LONDON.- A rare Elizabethan shoe horn could fetch up to £6,000 when it is offered for sale in Matthew Barton Ltd’s bi-annual auction of Decorative Works of Art which will take place on Tuesday, November 24, 2015 in London at 25 Blythe Road, W14.

The horn is signed with the legend 'THIS IS ROBART HEND / 1596 / ART MINDUM', decorated with a lady, her hands on her hips, flanked by hatched borders and measures 14.5cm long. Robert (or 'Robart' as he invariably signed himself) Mindum is known to have have flourished between 1593-1613 and 22 further examples are known to be in existence. Apart from the horns themselves and one powder horn, nothing concrete is known of Mindum himself. It seems likely he was an amateur worker in horn; his name apparently does not appear on the rolls of the Horner's nor any other London company.

The sale which comprises more than 500 lots of Silver, Ceramics, Jewellery, Watches, Works of Art, and Objects of Vertu has prices ranging from £50 through to £8,000. With late night and weekend viewing, it is the perfect place to find a unique and interesting Christmas present.

Also included in the sale is group of Chinese artefacts has descended in the present owner's family from their ancestor, Admiral Arthur William Acland Hood, 1st Baron Hood of Avalon (1824-1901). Arthur Hood began his career in the Royal Navy in 1836 and gained considerable experience before being promoted in November 1854 to command the brig, HMS Acorn. By May 1856 he and his vessel were in China under Rear-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour (1802-1887), commander-in-chief of the East Indies and China Station. In June of 1857 HMS Acorn was involved in the destruction of the fleet of Chinese junks in the Battle of Fatshan Creek and later in the attack on Canton. It is from this period that Hood acquired the pieces comprising this collection.

A note, probably written in the latter part of the 19th Century, attached to lot 78 (A Chinese nut bead and rose quartz Mandarin official's Necklace, Chao Zhu, Circa 1850, which is estimated at £2,000-3,000) explains how it came into Hood's possession: 'Official Necklace of Yeh Governor of Canton, China. He was wearing this when captured by Commander Arthur W.A. Hood R.N (In conjunction with [Astley] Cooper Key in his palace. Yeh was a first class Mandarin. Commander Hood commanded H.M.S. ''Acorn'' - and lay for 9 months in the Canton River waiting opportunity to achieve capture of city and its Governor. When the moment arrived the 2 officers with seamen landed, and marched through the city and crowds of Chinese to the palace, captured the Governor, placed him in his own sedan chair, and carried him back to our boats and so on board H.M.S. ''Acorn'' . . .'

The arrest of Governor Yeh (otherwise High Commissioner Yeh Ming-ch'en) was precipitated by his own actions, which in turn appear to have had the full backing of Peking. Although the Treaty of Nanking had been signed between Great Britain and the Emperor in 1842, thus bringing to an end the First Opium War, the Chinese felt that the accord was unfair. This led to sporadic and increasingly violent unrest. Matters finally erupted when in 1856 Yeh, then in the throes of suppressing an uprising of Chinese rebels and ordering thousands of executions, seized a Hong Kong (British) registered ship and its crew. The registration had expired, a fact well known to the British (and the French) who nevertheless used the incident as an excuse to send for their fleets. The action sparked the Second Opium War (1856-1860).

Also included in the collection is Governor Yeh’s Mandarin Official Hat, Zhao Guan of black velvet with red silk tassels which is estimated at £600-800.

Elsewhere, a silver-gilt bowl by Edward Farrell, London, 1824 chased with panels containing the arms of James I and his emblems and the date 1610 is expected to fetch £1,500-2,000. This bowl is one from a set of thirty-four such vessels belonging George IV's brother, Prince Frederick the Duke of York, each with a differing inscription. The Duke amassed an enormous collection of plate, much of it through the auspices of the maverick retailer, Kensington Lewis (c.1790-1854). Although Prince Frederick took his official duties seriously, his extravagant lifestyle and gambling debts forced his executors to take the rare step of holding the exceptional Royal sale at Christie's in 1827.

The Prince's collection included a number of Farrell's extraordinary and somewhat eccentric designs. Kensington Lewis had encouraged Farrell to gain inspiration from early silver, leading the chaser and silversmith to become one of the earliest proponents of historicist silver. These particular bowls were based upon a rare 17th century type of English fruitwood drinking bowl.

Other silver includes a pair of Victorian silver novelty pepperettes each finely modelled as a jester by Robert Hennell & Sons, London dating from 1868 is estimated at £2,000-3,000.