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Wed 15 May

George Washington Autograph Letter Signed from Mount Vernon on Debt Collection - ALS signed “G. W—n,” one page, 7 x 8.75, May 8, 1786. Boldly penned handwritten letter from Mount Vernon to his lawyer Thomas Smith, regarding the collection of a debt. In full: "Val'e Crawford died indebted to me—say One hundred pounds Virg'a Curr'y—more or less. Previously thereto, he wrote me the letter dated Jacobs Creek, May 6th 1774 and accompanied it with the Bill of Sale herewith transmitted dated May 8th 1774. Quære, Is this Bill now valid? Will it secure my debt?—This is all I want.—And can it be recovered without hazarding a defeat which may add cost without benefit? If these points should be determined in the affirmative, I would wish you to prosecute my claim so far as to secure my debt, but not otherwise." Attractively mounted and framed within a shadowbox alongside an antique hand-painted miniature portrait of Washington to an overall size of 18 x 14.75. In fine condition, with a short split to the lower horizontal fold. In his diary entry for May 8, 1786, George Washington wrote: 'In the Evening a Captn. Whaley from Yohiogany came in on some business respecting the Affairs of the deceased Val. Crawford and Hugh Stephenson; to whom I gave, under cover to Thos. Smith Esqr. (my Lawyer in that Country) a Bill of Sale and the letter wch. inclosed it which the said Vale. Crawford had sent me, in the Mo[nth] of May 1774 as Security for what he owed me, and to indemnify me for my engagements in his behalf—to see if they were valid, & would cover the debt he owed me, as they never had been recorded.' Thomas Smith was unable pursue this matter, so Washington secured Charles Simms’s services to look into the debt. According to the account with Valentine Crawford recorded in Washington's ledgers, Crawford owed only £35.10 as of March 1775, which Washington's clerk credits to Valentine Crawford 'By settlement' at an unspecified date. An interesting, neatly penned letter pertaining to Washington's diverse business dealings.

Estim. 10 000 - 15 000 USD

Thu 16 May

A SUPERB LACQUER SUZURIBAKO WITH A ‘WATERWHEEL’ MERCURY MECHANISM, JAPAN, SECOND HALF OF 18TH CENTURY, EDO PERIOD (1615-1868) - Of rectangular form with recessed gold fundame edges, bearing a superb gyobu nashiji ground finely decorated in gold, brown, and red hiramaki-e and takamaki-e with kirigane and enashiji with farmers working in rice-paddies, below a bone waterwheel and mercury waterfall contained in a cavity set into the thickness of the lid and covered with glass or crystal so that it can be tilted to make the mercury turn the waterwheel, the water running from the waterwheel through a channel onto the rice paddies, further with craggy rockwork, gnarled trees, huts and buildings and two cranes. The base and interior of rich nashiji, the interior further with gold fundame edges, the cover similarly decorated with a bird perched on a rocky outcrop over two ducks swimming in the gushing water with sailing boats and lined with clam shells, the bird and some of the shells subtly inlaid with glazed ceramic, all below mountains in the background, the roaring sea with boats and shells repeated on the removable ita (baseboard) fitted with a cloud-form gilt-metal waterdropper (suiteki) and rectangular slate inkstone (suzuri). With an old wood tomobako inscribed to the lid Jidai makie suzuribako ('An old period piece, lacquer writing box'), and a protective cloth. 4.4 by 24.6 by 22.5 cm. Very good condition, minor wear, traces of use, few fine age cracks to the top of the cover, minor flaking to lacquer here and there, mostly to interior edges. The mercury mechanism in full working order.

Estim. 13 000 - 15 000 EUR

Thu 16 May

A fine flintlock rifle with attachable hunting hanger showing the crest of the princes of Schwarzenberg, by Leopold Becher of Carlsbad, circa 1740 The burnished barrel slightly constricted in the middle with seven-groove rifled bore in 15 mm caliber. Two hooks on the right-hand side to attach the hunting hanger. Dovetailed sights, the fire-gilt folding rear sight with relief decoration. The signature "LEOPOLD BECHER" inlaid in gold on the top of the barrel, behind which two Spanish-style pseudo marks inlaid with gilt brass (Stöckel nos. 5757 and 5758). The root of the barrel, tang and muzzle with gold-inlaid scrolling bands and tendrils. The flintlock with elaborately chased motifs on a gold-inlaid background. Depiction of a hunter with hound and bagged roe buck. Single set trigger. The exquisitely carved full stock in walnut, the butt with a few, scattered wormholes. Brass engraved coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg family with lavish relief decoration. Patch box with a spring catch and sliding lid. The replaced wooden ramrod with brass tip. Length 103 cm. Also includes the associated removable hunting hanger, the single-edged blade with fullers on both sides. Raised mounting in fire-gilt brass, the guard plate with the coat of arms of the princes of Schwarzenberg in relief. Staghorn grip, two mounting loops with a blued locking mechanism on the reverse. Black leather scabbard with gilt, engraved brass mounts. Length 69 cm. Leopold Becher is documented as a gunsmith in Carlsbad from approx. 1725 to 1750. He worked for the Princes of Lobkowitz among others. Condition: I - II

No estimate

Thu 16 May

A small Chinese turquoise and iron red-enamelled reticulated 'floral' incense box and cover Qing dynasty, Qianlong period The cover delicately enamelled with a dense floral scroll including chrysanthemums, Indian lotus, morning glory, peony, hibiscus, and finger citrons, centred around a reticulated cash medallion to the top, and turquoise-enamelled square reticulated medallions with cash motifs to the sides, the turquoise base with tall rims encircling a further reticulated cash medallion to the centre of the base, 6cm high. 清乾隆 松石綠地礬紅彩繪纏枝花卉圖紋鏤空四方薰爐 Known as 'the gentleman of flowers', lotus has long held a prominent position in Chinese art because of its association with Buddhism, where among other things, it symbolises purity because of the fact that it grows bright and pure out of muddy waters. Its names, he 荷and lian 蓮, are also homophones to the words harmony, he 和,‘binding in marriage’聯 and love戀, as well as the word 'continuous' or 'successive', making it a perfect symbol for a harmonious union with many children. Chrysanthemum, beautiful and colourful, represents autumn. As it blooms in autumn when all other flowers are fading away, it symbolises the ability to withstand adversity. It is tranquil and harmonious with others, but also dignified and indomitable. Hibiscus (mufurong 木芙蓉) is another flower of autumn. Two of the characters that make up its name soun similar to the words for 'wealth' (fu 富) and 'glory' (rong 荣). Together with the peony, a flower of wealth and honour, it represents a greeting: 'May you have high position and great wealth' (ronghua fugue 榮華富貴). Morning glory in Chinese culture tends to represent love and affection, and given as a symbol of longing, as well as symbolising marital bliss. The finger citron, in Chinese foshou 佛手, or Buddha’s hand, is a homophone and visual pun to the phrase, good fortune/wealth and longevity, fu shou 福壽.

Estim. 500 - 700 GBP

Fri 17 May

Porcelain trompe-l'oeil snuff box with gold mount, the silver clasp adorned with an emerald cabochon shouldered by four 18th-century crowned roses. The porcelain is probably Meissen, the mounts foreign work in 582 thousandths gold and 800 thousandths silver (exemption from affixing the State hallmark on work in precious metals (article 524 bis C and article 275 ter M annexe I 3° of the French General Tax Code). The exterior is decorated in imitation of an envelope, inscribed on the front in black A Monsieur / Monsieur de Sanssouci / Chevalier de belle humeur dans la rüe des / bons enfans a l'enseigne des charmes / a / Paris and in red with the letters r/z, the reverse imitating a red wax seal with a monogram CLG and an inscription in black N°.9r., the inside of the lid with polychrome decoration of a gallant scene after François Boucher (lid restored, chip restored to an inside corner of the body, minor wear). H: 9.5 - W: 7.5 - D: 2.5 cm Provenance by oral tradition : - Joseph Duveen, 1st Baron Duveen (1869-1939) ; - Acquired by Violet Trefusis (1894-1972); - Bequeathed to Philippe Julian (1919-1977). Three other rare examples in the same spirit, attributed to Meissen, are listed. The first is illustrated by Barbara Beaucamp-Markowsky, Boites en porcelaine des manufactures européennes au 18e siècle, Fribourg, 1985, p. 164; the other two are in the collections of the Victoria & Albert museum, London (on loan from the Gilbert Collection, inv. 500-2008 and 502-2008). These boxes were certainly gifts offered as gallant souvenirs using the handwriting of the person offering them, probably including a real letter inside, thus multiplying its message tenfold; then finally used to store tobacco or any other personal item. The Meissen factory certainly had the largest production of porcelain boxes in Europe in the 18th century; a list of models kept by the factory in 1765 mentions eleven different models, the most ordinary being decorated with flowers. The interior decoration of "our" model is inspired by François Boucher's painting Le Pasteur galant, painted in 1738 for the Prince de Rohan's audience room at the Hôtel de Soubise in Paris; it was engraved by André Laurent in 1742. This quickly famous scene was reproduced several times, notably at the Sèvres factory by Charles-Nicolas Dodin on different pieces; for a commentary on this subject and examples in Sèvres porcelain, see the exhibition catalog by Marie-Laure de Rochebrune, Splendeur de la peinture sur porcelaine au XVIIIe siècle, Charles-Nicolas Dodin et la manufacture de Vincennes-Sèvres, Paris, 2012, pp. 102-103 and p. 187.

Estim. 4 000 - 5 000 EUR
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