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.

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