December Auction from Thomas Del Mar Ltd

DECEMBER AUCTION OF ANTIQUE ARMS & ARMOUR INCLUDES AN
ECLECTIC RANGE OF RARE AND IMPORTANT ITEMS FROM A MAORI
CANOE TO A HORSE HARNESS MADE FOR A LORD MAYOR.

SALE ALSO INCLUDES AN INTERESTING SELECTION OF SPANISH AND
ENGLISH FIREARMS

A rare carved Maori large model canoe, otherwise known as a Waka, dating from the 19th century and
measuring over 2 metres in length and a horse harness made for a Lord Mayor of London are among the
eclectic array of objects with fascinating provenance that will be offered in Thomas Del Mar Ltd’s sale of
Antique Arms, Armour & Militaria at 25 Blythe Road, London W14 0PD on Wednesday, 5th December,
2018 at 12noon. Viewing will take place on the preceding Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and online bidding
is available via the-saleroom.com and invaluable.co.uk.

Created from a single piece of wood, the canoe is
carved with traditional masks and was listed in the inventory of Worden Hall in Lancashire – it is estimated
at £4,000-6,000.

Also from Worden Hall is an English or Flemish close helmet, circa
1560, which carries an estimate of £4,000-5,000 and is believed to be
part of a collection amassed in the 18th century by Sir William
ffarington (c. 1704-81), as is a late 17th century English saddle and pair
of holsters which is expected to fetch £2,000-3,000.

Another interesting equine piece are elements of a rare horse
caparison (an ornamental covering spread over a horse’s saddle or
harness) dating from the first half of the 18th century which is
estimated at £700-1,000. The velvet-covered leather retains eight
gilt-brass plaques decorated in an openwork design with the
owner’s arms, which are those of Sir John Parsons (1613-1717) and
his son Humphrey, who were part of the prosperous London
brewing family that owned the Red Lion Brewery in East
Smithfield.

Sir John was knighted by James II and became a
prominent figure in civic London, ultimately being Lord Mayor
(1703-4) and then MP for Reigate in 1685 and from 1689 until his
death in 1717. Humphrey continued his father’s success and made
the brewery one of the largest in London in the second quarter of the 18th century.

Sir William Macnaghten, baronet (1793-1841) was a key figure in British/Afghan history in the first half of
the 19th century and is depicted in many portraits in Britain’s national collections. A fine Coorg gold-hilted
knife which carries an estimate of £6,000-8,000 and has a pommel that bears an inscription for Ling
Rajender Wadeer, Raja of Coorg, dated 1808/10, is being offered by a descendent of Macnaghten.

Sir William Hay Macnaghten joined the Madras Army as a cavalry
cadet during which time he spent his hours learning Persian and
Hindi followed by several other languages, and subsequently gained
a place in the Bengal Civil Service. His two monumental works,
Principles and Precedents of Mohummudan Law (1825) and
Principles and Precedents of Hindu Law (1828-9) were both used
by generations of British-Indian judges.

In 1831, Macnaghten
became secretary to the governor-general Lord William Bentinck
and later Lord Auckland. With the crisis on the north-western
frontier looming, he argued that the British should befriend
Afghanistan to counter balance the Sikhs, believing that Tanjit
Singh (the aged ruler of the Punjab) could not live for much longer.
Unfortunately, his plans failed and Mohammed Akbar Khan
claimed that the British, particularly Macnaghten, were not to be
trusted and summoned him to an exposed plain outside Kabul along
with three officers, who were all seized and Akbar Khan shot Macnaghten with a pistol. Days later, the entire
garrison of some 4,000 soldiers met with a similar fate.

Also included in the sale is 17 lots from the collection of
James D. Lavin Ph.D (1929-2013), whose doctoral
dissertation A History of Spanish Firearms remains the
standard reference on the subject. In his introduction to that
book, Claude Blair (then Keeper of Metalwork at the
Victoria & Albert Museum) noted Lavin’s rare combination
of qualities including his outstanding research, first class
knowledge of the Spanish language and his wide grasp of the history of firearms in general that make the
book one of outstanding importance in the field. Items from the collection include several firearms, notably a
rare 34 bore Spanish miquelet-lock belt pistol, circa 1645 which is estimated at £2,500-3,000.

Also in the sale is a collection of almost 20
Japanese edged weapons including a wakizashi
sword dating from the Shinshinto period (est:
£4,500-5,500), which has a blade decorated with an
elaborate engraving of a dragon and a scabbard
lacquered with Kabuki masks in red and gold.

The final section of the auction is devoted to English and European firearms
which includes a fine cased pair of 16 bore percussion officer’s pistols by
Westley Richards, dating from 1840 and estimated at £5,000-8,000, while a
cased pair of 20 bore silver-mounted flintlock duelling pistols by James
Barbar, London, 1758 is estimated at £10,000-15,000.

For more information – Please Visit – www.thomasdelmar.com