Tag Archives: Gold Objects

Ancient Greek Jewellery

AMARANTHINE: Flowers of Hellenic Adornment, Kallos Gallery, 14 – 16 Davies Street, London W1, until 18th December 2015

Pair of Gold Lion-Head Bracelets. Credit Kallos Gallery and Steve Wakeham

Pair of Gold Lion-Head Bracelets.
Credit Kallos Gallery and Steve Wakeham

The word Amaranthine is appropriate for this rather special exhibition as it is derived from Ancient Greek and means beautiful, unfading, words that can be readily applied to these pieces of Greek jewellery which date from the 4th and 3rd Centuries BC.

Hellenistic Necklace and Earrings Credit Kallos Gallery and Steve Wakeham

Hellenistic Necklace and Earrings
Credit Kallos Gallery and Steve Wakeham

The solid gold Lion-head bracelets remind us that Lion emblems were a symbol of rank and status for both men and women.  The Hellenistic gold, garnet and agate necklace and earrings would most likely have been a very clear sign of the wearer’s position and wealth although sometimes such pieces were used as an offering to the gods.  The Herakles Knot that adorns the gold armlet was associated with marriage and may be the original source for the phrase ‘tying the knot’.

Hellenistic Gold Armlet Credit Kallos Gallery and Steve Wakeham

Hellenistic Gold Armlet
Credit Kallos Gallery and Steve Wakeham

The gallery’s director Dr Glenn Lacki sums it up saying “These pieces intrigue the mind as well as they once adorned the body. Jewellery has deep-rooted connections to social ritual – connections that cut across time and cultures. The pieces we are bringing together for Amaranthine are heavy in gold, but carry also their own extraordinary histories that entice our imaginations.”

 

http://www.kallosgallery.com

The Duchess – II

The Duchess – Property & Precious Objects from the Estate of Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe, Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1, 27th – 28th May 2015

Mary Crewe-Milnes before her marriage to the Duke of Roxburghe, age 19, wearing the Cartier diamond ring (Lot 662)

Mary Crewe-Milnes before her marriage to the Duke of Roxburghe, age 19, wearing the Cartier diamond ring (Lot 662)

In my previous blog I gave some of the story of Mary Roxburghe’s life and showed views of West Horsley Place. This wonderful, historic house has not been fully used for many decades and so now restoration is an urgent issue as Bamber Gascoigne explains: “West Horsley Place played an integral part in my aunt Mary Roxburghe’s fascinating life. It was completely unexpected by me that I would be heir to her estate. She had expressed that, given the work required to restore the house, she expected I would sell it. But having spent many memorable times with my aunt here, and knowing how special the house was to her and her family, together with my wife I decided to take up the challenge of carrying out the essential work to the house to ensure that it can withstand what may lie ahead over the course of its future, and continue to stand as a monument of its remarkable past.

Lot 224 GLYN PHILPOT, R.A. 1884-1937 PORTRAIT OF MARGARET (PEGGY) CREWE-MILNES, MARCHIONESS OF CREWE Signed and dated 1917 oil on canvas 120 by 79cm. 47 by 31in. Estimate : £10,000-15,000

Lot 224
GLYN PHILPOT, R.A.
1884-1937
PORTRAIT OF MARGARET (PEGGY) CREWE-MILNES, MARCHIONESS OF CREWE
Signed and dated 1917
oil on canvas
120 by 79cm. 47 by 31in.
Estimate : £10,000-15,000

“The history of West Horsley Place dates back as far as the 11th century, and the 16th century reconstruction of the house hosted notable guests including Henry the XVII. It also carries the legend of Sir Walter Raleigh’s embalmed head being buried in the garden from the time his wife and son lived there, and the house was also the depository for the famed papers of Sir Edward Nicholas, Secretary of State to Charles I, which are now largely among the Egerton manuscripts in the British Museum. With this and the other literary associations of the house in mind, my aunt left Trinity College Cambridge their choice of books from the three miles of book shelves to their library.”

Below is a small selection of some of the lots being auctioned. Sadly while none of them will be a “starter for ten” there will be many lots of an affordable nature.

Lot 466 A GEORGE V SILVER BISCUIT SERVER, H.H. PLANTE, LONDON, 1935 31cm., 12 1/8 in. wide 1648gr., 52oz. 19dwt. Estimate: £500-700 This was a Wedding Present (24th October 1935), described as 'Biscuit Toaster', given by the Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, and the Earl of Harewood

Lot 466
A GEORGE V SILVER BISCUIT SERVER, H.H. PLANTE, LONDON, 1935
31cm., 12 1/8 in. wide
1648gr., 52oz. 19dwt.
Estimate: £500-700
This was a Wedding Present (24th October 1935), described as ‘Biscuit Toaster’, given by the Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, and the Earl of Harewood

 

Lot 51 AN AXMINSTER CARPET, ENGLAND Approximately 800 by 432cm; 26ft 3in., 14ft 1in. circa 1765/80 Estimate: £50,000-80,000 Formerly in the Red Drawing Room and then later the North Drawing Room at Crewe House, London

Lot 51
AN AXMINSTER CARPET, ENGLAND
Approximately 800 by 432cm; 26ft 3in., 14ft 1in.
circa 1765/80
Estimate: £50,000-80,000
Formerly in the Red Drawing Room and then later the North Drawing Room at Crewe House, London

 

Lot 349 A SET OF NINE GEORGE III BLUE AND WHITE PAINTED ARMCHAIRS, AND ONE SIDE CHAIRCIRCA 1775, IN THE MANNER OF MAYHEW & INCE Estimate: £15,000-25,000 Although thought to have been commissioned or purchased for Crewe Hall in the 18th century several of them appear in a 1934 drawing of the State Drawing Room at Crewe House, London.

Lot 349
A SET OF NINE GEORGE III BLUE AND WHITE PAINTED ARMCHAIRS, AND
ONE SIDE CHAIRCIRCA 1775, IN THE MANNER OF MAYHEW & INCE
Estimate: £15,000-25,000
Although thought to have been commissioned or purchased for Crewe Hall in the 18th century several of them appear in a 1934 drawing of the State Drawing Room at Crewe House, London.

 

Lot 662 DIAMOND RING, CARTIER, 1930S set with two pear-shaped diamonds weighing 2.31 and 2.34 carats respectively, further accented with two marquise-shaped diamonds, size L, signed Cartier London, case stamped Cartier Paris. ESTIMATE 8,000-12,000 GBP

Lot 662
DIAMOND RING, CARTIER, 1930S
set with two pear-shaped diamonds weighing 2.31 and 2.34 carats respectively, further
accented with two marquise-shaped diamonds, size L, signed Cartier London, case
stamped Cartier Paris.
ESTIMATE 8,000-12,000 GBP

 

Lot 519 A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD A GOLD-MOUNTED LACQUE BURGAUTÉ VASE, MADE BY LAVABRE FOR CARTIER PARIS, 1926 12.8 cm., 5 in., high Estimate: £2,500-3,500 This was a Christmas present in 1926 from Baron James de Rothschild (1878-1957) of Waddesdon Manor.

Lot 519
A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD
A GOLD-MOUNTED LACQUE BURGAUTÉ VASE, MADE BY LAVABRE FOR
CARTIER PARIS, 1926
12.8 cm., 5 in., high
Estimate: £2,500-3,500
This was a Christmas present in 1926 from Baron James de Rothschild (1878-1957) of Waddesdon Manor.

Frederic, Lord Leighton Study for Flaming June ESTIMATE 40,000 - 60,000 This the only known head study for one of the most famous 19th century pictures. It used to hang in an ante-room to the Duchess's bedroom and was last publicly seen in an art magazine in 1895. It will be auctioned in London on 15th July, 2015

Frederic, Lord Leighton
Study for Flaming June
ESTIMATE 40,000 – 60,000
This the only known head study for one of the most famous 19th century pictures. It used to hang in an ante-room to the Duchess’s bedroom and was last publicly seen in an art magazine in 1895. It will be auctioned in London on 15th July, 2015

 

 

http://www.sothebys.com

The Duchess – I

The Duchess – Property & Precious Objects from the Estate of Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe, Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1, 27th – 28th May 2015

A View of West Horsley Place

A View of West Horsley Place

This is a remarkable sale in that it reveals a way of life that has now vanished. The story is told through the seven hundred lots that make up this auction. Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe (1915-2014) was born into one of the great families; her father was Marquess of Crewe and her mother was Peggy Primrose, who was the daughter of the Earl of Rosebery, a British Prime Minister, and his heiress wife Hannah de Rothschild.

A View of the Drawing Room. This elegant room had not been used for about fifty years and workmen were needed to prise open the shutters which had warped.

A View of the Drawing Room.
This elegant room had not been used for about fifty years and workmen were needed to prise open the shutters which had warped.

Mary Roxburghe, who was named for her godmother Queen Mary and whose husband George V was her godfather, was brought up in the glittering social world of her parents. Their London house was Crewe House in Curzon Street and they also had Crewe Hall in Cheshire. She became engaged to the Duke of Roxburghe at the age of 19, a fact celebrated by a ball at Crewe House and attended by the King and Queen at which the Crewe china and glass, featured in this sale, was used. The 1935 wedding was deemed worthy of being screened in cinemas across the land. The Duke and Duchess travelled extensively – some of the Duchess’s Cartier luggage is in the sale – and she spent part of World War II in the Middle East to be close to the Duke.

A View of the Morning Room, showing a table setting, the Axminster Carpet (Lot 51) and a male servant's livery.

A View of the Morning Room, showing a table setting, the Axminster Carpet (Lot 51) and a male servant’s livery.

However after the war one day as she was sitting at breakfast with the Duke the butler presented her, on a silver salver (naturally), with her divorce papers. After a rather fraught period a settlement was reached and Mary Roxburghe then divided her time between her apartment in London and her parents country home West Horsley Place. The Crewe’s had bought the house in the 1930s after disposing of their other properties following the death of their son and heir. The house contains a melange of items from these other houses, although larger family pictures had also been sold and so when Mary inherited the house in 1973 it became a repository for her things too.

The Duchess's Bedroom, with a silver-plated breakfast-in-bed tray by Asprey & Co Ltd (£200-£300) on the bed.

The Duchess’s Bedroom, with a silver-plated breakfast-in-bed tray by Asprey & Co Ltd (£200-£300) on the bed.

What a great selection there is; footmen’s livery, Coronation robes, paintings, furniture, silver, porcelain, jewellery and Objects of Vertu. All combine to be an integral part of a fascinating story that combines social and historical threads into a whole and tells the story of Mary Roxburghe’s life.

http://www.sothebys.com

 

In the following second blog I will include a comment from Bamber Gascoigne, the Duchess’s heir, who is selling these items to help secure the future of this house and show a small selection of items on offer.