIMATES OF HK$24,000,000, THE SALE TOTAL WAS HK$54,832,000 (£4, 437,930) WITH EVERY ONE OF THE 155 RARE BOTTLES SUCCESSFULLY SOLD. A GOOD NUMBER OF THE LOTS SOLD FOR TWICE TO FOUR TIMES ITS ESTIMATE. A NEW WORLD RECORD FOR A PORCELAIN SNUFF BOTTLE WAS REACHED WHEN LOT 121 SOLD FOR A STAGGERING HK$8,384,000 (£678,815), FOR TIMES ITS ESTIMATE PRICE. COMMISSIONED BY THE QIANLONG EMPEROR AND ENAMELED IN THE WORKSHOPS OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE BETWEEN 1736 AND 1760, THIS EXTRAORDINARY SNUFF BOTTLE, DECORATED WITH 'DOUBLE-GOURDS', SYMBOLIC OF LONG LIFE, IS IDENTICAL TO ANOTHER RARE EXAMPLE STILL PRESERVED IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY PALACE MUSEUM. THE HIGHEST PRICE OF THE SALE, AND NEW WORLD RECORD FOR A GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE WAS ACHIEVED BY LOT 152, A 'FAMILLE-ROSE' ENAMELED GOLD-GROUND GLASS 'LOTUS' SNUFF BOTTLE, WHICH SOLD FOR HK$9,056,000 (£732,921), ALMOST FOUR TIMES ITS PRESALE ESTIMATE. THE EXQUISITE SNUFF BOTTLE WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE QIANLONG EMPEROR AND DECORATED WITH LOTUS FLOWERS AGAINST A RICH GOLDEN GROUND, AND INCISED ON THE BASE WITH THE IMPERIAL MARK. PART III OF THE SNUFF BOTTLES FROM THE MARY AND GEORGE BLOCH COLLECTION WILL TAKE CENTER STAGE AT BONHAMS SPRING 2011 AUCTIONS TO BE HELD IN MAY 2011.

BONHAMS TO SELL PRESENTATION GONE WITH THE WIND SCRIPT

BONHAMS & BUTTERFIELDS' ENTERTAINMENT MEMORABILIA AUCTION ON 13.DECEMBER IN LOS ANGELES WILL FEATURE A WIDE VARIETY OF ITEMS RELATED TO HOLLYWOOD, ROCK 'N ROLL AND ANIMATION ART, INCLUDING HATTIE MCDANIEL'S PERSONALLY-OWNED 'PRESENTATION COPY' SCRIPT FROM 'GONE WITH THE WIND'. GIFTED TO MCDANIEL BY THE MOVIE'S PRODUCE, DAVID O SELZNICK, AFTER FILMING WAS COMPLETE ON THE 1939 CLASSIC, HE INSCRIBED THE INSIDE: 'FOR MCDANIEL,/ WHO CONTRIBUTED / SO GREATLY! / WITH GRATITUDE / AND ADMIRATION, / DAVID O SELZNICK / XMAS, 1939.' ESTIMATED TO BRING $10,000 TO $15,000, THE SCRIPT IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF HOLLYWOOD HISTORY AS MCDANIEL WON A 'BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE' OSCAR FOR HER PORTRAYAL OF 'MAMMY' IN THE FILM, THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO BE NOMINATED FOR AND TO WIN AN ACADEMY AWARD.

BONHAMS TO SELL SARAH SIDDONS PORTRAIT

A PORTRAIT MINIATURE BY HORACE HONE OF SARAH SIDDONS, A BRITISH ACTRESS WHO FOUND FAME ON DRURY LANE FOR HER PORTRAYAL OF LADY MACBETH AND BECAME THE BEST KNOWN TRAGEDIENNE OF THE 18th CENTURY, WILL BE OFFERED BY BONHAMS IN THE FINE PORTRAIT MINIATURE SALE TAKING PLACE IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE ON 24.NOVEMBER. THE STUNNING PORTRAIT IS ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR £6,000 – 8,000. BORN IN BRECON, WALES, SARAH SIDDONS WAS THE ELDEST DAUGHTER OF AN ACTOR-MANAGER, WHOSE TRAVELING COMPANY INCLUDED MOST MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY. IN 1774, SIDDONS' PERFORMANCE AS BELVIDERA IN THOMAS OTWAY'S 'VENICE PRESERVED' BROUGHT HER TO THE ATTENTION OF DAVID GARRICK, WHO ASKED HER TO APPEAR AT DRURY LANE. HOWEVER, HER FIRST APPEARANCES WERE NOT WELL RECEIVED AND FROM 1777, SHE WORKED IN PROVINCIAL COMPANIES, GRADUALLY BUILDING UP HER REPUTATION. HER NEXT DRURY LANE APPEARANCE IN 1782 COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFERENT. SHE WAS AN IMMEDIATE SENSATION PLAYING THE TITLE ROLE IN GARRICK'S ADAPTATION OF A PLAY BY THOMAS SOUTHERNE, 'ISABELLA'. SHE SUBSEQUENTLY TOOK ON SHAKESPEARIAN CHARACTERS FROM ROSALIND AND OPHELIA TO DESDEMONA, BUT HER MOST FAMOUS ROLE WAS THAT OF LADY MACBETH. IT WAS SAID THAT THE GRANDEUR OF HER EMOTIONS AS SHE EXPRESSED LADY MACBETH'S MURDEROUS PASSIONS, HELD HER AUDIENCES SPELLBOUND. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF TWENTY YEARS IN WHICH SHE WAS THE UNDISPUTED QUEEN OF DRURY LANE. HER CELEBRITY STATUS HAS BEEN CALLED 'MYTHICAL' AND 'MONUMENTAL', AND BY THE MID 1780s SIDDONS WAS ESTABLISHED AS A CULTURAL ICON. THE PORTRAIT MINIATURE WAS PAINTED AT THE HEIGHT OF HER CAREER ON DRURY LANE. WEARING A LIGHT BROWN DRESS AND WIDE BRIMMED HAT, SHE PROPS HER FACE UP AGAINST HER RIGHT HAND, IN A THOUGHTFUL GAZE. BY THIS PERIOD, THERE WAS A GROWING DEMAND FOR IMAGES OF THE CELEBRITIES OF THE DAY AND THEATRE PROVED A GOOD SOURCE OF COMMISSION FOR MINIATURISTS.

BONHAMS TO SELL PORTRAIT OF NAPOLEON

BONHAMS ARE TO SELL A NEAR-CONTEMPORARY PORTRAIT OF NAPOLEON PAINTED BY HIS VALET AND CLOSE COMPANION LOUIS-JOSEPH-NARCISSE MARCHAND IN THE BRITISH & CONTINENTAL PICTURES AUCTION IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE ON 30.NOVEMBER. MARCHAND WAS NAPOLEON BONAPARTE'S VALET AND FRIEND. HE BECAME AN IMPERIAL SERVANT IN 1811 AND REMAINED FAITHFUL TO NAPOLEON AFTER HIS ABDICATION AND WAS REWARDED WITH PROMOTION TO MAIN VALET. WHILE NAPOLEON WAS ON HIS DEATHBED HE BESTOWED THE TITLE OF COUNT ON MARCHAND, WHICH WAS CONFIRMED BY NAPOLEON III IN 1869. HE KEPT EXTENSIVE MEMOIRS WHICH PROVIDE HISTORIANS WITH DETAILED AND PERSONAL INSIGHTS INTO THE LIFE OF THE EMPEROR AS WELL AS A SOBER AND MOVING ACCOUNT OF HIS DEATH. THE PEN AND INK WASH PORTRAIT IS DATED 1832, MEASURES 11.5 X 9.5cm AND GIVES AND INTIMATE VIEW OF NAPOLEON AND IS ESTIMATED AT £400-600.