RESULTS OF AUCTION 67 held on 1December 2012
1 / 5 / 2 / 10 / 3 / 42 / 4 / 10 / 5 / n/s / 6 / 67 / 10 / 8 / 10 / 9 / 16 / 10 / 10 / 11 / 10 / 12 / n/s
13 / 10 / 14 / 20 / 15 / 10 / 16 / 30 / 17 / 34 / 18 / 10
19 / 6 / 20 / 70 / 21 / 55 / 22 / 32 / 23 / 8 / 24 / 11
25 / 24 / 26 / 19 / 27 / 40 / 28 / n/s / 29 / 22 / 30 / 28
31 / 9 / 32 / 19 / 33 / 26 / 34 / 30 / 35 / n/s / 36 / 15
37 / n/s / 38 / 7 / 39 / 14 / 40 / 9 / 41 / n/s / 42 / n/s
43 / 26 / 44 / 25 / 45 / 35 / 46 / 40 / 47 / 10 / 48 / 10
49 / 24 / 50 / 80 / 51 / 85 / 52 / 20 / 53 / 75 / 54 / 51
55 / 15 / 56 / 17 / 57 / 17 / 58 / 17 / 59 / 24 / 60 / n/s
61 / 20 / 62 / 18 / 63 / 13 / 64 / 22 / 65 / 26 / 66 / 23
67 / 29 / 68 / 14 / 69 / 32 / 70 / 28 / 71 / 25 / 72 / 5
73 / 16 / 74 / 4 / 75 / 10 / 76 / 10 / 77 / 17 / 78 / 13
79 / 18 / 80 / 5 / 81 / 12 / 82 / 20 / 83 / n/s / 84 / 6
85 / 10 / 86 / 19 / 87 / 7 / 88 / 6 / 89 / 5 / 90 / 15
91 / 18 / 92 / 17 / 93 / 14 / 94 / 8 / 95 / 10 / 96 / 18
97 / 18 / 98 / 18 / 99 / 18 / 100 / 10 / 101 / 17 / 102 / 14
103 / 6 / 104 / 13 / 105 / 12 / 106 / 14 / 107 / 7 / 108 / 10
109 / 5 / 110 / 18 / 111 / 11 / 112 / 12 / 113 / 35 / 114 / 26
115 / 26 / 116 / 45 / 117 / 7 / 118 / 20 / 119 / 5 / 120 / 8
121 / 9 / 122 / 8 / 123 / 9 / 124 / 22 / 125 / 16 / 126 / 14
127 / 10 / 128 / 7 / 129 / 11 / 130 / 8 / 131 / 8 / 132 / n/s
133 / 12 / 134 / 6 / 135 / 7 / 136 / 46 / 137 / 18 / 138 / n/s
139 / 3 / 140 / 36 / 141 / 10 / 142 / 8 / 143 / n/s / 144 / n/s
145 / n/s / 146 / 18 / 147 / n/s / 148 / n/s / 149 / n/s / 150 / 15
151 / 42 / 152 / 5 / 153 / 6 / 154 / n/s / 155 / 11 / 156 / 22
157 / 5 / 158 / 8 / 159 / 10 / 160 / 21 / 161 / n/s / 162 / 10
163 / 5 / 164 / 8 / 165 / 35 / 166 / 7 / 167 / 10 / 168 / 3
169 / 18 / 170 / 5 / 171 / 10 / 172 / 12 / 173 / 5 / 174 / 8
175 / 12 / 176 / 9 / 177 / 20 / 178 / 8 / 179 / n/s / n/s – Not Sold
In order to protect the interests of sellers, there has been a change in procedure whereby an automatic minimum reserve is now applied, set at 75% of the pre-sale estimate. Of course, sellers remain free to specify higher or lower reserves as they wish. This resulted in a few more unsold lots than we usually see, but there was general agreement among the half dozen bidders present in person that this was a reasonable measure. For a short period after each sale, these unsold lots can still be purchased at their pre-sale estimates upon application to the auctions secretary. The twenty postal bidders accounted for £1,710 (61%) of the auction total of £2,782 (estimate £2,023 excluding unsolds).
The top dozen lots were as follows: a couple of bound sets of Sotheby’s bookplate sale catalogues formerly owned by GH Viner (£85 and £80), the special edition on Japanese vellum of Ladies' Bookplates by Norna Labouchere (£75), Hollar’s arms of Lincoln Cathedral (£70), an interesting late print of the 17thC arms used by Henry Justel (1620-93) or his father (£55), Arthur Rackham's bookplate of P.L. Andrews (£51), a Jacobean armorial of John Robinson Bishop of Bristol (£46), plates by Ospovat and Simpson (£45), Friedrich August Herzog Braunschweig-Lüneburg-Oels (£42), the uncommon Institutio Theologica Andover Fundata MDCCCVII, classical portico with open Greek Bible on the step (£42), the large Early Arm of Robert Harley of Bramton Castle, Hereford, with 20 quarterings (£40), and Rex Whistler 1925 pictorial for Ronald Fuller of Merton College Oxford (£40). The first 18 lots were attractive 18thC European, and although most were sold these engendered surprisingly little interest. Some scarce examples of Miss Helard’s work failed to reach their quite high reserves.
Among the bargains were George Treadway’s classic pictorial Jacobean Armorial (Lot 23, £8), the large and small Early Armorials of William Lord North of Carthlage 1703 plus that of Charles Lord Halifax (Lots 25 & 26, £43), Rex Whistler’s smaller plate for the McLarens (Lot 162, £10), and the Sotheby’s 1906 sale catalogue (unpriced) of Julian Marshall’s outstanding collection (Lot 52, £20).
Lots 28, 35, 37, 143-145, and 147-9 all found buyers after publication of this sale report.
Here is a list of the remaining unsold items, in case you wish to buy any.Apart from Lot 5 (reduced to £4) and Lot 161 (ought to be more than £25), these are available at their pre-sale estimates.
Lot 5: Perhaps French - rococo arms between eagles, crown above, motto Volabunt Non Deficient.Pre-sale estimate £10 but found to be on modern paper, so price is reduced to £4.
Lot 12: French or Italian: Unidentified arms Arg a lion ramp, crowned and tail erect, an upright sword held in forepaws, on a chief 3 fleurs-de-lis. Coronet above.£10
Lot 41: 4 arms, each pair with differing crests: Revd S Harper MA FRS F13823 & 4; Rev Robt Nixon [1759-1837], F21917 and with BD FRS FSA, F21919. (4) £12
Lot 42:2 Eared Shields: William Howley [1766-1848], F15564, creased; W.Cantuar, F15565. Arms of London (bp 1813) & Canterbury (archbp 1828) imp Howley. £10
Lot 60: 4 plates for schools or libraries: Chethams Library Manchester, arm sgd Langton Sc; Bibliotheca Scholae Cliftonensis, seal arm by A. Wyon; Commissioner for Public Libraries and Museums for the Parish of Kensington in the County of Middlesex, by Moring, in 2 sizes, framed fruit tree with arms hanging from branches. (4) £10
Lot 83: Inner Temple Library by Jas Kirk del et sc, large festoon arm with spade shield suspended from ribbon. £15
Lot 132: Italian noble arm plate for Principe Paolo Francesco Boncompagni Ludovisi. (Not the Reg Boulton one). £7
Lot 138: F. Mitchell, Chard by Will Foster, 1896, pict of library within foliage/books. £5
Lot 154: Jolan Steiner by Eric Hubaser 1911, pict of crinolined lady with two children playing. £4
Lot 161: CVL (Cecily Valencia Lancaster, of Kelmarsh Hall, Northants, 1898-1996) by Rex Whistler, 1935, monogram within fine floral wreath. It was a surprise that this did not find a buyer, especially at the rather low pre-sale estimate of £25. Anyone interested will need to offer more than this.
Lot179: Essex bookplatescollected by Arthur Dorling. Bids on this item were insufficient to meet the reserve of £400. Details given in the auction list are reproduced below.
Arthur Dorling’s collection of Essex bookplates received special mention when sold at Bonhams on 27 March 2012. Dorling added to AA Bethune- Baker’s earlier collection. Some of the material has been taken to fill gaps in the RE Thomas Collection, leaving approx 108 Essex bookplates for sale here as an integral series which would be hard to gather together again, including the following (we don’t have space to list all the 19th century ones !):
EARLY ARMS: The Right Honble Algernon Capell, Earl of Essex [etc] 1701, F5079/F*57; Thomas Bramston Esqr. of Skreens, F3528; The Honourable Charles Maynard Esqr., F20257;
JAC ARMS: Sr Robt Abdy Bart, of Albyns in Essex, F40; John Arabin, F643; Robert Bristow of London Esqr., F3759; John Carruthers of Holmains Esqr., F5248; Richard Lockwood Esqr Dews Hall Essex, NIF; The Right Honble Robert James Ld. Petre, Thorndon in Essex [8th Baron 1713-42], F23406; The Right Honble Robert Edward Ld. Petre, Thorndon in Essex [9th Baron 1782-1801], F23404; Hugh Raymond of Sailing Hall Esqr in Essex [damaged], F24662; J.L. Rebow of Colchester, F24701; Sr Edw. Smyth of Hill Hall Essex Baronet, NIF; Sr William Smyth of Hill Hall in Essex Bart, NIF; Robert Smyth Baronetti, F27487; Robert Smyth Baronetti, F27490; Richard Warner F30915, Richard Warner of Woodford Row, Essex F30916; Thos. Western of Rivenhall Esqr., F31367; Francis Wollaston, F32335;
BOOKPILE: Saml. Wegg Esqr. F31237
CHIP ARMS: William Altham of Mark Hall Essex, F429; Osmond Beauvoir, by Stephens [DD, Sheriff of Essex 1742, headmaster of The Kings School, Canterbury, d.1789], F1972; Richd. Bull of Ongar in Essex Esqr. (2 states), F4283 & F4284; Mary Conyers, F6670; Peter Du Cane Esqr., F9170; Peter Du Cane Junr. Esqr., F9171; William Duffin [of Woodford], F9228; Mary Muilman, F21298 or 9; Charles Palmer [Surgeon of Wanstead], F22614; George Scott Esqr. of Woolston Hall in the County of Essex, F26282; Saml. Wegg Esqr., F31236; John Yeldham Esqr. Sailing, Essex, F32849;
MID 18thC ARMS: Anon [Knight, Baron Luxborough], F17295; Anon [Knight, Henry, son of Robert Baron Luxborough], F17325; Thos. Berney Bramston, Skreens, Essex, F3529 or 60;
FESTOONS, RIBBON & WREATH ETC: Althea Fanshawe, F10192; Thomas Augustus Jessopp Esqr. of Waltham Abbey Essex, NIF; Nichs. Pearse, by Lake, F23027; Warner, F30909; M. Yeldham, NIF (F32850 with Richard removed); Joseph Sedgwick, F26420; PICTORIALS: John Conyers of Copt Hall, Essex, by Gravelot, F6669; Castle Society, Colchester, NIF;
SEAL ARMS: Arma Carolus Ducane de Braxted in com Essex, F9167; J.G. Fanshawe [of Parsloes], F10194.
plus MORE THAN 60 OTHER 18TH & 19TH CENTURY ARMORIALS and
Together with: a set of photocopies of the entire Essex album compiled & owned by AA Bethune-Baker, to which Arthur Dorling added plates and notes.