Painted wood George III truncheon, dated 1796, estimate £600-800 at Dreweatts.
1. George III truncheon
A 40-lot collection of truncheons and tipstaves will be offered for sale on October 17 as part of Dreweatts’ Interiors auction at Donnington Priory.
It includes a broad range of examples, showcasing the aims of the collector who says he was drawn to the "more unusual, interesting and scarcest of pieces, as well as those in the finest condition".
Painted wood George III truncheon, dated 1796, estimate £600-800 at Dreweatts.
The earliest painted wood example in the collection is a George III truncheon, dated 1796. An impressive 63cm in length and with a bullet-shaped handle, it is decorated with a stylised royal coat of arms and text for St. John, Hackney J. Brown. The estimate is £600-800.
View this truncheon via thesaleroom.com.
2. George Smart cloth artwork
George Smart collage, The Earth Stopper, for sale at Dominic Winter’s auction.
East Sussex tailor George Smart (1774-1846) is famed for his unique works of art fabricated from the scraps of cloth left over from his trade.
His works were mentioned in several contemporary local guidebooks in the early 19th century which earned him minor celebrity status. His most famous subjects were ones he observed from his shop: Old Bright, the local postman, and The Goosewoman.
The two Smarts coming up at Dominic Winter in South Cerney on October 19 are rarer collages. The Soldier and the Maid, c.1817, is one of just three examples of this subject known to exist and the only articulated picture by Smart (estimate £2000-3000).
Better known is The Earth Stopper. It sometimes comes with a paper inscription verso that tells the object’s story: The Business of an Earth Stopper, the Night previous to a Day’s Sport, is to stop up the Fox’s Earth whilst he is out Feeding. The above gentle Swain is supposed to be on his way home, when by a sudden turn of the Lane he is brought plump upon what he conceives to be nothing more or less than the Devil, but which in fact is a simple Sweep and his Donkey.
View this George Smart picture via thesaleroom.com.
3. 18th century portrait
Portrait of Jean Blair by David Martin, estimate £2000-3000 at Thomson Roddick Callan.
Some 15 pictures from the Hunter Blair family of Blairquhan will be sold at Thomson Roddick Callan, Ayr, on October 19.
The majority of the works have been hung in the present castle since the 1820s, including a portrait of Jean Blair by David Martin (Scottish 1737-97) shown above, estimated at £2000-3000.
View this Scottish portrait via thesaleroom.com.
4. Indo-Portuguese cabinet
Indo-Portuguese rosewood, teak, ebony and ivory inlaid cabinet on stand, estimate £20,000-30,000 at Hutchinson Scott.
The three-day sale at Hutchinson Scott in Skipton, North Yorkshire, on October 17-19 is led by a Indo-Portuguese rosewood, teak, ebony and ivory inlaid cabinet on stand.
Typical of the extravagant pieces of furniture made in Goa in the late 17th century, it is guided at £20,000-30,000.
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5. Surgeon's picture
Seises Dancing at the Altar, Seville Cathedral, by Muirhead Bone, estimate £500-700 at Halls.
A single-owner collection comprising more than 350 paintings, prints and sculptures which belonged to late West Midlands vascular surgeon Magdi Latif Obeid has been consigned to Halls of Shrewsbury.
The collection is being sold over two timed online auctions running until October 17 and as part of a modern and contemporary art auction from October 13-31.
The auctions will feature works by artists such as Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe, Willem Sternberg de Beer, Hercules Brabazon Brabazon, George Clare, William Leighton Leitch, John Henry Henshall and Frank Wooton.
Obeid (1943-2021) was a distinguished consultant general and vascular surgeon whose passion for art led him to compile a significant collection which he began in the 1980s. His discerning eye and deep appreciation for British 19th and 20th century art saw his collection grow and he contributed works to a number of exhibitions at institutions such as the Barber Institute of Fine Art and the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Seises Dancing at the Altar, Seville Cathedral, by Muirhead Bone (Scottish 1867-1953) carries an estimate of £500-700.
View this Muirhead Bone picture via thesaleroom.com.
