News

Taking Flight

Just before the outbreak of World War I, a social and artistic movement emerged in Italy that captured the zeitgeist – especially among the young – and set the tone for the decades ahead. Dismissive of the past, obsessed with speed and technology, Futurism at once reflected and anticipated the turbulence of the first half of the 20th century. Motor cars and aeroplanes – then very much in their infancy – were a great inspiration. To the Futurists, they encapsulated everything that they believed about the triumph of machine over nature. The launch in 1929 of the manifesto Perspectives of Flight (they were as fond of manifestos as they were of new technology) spawned a new movement: Aeropittura or ‘aeropainting’. This was dedicated to capturing the excitement of flying, but also sought to convey how viewing the world from an aeroplane might constitute a new reality. Aeropittura: Italian Futurism in Flight at New Bond Street in June contains works by all the movement’s big names. Tullio Crali’s vertiginous Volo Verso l’ignito (1936), for example, rubs shoulders with masterpieces such as Aerei in Volo + Paesaggio by Guilio D’Anna in what is one of the most comprehensive sales of Aeropittura in recent years.

Enquiries: Ruth Woodbridge
+44 (0) 20 7468 5816
ruth.woodbridge@bonhams.com

Tullio Crali (1910-2000) Volo verso l'ignoto (Painted in 1936). Estimate: 35,000 - 55,000

An Important Coloured Diamond and Diamond 'Flower' Ring, Tiffany & Co. Estimate: HK$900,000-1,200,000

A ringing enodrsement

In the opening sequence of the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, an impossibly chic Audrey Hepburn, as Holly Golightly, stands outside Tiffany’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue, clutching her breakfast in a paper bag. For Holly, Tiffany’s stands for more than just luxury: it is a reassuring beacon of dignified respectability. Since its founding in 1837, Tiffany & Co. has been synonymous with style, design, innovation, and exceptional craftsmanship and the founder’s passion for rare gemstones established Tiffany & Co. as one of the most desirable and collectable jewellers. The famous blue boxes in which its jewels are packaged is a guarantee of something special inside. On 20 June, Bonhams Hong Kong presents a timeless array of Tiffany jewels from an Australian private collector. The star is a purplish-red diamond ring. Only about 0.01% of diamonds mined are red so this ring is a lovely combination of rarity and gorgeous design. It is a summation of all that Tiffany & Co. represents.

Enquiries: Leslie Roskind
+852 3607 0005
leslie.roskind@bonhams.com

Estate of things

For the 200 years leading up to the Russian Revolution, the estate at Olgovo was one of the grandest and richest in the Moscow oblast. For much of that time it was home to the wealthy and convivial Apraksin family – enthusiastic collectors, who filled the house with paintings, sculpture, porcelain and furniture. The Apraksins were inveterate hosts, famous for their lavish parties, and Olgovo became a social hub for Moscow’s great and good, who were treated to balls, hunting trips and staged performances in the fortress. Then, in October 1917, the music stopped. The family was expelled and the house briefly became a state museum. Abandoned in 1925 or ‘26, it fell into ruin. We can catch a glimpse of this lost world in Igor Grabar’s painting Room Interior in Olgovo in the 1850s, which comes to the Russian sale in June. The artist first visited Olgovo in 1919, together with other members of the All-Russian Commission of Museums, with the purpose of preserving the spirit of disappearing noble estates. The painting, completed in 1921, captures the room’s enchanting details: jugs, clocks in the Empire style on the mantelpiece, portraits on the walls and a chinoiserie fireplace screen – caught as if the owners had just stepped out for a minute.

Enquiries: Daria Khristova
+44 (0) 20 7468 8338
daria.khristova@bonhams.com

Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar (Russian, 1871-1960.) Room Interior in Olgovo in 1950s. Estimate: £80,000-100,000

Angelica Kauffman (Coire 1741-1807 Rome) Portrait of Sir James Graham, bust-length, in a blue coat. Estimate £20,000-30,000

Portrait of the tourist as a young man

Portrait of the tourist as a young man In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Grand Tour was an important rite of passage for a British upper-class young man (and it was, exclusively, a rite of passage for men). This was an opportunity to round off the cultural education, broaden horizons and perhaps sow a few wild oats before settling down to marriage and a career. Visits to the great sites of ancient civilisation and the Renaissance largely determined the itinerary. This, naturally, included a stay in Rome, which is where, in 1783, Sir James Graham sat for the portrait by Angelica Kauffman to be offered at the Old Master Paintings sale in London in July. (The Grand Tourists were a welcome source of income for portrait painters.) Raised to a baronetcy that same year, Graham spent much of his tour in Italy – he had a great passion for opera – before returning home, marrying and taking his seat in the House of Commons as one of the two MPs for Ripon. The painting, which is unlined, has been in the family ever since.

Enquiries: Andrew McKenzie
+44 (0) 20 7468 8261
andrew.mckenzie@bonhams.com

A capital appointment

In May, Bonhams Paris began its series of Luxury Sales along with Fine Art and Collectables. In the autumn, sales of African Art will also be added. To head up this exciting development, Bonhams has appointed Julie Mathon as specialist in Modern and Contemporary African Art in Bonhams Paris office. Parisian by birth, Julie studied media at ICD Business School in Paris before completing a master’s degree at EAC Paris in Art Business. After writing for Ô Magazine, Julie – who speaks English, French and Spanish – became exhibition manager at Afikaris Paris, a gallery devoted to contemporary African art.

Enquiries: Julie Mathon
julie.mathon@bonhams.com

Billy the Kid

Billy the Kid's Whitney, Hammer shotgun, used to kill Deputy Sheriff Bob Olinger at the Lincoln Courthouse, 1881.

Last chance saloon

Billy the Kid – or plain Henry McCarty, as he was christened – was notorious in life as a murderer and a thief, but time and 50 Hollywood movies have softened his image. When Sheriff Pat Garrett gunned down 21-year-old Billy in July 1881 at Fort Sumner, New Mexico, he killed the man but gave birth to the legend, their names – the outlaw and the lawman – forever linked. Now the Colt ‘Peacemaker’ revolver used to kill Billy is to be offered in Los Angeles in August as part of The Early West: The Collection of Jim and Theresa Earle sale. This astonishing collection of historical firearms, Western manuscripts and memorabilia, and Western art took more than 40 years to assemble. Among the manuscript highlights is the original signed book contract for Pat Garrett’s landmark 1882 account of The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid, the foundation of the Billy the Kid legend. You can also find historic Western firearms belonging to legends such as Wild Bill Hickok, Bat Masterson, and John Wesley Hardin, as well as Hardin’s final bar tab and autograph, signed as he left the Wigwam Saloon in El Paso just hours before he was killed inside the Acme Saloon.

Enquiries: Darren Sutherland +1 212 461 6531
darren.sutherland@bonhams.com

Couple of aces

You wait ages for a Swiss tennis legend’s car to be offered at auction, then two arrive at once. This year’s Bonmont sale in June features not only the Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Series 2009, delivered new to tennis legend Roger Federer, but also the 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera that Martina Hingis chose as part of her prize for winning the WTA Porsche Tennis Grand Prix tournament at Filderstadt near Stuttgart the same year. Martina was only 17, so she did not yet have a driving licence, though this did not stop her taking the Indian red coupé for a quick lap of honour round the court, much to the delight of the crowd. The Roger Federer Mercedes-Benz was one of fewer than a thousand of the model produced. At the time, the two-door coupé was the most powerful of the AMG series, with its 6.2-litre engine producing 507bhp. Given Federer’s speed around the court, he must have appreciated its ability to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds flat.

Enquiries: Paul Darvill +33 1 42 61 10 11
paul.darvill@bonhams.com

2009 Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Series. Estimate CHF 150,000-200,000 (£120,000-160,000).

Fourteen Sèvres plates from the 'Service de Dessert Marly Rouge' for the Emperor Napoleon, circa 1809 . Estimate £3,500-4,500

At your service

It was not only on the battlefield that 18th-century European rulers vied for power. Prestige in the arts was also a fiercely contested arena of oneupmanship – just think of those magnificent palaces and royal picture collections. So, when Augustus the Strong threw his considerable weight behind the manufacturing of porcelain at the factory at Meissen, it would not be long before other monarchs, including the French king Louis XV, wanted something similar – preferably better – for themselves. The result was the porcelain factory at Sèvres, which was established as a direct challenge to its Saxon rival. Fast forward to the early 19th century and the factory had a new patron, the Emperor Napoleon. Twelve plates from the famous ‘Marly Rouge’ dessert service made at Sèvres for Napoleon in 1809 feature in the Fine European Ceramics Sale in London on 6 July – one of a large group of Sèvres porcelain. The hand-painted plates, in red and gold, sport the motif of a butterfly – each image is subtly different – and were among the 250-piece service which Napoleon liked so much that he took it with him into exile on Elba in 1814.

Enquiries: Nette Megens +44 (0) 20 7468 8348
nette.megens@bonhams.com

Get the pulse racing

Incredibly, the Quail Lodge Auction at Carmel marks its 24th anniversary in August, and this year’s sale offers the exceptional collection of the late Judge Joseph E. DiLoreto. Joe was a passionate car man and racer, and well known on both the SoCal and international racing scenes. His racing career stretched over four decades, and Carroll Shelby, Mario Andretti, Paul Newman and Steve McQueen were among his racing friends. Joe chose all his cars with immense care and maintained them to the highest possible standards, but the crown prince of his collection is the championship-winning, ex-Derek Bell and Henri Pescarolo 1974 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 TT 12 – which Joe bought more than 40 years ago directly from the Alfa Romeo works racing team. Another highlight is his prized 1966 Shelby Cobra 427, which was recently restored by expert Mike McCluskey, but this is a collection that includes a championship-winning Lola T290, a Dolphin America and Shelby Can-Am racer, two spectacular Jaguar sports cars, and a custom-built Ford Ranchero.

Enquiries: Jakob Greisen +1 415 503 3284
jakob.greisen@bonhams.com

Aston Martin Vantage Heritage Racing Edition

Aston Martin for charity

Hong Kong’s wildlife and environment are set to benefit from Bonhams first motorcar sale in the city. A limited-edition Aston Martin sportscar is being offered for charity in a one-off online auction. The brand-new Aston Martin Vantage Heritage Racing Edition model is one of 60 examples celebrating the marque’s motorsport heritage, and the only ‘Gulf Blue’ variant in Hong Kong. Its showroom list price is HK$3.48 million. The luxury sportscar has been donated by MF Jebsen Group – the exclusive Aston Martin dealer in Hong Kong and Macau – as the only lot in the special timed online sale on Bonhams.com, which closes on 5 June.

Enquiries: Malcolm Barber
malcolm.barber@bonhams.com

Ancient and modern

The events of the past 18 months have challenged the way many of us live and work. Businesses, in particular, have had to innovate to continue satisfying their customers. It is that spirit of innovation that lies behind a new online sale combining Bonhams’ technology and the expertise of one of the world’s largest decorative antique dealers, Lorford Antiques. Believed to be the first joint venture of its kind, the sale is being curated by Toby Lorford himself, and will offer a section of his favourite pieces. His choice will reflect the company’s founding principles that antiques should be stylish, practical, comfortable and, above all, easy to live with. All the antiques will be available to view in person at Lorford’s showroom in Tetbury during the online sale itself which opens on Bonhams website on 28 May and runs until 18 June.

Enquiries: Charlie Thomas +44 (0) 20 7468 8358
charlie.thomas@bonhams.com