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A pottery goat made by King Charles more than 50 years ago sparked an auction bidding battle – and sold for thousands of pounds.
The small royal ceramic animal had been treasured for 55 years by Canadian Raymond Patten. He flew to England to consign the precious item to auction. It was given to him on his 21st birthday by a great aunt. Thanks to her job as a cook at Cambridge University, she came into contact with British royalty.
The newly-discovered artwork, possibly the only known piece of sculpture by King Charles, hammered at £8,500 at Hansons Auctioneers. The premium-inclusive total paid by a private American buyer was £11,407.
Auction house owner Charles Hanson said: “This simple ceramics piece proved itself to be the Greatest Of All Time goats. People the world over are fascinated by British royalty and the opportunity to own a unique item crafted by King Charles sparked major interest. Though a keen artist, he is better known for his paintings, so this was a rare opportunity. I am delighted we achieved a good result for our client.”
Raymond, 76, a retired carpenter from British Columbia, said: “My Aunt Nellie, Helen Patten, gave me the goat on my 21st birthday on June 22, 1969. She told me Prince Charles had made it. She was proud of the fact he attended Cambridge University in the late 1960s when she worked as a cook for the president of Queen’s College. I believe she knew the future king on a personal basis. I have treasured the goat all my life.
“My aunt, who passed away at the age of 87 in 1993 in Cheshire, used to live at 37 Norfolk Terrace, Cambridge. She was my grandfather’s sister and never married. She was honoured to serve members of the royal family. She cooked a meal for the Queen Mother.”
Prince Charles was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1967 to read Archaeology and Anthropology and then History. He became the first British heir apparent to earn a university degree, graduating Bachelor of Arts in June, 1970.
Charles Hanson said: “Raymond initially got in touch by email and we were hugely excited. We’ve been privileged to auction other early artworks by King Charles and the interest is always phenomenal. Such is the goat’s importance, Raymond flew to the UK to deliver it to us in person at Hansons’ Staffordshire saleroom, Bishton Hall.
“The ceramic highland goat with its yellow horns and yellow, pink and brown stripes is beautifully enamelled and modelled. It captures the relaxed vibrancy and charm of the late 1960s/early 1970s. Perhaps King Charles was inspired by the goat mascot of The Royal Regiment of Wales. As the regiment’s first colonel-in-chief, he wore its uniform at his investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969.
“Raymond decided to part with the goat due to its historical significance. He is in his retirement years and wanted to find it a new home where it would be treasured for decades to come.”
In 2023, Hansons Auctioneers sold childhood drawings by King Charles of his mother and father, Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh. Inscribed ‘Mummy’ and ‘Papa’, they were produced by Charles when he was five or six years old, circa 1953-55. They were guided at £5,000-£10,000 but achieved a hammer of £46,000.
