LONDON.- Now in its sixth edition, the twice-yearly The Classics auctions return this winter with a nine-sale series, offering the finest in the classic arts. This season of sales will offer rare and exceptional items across traditional collecting categories, including Antiquities, Fine Clocks, Fine Decorative Arts, Ceramics, Old Master Paintings, Antique Arms and Armour, and more.
Nette Megens, Director of Decorative Art, Europe & UK and Head of European Ceramics, commented: “Spanning from the 3rd Millennium B.C. to the 19th century, The Classics auctions bring together a diverse array of works, celebrating the rich history of collecting. Featuring a selection of rare and exceptional pieces across our New Bond Street and Knightsbridge salerooms, we’re sure there is something to entice a variety of collectors.”
Antiquities
7 December, New Bond Street
Depicting an amorous tussle between a nymph and a satyr, a Roman marble group, leads Bonhams’ Classic Week auctions. The Hever Nymph and Satyr is one of only three known complete surviving examples of the type, alongside that in the Musei Capitolini in Rome and the Townley group in the British Museum in London. Offered in the Antiquities sale on 7 December, the Hever Nymph and Satyr has an illustrious provenance, carrying an estimate of £700,000-1,000,000.
This rare marble group was once owned by Stefano Bardini (1836-1922), the internationally renowned antiquarian who sold it to the Gilded Age Mogul turned Viscount of Hever, William Waldorf Astor (1848-1919), who placed it in the gardens of his new estate, Hever Castle, once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn.
William Waldorf Astor, an American businessman who made his fortune trading in furs, fell in love with the world of antiquities whilst serving as American Minister in Rome from 1882-1885. Following a family feud, Astor emigrated to England, purchasing the neglected Hever Castle, later becoming Viscount of Hever. The castle had been home to two of Henry VIII’s wives, including Anne Boleyn, who spent her childhood there, and Anne of Cleves, who received the Castle as part of her divorce settlement. As part of a lavish restoration of the castle, Astor installed the Hever Nymph and Satyr in the Italian Gardens, where it remained for nearly a century.
Francesca Hickin, Head of Department, commented: “The Hever Nymph and Satyr is a captivating Roman marble group, capturing a moment of excitement between two sensuously modelled, energetic characters. Notable for the rarity of the type, the vivacity of the execution of the contorted bodies, and the illustrious, museum-level provenance, this is a rare opportunity for collectors to acquire such a unique work.”
Antique Arms and Armour Sale
22 November, Knightsbridge
Bonhams Winter Classics launches at Bonhams Knightsbridge with the Antique Arms and Armour sale on 22 November. Among the highlights is an enamelled silver-gilt Grand Cross Mantle Star of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George which was presented in 1860 to Sir Gaspard Le Marchant, Governor of Malta and formerly Spanish knight, governor of Newfoundland and Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (estimate: £10,000-15,000). This sale is followed by The Penrose Collection of Antique Firearms & Related Items on 23 November.
Fine Clocks
29 November, New Bond Street
Ettore Bugatti transformed the world of motoring, founding the eponymous firm which was to become one of the most celebrated marques on the world stage. Like many car afficionados, Bugatti also had a love for clocks, and it was only natural that he went to the equally driven firm of clockmakers, Breguet of Paris, in 1931, the year of his 50th birthday, to purchase one of the most complex timepieces ever made. Clock number 759 took three years to complete and its remarkable movement, housed in a silver case and protected by a secret opening mechanism, has a perpetual calendar that accounts for leap days every four years. It retains the original velvet lined travel case and original keys.
The clock would be a constant companion to Bugatti as he steered the company over the following years, producing some of the most powerful and beautiful cars of the 20th century. Leading the Fine Clocks sale with an estimate of £100,000-200,000, the clock’s appearance on the open market at Bonhams is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire an object steeped in both automotive and horological history.
Fine Decorative Arts
30 November, New Bond Street
Covering a wide variety of categories, from furniture and textiles to silver, sculpture and works of art, the Fine Decorative Arts sale takes place on 30 November. The sale is lead by a monumental pair of George IV silver-gilt four-light candelabra, carrying an estimate of £70,000-100,000. Made by the renowned silversmith Benjamin Smith II in 1827, the candelabra feature an array of classical figures, including Hercules wearing a lion skin, Bacchanalian maidens, Diana the Huntress, and Eros playing the double flute. The present lot has been in the collection of The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers for the last three quarters of a century, therefore offering collectors a rare opportunity to acquire a work of exceptional craftsmanship and pedigree.
500 Years of European Ceramics
6 December, New Bond Street
Bonhams’ 500 Years of European Ceramics sale celebrates the rich history of European ceramics from the 16th to the 20th century. The sale features the British American Tobacco Collection of Tobacco Containers & Accessories, a unique, museum-quality collection that illustrates not only the variety and quality of porcelain in the 18th century, but also documents the important social history of tobacco. Among a variety of extraordinary objects, one of the highlights is an extremely rare tobacco box and cover made around 1730 at the Du Paquier manufactory in Vienna and still in its original fitted leather case. The use of tobacco in the form of snuff became widely popular in the highest levels of European society during the early 18th century. Porcelain was newly discovered in Europe, a material so rare and beautiful that it was suitable as a gift between monarchs, and so ideal for making the precious tobacco accessories required for the elegant rituals of court life. The Du Paquier box features moulded and gilt tobacco plants on the corners and rich and elaborate Viennese Baroque ornament.
Only one other example of this rare form is recorded: a similar model, with feet in the form of seated dogs rather than tobacco plants in pots, is in the Wadsworth Atheneum. The present lot, however, is the only example to survive with its tamper and original leather case.
The larger sale is full of rarities, including a Sèvres bleu-céleste ground ice cup which was originally owned by Catherine the Great and has an estimate of £20,000-30,000.
Old Master Paintings
6 December, New Bond Street
A three-panelled screen attributed to George Romney (1734-1802) leads the Old Master Paintings sale on 6 December with an estimate of £50,000-70,000. The screen features four classical dancers enrobed in loose garments which flare out, capturing the movement of the figures. The classical dancer motif is emblematic of Romney’s style, with another five-panelled version of the screen having been sold at Romney’s posthumous sale at Christies in 1807. The present lot bears a striking resemblance to the four-leafed iteration (initially five), recently acquired by Abbot Hall Art Gallery in Kendal, although who these women were modelled after remains a mystery. The handwritten note on the reverse states that the nymph-like dancers are portraits of a certain Lady Romney, however, this was later altered to Lady Hamilton. Likely painted soon after he arrived in London in the spring of 1762, the screen presents a unique opportunity for collectors to acquire an unusual early work by the artist.
Fine Glass and British Ceramics
13-14 December, Knightsbridge
Bringing Bonhams’ Classics Week to a conclusion, the two-day Fine Glass and British Ceramics sale features an impressive selection of works including “Juno”, an important Thomas Webb and Sons cameo glass vase by George Woodall, which has an estimate of £10,000-15,000. Classical and mythological women were a favourite subject of Woodall, largely considered the best of the glass cameo cutters who worked for the esteemed Thomas Webb and Sons. The present lot, however, is the only known piece by Woodall depicting Juno, the wife and sister of Jupiter. Another highlight of the sale is an important British slipware ‘Dragoon’ dish, carrying an estimate of £6,000-8,000.
