Distler tinplate double-decker bus. Estimate: £300-400. Image courtesy Dreweatts.
Dreweatts’ auction catalog is now available to view online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Bidders may participate either absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place.
“The Lenygon Collection represents one man’s patriotic obsession with the Victorian era,” said Malcolm Claridge, the expert in charge at Dreweatts, Bristol. “It’s not only rare to find a single collection so completely embracing this period today but also one with so many items related to the British in India. The collection can even boast regimental mess plates, silverware and railway cufflinks.”
Bryan N. Lernygon, Esq. (1932-2010) was a barrister and collector of the old school. His keen eye for the unusual, the esoteric and the personal was well focused on Queen Victoria and the British Empire, particularly India, resulting in a collection that commemorates the man as fittingly as it recalls the history of his country, noted Claridge.
As one might expect, historical figures abound in this sale. Three late-19th century cast-iron doorstops of Gen. Charles George Gordon of Khartoum, one in native dress and the other in military dress and both mounted on camels, are expected to reach around £150-£200. Another sculpture of Gen. Gordon by Sydney March (1876-1968) is inscribed on “South Africa 1900,” Sydney March Sc, London 1900, by Elkington & Co. Ltd. and is estimated at £400-£600.
Photographs are becoming increasingly popular and the Lenygon Collection has several interesting albums of them with prices ranging from £40-£400. Particularly interesting are those which offer an insight into the British at ease in the Hill Country, playing sports at the School of Musketry, Pachmarhi, North India, circa 1900. There are large images of military groups, sports such as cricket, railways and others with panoramic views of India. The collection also includes an album of rare South African photographs depicting tribesmen.
Among the large selection of medals is the fine bronze medal for the Defeat of Sultan Tippoo by C. Kuchler with a bust of Cornwallis on one side and Tippoo surrendering his sons to Cornwallis on the other (£150-£200). Another fine and interesting medal is a British India, Amritsar Empress Cricket Match medal of 1883. This silver prize medal is emblazoned with the Gothic bust of Queen Victoria on one side and crossed cricket bats above wicket and ball on the other, and is estimated £150-£200. A particularly topical medal is the Oxford and Cambridge Varsity Boat Race medal. Its owner went on to represent Britain in the 1908 Olympics for which he was awarded a Bronze Medal.
A pair of caricature pottery figures by Wittman and Roth depicting William E. Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli could reach £2,000-£3,000. Each is standing and wearing a top hat, Disraeli with hand on hip and Gladstone holding his trademark bag and umbrella. Both are decorated in underglaze colors and stand on square bases, and each is molded with the maker’s lozenge-shape mark and with the registration mark for Dec. 8, 1876. In the general election of February 1874, the Conservatives, under Disraeli, won a resounding victory over Gladstone and the Liberals. In 1876, Queen Victoria bestowed upon Disraeli the titles of Earl of Beaconsfield and Viscount Hughenden. Disraeli remained Prime Minister until defeated by the Liberals in the general election of 1880, when Gladstone again became Prime Minister.
The collection boasts several commemorative pieces marking Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee of 1887. A pair of large and handsome silver gilt goblets by Robert Roskell, Alan Roskell and John Mortimer Hunt is estimated to fetch £2,000-£3,000.
This eclectic collection even includes a plethora of 19th-century parasols, fans, sewing boxes and glove boxes, as well as yards of silk and wool passementerie, trimmings and evening bags. Among the wool embroideries is an eye-catching late 16th-century English embroidered panel (estimate: £300-£400), probably cut down from a larger one. It is embroidered in tent and cross-stitch and depicts an animal surrounded by a fence with a ribbon emblazoned with the Latin phrase “Potius Mori” (“Rather Death”), implying that freedom is beyond value.
LiveAuctioneers’ CEO Julian R. Ellison is especially pleased that Dreweatts is using LiveAuctioneers for its Internet live-bidding services. “It is a great honor for LiveAuctioneers to be working with a company as highly regarded as Dreweatts,” he said. “Dreweatts has operated at the top tier of fine art valuation and auctioneering in Britain for 250 years. They respect tradition, and their long-held reputation for appraising and auctioning quality estates is impeccable, yet they’ve also been open to adopting new methods of generating maximum returns for their consignors. They were right on the front lines in adding Internet technology to their marketing plan, so it’s easy to see why they have continued to be as vital a force as they are in Britain’s highly competitive antiques and fine art marketplace.”
The Tuesday, Nov. 6 auction will begin with the Lenygon Collection at 10 a.m. London time. The sale of textiles, toys and collectors’ items will commence no earlier than noon local time.
For additional information on any item in the auction, contact Malcolm Claridge either by e-mailing mclaridge@dnfa.com or calling 011 44117 973 7201.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Distler tinplate double-decker bus. Estimate: £300-400. Image courtesy Dreweatts. A pair of pottery figures by Wittman and Roth. Estimate: £2,000-3,000. Image courtesy Dreweatts. Pair of Victorian silver gilt large commemorative goblets by Robert Roskell, Alan Roskell and John Mortimer Hunt. Estimate: £2,000-3,000. Image courtesy Dreweatts. An early 18th century cover or pillow sham. Estimate: £3,000-4,000. Image courtesy Dreweatts. Ivor Novello Award, on a stepped circular wooden plinth with brass plaque engraved ‘Northern Songs Ltd / ‘Yellow Submarine’ / 1966’. Estimate: Estimate: £3,000-4,000. Image courtesy Dreweatts. Marklin tinplate battleship. Estimate: £700-900. Image courtesy Dreweatts.
