Miniature Portrait of the Prince of Wales, Later Edward VII

A large portrait of Provost Samuel Leckie as he was presented to Queen Victoria in 1897, William A. Donnelly, 1901, gouache and watercolour showing a large bearded man in court dress...

This ‘en grisaille’ watercolour on paper is Charles Dixon’s preparatory sketch for a proposed but apparently uncompleted painting of the royal racing yacht Britannia...

This three-quarter length oil on canvas portrait shows Major Sloane-Stanley in a landscape by the sea. He is smoking a cigar  and wearing a Royal Yacht Squadron cap. Signed lower left ‘G Hillyard Swinstead 1916’ the reverse inscribed in pencil ‘Major R Sloane-Stanley, Hants Yeomanry 1916’ . English. Capt. thence Lt Col Ronald F A Sloane-Stanley of the Hampshire Regiment (1867 – 1948) served as Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire. As a close friend of Edward VII, he reputedly procured two billiard tables from Osborne House (East Cowes, Isle of Wight) for Lee- on-the-Solent Yacht Club, of which he was the founding Commodore in 1907. He was also a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron from 1907 until his death, owning seven yachts during that period. He served on the Yachting Committee between 1935 and 1946. Despite Sloane-Stanley's long history of involvement with yachting, there is one yacht with which his family is associated that overshadows all of his other great achievements in the sport. The Formosa, built for his father Francis Sloane-Stanley in 1877, was acclaimed as a masterpiece of maritime design before she was even launched. In a rhapsodic article published on the 22nd of February 1879, The Field newspaper describes her as “the most beautiful cutter yacht ever built”. In addition to her fine attributes as a racing vessel, the article also mentions the luxurious way that she was decorated inside, personally supervised and designed by Mrs Sloane-Stanley-our sitter's mother. The Formosa, pictured above, became so famous that shortly after this article was written Francis Sloane-Stanley sold her to his friend the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII). There are several images of the Formosa in the Royal Collection, all dating from 1880. The Prince raced her on multiple occasions and her victories included the Queen's Cup on the 3rd of August 1880. By 1881, however, the Prince had sold her to a “Mr Bischoffsheim” as reported in the as reported in the Portsmouth Evening News on the 23rd of July of that year. Although Ronald Sloane-Stanley would have been 12 at the time the Formosa was raced by his father it is highly likely that seeing this beautiful cutter, and the success that it brought to his family, would have inspired Ronald's own yachting career. Additionally, as the same article in The Field makes clear, the Sloane-Stanley family were related in some way to Thomas Assheton-Smith, a founder member of the Yacht Club (later the Royal Yacht Squadron). The family is therefore a highly renowned one in yachting circles and we were lucky enough to be able to offer a silver gilt trophy won by Assheton Smith at the Regatta in 1828 in one of our previous catalogues. This portrait is a very exciting piece of yachting memorabilia as well as a superb work of art in its own right. The Artist George Hillyard Swinstead...

The enamelling on this quatrefoil gold pendant is attributed to Ray & Montague: ‘hiltmakers, goldworkers and enamellers’. The obverse is mounted with a vitreous paste profile portrait cameo of Admiral Viscount Nelson within four navy blue enamel panels with the gilt inscription: ‘H·Nelson·Died·for His·Country at·Trafalgar Oct:21·1805’ all within ropework borders. The reverse is mounted with an oval polychrome enamel plaque representing a blue Royal Navy ensign flying triumphant above the flags of France and Spain superimposed with an anchor and laurel wreath against a red background within four navy blue enamel panels with the gilt inscription: Glory to the Souls of the Brave, a line from The Battle of the Baltic written in 1801 by Scottish poet Thomas Campbell (1777-1844) to commemorate Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Copenhagen. Cameo with incised signature Tassie F. 1805 English, 1805 John Ray and James Montague succeeded to the celebrated enamelling and goldsmithing firm of James Morisset (1738-1815) in 1800. Like Morisset, they specialised in presentation swords...

A superb hand-painted miniature portrait of a refined young gentleman, dated early 19th century (circa 1830–1845), presented in its original oval gilt-brass frame with protective dom...

This well executed miniature portrait was made in England in approximately 1900 in the period Edwardian style and comes with its original fitted leather case. The painting is unsigne...

Edward VII glass paperweight. "Honi soit mal quiy mal y pense" commemorative souvenir paperweight of Edward VII in his coronation robes, England, circa 1902...

This is an antique gentleman's portrait. An English, painted print in glazed giltwood frame in the English School manner, dating to the Edwardian period, circa 1910. Superb frame, ...