Dear Friends,
I’m very excited by this sale, NEXT WEEK, on the 27th at 11am.
Why? Well so many interesting clearances came together. Let me expand. A German lady who lived on the 7th floor of flats in Brondesbury Park has died, in very old age. Her instructions are to sell everything by auction and if family are interested they can attend the sale. She has lived there for years surrounded by her family history. Needless to say, the furniture is Continental and includes a lovely marble-top cabinet with fine marquetry inlay around a large musical trophy. One of her occasional tables is by Louis Majorelle. It’s charming, raised on his signature twisted supports the two tiers are with floral marquetry. It displayed a Gallé vase when I visited and on the mantelpiece was a fabulous Daum vase, 30 cm, displaying a wood of tall trees in a snowy landscape. It’s perfect. As you might imagine, the property was rather dark and mysterious with an 18th century portrait of a lady watching over. We have attributed it to Hoppner. Further pictures in the flat includes a lady standing by a chest of drawers by Ludwig Dettmann. There’s a rather good drawing by William Leibl of the head of a man, along with family portraits. Amongst the many storage cupboards we found lots of china and glass including a 47-piece Meissen tea and dinner service, an extensive collection of KPM including 26 fruit plates and a 50+ piece dinner service by Hutschenreuther . The silver, all German 800, includes flatware, serving plates and decorative items. German furniture of the early 20th century is made to a supreme standard and of simple, uncluttered design. We have a three-section bookcase, about 18 feet long if all together, in light walnut, each section with adjustable shelves raised on a cupboard base. It’s very smart.
A 90 year old professor in Highgate is downsizing. We emptied his house after the big boys had been in. In 40 years I’ve never handled a Georgian architect’s table. Well, I have now! It may be brown, but it’s got a good colour and original brasses.
So, to précis … PICTURES and PRINTS include works by artists including John Hoppner, Ingelborg Winner, David Cox, William Russell Flint, Erwin Eckinger, Charles Wye, Albert Moore, Robert Hill (views of Chiswick and Dartmoor), Henry Moore, J.A. Hancox, Rene A. Rousseau-Decelle, William Blake, Thomas Faed, W. Leill, William Mellor, John Haskins, Graham Twyford, Kaia Mayer, Thomas Hartley Cromek. The oil by Rousseau-Decelle is a charming oil on canvas of figures in a sun lit park and carries an estimate of £3000-£5000. The Robert Hill pictures originate from the same family as the one in the last sale.
JEWELLERY AND ART OBJECTS includes a lovely collection of enamelled butterfly and dragonfly brooches. SILVER AND PLATE is a very busy section with good large lots of plate, the silver includes extensive flatware, serving dishes, a beautiful dressing table mirror, an impressive cased set of table requisites, candlesticks, fruit baskets, etc., much of it Continental .
COSTUME including vintage clothing and handbags, haberdashery and needlework items and lots of hats! There is also a fine 18th century sampler.
COLLECTABLES includes the archive of Victor Menzies, a BBC producer in the early days of the Corporation. It includes letters, type-written stories and scripts, film reels of his educational documentaries and an interesting collection of old theatre programmes, 1940s-1990s, some signed, mainly London, including the Arts Theatre Club, West End, South Bank, The Intimate Theatre, Palmer’s Green, etc., also RSC Stratford, Chichester, Brighton, Edinburgh, etc., and an archive of Cambridge University theatre productions by the Cambridge University Actors, etc. There’s a signed photograph of George Bernard Shaw and a signed postcard of Albert Finney. Also postcards, cigarette cards, coins, medals and badges, a collection of seals, endless costume jewellery, fishing tackle, a collection of cigars including Havana and early book matches, an old cello for restoration and a Chappell grand piano.
BOOKS include a large quantity on aviation and the World Wars, and RECORDS including a large entry of rock and pop and also classical. TOYS including die-cast model vehicles and antique dolls and some charming early 20th century German Christmas decorations.
Of shelf items PORCELAIN, POTTERY AND GLASS includes an extensive collection of 19th century Staffordshire figures, including rarities from the collection of Edda Tasiemka, a charming pair of D Alonzo chryselephantine figures in gilt bronze and ivory, good glass, a signed Gallé overlaid vase, a fine Daum glass vase of trees in a snowy landscape. CLOCKS including a fine ebonised and gilt bracket clock striking on nine bells and a gong, a four-glass mantel clock from Conrad Felsing Berlin, an Art Deco marble clock set surmounted with Pierrot and Columbine, a good early carriage clock, two long case clocks, etc. An 18th century flintlock pistol and other weapons.
Oriental and English CARPETS and RUGS.
It is difficult to move around due to the large amount of FURNITURE we have, which includes a Georgian architect’s table, a large refectory table and chair set,, a 1960s rosewood dining room suite, a 17th century and later oak refectory table, antique chair sets, desks including an escritoire, a Georgian kneehole desk with inlay, a pretty Victorian walnut pedestal desk, and a very usable early 20th century mahogany pedestal desk, along with pretty settees including a modern pair, a Victorian sofa, Victorian carved oak armchairs, and much, much more.
Other interesting items include some early adjustable metal lamps which came from an old-fashioned doctor’s surgery, which closed at least 20 years ago. From the same place came a large number of small metal filing drawers and an oak cabinet of filing drawers.
GENERAL EFFECTS includes good white goods by Bosch, hi-fi, a modern flat-screen television with sound bar and table base, an air conditioning unit, an old metal garden bench, and much more.
It’s difficult to get across the variety of what we have without extending to six pages, so please come and visit us next Wednesday 26th September 1-7 pm, and on sale day 27th from 9.30 am. The sale will start at 11am and will go on until at least 8pm.
Photographs and catalogue are here on the website from Sunday night, and bidding online is via UKAuctioneers.com, with whom you need to register.
