Rare Zoffany portraits up for auction at Bonhams

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Two portraits by Johann Joseph Zoffany are up for auction at Bonhams.

Now in its eighth edition, The Classics auctions return to Bonhams this winter with a nine-sale series, offering the finest in the classic arts across traditional collecting categories, including Antiquities, Fine Clocks, Fine Decorative Arts, Glass, Ceramics and Old Master Paintings.

A Fine Swept-Hilt Rapier from the early 17th century is a highlight of the Antique Arms and Armour Online sale from 11 – 20 November on Bonhams.com. Along the sword’s impressive 109cm tapering blade are ‘Francisco’ and ‘Ruis En Toledo’, stamped on opposing sides of the forte. The rapier features a barrel-shaped pommel encircled by a central recessed band chiselled with an equestrian battle scene, and pierced scrollwork above and below. This is a repeated detail, with further equestrian combat scenes and Classical figures adorning the single long rear quillon, knuckle-guard, and oval panels in the centre of the cross. A rare and spectacular work of craftsmanship, the sword is offered with an estimate of £6,000-9,000.

Two rare Egyptian polychrome wood mummy masks are up for auction at Bonhams

Two rare Egyptian polychrome wood mummy masks from the Late Period – Ptolemaic Period, circa 664-30 B.C. will star in The Classics Online: Antiquities, European Ceramics and Clocks sale from 22 November – 9 December on Bonhams.com. They are offered together with an estimate of £1,500-2,500 from the collection of Leonard Stanley (1930-2023), the esteemed American interior designer. An eclectic collector, his personal interiors were decorated with an exquisite selection, from 17th century textiles to French trophy panels, from Kuan-Yin statues to African sculpture. The Egyptian mummy masks were some of the oldest and rarest of his collection, surviving in excellent condition and retaining their original polychromy.

Featuring an impressive variety of works, there is something to entice every collector in the online sale. With all estimates at £3,000 or less, the sale expects significant interest with competitive bidding.

The highlights at Bonhams auction in November 2024

One of the highlights of the Fine Decorative Arts sale on 26 November is a French late 19th century giltwood table à gibier. It has an estimate of £10,000-15,000. This remarkable table is closely based upon the model supplied to the Chateau de Bercy on behalf of Charles Henri II de Malon de Bercy in 1713, just two years before the end of the reign of the ‘sun king’, Louis XIV. The original is attributed to the court sculptor, Jules Degoullons. Copies of this design in the latter part of the 19th century were – by nature of the complex design – executed by only the foremost cabinet makers of the period, such as Francois Linke. This fine example is a true celebration of the very best French design and craftsmanship.

In addition to the important giltwood table, the sale features a curated selection of many exquisite pieces, with approximately 100 lots spanning 500 years from European sculpture, French and English Furniture to silver, tapestries and rugs.

Leading the Fine Glass and British Ceramics sale on 26-27 November is a significant and very rare Limehouse model of a cat, circa 1746-48, which comes to auction for the first time. Estimate £20,000-30,000.

Fine and rare English porcelain

Although carefully handed down through the same family for generations, the rarity of this model remained unknown to its owners. It had pride of place on a mantlepiece throughout most of the 20th century, surviving a Second World War bombing. The Limehouse factory (1745-1748) was one of the earliest English porcelain endeavours during a highly experimental period in British ceramic history. The impressive size and undeniable appeal of this model, which is only the second of its type recorded, represents a significant new discovery and an important addition to the Limehouse oeuvre.

Opening for bidding the following day, The Classics Online: Glass and British Ceramics sale will feature an impressive selection of approximately 250 lots of glass, pottery and porcelain spanning from the 18th to 20th centuries, including a rare and early Bow fluted teapot with kakiemon decoration from the Elizabeth Adams Collection, part two. The sale will run on Bonhams.com from 28 November – 11 December.

Important Gilt Bronze and Silver-Mounted month going Clock, Presented to Nicholas Wood MP, Owner of the Yacht Corinne, by the Royal Thames Yacht Club for the 1877 Nore to Dover Yacht Race. Estimate: £8,000-12,000

Fine Clocks sale at Bonhams on 27 November 2024

A historic clock presented by the Royal Thames Yacht Club to the winner of the 1877 Nore to Dover Yacht race is to be sold for the first time in nearly 150 years in the Fine Clocks sale on 27 November. It was presented to the owner of the Yacht Corinne, Nicholas Wood MP, a British industrialist. Estimate £8,000-12,000.

Made in the style of Thomas Cole, it is a silver-mounted month duration piece finely engraved with foliate scrolls and roman numerals, and is signed with the line, ‘E W Streeter, 18, New Bond Street, London W.’ The whole is inset in a gilt bronze ship’s wheel featuring eight handles, on a moulded bell top ebonised base. Celebrating Corinne’s success, the front of the base is embossed with a silver plaque inscribed ‘Royal Thames Yacht Club 1877 Nore to Dover Won by Corinne’. The clock is flanked by an aneroid barometer and a compass, each in a gilt bronze revolving case. It is now offered from the Royal Yacht Squadron’s clubhouse, where it has been for many years. Both the Royal Thames Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron are among the most historical and exclusive yacht clubs in the world, giving the clock fantastic and unique provenance.

Henry Bone R.A. (1755-1834), Portrait of Sofonisba Regina, 1808

Part II of the fabled Twinight Collection of museum-quality fine porcelain and enamels returns to Bonhams with some exquisite pieces offered in the 500 Years of European Ceramics Sale on Tuesday 3 December at Bonhams New Bond Street. The Twinight Collection includes one of the foremost collections of enamel portraits from the 17th to the 19th century. The sale features portraits by Henry Bone (1755-1834) the celebrated English miniature painter whose works are among the most outstanding in Europe during the late 1700s and early 1800s. A remarkable portrait is that of Sofonisba Regina, wearing a single shouldered deep burgundy velvet dress with slashed sleeve. Painted after Titian, Bone uses the same pose as Girl in a Fur Coat, now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. This elegant portrait is offered with an estimate of £10,000-15,000.

Johann Joseph Zoffany (Frankfurt-am-Main 1733-1810 Strand-on-the-Green)

A pair of charming portraits of a flower girl and watercress girl by Johann Joseph Zoffany (1733-1810) star in Bonhams Old Master Paintings sale on 4 December at New Bond Street, London. Sold as companion pieces, the works have an estimate of £300,000-500,000.

Known primarily as a painter of portraits, conversation pieces and theatrical subjects, Johann Joseph Zoffany received royal patronage from Queen Charlotte and George III, earning him commercial and financial success. Having been elected by George III as one of the first Royal Academicians in 1769, it was in 1780 that he exhibited The Watercress Girl at the Royal Academy’s debut show in its new home, William Chambers’ Somerset House. A reviewer of the day remarked that ‘The artist has been very fortunate in a choice of a most beautiful girl for his subject as he has copied nature so exactly, that it is not easy to determine whether it is a real life painting or not.’

Lisa Greaves, Head of Bonhams’ Old Master Paintings Department, commented, “These exquisite portraits have been in a private family collection since the 19th century and are in remarkable condition. Zoffany was a master portrait painter; his sitters are full of expression and character and his work is often rich in decorative detail. We are delighted to be offering these exceptional works and expect significant interest.”

A Greek bronze Corinthian helmet with silver rivets

An exceptionally rare Greek bronze Corinthian helmet with silver rivets, circa 7th – 6th Century B.C. is an unmissable highlight of the Antiquities sale on 5 December, which closes this season of The Classics auctions. It has an estimate of £25,000-35,000. The helmet features characteristic almond-shaped eyeholes, wide nosepiece, large cheek guards and flaring neck guard. It has a border of rivets around the perimeter, which would have been used to secure the helmet lining. Importantly, most surviving Corinthian helmets feature holes where their rivets are now missing, however this rare example retains its original silver rivets. Such helmets rarely come to auction in this remarkable condition. It is offered from The Kuizenga Collection, the Netherlands, and was acquired in Cologne in 1979.

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The upcoming auctions at Bonhams

Sale: Antique Arms and Armour
Location: Bonhams.com
Date: 11 – 20 November 2024

Sale: The Classics Online: Antiquities, European Ceramics and Clocks
Location: Bonhams.com
Date: 22 November – 9 December 2024

Sale: Fine Decorative Arts
Location: New Bond Street, London
Date: 26 November 2024

Sale: Fine Glass and British Ceramics
Location: Knightsbridge, London
Date: 26 – 27 November 2024

Sale: Fine Clocks
Location: New Bond Street, London
Date: 27 November

Sale: The Classics Online: Glass and British Ceramics
Location: Bonhams.com
Date: 28 November – 11 December

Sale: 500 Years of European Ceramics
Location: New Bond Street, London
Date: 3 December

Sale: Old Master Paintings
Location: New Bond Street, London
Date: 4 December

Sale: Antiquities
Location: New Bond Street, London
Date: 5 December