1. Queen Mary’s Waring & Gillows secretaire
Huw Edwards-Jones, master cabinet maker and liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, has spent more than a month restoring and researching this Waring & Gillows secretaire that had been commissioned by Queen Mary for her personal quarters aboard the Royal Yacht, the HMS Medina, for the 1911-12 India state visit.
The 6ft x 15.5in (1.83m x 39.5cm) piece is made from Brazilian mahogany and veneered in tight-grained ripple satinwood.
Edwards-Jones said the piece had sold at auction after it was painted in the 1920s. He researched its history in the library at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and found photos of the item next to Queen Mary’s bed aboard the ship in 1911. He also found reference to it in Connoisseur Magazine from November 1911.
He added: “This was a considerable restoration. I painstaking stripped off the thick and gummy green paint to reveal the absolutely magnificent satinwood beneath… Warings & Gillows would have put their best cabinet makers on the job, working with the best materials.”
Within the interior of the draw is a gilt brass maker’s plaque bearing the inscription HMS MEDINA, Used on the state visit of TM the King and Queen to India 1911-12, Warings, London.
He is offering it for sale for a five figure sum. For details contact Huw Edwards-Jones via his website.
2. Philip II of Spain’s vestment
This c.1570 hood of a cope belonged to Philip II of Spain and is part of a selling exhibition at Indar Pasricha Fine Arts until October 27.
This c.1570 hood of a cope (the hood of a liturgical cloak) belonged to Philip II of Spain. It includes his royal coat of arms with embroidery which depicts a scene taken from an Old Master drawing or print by an unknown hand. The lavish vestment is part of the exhibition Apparell’d in Celestial Light taking place at Indar Pasricha Fine Arts until October 27 in Pimlico. This collection was assembled by the gallery over more than 20 years and has drawn on collections in France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany and the US as well as the UK. The textiles in the exhibition are offered at prices ranging up to €1m.
3. Marie Antoinette’s pearl and diamond pendant
On November 12, Sotheby’s Geneva will offer this pearl and diamond pendant that once belonged to Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (1755-93). Image: Sotheby's.
Perhaps one of the most infamous royalty, items once belonging to Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (1755-93), always command a huge premium. On November 12, Sotheby’s Geneva will offer a pearl and diamond pendant that once belonged to the doomed queen. Set with an oval diamond supporting a diamond bow motif and a slightly baroque drop shaped natural pearl, it is estimated at CHF995,000-1.99m (£777,000-1.55m) at Sotheby's Royal Jewels from the Bourbon Parma family sale.
4. The Prince of Wales’ Bentley
Estimated at £12,000-14,000, this 1994 Bentley Turbo RL was once owned by Prince Charles and will be offered at H&H Classics Auction at IWM Duxford on October 17.
The Prince of Wales’ 1990s Bentley is up for sale - a car he owned after he split from Princess Diana. Estimated at £12,000-14,000, the 1994 Bentley Turbo RL will be offered at the H&H Classics Auction in IWM Duxford on October 17. It was ordered by Prince Charles in Brewster green with mushroom-coloured interior trim. His requirements also included rear reading lights and its rear seats to be lowered. After ownership in the royal household, it has had two other owners and has an MOT valid until July 2019.
James McWilliam, in the sales team at H&H Classics, said: “One can only wonder who sat on these seats beside the famous owner, where they went and what the conversations might have been? Prince Charles and Princess Diana married in July 1981 and separated in 1992. So this Bentley would have been owned by Prince Charles during the time that his life was moving into a new phase, post-Diana.”
