A carved limestone panel of St Martin of Tours will feature in Lyon & Turnbull’s sale of furniture and works of art in Edinburgh on July 5.
The depiction of the saint, who was a French soldier in the 4th century, was a popular subject for religious devotional items during the medieval period. Dating to circa the 14th-15th century, this 14 x 15in (35 x 38cm) panel shows the saint cutting his cloak in two and handing a beggar half of it.
Surviving art shows that this particular scene, which supposedly took place at the gates of Amiens in northern France, was regularly portrayed in a variety of media during the 14th and 15th centuries. Estimate £1000-1500.
An early document discussing the feasibility of building a Channel Tunnel between England and France will go under the hammer at Mullock’s sale on July 6 in Ludlow.
Dated to June 12, 1914, this is a signed printed note by Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965), then First Lord of the Admiralty, in which he considers the costs and the risks – particularly if France were to become an enemy. The document also bears the initials of various members of the Committee of Imperial Defence who sponsored it.
As far as the auction house is aware, no other version signed by Churchill is in existence, although an unsigned copy resides in The Churchill Archives in Cambridge.
A proposal for a cross-Channel tunnel was first put forward in 1802 by Albert Mathieu.
Estimate £1500-1700.
mullocksauctions.co.uk or see this item on thesaleroom.com
Consigned to Fellows’ July 13 sale in Birmingham is this late Victorian diamond floral bracelet.
Studded with old-cut diamonds in a floral cluster and with diamond floral tapered sides, it is estimated at £1500-2000.
fellows.co.uk or see this item on thesaleroom.com
Gardiner Houlgate in Corsham will be offering this 17th century oak settle in its June 29-30 sale. The 3ft 3in x 5ft 10in (99cm x 1.77m) bench is carved with stylised foliage and the initials IG, 1688. It also features scrolling arms and a plank seat supported on baluster turned legs.
With a provenance to Abbey House, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, it is estimated at £1000-1500.
gardinerhoulgate.co.uk or see this item on thesaleroom.com
