A double-sided sketch by the Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte will be auctioned in Ripon next week.
The sketch will be displayed at Elstob Auctioneers’ fine art sale on Wednesday, May 8.
The two pencil drawings of nude figures in a double-sided gilt decorative frame carries a price estimate of £10,000 to £15,000.
Magritte, who lived from 1898 to 1967, was known for images of clouds, bowler hats, pipes and green apples.
His work influenced pop art, minimalist art and conceptual art. In the 1999 film The Thomas Crown Affair starring Pierce Brosnan, the Magritte painting The Son of Man featured prominently as part of the plot line.
The logo of Apple Corps, The Beatles’ company, is inspired by Magritte’s Le Jeu de Mourre; Paul Simon composed a song Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War and Tom Stoppard wrote a 1970 surrealist play called After Magritte.
The nude pencil studies that feature in Elstob’s sale came from the remaining contents of the studio of Magritte, sold at Sothebys on 2 July 1987. On this occasion, it is being offered for sale by a private collector.
Nude studies sketches by René Magritte
Rohan McCulloch, paintings and sculpture specialist at Elstob Auctioneers, said:
“Even if at first people think they don’t know the name of Magritte, they will most probably be familiar with many of his pictures that have frequently been featured in advertisements, posters, book covers and film.
“Without doubt, he has left a huge cultural legacy and we are very excited to be able to offer this captivating work for sale. Its established provenance will hopefully ensure a considerable interest from collectors around the globe.”
The sale also includes a striking portrait of Miss Hilda Wilkinson by Leeds artist Jacob Kramer (1892-1962), which is anticipated to fetch £6,000 to 8,000 and an oil on canvas by Philip Naviasky (1894-1983) that carries a price estimate of £1,000 – £1,500.
Miss Hilda Wilkinson by Jacob Kramer (left) and Miss May by Philip Naviasky
All lots can be viewed online and bidding on the day of the sale can be made in person, over the telephone or online.
Items can be viewed at the Ripon saleroom on Sunday May 5 and Monday May 6 and the day before the sale on Tuesday May 7.
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Rare sword from Charge of the Light Brigade to be auctioned in Ripon
A sword that saw action in the Charge of the Light Brigade will go under the hammer at an antiques and fine art sale in Ripon on Saturday.
The sword was carried by Lieutenant John Chadwick, a troop leader in the charge of British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854.
Measuring just over a metre in length, the sword has been put up for sale by Lt Chadwick’s descendants and is expected to fetch between £500 and £700.
Regarded as one of the most infamous days in British military history, the battle lasted only 20 minutes and resulted in the deaths of 110 British soldiers with a further 161 wounded.
The near-suicidal charge was immortalised in Alfred Tennyson’s poem, depicting the plight of the 600-strong cavalry who rode into the ‘Valley of Death’.
Lt John Chadwick was one of only two officers taken prisoner at the battle. He managed to reach the Russian guns but his injured horse was unable to move any further and he was knocked from the saddle by an enemy lance.
The officer was taken prisoner by the Russians and released 12 months later at the end of the Crimean conflict. He died in Liverpool aged 52 in 1869.
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Made by London firm Firmin & Son, the sword is decorated with an 1847 pattern. It is etched with a crowned VR royal cypher and accompanied by the name XVII Lancers, which is surrounded by scrolling foliage.
It is one of more than 700 lots at Elstob Auctioneers sale in Ripon
Auction house director David Elstob said:
“It is amazing to have an object with such a fascinating backstory.
“The Charge of the Light Brigade is such a well-known event in its own right but the fact that we know such a lot about the sword’s owner adds even more to its appeal.
“Lt Chadwick’s Crimea Medal, with clasps for Alma, Balaclava and Sebastopol were sold for £14,000 at a London auction house in 2020, so we are expecting a considerable amount of interest in the sword.”
The silver, jewellery, antiques and fine art sale features ceramics and glass, metalwork, silver, Asian art, objects of vertu, militaria, textiles, rugs and carpets, clocks and instruments, antique furniture and Yorkshire oak.
Other militaria highlights in the sale include an officer’s full dress sabretache of the 2nd Durham Artillery Volunteers, Seaham – a flat leather pouch with long straps traditionally worn by cavalry officers to the side of the waist belt – and a Victorian officer’s full dress sword belt of the Ordnance Department.
The auction starts at 9.30am on Saturday. All lots can be viewed online at www.elstob.co.uk and bidding on the day of the sale can be made in person, over the telephone or online.
Items can be viewed at the Ripon-based saleroom the day before the sale from 10am until 4pm.