The June 6 sale of 19th and 20th century photographs at Chiswick Auctions includes a group of 14 images from the influential series published by The Society for Photographing Relics of Old London from 1867-78.
The society was initially formed to record and preserve the Oxford Arms, a 17th century galleried coaching inn on Warwick Lane near St Paul’s Cathedral which had been earmarked for demolition the following year (see image above). The group commissioned the photographers Alfred and John Bool to document the building, with the prints proving so popular that the society went on to commission 120 more photographs from A&J Bool and Henry Dixon over 12 years.
While the outcry the photographs created was not enough to save the Oxford Arms (The George in Borough is London’s only surviving Stuart galleried coaching inn), it helped change public opinion and led directly to the foundation of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877 that continues today.
This lot of 14 carbon prints contains two of the views of the Oxford Arms plus images of other London ‘relics’ threatened at the time with demolition including the Sir Paul Pindar House, Bishopsgate (1878) and the church of St Bartholomew the Great (1877) that still stand today.
Estimate £800-1200.
Silver bowl by Langley Archer West, London 1896, which then served as the Royal Meath Regiment shooting trophy, estimate €500-800 at Adam’s.
Adam’s next At Home sale taking place on June 11 includes this fluted silver bowl by Langley Archer West, London 1896, that in the years before the First World War served as the Royal Meath Regiment shooting trophy. Engraved with the regimental crest, it lists the names of those awarded the ‘Royal Meath Regiment of the Year’ from 1897-1914.
Estimate €500-800.
Man on the Beach (1960) by Domenico Gnoli, estimate £15,000-25,000 at Mallams in Oxford.
The 1950s-60s marked a period of renewed spirit and enthusiasm as people embraced life after the hardship from the Second World War. Living standards improved for many and people began to embrace their freedom and express their individuality. This is reflected in the art from this period which was often inspired by the thriving pop culture.
An artist who certainly embraced the exhilarating pace of the period was Domenico Gnoli (1933-70). An Italian painter and stage designer who was born in Rome, Domenico studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti, and subsquently began a short stint designing stages.
He suffered an early death from cancer and the majority of his works are in private collections in Italy but one of his works, Man on the Beach (1960), is to be offered at Mallams in Oxford on June 12-13.
The oil and sand on canvas measures 3ft 7in (1.1m) square and is estimated at £15,000-25,000.
It was owned by Enid Boulting (1928-2021), the model and wife of the film director Roy Boulting (1913-2001).
Pair of Cymric silver and enamel vases designed by Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co, estimate £12,000-15,000 at Tennants.
Leading the Arts & Crafts section of Tennants’ 20th Century Design Sale in North Yorkshire on June 15 is a pair of Cymric silver and enamel vases designed by Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co.
Knox was born on the Isle of Man to Scottish parents, and his Celtic heritage exerted a powerful influence on the young designer, who would go on to introduce Celtic motifs into his designs. He moved to London in c.1896 to study under and work for designer Christopher Dresser.
Following a period teaching and designing in London, Knox moved back to the Isle of Man at the turn of the century, where he produced hundreds of designs for Liberty.
His Arts & Crafts pieces brought in motifs from the Art Nouveau, Celtic Revival and Modernist movements.
The estimate in Leyburn is £12,000-15,000.
An 18th century gold seal ring thought to have belonged to British Prime Minister George Grenville, estimate £6000-8000 at Noonans.
An 18th century gold seal ring thought to have belonged to British Prime Minister George Grenville (1712-70) and discovered by a metal detectorist just a year ago is coming up at Mayfair saleroom Noonans on June 11.
Grenville served as PM from 1763-65 and was notable for provoking unrest among the American colonies that soon led to the American War of Independence.
George III dismissed Grenville in response to his insensitive dealings with America but it was too late to prevent rebellion.
Noonans says the ring, found near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was not deemed to be treasure as it was less than 300 years old. The “close proximity of the find spot to the residence of George Grenville’s eldest son suggests that he, rather than his father, may have lost the ring”.
It has a circular bezel engraved with the arms of the family of Grenville, of Wotton Underwood and Stow, in the county of Buckinghamshire.
The ring was probably resized for George Grenville’s eldest son (born in 1753), Noonans believes.
Estimate £6000-8000.
Strand on the Green, London by Edward Seago, estimate £8000-12,000 at Hartleys.
Guided at £8000-12,000 in a sale at Hartleys in Ilkley on June 12 is Strand on the Green, London by Edward Seago (1910-74). The oil on board measures 10½ x 15½in (27 x 39cm) and has a label verso for The Taylor Gallery.
Caparisoned terracotta horse figurine on a rectangular base, from the Northern Qi Dynasty 549-577AD, estimate £2000-4000 at Sloane Street Auctions.
Sloane Street Auctions in London holds its Summer Fine Art sale on June 12. It includes this caparisoned terracotta horse figurine on a rectangular base. From the Northern Qi Dynasty 549-577AD, its dimensions are: 2ft x 18in x 12in (61 x 46 x 32cm) and the estimate is £2000-4000.
Italianate hall side table, attributed to a design by William Kent, estimate £40,000-60,000 at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood.
Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood in Exeter is offering for sale the contents of East Down Manor, the abode of the late Simon Scott-Brown, on June 18.
Containing over 400 lots, the collection from the Grade II* listed Georgian estate in rural Devon ranges from paintings and ceramics to furniture and works of art. Scott-Brown was an artist and London-based interior designer and the manor's contents reflect his eclectic and vibrant life.
Among the highlights is an impressive Italianate hall side table, attributed to a design by William Kent, evoking the grandeur of the manor’s entrance hall. With its breche d’alep marble mounted top and carved pine frame, boldly decorated with scrolling acanthus, mythical birds and animals, its estimate is £40,000-60,000.
Autograph book with signatures from 1904-50 including those of cricketers WG Grace, Don Bradman and Jack Hobbs, estimate £500-1000 at Border Auctions.
A timed online sale ending on June 6 at Border Auctions in Hawick features this autograph book. It contains signatures from 1904-50 including those of cricketers WG Grace, Don Bradman and Jack Hobbs.
The estimate is £500-1000.
Newcastle United FA Cup winner’s medal given to William Bradley, estimate £5000-7000 at Anderson & Garland.
William Bradley was the Newcastle United goalkeeper when the Magpies lifted the 1924 FA Cup, beating Aston Villa 2-0 at the recently opened Wembley.
His winner’s medal is coming to auction at Anderson & Garland, a local auction house to the Toon Army, on June 13 estimated at £5000-7000.
The lot also includes a commemorative pocket watch given to Bradley by the club on occasion of the win, the original programme of arrangements, a First World War football medal and other paper cuttings including a picture of Bradley shaking hands with King George V (then the Duke of York) before the game. The medal has been consigned directly from the family of Bradley.
Anderson & Garland has sold the medals of two of Bradley’s contemporaries, Frank George Watts, club secretary, and Robert William Mackenzie, club director.
Sailor’s scrimshaw basket fashioned from a whale pan bone, c.1850, estimate £2000-4000 at Sworders.
Sworders’ Fine Interiors sale on June 11-12 includes this sailor’s scrimshaw basket fashioned from a whale pan bone, c.1850.
Skilfully carved and pierced with geometric motifs, it is fitted with a mahogany oval base. Quite possibly American, a similar example resides in the collection of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Massachusetts.
Estimate £2000-4000.
