Auction Details
<p>Neales Two-day Christmas sale comprises 2000 Lots and notable among these are a number of pieces which at one time had formed part of the furnishings of one of Derbyshire’s major houses, Ogston Hall. Principal amongst these are two pictures by the leading British portrait painters of the late 17th and early 18th centuries - Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680) and Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723).
<p>Lot 770, The Lely, of Louise de Keroualle, Duchess Of Portsmouth (1649-1734) is a typically voluptuous and richly coloured portrait of a young woman who had led an equally richly coloured life as a spy for the French king Louis XIV. In 1670 she came to England as maid of honour to the sister of Charles II and soon became the favourite of the king over whom she exercised considerable influence in favour of France until his death in 1685. In 1673 she was created Duchess of Portsmouth and was the mother, by the king, of Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond. Unpopular in this country, as many considered her to be a French-Catholic threat, she lived mostly in France following the king’s death. The painting, measuring the usual 50in x 40in for a portrait of this period was at one time in the collection of the Earl of Lonsdale and was sold at Christie’s in 1887. It was subsequently bought for the Ogston Hall Collection at the Warter Priory Sale, Yorkshire, 1969 where the sitter had been mysteriously mis-attributed as the Duchess of Grafton (estimate £10,000-15,000). By contrast Kneller portrays his beautiful young subject, Lady Lucy Leake (1684-c.1734) (Lot 771) regarding the spectator with an air of cool aristocratic detachment. Lady Lucy Leake was the sister of Nicholas, 4th and last Earl of Scarsdale (1682-1736) of Sutton Scarsdale Hall, Derbyshire. The painting (estimate £10,000-15,000) was purchased by the great-grandfather of the present vendor for Ogston Hall in about 1850 and is believed to have been part of the Sutton Scarsdale Collection which was dispersed 1775-1776.
<p>Ogston Hall was altered and extended between 1850 and 1864 and lot 1295 comprises a pair of fine quality French Aubusson tapestry window hangings, lot 1295, bought in 1864 on completion of the billiard room. They are strikingly designed and coloured in the romantic 16th century revival style, woven in vibrant colours and metal thread with pseudo coats of arms on a strapwork ground. They measure 130in x 84in (estimate £2,00-3,000). Lot 1191, a white marble group is a fine example of Victorian sentimentality in stone. Entitled ‘Meakness’, it is the work of Ceccardo E. Fucigna, one of the many Italian sculptors whose work was so popular in the Victorian period. It is a large group, measuring 39in high and revolves on a red scagliola cylindrical pillar. This was also acquired for Ogston Hall at the time of the alterations and would have been purchased from one of the sculptor’s exhibitions at the Royal Academy held between 1863 and 1879. (Estimate £3,000-5,000)
<p>Lot 1540 a rosewood circular dining or centre table from Ogston Hall is notable for its fine quality of detail and is reminiscent of the work of the cabinet makers Gillows of Lancaster. Measuring 54in in diameter and dating from 1835 (Estimate: £2,500-3,500). Tables of this type were commonplace in the post-Regency period, their tops tilting to the vertical for easy storage. In use they doubled as either reception tables for the centre of a hall or dining tables.
<p>Lot 1229, D. H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover in the book section of the sale - a first and numbered limited edition (880 of 1,000) of this celebrated book. Privately printed in Florence, 1928, it is signed by the author and is contained in a fine presentation box by Asprey’s, London (Estimate £4,500-5,500).
<p>Lot 1501, a George III satinwood bonheur du jour or ladies cabinet possesses elegance combined with the simple engraved black penwork decoration which always ensures strong competition. This piece measures only 21½in wide, 60in high and dates from about 1800 (estimate £2,000-3,500).
<p>Lot 435 a charming small early Derby porcelain shell shaped cream boat, painted with simple flower sprays, measures only 3½in wide and dates from about 1760 (estimate £250-350), very different from the highly decorative Edwardian Royal Worcester plate and ovoid vase and cover (lots 427 and 428 respectively) painted by C. Baldwyn, signed, who specialised in scenes of swans on a brilliant azure blue ground. Both of these items bear the factory date code for 1902 (estimates £600-800 and £1,500-2,000 respectively).