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A patinated bronze equestrian figure of Prince Albert, a model for a marble monument dedicated to the Prince Consort which would be the centrepiece of Queen Victoria’s mausoleum, is a highlight of the online Connoisseur’s Library Part I sale at Bonhams from February 10-25.
The mausoleum was designed by Ludwig Gruner, the Prince’s former art advisor, at Frogmore House, Windsor, and was erected under the Queen’s direction between 1862 and 1871.
The equestrian effigy, created alongside one intended for Queen Victoria, was sculpted by Baron Carlo Marochetti, a Turin-born court sculptor who established a studio in London in 1848. Elkington & Co. Ltd., a Birmingham-based foundry, was commissioned to create bronze casts of Marochetti’s sculpture, including another which would be used for the Prince Consort’s statue in Glasgow.
The piece of royal history, and fine example of Victorian craftsmanship, has an estimate of £3,500-4,500.
The second part of the online sale, The Connoisseur’s Library Sale Part II, will take place from February 10-26.
It includes a fine selection of silver and objects of vertu, including a rare mid-20th century Dunhill ‘Aquarium’ Humidor which has an estimate of £10,000-15,000.
Constructed from lucite panels attached to a cedar wood core, this magnificent humidor is decorated with intaglio carving on each of its faces, creating an aquatic scene filled with naturalistic schools of fish, lily pads, rocks and plants.
A remarkable work of craftsmanship, the humidor’s lucite panelling evokes the depth and shimmering quality of an aquarium contained within glass. Inside, a humidifier is fitted to the lid, above a ‘Dunhill LONDON’ inset plaque.
Dunhill was founded in 1907 by Alfred Dunhill (1872-1959), a tobacconist and entrepreneur, and is renowned for its high quality and exquisite attention to detail, which is perfectly exemplified with this rare ‘Aquarium’ example.
Highlights of the Connoisseur’s Library Sale Part I and Part II will be on view at Bonhams Knightsbridge on February 21 and 23- 25.
