George III silver tear-drop form hip flask by John Holloway engraved with the monogram of Princess Augusta Sophia, estimate £2000-3000 at Sotheby’s.
This George III silver tear-drop form hip flask by John Holloway (London, 1793) is engraved with the monogram of Princess Augusta Sophia (1768-1840), the sixth child and second daughter of George III and Queen Charlotte.
She lived mainly at Windsor with her mother and sisters - it was nicknamed ‘the nunnery’, with the mad king confined on the other side of the castle.
On her death her jewels and plate were purchased by her brother Prince Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, who hoped to bequeath them to future generations via a fideicommissum (a legal agreement to ensure objects pass down in a direct line of succession). This hip flask carries the initials EAFs (Ernsti Augusti FideikommisSum) that were engraved to the family silver in 1855.
It carries an estimate of £2000-3000 as part of the Royal & Noble sale that runs online at Sotheby’s in London until January 17.
Porcelain head doll made by Jumeau, estimate £1000-1500 at Lawrences of Crewkerne.
Found recently in a trunk, this porcelain head doll made by the famous Jumeau factory is estimated at £1000-1500 in the Lawrences of Crewkerne auction on January 16-19.
Dating to the late 19th century, the doll has glass paperweight eyes, closed mouth and applied ears, and comes with some clothing and a brass miniature bed. It stands 18in (46cm) high and has remained largely untouched, says the saleroom.
The doll was discovered in west Dorset and the family who own it believe it has been stored in the trunk for over 50 years, ensuring a good condition.
Evelyn De Morgan preparatory head study for the monumental work St Christina Giving her Father’s Jewels to the Poor, estimate £2000-3000 at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood.
This sanguine drawing by Evelyn De Morgan (1855- 1919) is a preparatory head study for the monumental work St Christina Giving her Father’s Jewels to the Poor, destroyed by fire in 1991. Dated c.1904, it depicts the same model used in a similar story in the De Morgan Collection.
It comes by descent through De Morgan’s family for sale at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood in Exeter on January 16-17.
Estimate £2000-3000.
British poster promoting the Oxford University Ski Club’s annual trip to Klosters in 1934-35, estimate £500-700 at Lyon & Turnbull.
This rare British poster promotes the Oxford University Ski Club’s annual trip to Klosters in 1934-35. The racing that season was scheduled for December 23-23.
The design of this tri-colour image is credited to James Riddell (1909-2000), who was both a prolific columnist and cartoonist and a British champion in early days of skiing as a competitive sport. Educated at Harrow and Cambridge, ‘Sunny Jim’ raced for Britain at Zakopane, Poland, in the first ever international downhill race in 1929 (finishing a creditable eighth in a field of 60) and later he co-authored the influential Penguin handbook Ski Holidays in the Alps.
The poster to be offered at Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh on January 11 is estimated at £500-700.
Pair of ebonised plaster torchère figures of the ‘vestal virgin’ by Humphrey Hooper, estimate £2000-3000 at Dreweatts.
Dreweatts of Newbury is selling the contents of Cairness House in Buchan, Aberdeenshire, on January 31.
The neoclassical house designed by James Playfair (1755-94) for Charles Gordon of Buthlaw and Cairness (1749-96) fell into disrepair until 2001 when the new owners embarked on a full restoration of the house and grounds. The project won the Georgian Group Architectural Awards prize for the best Georgian country house in Britain in 2009.
Among the furnishings purchased for the property was this pair of ebonised plaster torchère figures of the ‘vestal virgin’ by Humphrey Hooper (1767-1844). He produced a variety of similar plaster and terracotta figures after the antique designed to support candelabra, lamps and clocks. This pair, signed to the cast and dated Oct 1st c.1810 with later storm shades, is estimated at £2000-3000.
Hasbro Transformers G1 Classic Heroes Autobot Prowl, estimate £100-150 at Special Auction Services.
Transformers toys, first released in 1984, are among the more recent brands now appearing often at auction such as Lego, Star Wars and He-Man. A collection of 100 Transformer toys that have been in an attic for 20 years will go under the hammer on January 16 at Special Auction Services in Newbury.
The Transformers were bought by the vendor from a work colleague who was getting married - and whose future wife insisted that he sell his collection beforehand.
At the time the vendor lived in a flat and did not have space for the seven large boxes he had bought. Fortunately, his brother stepped in and offered his attic. The collection stayed there untouched ever since.
Highlights include this Hasbro Transformers G1 Classic Heroes Autobot Prowl, estimated at £100-150.
