H&H Classics- 1964 Morris Mini Moke Owned By Film Director

H&H Classics- 1964 Morris Mini Moke Owned By Film Director

This highly original 1964 850cc Mini Moke was supplied new to the cinematographer and film studio owner Keith Ewart for use on his Cornish estate, is now for sale with H&H Classics at their Live Auction Online on June 24th.

The Moke remained in the Ewart family ownership for fifty-one years, from 1964-2015. ‘JMM 699B’ was one of two Mokes Ewart bought at the same time to run around his Cornish estate. A pioneer in the making of European television commercials, Ewart shot campaigns for the likes of Camay, Maxwell House, Fairy Liquid, and Benson & Hedges. Having begun his career as an acclaimed stills photographer with Vogue and Harper’s magazines, he had a legendary eye for detail.

 

Making the jump to TV in 1954, Ewart later employed a young Ridley Scott as his art director and would, according to another of his proteges Howard Grey, ‘think nothing of doing 40 or 50 takes of a two-second scene of an actress putting on face cream or choosing a chocolate’ such was his desire for perfection.

The Moke is one of only 9,096 Morris versions made, a mere ten percent of which were ‘home market’ supplied. It was built at Longbridge in 1964, the first year of production. Its condition is mostly original and unrestored and is in running order and believed complete with its original hood. It has its correct 850cc engine and has had just two registered keepers. It is rare to find a Moke in this condition and is a great fun vehicle.

Ewart’s had ‘JMM 699B’ repainted from green to RAF blue (as a reminder of his service) and updated with a pair of period bucket seats (presumably so it could be driven with more gusto on the unmade roads of his Estate). A keen ornithologist with a particular passion for parrots, Ewart succumbed to a brain tumour in July 1989. However, his widow would not part with the characterful Morris for another twenty-six years.

 ‘JMM 699B’ has never undergone a full restoration. Indeed, aside from upgrading the ignition system, the vendor has enjoyed using the Moke ‘as is’ (the original ignition parts have been kept for posterity).

The Keith Ewart Charitable Trust remains committed to the preservation and conservation of wildlife.

 

 

Model Background:

The utilitarian Moke (slang for Donkey) was conceived as a light military vehicle and, codenamed The Buckboard, was tested by all three branches of the armed forces. However, its relatively low ground clearance ruled it out of most combat situations and its forte was as a beach buggy in such popular holiday destinations as the Seychelles and the Caribbean. Some 50,000 examples were manufactured all told – UK production ran from 1964 to 1968, while they were also built in Australia, Portugal and Italy. The monocoque shell comprised a pair of box-section pontoons connected by the floorpan and firewall. Engine, gearbox and suspension were standard Mini components, making for economical service and repair. Most of the 14,518 British Mokes incorporated Mini MK1 running gear but the later ones (1967-68) utilised MK2 parts. However, of the 5,422 Austin and 9,096 Morris versions made a mere ten percent or so were ‘home market’ supplied.

 

FOR MORE PRESS INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT THE H&H CLASSICS PRESS OFFICE:

Julian Roup ON +44 (0) 7970 563958

OR email [email protected]

 

Freeman’s – 29.84 Carat Yellow Diamond Leads Auction

Freeman’s – 29.84 Carat Yellow Diamond Leads Auction

PHILADELPHIA, PA—On Thursday May 21, Freeman’s will hold its online Jewelry & Watches auction. Spanning periods, the 125-lot auction includes an array of impressive diamonds; colorful gemstones; vintage, retro and antique jewels; and a strong selection of iconic, signed pieces by renowned makers such as Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Rolex, Van Cleef & Arpels, and most notably, David Webb.

The auction is led by a rare 29.84 carat radiant-cut fancy light yellow diamond (Lot 125; $350,000-450,000). Set in an eighteen karat gold ring and flanked by triangular-cut diamonds, this stunning and remarkably large stone is accompanied by a GIA report stating natural fancy light yellow color and VS2 clarity.

COLLECTION OF ICONIC DAVID WEBB DESIGNS
The sale features a number of pieces by important American jeweler, David Webb. Recognized for his bold and eccentric designs, Webb is best known for his influential and whimsical Animal Kingdom collection, as represented by two bracelets in the auction: An enamel, diamond, emerald, and eighteen karat gold elephant bangle (Lot 110, $25,000-35,000) and an enamel, diamond, ruby and eighteen karat gold zebra bangle (Lot 112, $30,000-50,000).

David Webb’s distinct designs have been ingrained into American culture, in large part due to the popularization of the whimsical, yet architectural Zebra bracelet. Designed in 1957, it was the first zoomorphic design of what ultimately formed Webb’s Kingdom, and was worn by celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and Vogue editor, Dianne Vreeland, among others.

A FRESH-TO-MARKET WATCH FIT FOR A SECRET AGENT
Leading the watch section of the sale is an exceptional 1965 stainless steel Rolex (Lot 51; $20,000-30,000). With its sleek, stainless steel dial, this Rolex Ref. 6238 pre-Daytona chronograph is the same model worn by James Bond, played by George Lazenby, in the 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. An advertisement for the film prompted the consignor to purchase the rare watch for $500 while on a trip to Geneva in the 1960s.  Upon his return, he filed the watch in a sock drawer for safekeeping, where it has been kept for over 50 years.

ADDITIONAL AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Additional highlights of the sale include a diamond solitaire centering an old European-cut diamond weighing 10.07 carats, accompanied by GIA report stating N color and VS2 clarity (Lot 122; $80,000-100,000); a diamond solitaire centering a cushion cut diamond weighing 4.79 carats, accompanied by a GIA certificate stating E color and SI2 clarity (Lot 120; $30,000-50,000); a highly flexible diamond and platinum bracelet by Cartier London (Lot 124; $20,000-30,000); and an Art Deco Tutti Frutti ruby, emerald, diamond, and seed pearl clip brooch (Lot 119, $7,000-9,000).

 

AUCTION

Jewelry & Watches | May 21 | 12pm

 

HEAD OF SALE

Virginia Salem, [email protected]

 

PRESS INQUIRIES

Madeline Hill, [email protected]

 

 

Lot 110: A white enamel, eighteen karat gold, diamond, and colored gemstone bracelet, David Webb

Estimate $30,000-50,000

Lot 51: A stainless steel chronograph bracelet wristwatch, Rolex

Estimate $20,000-30,000

Lot 112: A black and white enamel, eighteen karat gold, diamond, and ruby bracelet, David Webb

Estimate $25,000-35,000

Lot 122: Size 7 Diamond Solitaire, 10.07 carats, mounted in platinum

Estimate: $80,000-100,000

Lot 124: A diamond and platinum bracelet, Cartier

Estimate $20,000-30,000

Lot 119: An Art Deco Tutti Frutti ruby, emerald, diamond, and seed pearl fur clip brooch. circa 1930

Estimate $7,000-9,000

Roseberys -Results from Mod Contemporary British Art Sale

Roseberys -Results from Mod Contemporary British Art Sale

Bullish sale exceeds high estimate with 85% of lots sold 

Bidders were out in force for Roseberys first Modern and Contemporary British art sale of the year, spending over £530,000 and absorbing 85% of the lots on offer. Containing an abundance of high-quality art, many by renowned British artists, the February 11 auction generated spirited bidding throughout with a number of lots exceeding expectations. 

 This included the star of the sale, a recently discovered abstract painting in two parts by the late artist Richard Smith. It attracted intense competition before it was eventually knocked down at £102,500.

 

Signed and dated to 1958, Noplace is an important early work from Richard Smith’s (1931-2016) formative years as a young painter fresh out of the Royal College of Art. The canvas, presumed to have been cut by the artist at a later date, belonged to the London-based architect Margaret Dent and came to Roseberys via her descendants.

It was first shown (in one piece) at the Arts Council of Great Britain exhibition Abstract Impressionism in 1958 and was organised to bring together artists from England, France and the United States whose work represented both abstraction and a painterly interest in colour, touch, light and space. The following year, Smith received the Harkness Fellowship to travel to New York where he began to explore elements of both Abstract Expressionism and Pop art in his own work. [Lot 162]

 

A portrait by Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) of her father Sir Leslie Stephen, believed to be the earliest known portrait by the Bloomsbury Group painter, sold for £20,000. Stephen, who was also the father of Virginia Woolf, was an eminent man of letters and an editor of the Dictionary of National Biography. The portrait is similar to another (on loan to the National Portrait Gallery) painted by the great Victorian painter George Frederic Watts who was both a family friend and a significant influence on Bell’s early work. [Lot 30] 

A rare early drawing by LS Lowry (1887-1976) and bearing his signature was taken to £22,500. The Salford artist created the female nude drawing at an evening life-drawing class in 1914 with the French Impressionist painter Adolphe Valette. “I cannot over-estimate the effect on me of the coming into this drab city of Adolphe Valette, full of French impressionists, aware of everything that was going on in Paris,” said Lowry of his teacher. According to the inscription, it took 45 minutes to complete. [Lot 105]

 

An unusual double-sided oil on paper by the influential ‘Whitechapel Boys’ artist David Bomberg (1890-1957), dated 1920, was chased to £8,500. The post-war work, titled Festivity to one side, was made when the painter began to move towards a more figurative style. [Lot 93]

Pictures by Modern British artists inspired by Old Masters sold for high prices. From Rubens, a black and brown chalk over pencil by Leon Kossoff (1926-2019), sold for £7,750. It was one of many the artist made in response to and literally in the presence of Old Master oil paintings; in this case a painting by Peter Rubens. [Lot 98] 

In 1917, the artist Roger Fry (1866-1934) organised Copies and Translations of Old Masters, an exhibition at the Omega Workshops to which he invited artists associated with the Omega to contribute. Fry encourage young artists not to make perfect copies of the originals, but rather to learn new things while making a loose copy or study of an Old Master painting. The auction included one of Fry’s own contributions, an oil of St Francis giving his cloak to a destitute nobleman based on a fresco in Assisi by Giotto. It was taken to £3,625, more than double pre-sale expectations. [Lot 31] 

 

 

A small painting by one of Bomberg’s teacher, the famed Camden Town Group painter Walter Sickert (1860-1942), was knocked down for £8,125. Mackerel, a widely exhibited still life of fish on a plate with distinguished provenance stretching back to 1904, was possibly painted when the artist was staying in Dieppe with a divorced fishwife called Madame Villain. [Lot 2]

Primrose Hill, the small park in north London with paths that culminate at a high point with a fine view over the city, has been the local green spot for German-British painter Frank Auerbach (b.1931) since the 1950s when he moved to his nearby studio in Camden. A 1960 study of the park in pencil and oil paint that had featured in Sotheby’s £2.7m auction of art from David Sylvester, Britain’s greatest post-war critic and curator of modern art, was bid to £6,000. [Lot 91]

 

 

For further information please contact Peigi Mackillop [email protected] +44 (0) 20 8761 2522

Freeman’s – Record Price Achieved for Edgar Degas Cast

Freeman’s – Record Price Achieved for Edgar Degas Cast

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Freeman’s is delighted to announce the results of its highly successful European Art & Old Masters auction—the first sale at its new Center City Philadelphia flagship gallery. With a sell-through rate of 98%, the sale achieved over $2.3 million, more than $1 million above its pre-sale estimate.

 

Strong prices were achieved for 19th century works, especially for artists from the Impressionist movement. With many consignments from private New York collectors, the sale featured 47 lots, including notable works by Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, Vincent van Gogh, and Albrecht Dürer.

 

“I am delighted that after months of planning, we see the new premises come to life with this first, highly successful auction,” commented Chairman Alasdair Nichol, “Today’s success, including a record price achieved for a Degas bronze, can be attributed to the expertise of our superb team of specialists who work tirelessly on behalf of our consignors to reach an international audience of collectors.”

 

RECORD PRICE ACHIEVED FOR EDGAR DEGAS BRONZE

The sale was led by Edgar Degas (French, 1834-1917), Grande Arabesque, Deuxième Temps (Lot 48), which sold for $567,000—more than four times its pre-sale low estimate. This price realized is a record price for a Degas cast after 1948. After several minutes of competition between phone and Internet bidders from the United Kingdom and France, the bronze ultimately sold to a buyer who had the chance to view the sculpture when it was exhibited during Freeman’s preview in London.

Lot 48 | Grande Arabesque, Deuxième Temps

Edgar Degas (French, 1834-1917)

Sells for $567,000

“Record price for a cast after 1948.”

 

HEAD OF SALE

David Weiss, [email protected]

PRESS INQUIRIES

Madeline Hill, [email protected]

 

 

Roseberys -Design Decorative Arts from 1860 to Present Day

Roseberys -Design Decorative Arts from 1860 to Present Day

 LONDON: On Tuesday March 3 2020 Roseberys London will present Design: Decorative Arts 1860, a sale focussed on the creations of pioneering designers from the late 19th and 20th centuries. Among the lots to be auctioned are several pieces of coveted Martinware pottery from a single-owner collection, a cross-section of British studio ceramics and prime examples of designer furniture from Europe and America. 

 Fiona Baker, Head of Department, said: We are pleased to include four lots of Martin Brothers ceramics, including two characterful double-sided pieces and an engaging small bird by Robert Wallace Martin, dated 25.5.1904. The sale opens with a collection of thirty lots of William Moorcroft, delicately tube-lined with his distinctive and colourful patterns. From the 1920s there is a lovely René Lalique blue glass Gui vase and from the 1930s there is an Edward McKnight Kauffer Shell poster. Also offered is a group of Georg Jensen jewellery including a silver and rutilated quartz ring by Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe.

Nigel Dawson-Elis, Junior Cataloguer & Furniture Valuer Furniture & Modern Design commented:

From Danish design master Kaare Klint, we are delighted to offer an iconic ‘Faaborg’ chair, originally designed in 1914, this example was produced circa 1950 by Rud. Rasmussen. From America we have a selection of varied and interesting metalwork pieces by design duo Curtis Jeré, as well as a rare PE24 dining table designed by Paul Evans and produced in 1969. Other notable lots include a large and impressive desk attributed to Osvaldo Borsani and a striking pair of modernist rugs designed by renowned British textile designer Peter Collingwood.

Eccentric founder Robert Wallace Martin (1843–1923) and his siblings Charles, Walter and Edwin epitomised the energy and experimentation of the 19th century art pottery movement. Eminently collectable on today’s market, Martinware is known for its vast range of skilfully formed and decorated domestic and decorative wares. Often grotesque and eccentric, these distinctive creations demonstrate the brothers’ unique blend of fantasy and imagination. 

A sculptor by training, Robert was generally responsible for throwing and modelling and is most commonly associated with the pottery’s fantastical sculptural bird models. These anthropomorphic lidded wares were produced in many different shapes and sizes. The jar for sale at Roseberys, estimated at £5,000-7,000, measures 18.5cm high and depicts the bird’s face in a thoughtful expression. The rest of the single-owner collection comprises a double ‘Face’ vessel jug (estimate £1,500-2,500), a double ‘Face’ vessel mug (estimate £500-800), both dated c.1890, and a stoneware ‘Aquatic’ vase from 1903 of flattened form incised and decorated with a crab and jelly fish on a watery blue ground (estimate £1,200-1,800).

Further highlights in the ceramics section include a tall stylised cat by James Tower (1919-1988), a distinctive figure in post-war British ceramics. Made from tin glazed earthenware, the piece is decorated all over with typical abstract resist motifs in shades of dark grey blue. It dates to the early 1950s when Tower began his exploration of simplified figurative designs inspired by animal and plant forms. These became increasingly geometric and abstract in the years that followed. Bids are invited in the region of £2,000-3,000.

A fine c.1995 porcelain bowl glazed in matt blue and turquoise by the Yemen-born potter Abdo Nagi (1941-2001) is estimated at £300-500. The use of dry turquoise and royal blue glazes are a hallmark of Nagi’s later work and invoke the colour palette of mosque interiors and the glazes of fellow potter Lucie Rie.

Estimated at £800-1,200, is a pair of impressively carved clay forms by the Pakastini English sculptor Halima Cassell (b.1975). Made in c.2010, these unglazed forms titled Flo-ra I & II are hand carved with deep organic and angular patterns that are characteristic of her work and are inspired by the repetitive motifs found in Islamic architecture and North African surface design

Starring in the furniture section is a table by Paul Evans (1931-1987), a leading figure in the mid-century American studio and brutalist furniture movement known for his innovative approaches to metalsmithing and furniture-making. 

The model ‘PE24’ dining table, c.1969, was made for the manufacturer Directional Furniture, an association that started in 1964 and significantly impacted the nature and scope of Evans’s production. The piece, which features welded steel bases showcasing his masterful designs, polychrome technique and patchwork, is estimated at £6,000-8,000. 

A c.1950 rosewood and ebonised desk attributed to the Italian designer and architect Osvaldo Borsani (1911-1985) carries hopes of £3,000-5,000. Borsani is best known for his research-based approach to making furniture and throughout his career merged technological and material improvements with inventive Modernist stylings. This desk has a shaped top inset with a green glass writing surface flanked by two pedestals raised on dramatic tapering legs. 

Estimated at £1,200-1,500 is a c.1950 ‘Faaborg’ chair, which was originally designed in 1914 by Kaare Klint (1888-1954) for contemplating artwork at the Danish Faaborg Museum. The chair has since become an icon of Danish design, highlighting Klint’s masterly sense of space and proportion and his ability to combine architecture and design.

This example in curved mahogany was produced by Rud. Rasmussens, the wooden furniture manufacturer based in Copenhagen that collaborated with many leading Danish furniture designers in the 20th century.

DESIGN : DECORATIVE ARTS 1860 TO THE PRESENT DAY

Tuesday 2 March, starting at 1pm 

Viewing times Friday 28 February : 9.30am – 5.00pm Sunday 1 March : 10.00 am – 2.00 pm Monday 2 March : 9.30 am – 5.30 pm Tuesday 3 March : 9.30 am – 12.30 pm 

For further information please contact:

Peigi Mackillop [email protected] +44 (0) 20 8761 2522 

Strauss & Co- Impressive Single Owner Collection of African Art

Strauss & Co- Impressive Single Owner Collection of African Art

  • Contemporary auction taking place in Cape town’s most vibrant period in South Africa’s art calendar

  • Includes two artists that have collaborated with French luxury brands: Nicholas Hlobo and Athi-Patra Ruga

  • Very important work by Nicholas Hlobo, the cover lot

  • Growth of the auction beyond being just a South African focused contemporary auction – it features a pan African selection of work

(Left) Highly important drawing by William Kentridge of a landscape in the Marikana area where 34 miners were killed by police in 2012

 

 

Cape Town, with its diverse and sophisticated ecosystem of galleries, museums, institutions and events, has over the last few years established itself as a global art capital. Launched three years ago at the V&A Waterfront, Strauss & Co’s contemporary art sale is an important addition to this vibrant network of opportunity for artists and collectors.

 

Held annually during the blissful summer month of February and timed to coincide with the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, the third instalment of Strauss & Co’s specialist sale in a portside warehouse at the V&A Waterfront includes a noteworthy consignment of contemporary African art from a single collection.

 

The 22 lots were acquired over the past decade, a period of global emergence for contemporary African art, and map the many ways in which artists from the continent are currently expressing themselves.

The lots include vivid photographs by two of the continent’s most celebrated portraitists, Omar Victor Diop (Senegal) and Hassan Hajjaj (Morocco). Painting is also strongly represented, with works by Cyril Omamogho (Nigeria), Meriem Bouderbala (Tunisia), Redouane Ouarzaz (Morocca) and George Lilanga (Tanzania) forming part of the consignment. A sculptor turned celebrated painter, Lilanga’s expressionist figuration adapted motifs used by Makonde woodcarvers from East Africa and is now widely mimicked, a sure sign of his influence and renown.

 “I think this single-owner collection demonstrates a mature cross section of contemporary artists from the African continent and its diaspora,” says Matthew Partridge, a contemporary art specialist at Strauss & Co. “The consignment features emerging artists such as Redouane Ouarzaz, who is still in his 20s but comes from a deep tradition of Moroccan painting, to the likes of William Kentridge and British photographer David Bailey who regularly show at international fairs.”

 

William Kentridge’s highly important drawing, Small Koppie 2 (estimate R1.5 – 2 million), depicts the low hill where miners gathered during a 2012 strike at the Marikana platinum mine. Kentridge – whose career achievements are currently the subject of two museum exhibitions in Cape Town, at Norval Foundation and Zeitz MOCAA – visited the site following the death of 34 protesting miners at the hands of police.

Bailey’s 1985 portrait of singer Mick Jagger (estimate R100 000 – 150 000) forms part of a selection of works by American, British and Chinese artists in this single-owner collection.

Feng Zhengjie’s enamel painted bronze portrait (estimate R900 000 – 1 200 000) is a sculptural interpretation of this highly regarded Chinese painter’s renderings of seemingly empty-eyedwomen rendered in a pop palette.

“This perspective, which combines the old and new across a diverse range of media, reveals a pattern of collecting that isn’t bound by a regional favouritisms, but rather places contemporary art from the African continent in a global context,” says Matthew Partridge of the ambitious scope of the collection. The consignment also includes large works by notable South African sculptors Deborah Bell, Wim Botha and Marco Cianfanelli.

“Interest in art from the African continent continues to grow, especially as artists inventively assert themselves using unconventional media and approaches,” says joint managing director of Strauss & Co Bina Genovese. “Strauss & Co is of the view that it is important to support and nurture these new practices – and not just at auction. We have long been a supporter of the Cassirer Welz Award, an early career art prize, and are a proud sponsor of the new Stellenbosch Triennale, an artist-focussed event that aims to grow the audience for audacious new practices from the African continent.”

 

Other noteworthy highlights from the Strauss & Co’s forthcoming contemporary art sale include Athi-Patra Ruga’s wool and thread on tapestry canvas Touched by an Angel (estimate R700 000 – 900 000) and Nicholas Hlobo’s embroidered ribbon assemblage piece Umphokoqo (estimate R400 000 – 600 000).

 

It is the first time a work by Hlobo will appear on the secondary market in South Africa. Interest in Ruga’s tapestries is also high following the world-record price of R477 960 paid at a Strauss & Co sale in May 2019. Of note, Hlobo and Ruga have both participated in high-profile collaborations with French luxury goods brands in the past year.

 

Strauss & Co’s contemporary art sale takes place at 6pm on Saturday, 15 February 2020. Lots can be previewed daily from Thursday 13 February until the start of the sale at Quay 7 Warehouse in the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. Further details available here: www.straussart.co.za

 

FOR MORE PRESS INFORMATION & IMAGES PLEASE CONTACT:

Julian Roup of Bendigo Communications

Telephone +44 (0)7970563958

Or email

[email protected]

 

or

 

Bina Genovese  [email protected]

 

Freeman’s – Notable Esherick Works from Hedgerow Theatre

Freeman’s – Notable Esherick Works from Hedgerow Theatre

PHILADELPHIA, PA-  Notable works from the historic Hedgerow Theatre by renowned American artist and woodworker Wharton Esherick will come to auction for the first time on March 31 in Philadelphia. Representing decades of creative exchange between the master woodworker and the Theatre, this significant collection leads Freeman’s forthcoming Design auction. The collection—which includes eight of Esherick’s earliest “Hammer-Handle” chairs and the important “Thunder Table” from 1929—celebrates Esherick’s lengthy and seminal relationship with the Theatre and demonstrates its considerable influence on his evolution as an artist and craftsman.

 

Freeman’s is honored to present these exemplary pieces of Pennsylvania’s cultural history at auction. Proceeds from the sale will benefit future preservation of Hedgerow Theatre and will assist them in fulfilling their mission as a professional theatre ensemble and theatre school as well as a cultural center.  It will enable them to continue their steadfast commitment to progress, education, and artistic excellence that has impacted countless cultural institutions and artists nationwide for nearly a century.

 

ESHERICK & HEDGEROW

Wharton Esherick (1887-1970), heralded as the “Dean of American Craftsmen” and among the vanguard of the Studio Furniture Movement, began working in wood at the close of the Arts & Crafts Movement. Although embracing the ideology that valued the hand-made over the industrially produced, he broke with the movement’s more traditional aesthetic, creating sculptural and cutting-edge forms. Esherick was introduced to the Hedgerow Theatre in nearby Rose Valley, Pennsylvania and to its founding Artistic Director Jasper Deeter (1893-1972) in 1923.

 

Esherick began designing pieces for the Hedgerow Theatre in exchange for his daughter’s acting lessons. Initially involved in set, costume and lighting design, Esherick went on to create woodblock posters for various productions and furniture for both the Theatre and nearby Hedgerow House, which served as the home to Theatre company members. Over the years, the Theatre’s Green Room housed many temporary and permanent works by Esherick, operating as an unofficial gallery and exhibition space for the artist.

 

COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS

Leading the auction is the iconic “Thunder Table”,  carved by Esherick in 1929 in celebration of the success of the Theatre’s production of Thunder on the Left in which his daughter Mary appeared. The table stands on two splayed and hinged legs; its top is composed of two long, found wooden boards, each with a perceptibly warped end. Having spent much of his time on the Theatre’s balcony sketching the various dancers and actors on stage, Esherick carved a minimalist curvilinear drawing of the play’s leading actors into one of the table’s ends. The “Thunder Table” has been on display in the Theatre’s Green Room for many years before which it had been in use by decades of actors and visitors.

 

Additional works on offer include a Sawbuck Table used at Hedgerow House; a Trestle Table that purportedly came from Esherick’s own collection; and eight “Hammer-Handle” chairs. The chairs, assembled in part from found axe and hammer handles by Esherick, are among the most iconic and significant of his creations; examples are presently in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Wharton Esherick Museum in Chester County, Pennsylvania; The Museum of Art & Design in New York, New York; and the Longhouse Reserve in Long Island, New York, among others.

 

VIEWING & EXHIBITIONS

The “Thunder Table” is presently on view in Freeman’s new flagship gallery at 2400 Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Additional highlights from the Hedgerow Theatre Collection will be on view in Freeman’s Main Line Gallery in Wayne, Pennsylvania beginning February 10. The full exhibition for the March 31 Design Auction will be open to the public March 27-30 at 2400 Market Street.

 

ABOUT HEDGEROW THEATRE

Established in 1923 in the Rose Valley Arts and Crafts Community, Hedgerow Theatre is America’s longest serving Ensemble Repertory Theatre.  Founded by visionary actor/director Jasper Deeter as a haven for cutting-edge artists of the early 20th century, the theatre quickly gained a national and international reputation, attracting era-defining artists such as Eugene O’Neill, Henrik Ibsen, George Bernard Shaw, Theodore Dreiser, Bertolt Brecht, and Wharton Esherick. Hedgerow has and continues to serve as a place where artists can both live and work, ensuring that active artists remain central to the community originally conceived as a creative utopia. Today, Hedgerow’s resident ensemble of artists, unique in America, present professional productions from across the range of theatre, classic to contemporary. Hedgerow’s Theatre School, formally established in 1935, is a robust year-round theatre education program that serves youth and adults, with a special focus on creativity and critical thinking.  Hedgerow is known for its pioneering role in the establishment of the not-for-profit theatre movement in America.  Serving as a pillar for the arts community for 97 years, it now stands as a preeminent creative landmark in the greater Philadelphia area.

 

For more information about the sale, please contact:

 

Head of Sale

Tim Andreadis, [email protected]

 

Press Inquiries

Madeline Hill, [email protected]

 

 

 

 

Wharton Esherick (1887-1990)

4 of the 8 “Hammer Handle” Chairs

Wharton Esherick (1887-1970)

“Thunder Table”, 1929

Wharton Esherick (1887-1990)

4 of the 8 “Hammer Handle” Chairs

H&H Classics- Two Rare Survivors Up for Auction

H&H Classics- Two Rare Survivors Up for Auction

Rare survivors & rarity adds value:

Only AC 2-Litre Drophead Coupe left & one of just 50 Hillman Aero Minx’s.

Two cars coming to auction with H&H Classics on March 18 at Duxford, Imperial War Museum, prove the old adage: “rarity adds value, obscurity does not” says Damian Jones, Head of Sales at H&H Classics.

The first of this pair of survivors is a truly charming car in running order from a deceased estate, a family it has been with since 1978.

The early ‘March type’ bodied Aero Minx features full weather equipment in Double Duck material comprising a hood, side screens and hood cover and is fitted with a folding windscreen. It also has the original registration number and a comprehensive history file and 12v electrical system.

It has been with its present owner since 1978 and during that time it has undergone a major restoration programme which is evidenced by a photographic record and receipts. It is painted in green and has biscuit leather upholstery. It comes with the correct 1185cc four-cylinder petrol engine allied to four-speed manual transmission.

A comprehensive history file is present containing paperwork dating back to 1978 along with various V5 documents and a green logbook.

Tim Green from the Aero Minx Register has confirmed that this car “carries an early March body and appears be running 8 inch standard hubs rather than the later 10 inch versions and the engine capacity is 1185cc.”

 

1948 AC 2-Litre Drophead Coup

Sole roadworthy survivor of just 14 Drophead Coupes made

Reputedly the sole roadworthy survivor of just 14 Drophead Coupes made before the introduction of the Buckland model, the 4/5-seater has been extensively featured in Leo Archibald’s book on ‘AC Two Litre Saloons and Buckland Sports Cars’ – a copy of which is included in the history file alongside the original buff logbook.

Restored during the early 1990s and treated to further fettling including an engine overhaul in 2009 at a cost of some £18,000, this handsome drophead coupe is said to have been ‘used regularly but sparingly over the years’.

This stunning 1948 AC 2 Litre, 6-cylinder triple carburettor drophead is a 4/5-seater tourer was first registered in February 1949 in Burgundy with Beige hood and complimenting red leather interior. With its light aluminium body and straight-six engine fed by SU carburettors, the car is surprisingly nimble to handle.

The tourer was manufactured by AC Cars of Thames Ditton, Surrey, famous for the iconic AC Ace and AC Cobra of the 1960’s. The company goes back to 1901 when their first motor vehicle was produced. In 1919 the company started production of its own AC 2 litre engine which was developed and improved over the years and basically propelled the AC cars for over 40 years.

 

For more information about the Auction, please visit H&H Classics

 

Press Inquiries: Julian Roup ON +44 (0) 7970 563958 OR email [email protected]

Registration No: KLM 558

Chassis No: L990

MOT: Exempt

– Reputedly the sole roadworthy survivor of just 14 Drophead Coupes made before the introduction of the Buckland model

– Extensively featured in Leo Archibald’s book on ‘AC Two Litre Saloons and Buckland Sports Cars’ – a copy of which is included in the history file alongside the original buff logbook etc

– Restored during the early 1990s and treated to further fettling including an engine overhaul in 2009 at a cost of some £18,000

– A handsome 4/5-seater drophead coupe that is said to have been ‘used regularly but sparingly over the years’

 

Estimate: GBP£20,000 – GBP£25,000

Roseberys -L.S. Lowry, Cyril Power, & Peter Lanyon

Roseberys -L.S. Lowry, Cyril Power, & Peter Lanyon

LONDON: Desirable works by significant artists from the Modern British canon will be offered for sale at Roseberys London on February 11.

The 393-lot Modern & Contemporary British Art auction will include a comprehensive works on paper section giving bidders the opportunity to buy art for relatively low sums by leading artists like LS Lowry, Peter Lanyon and Frank Auerbach. The section includes studies and sketches for known paintings and prints such as the two by the Grosvenor School artist Cyril Power. In addition, the auction will contain oil paintings and sculpture made by a range of 20th century artists based in Britain including two market-fresh abstract paintings by Richard Smith and material from the studio of late sculptor Geoffrey Harris.

WORKS ON PAPER

The sale will give LS Lowry (1887-1976) collectors a rare opportunity to bid on a group of early drawings by the renowned northern industrial painter. Some of the five-lot group were completed under the tutelage of the French painter Adolphe Valette, as indicated by the artist’s careful inscription ‘av’, and a notation of how long the drawings took to complete. Their authenticity has been confirmed by Martin Summers, former Managing Director of the Lefevre Gallery, the dealership that held Lowry’s first one-man show in London and continued to represent the artist until his death. Prices range from £8,000 to £20,000. [Lot 102-106]

A watercolour of an Italian landscape by the St Ives artist Peter Lanyon (1918-1964), painted during the Second World War while he was serving as a flight mechanic with the Royal Air Force, carries hopes of £1,800-2,400. Lanyon was 25 when he first went to Italy in December 1943. He stayed for two years, in which time he learned Italian and travelled the southern provinces, drawing, painting and taking photographs. Italian landscape with houses has passed by descent from a private collection in St. Ives. [Lot 76]

Primrose Hill, the small park in north London whose paths culminate at a high point with a fine view over the city, has been the local green spot for German-British painter Frank Auerbach (b.1931) since the 1950s when he moved to his nearby studio in Camden. A 1960 study of the park in pencil and oil paint is on offer at £2,500-3,500. It has auction pedigree and was featured in Sotheby’s £2.7m auction of art from David Sylvester, Britain’s greatest post-war critic and curator of modern art. [Lot 91]

A widely exhibited oil painting of mackerel by the Camden Town Group painter Walter Sickert (1860-1942) carries hopes of £6,000-8,000. The signed still life was painted in Dieppe at the turn of the 20th century, before Sickert left for Venice in 1903. The artist became involved with Madame Villain, a divorced fishwife in Dieppe, who acted as both landlady and mistress to the artist. It was presumably from Villain that Sickert obtained the fish for this, and other still-life paintings of the period. [Lot 2]

 

SCULPTURE

Among Michael Ayrton’s (1921-75) chief inspirations was the myth of the ancient Greek craftsman Daedalus, who famously fashioned wings for his son Icarus. ‘At the apex of his climb, because mass is modified by its velocity, Icarus changed his form and the anatomy of this transformation obsesses me’, wrote Ayrton in 1961.  Icarus Transformed I, a twisted figural form in bronze from this period, is estimated at £3,000-5,000.  [Lot 188]

The sale contains a 12-lot collection of sculpture and archival material from the studio of the late sculptor Geoffrey Harris (1928-2019), who worked as a studio assistant for Henry Moore.

Harris was born in Nottingham in 1928 and studied at Leeds College of Art and the Royal College of Art.  He worked as an assistant for Leon Underwood, David John, and William Bloye and lectured at several art colleges including Birmingham, Stourbridge, Bromley, and Ravensbourne.  However, he is perhaps best known for, and his work most influenced by, his period working as a studio assistant for Moore from 1957-1960.  Harris had solo exhibitions at the Leicester Galleries and the Queen’s Square Gallery in 1964.

The collection comprises a series of Portland stone sculptures from the 1960s and 70s, a handful of bronze maquettes and a significant collection of photographic prints and negatives of the artist’s works.  Prices range from £200 to £1,000.  [Lot 169-180]

 

Modern & Contemporary British Art

Tuesday 11 February, 11am

 

Viewing times

Friday 7 February 9:30am-5:30pm

Sunday 9 February 10am-2pm

Monday 10 February 9:30am-5:30pm

Tuesday 11 February 9.30am-10.30am

~Ends~

 

For further information please contact Peigi Mackillop [email protected]

+44 (0) 20 8761 2522

 

Laurence Stephen Lowry RA RBA (British, 1887-1976)

Study of a Female Head

sanguine on buff paper

21 x 8.5 cm

accompanied by a signed statement by Martin Summers, former Managing Director of the Lefevre Gallery, London, confirming the authenticity of the work.

 

 

Estimate: GBP£8,000 – GBP£12,000

H&H Classics- RAF Motorbike Sold for Charity

H&H Classics- RAF Motorbike Sold for Charity

One hundred per cent of funds from the sale of this 1930 Norton CS1 will go towards the purchase of the Old URC Church in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, built by a distant relation of the bike’s owner, former RAF pilot, Bill Southcombe.

The whole community is doing its bit to seal the deal on saving the church which plays host to a number of community projects. The bike will be sold at auction by H&H Classics on April 7th at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham. It is estimated to sell for £25,000 to £27,000.

Bill Southcombe explains why his bike has come to be sold to save the church. “If we fail to buy the church it will be auctioned by the Synod, to developers probably, or left to decay.” As a Trustee of the charity set up to save the church he has already donated the value of two other of his bikes.

“It’s a Congregational Church built by my ancestor, Richard Southcombe, for the community in 1866. It is 2* listed and in very good condition and was given to the URC Synod in 2016 by the Elders. If we are to save it we must pay the Synod this year, 2020”

Hamdon Community Arts  Project (HCAP) has been founded to buy back the building for £100,000, half its market price, as a community sale. HCAP is registered as a Charity. Currently the church  houses  a playgroup founded in 1974, a local band founded 1945 and a charity shop. The church has an exquisite 900 pipe organ donated by Julia Southcombe in 1875 which is still in perfect condition. HCAP organises plays, recitals, music competitions, and the performance of Handel’s Messiah.

The Business Plan for HCAP has earned  Parish and Somerset County Council support. Besides the £100,000 needed to secure the church a further £100,000 is needed to convert it.

Bill Southcombe joined RAF as a navigator in 1961 and flew three tours with the Vulcan B2 BS at Scampton (83 Sqn), Cottesmore (9Sqn) and Akrotiri Cyprus. He won Strike Command Bombing Competition, beating USAF B52 and F111s in 1970. Posted to Phantom FGR2 at Coningsby(6 Sqn). Night ground attack and deployment.

Detached to Akrotiri in  1974 with 6 Sqn to keep peace after invasion of Cyprus by Turkey. Posted to RAF Germany on 14 Sqn, then to Leuchars (43Sqn) on Phantom FG1 on Quick Reaction Alert, intercepting Russian bombers in UK air space.

Represented RAF Motor Sports Association in IOM MGP and TTs 1965-1968.

Mike Davis of H&H Classics, says: “Bill Southcombe’s 1930 Norton is one of the very first Arthur Carol designed CS1 Norton’s to have been made. It left the Norton works on the 20th of December 1930, sold to Mr H G Turner (possibly for racing) as it was not registered for road use until 1934.

With its three-brace frame only used in 1930/1 for CS1’s, left hand exhaust port, fitted with factory four speed sturmey archer gearbox (Daytona ratios) it still retains its original high lift cams 76 1-1/6. Purchased in approximately 1969 in a dismantled state by the current vender, the machine was untouched and kept in boxes due to moving around the country for RAF duties. Restoration started in 2003 on his retirement.  The engine was restored by well-known Brooklands tuner Francis Beart’s mechanic Keith Manning. There is a large file with various photos, documents for work carried out on the bike.”

Press Enquiries:

Julian Roup, [email protected], 07970 563958

Roseberys – Sparkle & Shine in to Christmas

Roseberys – Sparkle & Shine in to Christmas

LONDON: A pair of important diamond single stone rings and two pieces by trailblazing British designers will lead a varied sale of jewellery and watches at Roseberys London this autumn. The auction takes place on November 20 and contains jewellery from the 19th century to the present day, featuring famous names such as Cartier, Boucheron, Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels. Major brands in the world of high-end watches are also for sale and include timepieces by Audemars Piguet, Vacheron & Constantin, Rolex, Omega, and Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Mark Bowis, Head of Jewellery & Watches at Roseberys, comments: This autumn’s jewellery and watches sale at Roseberys comprises 324 lots with estimates ranging from £80 to £15,000.  Featured in the sale are a healthy collection of diamond and gem rings including diamond single stone rings, eternity rings and a varied choice of gem examples. The sale also offers a small collection of cufflinks of varying designs. Jewellery from famous names and jewel houses is represented and includes pieces by Cartier, Boucheron, Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany, Chanel H. Stern and Pomellato. The watch section includes names such as Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron & Constantin, Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Chopard, Omega and Piaget. The finale of the sale closes with two important diamond single stone rings.

The first of these enticing diamond single stone rings was made by the long-established firm of jewellers Boodles & Dunthorne. Described by jewellery specialist Mark Bowis as a “top of the food chain white diamond”, it weighs 2.22 carats and has a popular Asscher-cut giving it an ice appearance. Set in 18ct. white gold with baguette diamond three stone shoulders, this beautiful clean ring is estimated at £15,000-20,000[Lot 324]

Also estimated at £15,000-20,000 is an impressive pale yellow modified brilliant-cut diamond weighing 5.02 carats. Bowis describes it as a “very attractive stone with great presence” set in 18ct white gold with brilliant-cut diamond five stone shoulders. [Lot 318]

Pieces designed by the founders of modern jewellery in Britain during the 1960s and 1970s, such as Andrew Grima and John Donald (b.1928), is currently enjoying a renaissance with values on the rise. This wonderful rock crystal brooch, straight out of the school of abstract jewellery from this period, is by John Donald who is widely regarded as one of the most innovative jewellery designers to have emerged from post-war Britain. His iconic work, closely associated with London during the 1960s and 1970s, attracted many notable clients and patrons, including Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother. Donald earned a name as a pioneering artist-jeweller who championed creative expression and individuality through his revolutionary designs. Brooches played a particularly significant part in launching his career, as they provided him with maximum scope for expression. As a result, some of his most important ideas can be traced back through his brooch design. In this example the uniformity of the polished rods both mirror and contrast with the abstract clustering of the natural crystals. The design is an embodiment of ‘balanced irregularity’, a concept favoured by the designer who believed that “all stones, however valuable, however beautiful, must be subordinate to design.” Unusually it comes with an original maker’s case and carries hopes of £1,000-1,500[Lot 54]

Elsewhere in the sale is a flexible necklace by Tiffany & Co – a real statement and very much in today’s taste. A classic design from the famous American luxury jeweller, it has a triple-row swag design of interesting pod-shaped links and collar shape intervals. It carries hopes of £5,000-7,000[Lot 229]

Another fine designer piece is this 18ct gold and rock crystal bracelet by the celebrated British jeweller Stephen Webster (b.1959). Typical of Webster’s strong and bold designs, this £2,000-3,000 piece comes from the classic ‘Crystal Haze’ collection in 2007. Webster, who was inspired by the pioneering modern jeweller Andrew Grima and designed pieces for Princess Diana, Rihanna and Madonna, invented the ‘crystal haze’ process whereby thin layers of quartz crystals are faceted over precious stones, creating an illuminated hologram. [Lot 79]

Affordably pitched at £3,500-4,500 is this highly desirable cushion-shaped fancy light-yellow diamond single stone ring weighing 1.25 carats. The VSI diamond has a lovely natural light-yellow tone with no additional tints and is complemented by two rectangular diamond shoulders. [Lot 316]

A rare fancy greyish yellowish green diamond single stone ring weighing 0.90 carats with a brilliant-cut diamond surround is another attractive piece for sale. Green diamonds of any size do not commonly appear on the open market. This has hopes of £4,200-4,800[Lot 322]

An older ring on offer is this c.1840 ruby and diamond ring composed of two pear-shaped or stylised heart-shaped rubies with a diamond border and bow surmount. Sentimental jewellery of the 19th century is getting more difficult to obtain in good untouched condition, with this fine example estimated at £1,500-2,000[Lot 92]

For more information about the auction please contact Peigi Mackillop [email protected] +44 (0) 20 8761 2522.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A platinum and Asscher-cut diamond single stone ring, by Boodles

 

Estimate: GBP£15,000 – GBP£20,000

 
 

 

 
 
Freeman’s International Sale Brings Over $2.4 Million

Freeman’s International Sale Brings Over $2.4 Million

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Freeman’s 2 October International Sale was an overwhelming success, achieving a sale total of just over $2.4 million, tripling its presale low estimate total.

The auction featured lots across multiple departments, including Asian Art, British and European Furniture and Decorative Arts, Rugs, Objets de Vertu, European and Old Master paintings and works on paper, and Silver.

 

ASIAN ART

Among the many highlights from the sale were several works of Asian Art, most notably a Chinese carved spinach green jade Luduan censer on a gilt metal base (Lot 163), which sold for $250,000, outselling its presale low estimate, as well as a Chinese blue and white rectangular porcelain plaque, attributed to Wang Bu (1898-1968), delicately painted to depict two fisherman by a river by an old tree. The piece (Lot 65), was originally owned by Dr. Harold H. Louckes and shattered its presale estimate, garnering an impressive $574,000.

Ben Farina, Head of Appraisals and Asian Art states: “We were extremely pleased with the results of the Asian arts offered. It is rare to have the privilege to offer not just one but several private collections which have come down to us by inheritance. Most notable were the strong prices achieved for Chinese scholars items and works of art from the collection of 

 

Dr. Harold Louckes, highlighted by the exquisitely painted blue and white porcelain plaque attributed to the highly sought after 20th century Chinese artist Wang Bu, and the fine array of Chinese jade carvings lovingly assembled over four decades by Dr. Frederic and Mrs. Madeleine Zeman. We were also pleased with our successes in the Japanese market, most notably with the album of Japanese surimono woodblock prints, sold for the benefit of the Delaware Art Museum.

The sale also benefited by timing the online debut of the catalogue to coincide with Asia Week, New York, by holding the auction well after the deluge of works crossing the block in New York. Clients reacted favorably and appreciated that they were able to focus without distractions.”

 

EUROPEAN ART & OLD MASTERS

Fine Art highlights primarily included a 16thCentury Tuscan School Study of a Shouting Man (Lot 459), which also featured a running figure and a figure’s extended arm verso, drawn in black and white chalk on paper. The exceptional drawing sold for a remarkable $418,000, well above its original estimate.

David Weiss, Senior Vice President and Department Head of European Art and Old Masters department remarks: “We are pleased with the results of this International Sale, which is growing to be another popular venue at Freeman’s. The impressive result obtained for an Old Master Tuscan drawing, as well as several 19th century European paintings, proves how strong the market can be for exceptional pieces, and illustrates our continued belief in such an exciting field. We are now very much looking forward to our fine European Art sale this February, which already promises to be another strong sale.”

 

BRITISH & EUROPEAN FURNITURE & DECORATIVE ARTS

Additional noteworthy successes were several lots of fine silver,“We were thrilled with the strong results across all of the collecting categories included in this sale: Asian Arts, British & European Furniture & Decorative Arts, and European Paintings.  It was a standout day in particular for continental silver and objets de vertu, which continues to be a very active market for us at Freeman’s, with exceptional prices achieved for Italian, German, and Russian silver” states Tessa Laney, Department Head for British and European Furniture and Decorative Arts.

 

For more information about the sale please contact:

Head of Sale:

Tessa Laney, [email protected], +1 267.414.1220

Press Inquiries:

Madeline Hill, [email protected], +1 267.414.1201

Roseberys – Indian & Islamic Museum-quality Pieces

Roseberys – Indian & Islamic Museum-quality Pieces

LONDON: An ancient turquoise hippopotamus figurine, one of the most evocative and enduring images found in Egyptian art, will be offered for sale at Roseberys London. The diminutive antiquity, measuring just over 5 inches long, is around 3600 years old and is one of the star lots in a 530-lot sale of Islamic & Indian Arts on October 22. Modelled with bulging hooded eyes and small pricked ears, it shares similarities with other figurines found in several international museums including ‘William’, the famous faience hippo in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art who serves as the museum’s informal mascot. On offer with a £15,000-20,000 estimate, the rare piece was first recorded in The Adda Family Collection formed in the 1920s and ‘30s. It passed by descent and now forms part of a consignment of nearly 100 lots majoring on ancient and Islamic gold jewellery and Roman and Islamic glass from the Property of a Lady. Hippopotami were viewed by the ancient Egyptians as both threatening and protective due to their associations with hunting and fertility. These small brightly coloured creatures, crafted from blue faience in varying sizes and decorated with images of the plants and animals found in the animal’s marshy habitat, were produced for a relatively short period of time in the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period. (Lot 51)

From the same collection is a smaller white glazed painted limestone hippopotamus, dating to the Middle Kingdom and painted in black with birds and a lotus flower on its back, estimated at £8,000-10,000 (Lot 59), and a New Kingdom turquoise glazed composition cosmetic jar decorated on both sides with a pair of stylised Egyptian eyes at £600-800. (Lot 46) 

Elsewhere in the antiquities section is a late Roman or Byzantine two-handled footed cup dating to c.6th-7th century AD, which carries hopes of £10,000-15,000. Made from brownish-purple glass and with a band of pincered decoration, the piece comes from a private English collection and was originally acquired in 1980 on the French art market. (Lot 112)

As well as antiquities, the auction contains pieces from the Islamic and Indian worlds including glass, metalwork, pottery, textiles, manuscripts and works on paper, paintings and Indian miniatures.This rare carved rock crystal chess piece from the 9th-11th century is estimated at £6,000-8,000. Carved with a deep bevel-cut foliate design, it was acquired by the present owner in 1989 from a shop in Leeds where it was sold as a cut glass paperweight. The piece shares similarities with another in the collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the rock crystal chess pieces found in the famed medieval Ager chess set, one of the oldest extant in Europe. The game of chess, which can be traced back to the 2nd or 3rd century, spread from the Indian subcontinent through Persia to centres such as Baghdad and Cairo. (Lot 134)

A group of four Sikh works of art is led by an important and rare enamelled and diamond-set Order of Merit of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (r. 1801-1839), the first Maharaja of the Indian state of Punjab who had a great curiosity of European medals and decorations. The c.1830s star pendant set with diamonds is similar to an Order of Merit in the Sheesh Mahal Museum and Medal Gallery in India and an emerald-set example is in the V&A. It is estimated at £5,000-7,000. (Lot 454)

The rest of the group comprises a 19th century braided hair band with miniature of the Golden Temple of Amritsar estimated at £1,500-2,000 (Lot 455), three c.1860 watercolours depicting Punjab trades from a dispersed album made in Lahore valued at £200-500 (Lot 467), and a 19th century red embroidered silk Phulkari from Sindh, decorated in black, red, green and yellow silk, which carries hopes of £800-1,200 (Lot 465).

One of the sale’s leading lots is an important Timurid grey schist cenotaph with a Kufic inscription from central Asia. Dating to the 14th-15th century, the black granite piece is carved with cartouches containing calligraphic inscriptions and designs of entwining palmettes and arabesques. The form and carved decorative details are characteristic of a style developed in Herat under Timurid patronage in the second half of the 15th century and is similar in style to that on the mausoleum of Timur in Gur-i Amir in Samarqand. It was originally acquired in Belgium in 1969 and is valued at £25,000-35,000. (Lot 180)

Among the jewellery is an attractive group of five gold earrings in the form of small lions originating from 12th century Iran. With circular applied decoration and stone-set eyes to two earrings, they come with hopes of £5,000-7,000. (Lot 148) 

From southern Spain is a 15th century Nasrid enamelled gold belt buckle estimated at £2,000-3,000. The handsome piece is worked with granulation and kufic letters and comes from the Property of a Lady. (Lot 192)

Originating from Syria is this unusually shaped Islamic enamelled two-handled flask with a tulip-shaped mouth, dating to the 13th century. Such pieces were used as perfume sprinklers and more unusually as pilgrim flasks to store water or oil. This example, estimated at £15,000-18,000, has traces of gilt and is decorated with enamelled red arabesques and floral elements. (Lot 185) 

Priced at £2,000-3,000 is a Safavid portrait of a bearded prince in pencil and opaque pigments on paper, heralding from 17th century Iran. The prince is shown among sprays of blue flowers, wearing a three-quarters length coat, holding a stick and with a katar tucked into the sash at his waist. (Lot 199) 

 This ornate gouache on paper, heightened with gilt, depicts an Avadh lady with her attendant holding a hookah on a palace terrace with the sun setting behind. Originating from Murshidabad in c.1760-70 it is being offered with a guide price of £3,000-5,000 (Lot 347).

A section of Modern and Contemporary art includes works by such artists as Farid Belkahia (1934-2014), Ahmet Oran (b. 1957), Laxman Pai (b. 1926), Badri Narayan (1929-2013) and B. Vithal (1933/35-1992). This mixed media and acrylic work by Khosrow Hassanzadeh (b. 1963), Untitled (2006), is estimated at £,2000-3,000.

Born in 1963 in Tehran to a working-class Azerbaijani family who were fruit-sellers, Hassanzadeh gained international recognition with his work War (1998), a grim and trenchant diary of his own experiences as a volunteer soldier during the Iran-Iraq war (1980–1988). Unlike many of his contemporaries, Hassanzadeh has chosen to continue to live and work as an artist in Iran. Time magazine has described him as one of the country’s “hottest” artists. (Lot 505).

For more information about the auction please contact Peigi Mackillop [email protected] +44 (0) 20 8761 2522.

 

 

 

An Egyptian turquoise glazed composition hippopotamus

Second Intermediate Period

Circa 1786-1590 B.C

 

Estimate: GBP£15,000 – GBP£20,000

 
 

 

 
 
Hindman – Works By Top Chinese Artist Wu Guanzhong

Hindman – Works By Top Chinese Artist Wu Guanzhong

Two beautiful modern paintings by the late Chinese artist, Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010)are the lead items in Hindman Auctions sale of Asian Works of Art estimated at $1.4m in Chicago on Sept 24th. 

One of China’s leading auction houses, Poly, set a record in 2016 for an oil painting by Wu  Guanzhong of $30m and  according to the influential publication Artprice, last year Wu had sales of $103m.

Estimates for the two Wu Guanzhong pictures at Hindman are $80,000.00 – $120,000.00 for the painting titled ‘Jiangnan’ and: $120,000.00 – $150,000.00 for ‘Bridge and City’.

Director of Asian Art at Hindman, Annie Wu, says of the Wu Guanzhong paintings: “In these two works we see the distinct style of this great Chinese art innovator, one image, a townscape and one that encapsulates the change that engulfed China. His work is collected because it is visually stunning and because it represents a moment in time in Chinese culture when the impact of modern French art added its own impact to that of Asia.”

‘A snake swallowing an elephant,’ is how Wu once described himself — the snake symbolising the Chinese artist in him, the elephant representing Western influence.

The Wu Guanzhong worktitledJiangnan is a framed oil on canvas work, signed and dated 1996 in Chinese. It is 40 x 50 cm in size.

Wu Guanzhong was from Yixing, a city in the Jiangnan region. Jiangnan, literally “river south (江南)”, refers to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including cities like Nanjing, Wuxi, Suzhou, Shanghai. Wu Guanzhong painted a lot of scenery of his hometown and the nearby region, which is characterized by many rivers and bridges as seen in this stunning image. 

Throughout his career, Wu revisited the motif of Jiangnan to capture the region’s tranquil beauty, giving full play to his homesickness after decades of living in Beijing. Wu traveled frequently in Jiangnan in the firm belief that he would find a way to show its beauty in oil on canvas. He said of it: “I love the gloomy spring days,” and added, “Black, white and gray are the main tones of Jiangnan. It thus became the base on which my works are grounded, and also the start of my career.”

Born in 1919 in the Jiangsu province of eastern China, Wu Guanzhong is now viewed as one of the most important Chinese painters of the 20th century. He’s renowned for his landscapes, which fuse Western and Oriental artistic traditions, the result, partly, of three years’ study at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris between 1947 and 1950.

Wu was born the son of a village schoolteacher. He studied initially at the National Academy of Art in Hangzhou, under Lin Fengmian, a painter often called the ‘father of Chinese modernism’.

Then he moved to Paris in 1947, where he was particularly drawn to the work of Pissaro, Cezanne and Van Gogh. Returning to China in 1950, he found himself out of step artistically, the Communist authorities favouring a Social Realist style that featured heroic workers, farmers and soldiers. And now his life mirrored the cultural change sweeping the country.

In 1966, at the start of the Cultural Revolution, Wu destroyed many of his oil paintings, for fear of what the Red Guards would make of them if they searched his house. But he was banned for seven years from painting; denounced as a ‘bourgeois formalist’; and banished from Beijing to the remote countryside to perform manual labour far from his wife and family.

Finally in the mid-1970s, Wu was allowed to return home and paint again — and over subsequent decades he became one of his country’s most revered artists. The year before his death — aged 90, in 2010 — he received two major retrospectives: one at Shanghai Art Museum, and another at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing.

For more information about the auction please contact visit Hindman

 

 

Wu Guanzhong

(1919-2010)

Bridges and The City
oil on canvas, framed
signed Tu and dated 96 in Chinese, signed Wu Guanzhong,dated 1996 and titled in Chinese on the reverse.
吳冠中

 

 

Estimate: US$120,000 – US$150,000

 
 

 

 
 
H&H Classics – Jaguar E-Type Owned by Brian Clemens OBE

H&H Classics – Jaguar E-Type Owned by Brian Clemens OBE

The car appeared in The Avengers with Clemens’ personalised number plate ‘140 MPH’

This stylish Jaguar E-Type was supplied new to the acclaimed screenwriter and television producer Brian Clemens OBE (1931-2015) whose credits included The Avengers, The Persuaders and The Professionals. It is estimated to sell for £65,000 to £85,000 with H&H Classics on 16thOctober at Duxford, Imperial War Museum.

The car appeared on screen in The Avengers alongside John Steed and Emma Peel whilst wearing Clemens’ personal registration number ‘140 MPH’ (as seen below) making the E-Type a star in its own right.

Subject to a protracted restoration in the 1980s-1990s, it is a ‘matching numbers’ car and has just been treated to a very thorough engine overhaul by renowned marque specialist XK Engineering plus brake / suspension fettling.

One of just 1,473 RHD E-Type S1 4.2 Fixed Head Coupes made before the introduction of the so-called Series 1.5 cars.
It is offered for sale with an extensive history file including Heritage Certificate and XK Engineering bills.

The British Film Institute credits Clemens with ‘fashioning the television model of op-art and pop fiction in the world of espionage’, it also describes The Avengers ‘as a paean to the mid-1960s . . . that all but invented cult TV’. Damian Jones of H&H Classics comments: Given the cultural importance of The Avengers and Jaguar’s E-Type, it is no surprise that Clemens bought this car new and who can blame him for sneaking it on to the silver screen. For many, Jaguar’s sleek Fixed Head Coupe is just as memorable as Emma Peel’s leather catsuit or John Steed’s umbrella and bowler hat combination. An E-Type that has appeared in The Avengers is almost an overload of Sixties’ cool”.    

Brian Horace Clemens OBE, the screenwriter and television producer, is possibly best known for his work on The Avengers and The Professionals. Clemens was related to Mark Twain, a fact reflected in the naming of his two sons, Samuel Joshua Twain Clemens and George Langhorne Clemens.

He started his professional life by working his way up from messenger boy at the J. Walter Thomson advertising agency. While a copywriter at this agency he wrote a thriller screenplay shot by the BBC TV as ‘Valid for Single Journey Only’ in 1955.

He wrote the pilot episode for The Avengers in 1961 and was associate producer and scriptwriter for the series from 1961 -69. He cast Diana Rigg to replace Honor Blackman and he chose Joanna Lumley as Purdey from 700 girls when casting for The New Avengers which sold to 120 countries.  He had a distinguished film career writing and producing films from 1957 to 2012.

For more information about the auction please contact visit H&H Classics

 

1965 Jaguar E-Type 4.2 Coupe

Registration No:HVK764C

Chassis No:1E20876

– Supplied new to the acclaimed screenwriter and television producer Brian Clemens OBE whose credits included The Avengers, The Persuaders and The Professionals

– Featured in The Avengers alongside John Steed and Emma Peel whilst wearing Clemens’ personal registration number ‘140 MPH’

– Subject to a protracted restoration in the 1980s-1990s, matching numbers and just treated to a very thorough engine overhaul by renowned marque specialist XK Engineering plus brake / suspension fettling

– 1 of just 1,473 RHD E-Type S1 4.2 Fixed Head Coupes made before the introduction of the so-called Series 1.5 cars

– Offered for sale with an extensive history file including Heritage Certificate and XK Engineering bills

Estimate: GBP£65,000 – GBP£85,000

 
 

 

 

 

H&H Classics – 104 Year-Old Hupmobile Model Ha Tourer

H&H Classics – 104 Year-Old Hupmobile Model Ha Tourer

Henry Ford Was An Enthusiast For The ‘Hupp’

A magnificent example of the increasingly rare 1915 Hupmobile Tourer is for sale with H&H Classics at their next Live Auction Online on October 2nd.

Henry Ford paid the ‘Hupp’ 20 the ultimate compliment. “I recall looking at Bobby Hupp’s roadster at the first show where it was exhibited and wondering whether we could ever build as good a small car for as little money.”

H&H Classics say that this car has been family owned from newand comes with theoriginal sales invoice and is offered with early history.The car is understood to be in ‘good to excellent’ overall condition.

Hupmobiles were built from 1909 through 1939 by the Hupp Motor Car Company. The prototype was developed in 1908and had its first successful run on November 8 with investors aboard for champagne at the Tuller Hotel a few blocks away. The company was incorporated in November of that year. The first Hupmobile model, the Hupp 20, was introduced at the 1909 Detroit Automobile Show. It was an instant success.

In 1911 Hupp became one of two automakers pioneering the use of all-steel bodies, joining BSA in the U.K. Carl Wickman, a car dealer in HibbingMinnesota, used a seven-passenger model Hupp as the first vehicle for what became the GreyhoundBus Company.

Hupp Motor Car Company continued to grow after its founder left. Hupp competed strongly against Ford and Chevrolet. By 1928 sales had reached over 65,000 units. To increase production and handle sales growth, Hupp purchased the Chandler-Cleveland Motors Corporation for its manufacturing facilities.

For more information about the auction please contact visit H&H Classics

 

 

1915 Hupmobile Model HA Tourer

Registration No:OI 3389

Chassis No:HS0602

MOT:Exempt

Location:Londonderry

 

Estimate: GBP£25,000 – GBP£30,000