London – Bonhams concludes Classics Week in London with five exceptional sales spanning 1 – 3 July, totalling £5,680,889.

Nette Megens, Bonhams Director of Decorative Art and Head of European Ceramics, commented: "Classic Week has demonstrated that even in a challenging economic climate, international collectors turn to Bonhams. Quality attracts buyers, and this season we presented an extraordinary selection of museum-quality pieces, reflected in our strong sale results. We now look ahead to a very strong October sale season in Paris, reaffirming Bonhams' ongoing commitment to the Classic collectors' departments."

FINE DECORATIVE ART
London, New Bond Street, 1 July

The fine and decorative sale attained fantastic results on 1 July, especially with the sale of an important Louis XV ormolu mounted Japanese lacquer and Parisian varnish serpentine commode by Jacques Dubois (1694-1763) Circa 1745. This commode achieved an impressive £146,450 (estimate of £60,000-90,000)

Other highlights from the sale included:

Eve after the Temptation, a patinated bronze figural group by Robert Wiedeman 'Pen' Browning (1849–1912), This recently rediscovered sculpture sailed past its estimate to reach £102,000 (estimate £60,000 – 80,000)

A George III Indian rosewood, fustic, tulipwood, stained sycamore and marquetry secretaire chest, dating to circa 1775. This important Neoclassical piece of furniture was made by Thomas Chippendale, one of the most widely celebrated and rightly revered cabinet makers of all time. This chest achieved £70,250 (estimate of £70,000 - 100,000).

A set of Louis XVI giltwood fauteuil by Philippe Poirie, circa 1775, sold for £26,880 (estimate £7,000 – 10,000)

OLD MASTER PAINTINGS
London, New Bond Street, 2 July

Triumphant across all the sales this Classics Week at Bonhams London was the magnificent Portrait of Sir Edward Monins of Waldershare (1575), by George Gower. Depicting a newly knighted aristocrat and close associate of Queen Elizabeth I, the portrait is a masterclass in Elizabethan iconography and symbolism. Painted in 1575, this richly detailed work is a rare example of Gower's early career and a powerful symbol of status, allegiance, and royal favour at the height of Elizabeth I's reign. After fierce and unrelenting bidding in the saleroom, the picture was sold for £1,113,200 – a new world record for a painting by George Gower. (Estimate: £200,000 – 300,000)

Other notable works include:

Portrait of Captain Sir John Jervis, later 1st Earl of St Vincent, in full-dress uniform, standing in a coastal landscape with the fleet in the distance by Gilbert Stuart, sold for £368,700 (estimate: £100,000 – 150,000).

Hercules at the Crossroads between Virtue and Vice; and The Apotheosis of Hercules by Ubaldo Gandolfini sold for £76,600 (estimate: £60,000 – 80,000)

An Italian landscape with a Bacchanale; and An Italian landscape with Bacchus and Ariadne by Hendrick Frans van Lint, sold for £70,250 (estimate: £30,000 – 70,000)

FINE CLOCKS
London, New Bond Street, 2 July

A standout of the Fine Clocks sale was the late 17th-century quarter repeating bracket timepiece by Thomas Tompion, London, No. 93, circa 1686. Believed to have belonged to the Empress Dowager Cixi of China, this clock exemplifies Tompion's pioneering skill and international prestige. This lot sold for £76,600 (estimate £60,000 – 80,000)

Also featured:

A possibly unique dated, late 17th century German silvered and gilt brass weight-driven four-sided clock or 'Saulenuhr' by Andoni Riebengart, dated 1674. Sold for £57,550 (estimate: £25,000 – 35,000)

A rare late 17th Century ebony veneered quarter repeating basket top table clock, by Daniel Quare, London. Sold for £38,400 (estimate: £15,000 – 25,000)

A Fine and Rare Mid-18th Century French Gilt and Patinated Bronze Animalier Mantel Clock 'The Elephant' Festeau, Paris. Sold for £32,000 (estimate: £30,000 – 50,000)

ANTIQUITIES
London, New Bond Street, 3 July

The Antiquities sale results were led by a Cycladic marble figure, Early Spedos type, dating to 2700–2300 B.C., which was formerly part of the collection of Professor Nelson Goodman, the sculpture is a refined example of early Aegean abstraction. The figure blew through its estimate to achieve a final figure of £279,800 (estimate: £60,000 – 80,000)

Further highlights include:

An imposing and heavy bronze ceremonial axe with decorated blade, which sold for £70,250 (estimate: £6,000 – 8,000)

A Greek bronze hydria, sold for £35,480 (estimate: £20,000 – 30,000)

A fragmentary Egyptian black granite head of Amenhotep. Sold for £33,280 (estimate: £20,000 – 30,000)

500 YEARS OF EUROPEAN CERAMICS
London, New Bond Street, 3 July

Topping the ceramics sale was a very rare Dutch-decorated early Meissen decagonal porcelain bowl from the Japanese Palace, circa 1720-27 which sold for £21,120 (estimate £2,000 – 3,000)

Other highlights include:

A Meissen circular dish from the Swan Service, circa 1738. Sold for £14,080 (estimate: £12,000 – 18,000)

A pair of Meissen pug dogs, mid-18th century. Sold for £14,080 (estimate: £6,000 – 8,000)

A rare polychrome Dutch Delftware figure of a smiling Budai or Budai Heshang, circa 1700-1725. Sold for £12,800 (estimate £12,000 – 18,000)