15/03/2025 General News
The first of Keys’ three Fine Sales of 2025 takes place across two days at the end of this month, and once again features a varied and prestigious collection of ceramics, glass, oriental items, paintings, jewellery, silver, clocks and watches, furniture, decorative items, and rare wines and whiskies, writes Tim Blyth.
The fine art section of the sale has some particularly noteworthy entries, including a large work by British artist James McQueen (born 1977), which is making waves in the contemporary art world. The work, which measures a huge 153cm x 102cm, is one of a series born from McQueen’s admiration of vintage books. Rooted in the Pop Art movement of the 1960s, ‘Everybody Lies’ has a pre-sale estimate of £10,000-£15,000.
Another ‘big name’ in modern art is the singer Bob Dylan, who in the second half of his career has built a reputation as a painter. We have a collection of six signed limited edition giclee prints by Dylan in the sale, from his 2023 ‘The Beaten Path’ series. The are being sold as a set, with an estimate of £5,000-£8,000.
It is not just contemporary art which is grabbing the attention. The Sale includes two works by pioneering female Irish painter Sarah Henrietta Purser (1848-1943), each of which is estimated at £5,000-£7,000. Purser was also an accomplished stained glass artist, and has a window in Dublin’s St Patrick’s Cathedral.
Ceramics always play an important part in Keys’ Fine Sales, and once again this section of the Sale has a wide selection of European and Oriental pieces. These include an important pair of 19th century Wedgwood plaques which were made for and exhibited at the International Exhibition of 1871. These have a conservative estimate of £600-£800, but could go for much more.
Meanwhile an important documentary Lowestoft porcelain coffee pot dating from 1776 is getting collectors excited. Even though the jug has been broken and repaired, it is still expected to sell for between £5,000 and £7,000.
An intriguing lot is a silk playbill advertising the opening of the Arctic Theatre Royal on 23rd November 1852. This came about after HMS Resolute became stuck in the ice while searching for the famed Northwest Passage and was forced to spend the winter in the Arctic. To amuse themselves, the sailors set up a theatre on Melville Island, and as they happened to have a printing press on board, created this playbill as if it were a real theatre. This piece is very rare and almost impossible to estimate, as one has never come up for sale as far as we know.
Rare watches always feature strongly in these Fine Sales, and the stars are not always the ‘blingiest’ examples. For instance, we have an early Patek Philippe Calatrava 1527 wristwatch dating from around 1945, which is not just in working condition but even has its original box. This is a real collector’s piece, and has a pre-sale estimate of £2,000-£4,000.
This is just a tiny selection from the Sale, which has a total of 323 stunning lots. I could have mentioned the late 18th century manuscript cookbook with recipes including mock turtle soup; a stunning Moorcroft ginger jar in the Giant Panda pattern; a pair of Lorna Bailey teapots; 12 fine Vetri D’Arte Fontana glasses; a 19th century Minton Majolica teapot… Small wonder that collectors from all over the world will be taking part when the bidding starts.