antiquesandartireland.com

Who might buy this lot at Bonhams?

Mr. S. Claus –  someone with many presents to gather and a regular reader of antiquesandartireland.com – will be particularly interested in an upcoming auction. One of the world’s finest single-owner collections of Victorian carriages and coaches comes up at Bonhams carriage collection sale next March 7. With all the travelling Santa Claus does – not to mention a North Pole address – there can never be too many sleds and sleighs.

The privately owned collection gathered by a European industrialist contains more than 150 lots, some dating back to the 17th century. There are two beautifully designed 18th century sleds. An ex Royal British Mews 1835 travelling Landau is said by the auctioneer to be one of the most historically significant carriages on the open market for many years. It is estimated at £200,000-300,000. There are more than 30 carriages and coaches from makers including Holland and Holland, Guiet and Co., Barker and Co. and Van Campenhout.  Three cars, a 1908 Sears Model P Four Seat High Wheel Runabout, a 1907 Holsman Economy American Buggy and a Brass Radiator Ford Model T Speedster, will be of much interest to collectors.

We wish our readers around the world a very Happy Christmas.

Winston Churchill’s Despatch Box.

Winston Churchill’s despatch box from his time at Secretary of State for the Colonies in 1921-22 sold at Sotheby’s in London today for £158,500.  Over the past four days more than 4,000 people flocked to Sotheby’s to view paintings, furnishings and works of art celebrating the life of the late Mary Soames, last surviving daughter of Winston Churchill.

Sir Winston Spencer Churchill
The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell, 1932
Oil on canvas, 25 by 30in.
est. £400,000-600,000
Copyright © Churchill Heritage Ltd UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £1,762,500

The salesroom was full to overflowing today and many lots sold above estimate.  The despatch box made more than 30 times it estimate of £5,000-7,000. A c1930 Asprey humidor sold for £21,250 (1,000-1,500) and a photograph of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt inscribed by him to Mary Soames made £32,500 (£2,500-3,500).

The white glove sale realized £15.4 million over a top estimate of £5.5 million and set an auction record for a painting by Winston Churchill of £1.76 million for The Goldfish Pond at Chartwell which was the top lot.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for October 8, 2014)

Alvin Langdon Coburn
‘Shadows And Reflections, Venice’

Alvin Langdon Coburn’s Shadow and Reflections, Venice 1905 sold for $965,000 at Sotheby’s sale of 175 masterworks to celebrate 175 years of photography in New York.  The sale, which took in a total of $23.1 million, demonstrated that the market for classic photographs has never been stronger. The total exceeded the previous auction record for photographs by $6 million. There were world auction records for Alvin Langdon Coburn, August Sander, Tina Modotti, Julia Margaret Cameron, Lee Miller, Walker Evans, Martin Munkácsi, and others in the sale of the collection of Howard Stein.

Denise Bethel, Chairman, Sotheby’s Photographs, Americas, commented: “This record breaking sale has been a celebration of photography – the most profound, inventive, and beautiful artistic medium of our time. The masterpieces in the auction spanned the mid nineteenth century to the present day and featured the extraordinary talents that have always characterized the very best photographers. It is therefore entirely fitting that the proceeds will be used for the innovative educational work of Joy of Giving Something Foundation”.

What is possibly the rarest Irish Provincial silver mug to come on the market in the last 50 years – by Charles Begheagle whose work represents some of the earliest examples of Cork silver known to have survived – turned up at auction in New York last Sunday.  The exceptionally rare c1693 Cork William III mug was bought by the Irish silver dealer William Crofton of L and W Duvallier, now based at the London Silver Vaults on Chancery Lane.
Mr. Crofton bought the piece for $6,500 dollars, but said he would have been prepared to go much higher. “The only other piece by this maker I have seen is the match to this mug in the National Museum of Ireland”, he said, adding that it would be very difficult to value the piece.
Charles Begheagle, a Huguenot, is believed to have been encouraged to settle in Cork by fellow Huguenot Robert Goble. He became Warden of the Goldsmiths Guild of Cork in 1693 and died in 1697.  Few of his works are known and his name is one that would be recognised by only a small number of specialists. As he favoured repousse chasing it has been suggested that he may have chased the Cork Mace for Robert Goble, now at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The mug turned up in a lot of antique English hollow ware estimated at $400-600 at Clarke of Larchmont, New York, where it was sold on December 14. The makers mark CB was thought to have possibly been Charles Blair with what might have been the city mark for Edinburgh.

The mug by Charles Begheagle, repousse chased with children representing the Four Seasons.

The maker’s mark CB is clearly visible.

Tiffany – Wisteria Table Lamps. UPDATE: SOLD FOR $1,145,000 AND $2,205,000 RESPECTIVELY.

One of the most important private collections of Tiffany lamps to appear at auction in more than a decade will come up at Sotheby’s, New York on December 17. The group of seven lamps – comprising many of the firm’s most iconic and celebrated designs – was assembled over a period of 30 years by renowned Tiffany collector and dealer Sandra van den Broek, before being acquired by the present owner.  The highlight of the group is two successively numbered Wisteria lamps – an extraordinary, nearly-identical pair whose harmonious coloration suggest that they were cut from the same sheets of glass. They are estimated at US$700,000 – 1 million each.

Jodi Pollack, Head of Sotheby’s 20th Century Design Department in New York, commented: “Every new generation of collectors rediscovers the genius of Tiffany – a testament to the unparalleled innovation, creativity and craftsmanship of the firm’s work. In recent years, it has been thrilling to see global interest in Tiffany from young collectors, who are pairing great works of art by modern and contemporary masters with the firm’s spectacular designs.  The two are a natural fit.”

UPDATE:  The 41 lot sale totalled $6,585,875

Irish silver stole the show at Whyte’s art and collectibles for Christmas auction in Dublin on December 6.  The top lot was a George II Limerick silver cream jug by Joseph Johns. Estimated at 3,000-5,000 it sold for 8,400.  A George III Cork silver snuffer tray by George Hodder sold for  1,700 over a top estimate of 600 and a George II silver coffee pot by London maker Philip Garden made 1,500 over a top estimate of 800.

A George III Cork silver snuffer tray by George Hodder sold for 1,700.

A George II silver cream jug by Joseph Johns, Limerick sold for 8,400.

A George II London silver coffee pot by Philip Garden made 1,500.