A 15th or 16th century Flemish School oil on panel portrait of a soldier, $60,000 (£49,700) at Doyle New York.
As inscribed to the frame, the subject was once thought to be the Spanish general Gonzalo de Cordova (1453-1515) and the painting perhaps by Quentin Massys. But today, neither attribution is thought to be correct.
The picture does, nonetheless, come with a long ownership history that connects two British noblemen of the Georgian era.
The provenance for this 15 x 11in (38 x 28cm) panel painting includes a dedication plaque to Field Marshal Jeffery Lord Amherst Who Conquered/ Canada for the Crown of Gt. Britain from Lord Frederick Campbell, Who had the Happiness to enjoy his Friendship And to admire his Virtues For more than Fifty Years.
Both men lived in manor houses in Sevenoaks, Kent. Sir Frederick Campbell (1729-1816), a Scottish-born politician, was owner of Combe Bank (or Coombe Bank) while Jeffery Amherst (1717-97), the commander-in-chief of the British Army during the successful campaign to conquer New France during Seven Years’ War, lived in Montreal House. The picture hung there until the property was demolished in 1936 and was in the Amherst family in London until 1993.
Like any painting of this date, it had some condition issues including some paint loss and evidence under UV light of several episodes of restoration. It was guided at a modest $3000-5000 but sold at $60,000 (£49,700).
Ready for royals
One from a set of 12 George IV Gothic Revival dining chairs from Knowsley Hall, $27,500 (£22,750) at Doyle New York.
The previous day the auction house sold a set of 12 oak Gothic Revival dining chairs from an original larger group for $27,500 (£22,750).
The chairs were part of the remodelling of Knowsley Hall in Lancashire in anticipation of a visit by the newly crowned George IV in 1821.
The original set of 48 chairs were designed for the 12th Earl of Derby and his wife, the actress Elizabeth Farren, by the Liverpool architect John Foster (1786-1846).
The vast new dining room would remain intact until the 1960s, when various elements of Knowsley Hall were sent to market. Another set of 12 dining chairs from the same original complement was sold by Christie’s London in 1985.
