Apbil 22, 1899.
THE ESTATES GAZETTE,
668
General Green, after Peel, by V. Green, proofs, £47 ; and Garrick between Comedy and Tragedy, after Sir Joshua Reynolds, by E. Fisher, proof before any letters, 48 guineas.
Objects of Art.
Several choice objects of art from various sources were dispersed at Messrs. Christie’s on Tuesday. The bronzes included:—A pair of sphinxes, with wings and female heads, Paduan work, 16th century, 54 guineas ; a small figure of a man, standing on a base formed bv three crouching lions, Italian, early 16th century, 7^in. high, 40 guineas; a figure of a satyr running, Italian, 16th century, 9in. high, S!ol , a reclining figure of Diana, and the companion figure of ׳a reclining Venus, school of Jean Goujon, 92 guineas ; a rare jewelled badge of the Ducal house of Saxe-Altenburg, 1617, consisting of a gold medal of the Dukes John Phii'p, Frederick, John William, and Frederick William, set in an openwork border enamelled in four colours, to which is attached a chain and loop for suspension, and a large pearl pendant, 275 guineas ; a Limoges enamel tazza and cover, 9in. high by 7^in. wide, signed “P.C.,” 48 guineas ; and a fine Persian silk rug, the centre an oval panel of interlaced arabesques in brilliant colours, 94in. by 54in., 57 guineas.
agings anîr ®atttgs.
With regard to the weather nowadays nothing seems to happen but the unexpected. Probably the only correct plan for the forecaster is to Tead the so-called signs backwards, like the witches say their prayers, and if everything looks settled on Monday, to prophesy with a light heart that Tuesday will be a day of rebuke and blasphemy of the clerk of the weather. Variety certainly is said to be pleasing, but the proverb scarcely applies to changes of climate, especially as they affect those whose business necessarily depends to a great extent on atmospheric conditions. Within measurable distance of the end of April we find that the month has brought little of the soft genial weather usually associated with it, but though personally I do not know the difference between carrots and turnips until I see those vegetables cooked and1 dished before me, I understand from a bucolic friend that there is safety in the retardation caused by the comparatively bleak weather, especially as regards fruit and potato growths.
Touching Lord Russell of Killowen’s Secret Commissions Bill and its fate in the House of Lords, its details are sure to be exhausively (and exhaustingly) discussed before it becomes law, but, speaking generally, I remain of the belief that the many critics who entertain doubts as to the expediency and utility of the principle which it involves are not entirely without justification. There are, of course, some kinds: of commission which are fraudulent and wrong, but which the arm of the law as it now stands is long enough and strong enough to reach if the “ parties aggrieved ” choose to invoke its aid. On the other hand, will the system of giving commissions and bonuses to middlemen for favours received or anticipated ever die out whilst the world and its׳ methods of doing business are what they are ? Doctors, lawyers, auctioneers, manufacturers, chemists, undertakers—those who bring us into the world, those whom we meet in it, and those who take us out of it—all, according to the Lord Chief Justice, are infected with the same vice.
But—there is always a “ but,” you know— if this system is so general, so universal, how can it be virtually and practically secret ? Lord Russell, it must be remembered, has stated that he considers that the vice of these commissions lies in their secrecy alone. He is obviously right here, but then what principal would stand by and see and permit his agent to make a heavy profit out of him under his nose, as it were? Lord Russell himself said in a speech upon the subject, delivered a week or two ago, that he had received innumerable letters “begging names should not be disclosed, but crying piteously to be relieved, and yet finding themselves tied hand and foot to this wretched and corrupt system.” Do business men, as a rule, “ cry piteously ” and whine about their grievances ? Be it so, or be it not so, modern disciples of the school of Antisthenes will be inclined to ask whether this statement of Lord Russell’s does not, being interpreted, signify that big men are beginning to dislike to see money which they think ought to come, in its entirety, into their own pockets, “ sweated ” by intermediaries, and to imagine that nobody ought to be allowed to “ get a bit ” but themselves.
If this idea were to become common and prevail, its result would be a decrease in the population, a consequence which according to one’s point of view might or might not come as a boon and a blessing to men. In the days we live in you cannot mariy without money,
script of about the 12th century, 195 vellum leaves, £26 ; Pope Gregory the Great, a 10th century manuscript, beginning “Moralium ex-planationum beati Gregorii Papee in J ob Prophetam,” etc., beautifully written, £38 ; Gregory IX., “ Decretales, cum glossa ordinaria Bernhardi,” a 13th century manuscript■, with three fine large Italian paintings■, £39 10s. ; Horæ Beat® Mari® Yirginis, a 14th century manuscript, probably of Southern French workmanship, with 38 small but very higly finished illuminated miniatures, £60 ; another, of the 15th century, of Flemish workmanship, with 12 full-page and splendidly illuminated miniatures, ten small miniatures of saints, £96 ; and another “ ad usum Ecclesd® Sylvanectensis,” of the 15th century, by a French scribe, with 11 small but exquisitely drawn and highly finished miniatures, £32 ; Levinus Hulsius, “ Sammlung von Sechs und Zwanzig Sohiffahrten in Versehieden fremde Lander durch Lev. Hulsium,” etc., 1606-32, a desirable set of the celebrated collection of Hulsius, £51 ; and Missale Romanum, printed by Basa at Rome, 1588, in contemporary Italian brown morocco, the centre cartouche containing the crucifixion, a very fine specimen of old Italian binding, £25. The day’s sale realised £1,481 17s. 6d.
Porcelain, etc.
An interesting collection of porcelain and other decorative objects׳ was disposed of by Messrs. Christie on the 14th instant. The more interesting lots were : —A pair of Longton-hall beakers, with shaped panels of exotic birds in dark blue ground, 9in. high,, 60 guineas ; a pair
smaller beaker', en suite, 7in. high, 44 guineas an Italian bronze candlestick, formed as a seated figure of a satyr, 16th century, lOin. high, 32 guineas ; a pair of square-shaped fluted Worcester dishes, 42 guineas ; a Worcester mug, £72 ; and three cups and saucers of the same, 30 guineas ; a six-fold gilt leather screen, painted with Watteau figures, 130 guineas ; a Louis XYI. mahogany cabinet, of rectangular form, the centre of the doors and panels with oval and upright plaques of Sevres porcelain, 30in. by 12in., 210 guineas ; a Carlton House: library table, of mahogany, with inlaid satinwood borders, 54in. wide, £40 ; an Italian upright cabinet, of chest-nutwood, the panels carved with figures emblematic of the seasons, 46in. wide, 67in. high, 145 guineas : a pair of Louis XYI. candelabra, of chased ormolu, with three branches. 18in. high, 75 guineas ; a clock in Louis XVI. case of chased ormolu, the movement by Vulliamy, London, 110 guineas: ; a Louis XY. tazza of chased ormolu, llin. high. 185 guineas : a:nd a pair of globular sang-de-bœuf vases, 65m. high, £50.
Old English Plate, etc.
On the 13th instant Messrs. Christie sold a collection of old English silver plate, fine old lace, and a variety ■of objects of virtu, from several private sources. The more interesting lots were the following :—A William III. small porringer, repousse with a corner band, 1669. three ounces at 109s. per oz. ; a Queen Anne porringer, repousse with a shield and cherub. 1713, from the Dymock collection, lloz. at 71s, per oz. ; a miniature portrait of a lady in richly embroidered dress and lace collar, temp. James I., £68 ; a cinque cento pendant gold jewel, in the form of a lizard, enamelled and set with polished emeralds. £64 ; another, in the form o׳f a dragon, enamelled and set with polished emeralds and pearls, £41 ; ■a fine point d’Argent-an flounce, with flower sprays■ and foliage tied by knots of ribbon, 45in. long, 25in. deep, £105 —this formerly belonged to the Duchess© d’An-gouleme, and was left• to the Princess Marie Louise, afterwards Duchesse de Parme, and its successive owners were the Chapelle Ducale, King Victor Emmanuel, Countess Rosa de Mira-pore, and Monsignor Anzino. The other lots of lace included 4? yards of fine point de Venise. £30 : another length of 31; vards, £32 ; a Genoese flounce, 3¿ yards bv 25in.. £31 : and an old tambour lace dress, with trailing foliage, flowers, etc., £25.
*,ngravings.
A choice collection of engravings of the earlv English school was sold at Christie’s on Wednesday, the most notable lot consisting of a complete set of the “Cries of London.” after F Wheatley, R.A., finely printed in colours, with large margins, and including the very scarce extra plate. “Hot Spice Gingerbread.” engraved by Vendramini, in duplicate. The se! of 14 plates sold for 610 guineas, being far higher than any price hitherto paid for a complete set of the “ Cries,” the previous highest amount having been about £300. The sale a.ls׳' included the following:—Michael and Isabel Oginscy, after Coswav, by Schiavonetti. in colours, 46 guineas ; “ Narcissus,” after T. Rowlandson, by G. Graham, in colours, 43 guineas : the following after George Morland, in colours. “Innocence Alarm’d.” bv R. Smith. 48 guineas : “Children Playing Soldiers,” by G. Keating, with untrimmed margins, 36 guineas׳ ; and “ St James’s Park,” and “A Tea Garden,” a pair, bv F. D. Soiron, 56 guineas : “ Thoughts on Matrimony.” after J. P. Smith, by W.°Ward. in colours, 54 guineas׳ ; General Washington and
60 lots of heavy silver plate, and there is a quantity of old Spanish lace, that may almost be described as invaluable, and includes four sets presented in 1688 to Don Francesco Lopez Suasso, Baron d’Avernas, by William III., Stad-holder of the Netherlands, and King of England.
A large quantity of very rare porcelain׳, mainly Saxony ware, is calculated to take two days in the selling. The medals, of which there are exactly 200, will take a day, and their dates run from 1534 (a medal of John Benkelsz, of Leiden, King of the Anabaptists), and 1545 (:a satirical medal of the Pope) to 1870 (a satirical medal on Napoleon III.), and 1884 (the centenary of Sir Moses Monteftore). There is also a complete collection of the coins of the Netherlands of all times, including the coinages of the several distinct provinces. To the Hebrew manuscripts, which many will regard as the chief gems of the collection, we can only refei in passing. They include a copy of the Penha teuch, the five Meguiloths and the Haphtaroths on 420 sheets of vellum, folio, exquisitely illuminated with grotesques of men and beasts. The work occupied 45 years, from 1299 to 1344. during which period two copyists were engaged upon it, one supplying the text and the commentaries, the other the entire punctuation and the footnotes.
SALES OF THE WEEK.
Valuable Furnituie.
On the 13th instant Messrs. Arber, Rutter and Wagfoorn sold on the premises the contents of No. 46, Grosvenor-street-, W. The more important items were the following :—A handsome 4ft-. satinwood wardrobe with rosewood mould mgs, £11 10s. ; a 7ft. 6in. Chesterfield couch on five walnut legs and castors, £8 10s. ; ■a 7ft. 6in. break-front wardrobe, £21 ; a handsome 5ft. 3in. carved mahogany French wardrobe, £20 : a 7ft. 6in. Chesterfield couch on five legs and castors, £11 10s. ; a 7ft. mahogany winged wardrobe, £15 ; three pairs of rich amber silk damask window curtains, £44 ; a large divan easy arm chair, upholstered in drab satin damask, £3 12s. ; a beautiful Chippendale chimney gla:ss in finely carved and gilt frame with bird mounts, etc., £22 ; a ditto console glass, £21 ; a mahogany and gilt mounted encoigneur, with chaste gilt mounts and brocatelle marble top, the door panel beautifully painted h la Watteau, byOury, £27 ; a square-shaped French mirror in finely carved gilt frame with ornamental top, £14 ; z 3ft. mahogany and gilt mounted French oblong table, £16 ; a 14in. parqueterie table, with rising lid and shelf under, £11 10s. ; and a set of 12 mahogany frame dining chairs, £30 12s.
Contents of Midford Castle.
The valuable and interesting contents of Midford Castle, the property of the late Marches» d: Con-oily, were recently disposed of by Messrs. Powell and Powell. The furniture included the following:—Old English mahogany sideboard, £32 ; set of Spanish mahogany telescope dining tables, £12 ; gentleman’s mahogany wardrobe, £8 8s. ; mahogany bureau bookcase, £13 ; mahogany winged wardrobe, £11 5s. ; antique brass-bound mahogany win© cooler, on stand, £b 15s. ; mechanical picture with clock, railway. etc., £5 5s. ; and large ammonite section, £7 5s. Among the china and glass a dessert service, richly gilt and decorated with baskets of flowers. £9 5s. ; Chinese tree pattern breakfast and tea service, £7 ; Derby chintz pattern, purple and gold tea and coffee service, £10 ; Coalport tea and coffee service, £14 14s. ; white and gold Davenport dinner service (133 pieces), £10 1C:S. ; and a service of ruby cut glass, £18 14s Among the more important articles of jewellery were: —A fine peridot and gold brooch, with three drops, long earrings, and necklet to match, £39 ; an antique diamond and emerald brooch set with one large lozenge-shaped emerald, one oval and five pendant emeralds, £265 ; an antique single stone diamond necklace, consisting of 46 fine brilliants, £350 ; a diamond and emerald flexible bracelet set with 14 emeralds׳, £86 ; a choice single stone diamond necklace. consisting of 41 old Indian diamonds, £360 ; a large emerald, set round with diamond® as a brooch, £70 ; a diamond tiara, consisting of a wreath of roses in old diamonds, £165 ; a diamond and pearl spray with four Roman pearl drops, £66 ; a pair of diamond cluster earrings with Roman pearl drops, £20 ; a diamond and pearl flower spray brooch and a large emerald set round with diamonds as! brooch, £68 ; a pair of diamond and emerald earrings, and a topaz and gold brooch, £20 ; a pair of fine old diamond cluster earrings, £21 ; a case of 25 large and 12 small antique paste buttons, £38.
Books and MSS.
Some rare books and beautifully illuminated manuscripts were sold at Messrs. Sotheby’s on the 13th instant. The following were the more important lots:—Firdusi, “Shah Ramdh,” a Persian manuscript of 1518, with 63 large and very finely painted and illuminated miniatures, £41 ; “ Gradual©,” a valuable musical manu-
Hric-a-ftac.
[SPECIALLY CONTRIBUTED.]
A valuable collection of household furniture, the property of the late Mr. G. Abington Baird, will be sold at Moulton Paddocks, the Newmarket residence of the deceased owner, by Messrs. J. Carter Jonas and Sons, of Cambridge, acting in conjunction with Messrs. Griffiths and Chennell, of Newmarket, on Monday, May 1, and two following days. The catalogue comprises several Sheraton sideboards, cabinets and side tables, Queen Anne and Chippendale tables, carved oak cabriole frame chairs, chiming clocks in marqueterie and ormolu mounted cases, a Kingwood cabinet with ivory chess and draughts men, a quantity of Crown Derby, Worcester and Coalport china, several valuable oil paintings, and a choice collection of statuary.
At an auction held by Messrs. Browett and Taylor last week, at 33, St. John’s Wood-road, N.W., the following prices were realised for some of the principal items : —Three carved dark oak muffet cupboards, £49 10s. ; carved dark oak hall table £16 ; pair of mahogany Chippendale arm chairs, 20¿ guineas ; chiming timepiece in oak case, by Frodsham, 27-¿ guineas. Amongst the china : —Two pairs of 40in. and 33in. Japanese vases realised respectively 21J,-guineas and £14. Amongst the pictures: —A Sea Piece, by Colin Hunter, realised £14 10s. ; three ■oil paintings by P. R. Morris, A.R.A.. £94 ; and a three-leaf screen, mounted with 49 sketches by P. R. Morris, A.R.A., 33 guine׳as : and a set of 16 etchings, by Whistler, £60 5s.
The first portion of the collection of pictures formed by the late Dr. Cornelius Herz was disposed of by Messrs. Christie on the 15th instant. The works were nearly all by masters of the modern French school, including examples by Gerome, Isabey, the incomparable painter of battle pieces’, Neuville, and Daubigny. Although there were no ■sensational prices, the collection as a whole sold well, and realised just over £10,120. The following works fetched the highest prices:—Les Bordes de l’Oise, by C. Daubigny, 720 guineas ; River Scene, Effect of Storm, by the same master, 460 guineas ; “The Halt,” by L. Fromentin, 430 guineas ; Beach Scene, by Isabey, 220 guineas ; Shepherdess driving Sheep, by C. Jacque, 500 guineas ; “The Prisoner,” by A. de Neuville, 600 guineas ; and “ Card Players,” by F. Roybet, 420 guineas.
W׳e are reminded by our bright and entertaining little contemporary the “ Golden Penny,” that one of the most interesting warehouses at the London Docks is that which contains ivory. It is: here it seems that the ivory is collected for the great sales by auction which take place quarterly. These constitute the largest ivory sales in the world, some 90 tons being sold at each sale, at a rough aggregate of £100,000. The world’s annual consumption of ivory is estimated at something like one and 0 half million pounds, valued at £900,000, and to supply this amount 70,000 elephants must be killed. The consumption in Sheffield alone requires the annual slaughter of 22,000 animals.
African ivory, it appears, fetches a higher price than any other, being denser in ■texture, susceptible of a higher polish, and not so liable to turn yellow when exposed to the light as the Indian kind. The finest pair of tusks ever brought to Europe came from Uganda, and were valued at £188 10s. The tusk is usually solid for about half its׳ length, the base being quite thin, and therefore of little use for commercial purposes. Only from the upper portion of the tusk can billiard balls and bulkier articles be made. An ordinary average tusk of about 801b. is worth £50. The price of ivory varies, how ever, from £20 to £45 a hundredweight.
A sale of more than local interest was that of the contents of the Haycock, Wansford, held recently by Messrs. Fox and Yergette. The more important items included a rare specimen of a Chippendale side table with carved front and legs, £23 ; six antique carved chairs, with arms, £2 5s. ; a fine Queen Anne arm chair, £3 3s. : and a four-post bedstead, on which Queen Victoria slept when Her Majesty spent a night at the Haycock, and on which the Royal Arms appear, was knocked down for the disappointing figure of 35s. The oil paintings, engravings, and other pictures changed hands at very good prices, a set of Leech's sporting prints producing as much as £26.
In extent, variety and magnificence the famous De Castro collection will probably eclipse all recent :art sales. An air of exquisite-ne!ss and connoisseurship, it is said, dominates even the jewellery. The diamonds belong mainly to the Louis XV. period, in- antique mounts, and are vieille roche and of irreproachable finish. There are two necklaces, one formed of 125, the other of 170 matched pearls. There are jewelled watches, gold and silver snuffboxes and bonbonnieres. There are over