The heroic age of Antarctic Exploration will resurface at Christie’s in South Kensington on October 9. Poignant memorials of the lives of Scott, Shackleton and others synonymous with the Antarctic will feature in a dedicated Polar Section of the sale. It will commemorate the centenary of Scott’s Terra Nova expedition. The auction will feature historical items relating to the Discovery (1901-1904), Nimrod (1907-1909), Terra Nova (1910-1913), and Endurance (1914-1916) expeditions.
Captain Scott’s marching compass used to navigate on both Discovery and Terra Nova expeditions is expected to fetch between £15,000 and £20,000. It was returned to his widow following the final and fatal journey to the South Pole on the Terra Nova expedition. The charismatic Co. Kildare born Anglo-Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton, known as The Boss, sledged with Scott on the Discovery expedition. The sledging harness from his Nimrod expedition which brought him to within 97 miles of the South Pole is expected to make between £15,000-£20,000.
UPDATE: THE photograph on the far left made £3,000, the photograph of Scott made £1,188. Scott’s marching compass sold for £37,250 and Shackleton’s sledging harness made £17,500.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for September 2, 2012).