Dear blog reader
Here is the fifth part of the series on the sale of the contents of West Shandon House, also known as the Shandon collection. Enjoy.
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THE SCOTSMAN THURSDAY 17 MAY 1877
THE SHANDON SALE
LONDON WEDNESDAY MAY 16
This sale, which has now reached its eleventh day, was better attended this afternoon, a considerable number of people being present, especially when the ivories were sold. The watches and snuff-boxes again sold well, and a fine ivory tankard reached, as will be seen, the somewhat sensational price of 870 gs. The following were the principal lots.
The sale began with a miniature Venus at the Bath, which went for £2 12s 6d. A portrait of Mary Queen of Scots went to Mr Lawrie for £1 18s, and one of James, Duke of Hamilton, on vellum, to Mr Bohn, for £4 10s; the same gentleman buying James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, for £6. Four serpents, in a case, went to Mr Lawrie for £12 10s, and ‘Hope’, after Sir J Reynolds, at £5 15s. A miniature ivory, by Antissier, fetched £5 2s 6d. A portrait of Sir Christopher Wren, oval miniature, by Bernard Lens, with his initials, was bought by Mr Bohn at £12. A small case, containing four water-colour miniatures, went at £2 5s. A miniature on ivory of Sir Walter Scott, by Landseer, ran to £15. An oval miniature of a French lady, from the Bernal Collection, in ormolu frame, went to Mr Bohn for £9, and a portrait of a gentleman followed at 4gs.
Gems, etc, came next – the first, a nymph on onyx, going for 4 1/2gs, and the second, a cameo of a nymph by Girometti, mounted as a ring, for 6 1/2gs. Perseus and a lion, on onyx intaglio, as a ring, fetched £2 4s, and the next lot, onyx cameo, as a brooch, £8 10s. Four gold rings together (1862) brought £3 5s, and the following four the same price. A head of Christ, cameo in bloodstone, being cleverly cut, showing the drops of blood, fetched 5gs, and a female head, a topaz cameo, £4, both being bought by Mr Pike. A silver ring, and an octagonal plaque of rock crystal, two lots together, realised 4 1/2gs, and a head of Ariadne, cameo on onyx, by Santarelli, 5 1/2gs. A very small pendant, with an enamelled gold Madonna in rock crystal, fetched £2 15s. Venus and Cupid, a large intaglio, in onyx, went at £2 5s, and a similar one, surrounded by moss agates, at £3 12s 6d. A head of Silenus, a large cameo in rosso antico, fetched £3 15s; and an intaglio in brown sand, with the combat of the Centaurs and Lapithae, £3 10s, going to Mr Denman. A round plaque of rock crystal went for 5gs, and a cameo onyx with head of Cleopatra, set in gold, was run up to £15 10s. A red sardonyx ring sold for £2 12s 6d, the next for £2 15s, and one in brown sand, from the Poniatowski collection, for £3. Another sard with an onyx cameo (1884), fetched £2 10s.
Some more watches were then offered, the first lot, a gold watch, by Scott, being absent, and the second, a small old French carriage watch, going for £4 2s 6d. A small silver watch formed as a cross, by G Cocque, date 1604, ran up to ten gs, and a large antique silver-gilt clock watch with bell, to £11. An antique watch, presented by Charles II to Evelyn, fetched £17 going to Mr Lawrie. An antique watch in rock crystal case sold for 10 1/2gs, and an old French watch, in chased gold case, enamelled dial, was run up to £40, going to Mr Wertheimer. A repeating watch, in gold case, enamelled, silver hands, set with sparks, made by Justin-Vullaimy, a beautiful watch, went to Mr Joseph for 70gs. An English gold watch, by Hodges, fetched £7 10s, and an antique watch, in octagon gilt metal case, 5gs. A small antique watch, in spherical case of rock crystal, went for 10gs, and one formed like an acorn for 5gs. A watch by Harman, London (1906), brought £6; and a gold watch by H Bish, London, in chased and pierced case, was bought by Mr Denman for 10gs. A small watch by Allen, in onyx case, fetched 12gs, and a repeater by Cabrier, London, £12 5s. A watch in gold case, by Windmill, with enamels realised 15gs. The last watch to-day, a gold repeater in case chased with Venue and Adonis, and gold chatelaine scent-bottle and seal, was soon knocked down for £76.
More snuff-boxes came next. The first, of Battersea enamel, for the head of a cane, said to have belonged to Garrick, fetching 5gs, and the second, an oval Dresden one, 7gs. A circular bonbonniere, of white porcelain, inlaid with flowers and gold pique work, fetched £12 10s, and an oval tortoiseshell box, with silver chasing, 9gs. An oblong box of yellow horn, inlaid with figures, ran up to 13 1/2gs. An oblong silver gilt bird box, with a Swiss view, sold for £14, and one of tortoise-shell, inlaid with pique, silver mounted for £2 10s. A box made from the yew tree planted by Mary Queen of Scots at Crookston Castle, went for £5 10s; and the next lots, a round horn box and ivory patch box, were sold together for £4 10s. A round gold box, formed of a watch case, enamelled, realised 5 1/2gs, and one with Christ and the Virgin on the back, 26gs. A Dresden porcelain box, mounted in gold, sold for £11, and then an old French gold box, enamelled and set with pearls, with a small watch in the centre, ran up to £52. An Italian enamelled box fetched £3 7s 6d, and a small-shaped gold box, a lion on the top, went to £10. An old French circular box, with a miniature of Madame Elizabeth, was bought for 10 guneas, and then an oval gold box, the lid formed of a Sevres plaque, ran up to 9gs. An oval crystal, gold mounted, realised 36gs, going to Mr Loewenstein. An oblong mother-of-pearl box fetched £6 15s. A circular box, mounted with various stones, was sold for 18gs to Mr Boore. A fine Louis XV round agate box, gold-mounted, went up to £25. A circular box of matrix of amethyst, with a cameo, pearls and gold for flowers on the lid, fetched £31 10s.
More carvings in ivory then followed, the first two lots going together for £1 15s. A statuette of a boy holding a palette realised 20gs. A small flask, of Persian work, sold for £1 18s, and another for £1 2s, while a German one realised £6 10s. A blotting-book of carved open work, with foliage, nymphs and Cupids, went to Mr Lawrie for 32gs. An oval casket, with wreaths of oak leaves, from the International Exhibition of 1862, fetched £12. An oblong casket from the same, with roses in high relief, went for 11gs; a bust of Louis Philippe for 2gs; and one of Lord Brougham for £3 10s. The Rape of the Sabines, a Flemish carving in relief, 9 1/2 inches long by 5 inches high, was knocked down for 110 gs to Mr Marks. An allegorical group of four figures, showing Death carrying off an infant from its mother, ran to 52 gs. A tankard in frieze of amorini, mounted in respousse silver, was sold for 24gs. Abraham dismissing Hagar and Ishmael, a carving in high relief, 4 1/4 by 3 1/2 inches, signed by Ruremonde, ran to 29gs; Samson and the Lion, in high relief, 4 inches by 3 inches, fetched 15 1/2 gs. The infant Saviour and St John, carved in high relief, 17th century, 5 1/2 inches by 4 inches, realised 23 gs, and was bought by Mr Lawrie. A tankard carved with tritons and sea nymphs, mounted in silver gilt, went to Mr Lowenstein at £30, and another, not catalogued, ran up to £70, and was bought by Mr White. A large tankard, carved with marine and other deities, in high relief, soon mounted to 72 guineas, going to Mr Marks. The next, a cup carved with Baccahanalian figures, realised 70 guineas. A group of two wrestling amorini, seventeenth century work, about four inches high, fetched 31gs. A tankard, carved with a frieze of Bacchanais, mounted in silver gilt, 18th century, realised 45s, and the companion, with a frieze of children, dogs, stags and boars, 30gs. In the last lot to-day, a fine tankard with ivory cover, handle and mountings of silver gilt, richly carved body and cover, from the Duchess of Cleveland’s collection, exhibited at the Loan Exhibition Collection, South Kensington, was knocked down for 870gs to Mr Wertheimer.
The total to-day was £2690, bringing the whole sum at present received up to £40,469.
Shandon People and History 