This pair of life-sized sculptures of Spanish explorers/ soldiers, or conquistadors, was discovered at a house clearance near Ulverston in Cumbria.
Standing on detachable plinths, the 7ft (2.13m) high figures were carved in the 19th century, possibly in the Black Forest region of Germany, by an undiscovered hand.
Mirroring each other, the bare-chested warriors are depicted wearing animal skins, a helmet and holding clubs which rest on their shoulders. The bases are decorated with animal masks and seated heraldic figures. Estimated at £3000-5000, the statues will be offered at 1818 Auctioneers’ June 5-6 sale in Cumbria.
A silver box relating to the Vivians, an influential industrialist family in Wales, features in the Rogers Jones’ June 2 sale in Cardiff.
It was presented to Hugh Vivian in 1949 to commemorate his role as chairman of English railway locomotive manufacturer Beyer Peacock & Company. Years earlier in 1923, Hugh’s own company, Vivian & Sons, a Swansea Valley metals and chemicals firm, had ordered the first Garratt locomotive from Beyer-Peacock for British industrial service.
The 14in (35cm) wide box, made by Walker & Hall, Sheffield 1948, has a glass base and is mounted to the lid with a detailed model of a Garratt-type locomotive train on a section of track. It was purchased in the 1970s by the consignor at an auction of Vivian’s chattels.
A lunch menu from the presentation ceremony and a specially built carry-case for the box, gilded with HV lettering, is also included in the lot, which is estimated at £2000-4000.
A series of sculptures by English artist Arthur Dooley (1929-94) has been consigned to Adam Partridge’s sale in Liverpool on June 7.
Dooley was a former heavyweight boxing champion of the Irish Guards before he became a sculptor in the 1950s, becoming best known for his work in scrap metal and bronze.
The tallest polished bronze figure of the group, at 2ft 1in (64cm), is Boxer, which is estimated at £2000-3000.
Mounted in a gold ring, this portrait miniature in watercolour on ivory depicts Henry Benedict Stuart (1725-1807), Cardinal of York. He was the second son of James Francis Edward Stuart, nicknamed the Old Pretender, and the Polish Princess Clementina.
Wearing this ring was a public declaration of support for the Jacobite cause. It is thought to be the work of Italian artist Veronica Telli (1717-1801), who was commissioned by the Old Pretender to produce a number of miniatures for his family and supporters in the early 1740s.
The ring is priced at £2200 from Philip Mould’s gallery in Mayfair and comes from a UK private collection.
