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Bonhams will hold its Summer Collections sale online from 2 to 16 June, bringing together four distinct private collections spanning royal memorabilia, early English furniture, clocks, fine sporting art and decorative works of art. The collections belong to David Gay, the late Tom Scott, and the late Tim O’ Donovan, each formed with individual taste and scholarly or personal engagement.
The sale opens with selected items from the collection of David Gay, an antiques enthusiast with a discerning eye for historical interest and craftsmanship. His friend and restorer Peter Holmes of Arlington Conservation recalled that Gay “saw his furniture as characters in the room” and “adored the warm glow of a honeyed patina”.
Gay Collection highlights include an early 18th-century ebony veneered striking table clock by John Taylor of London (estimate £5,000 to £8,000), a George I walnut sofa of the first quarter of the 18th century (estimate £4,000 to £6,000), a George II walnut wing back armchair (estimate £4,000 to £6,000), and a silk embroidered miniature portrait of Charles I after an engraving by Wenceslaus Hollar (estimate £3,000 to £5,000).
A Private Channel Islands Collection from the estate of the late Tom Scott evokes the atmosphere of an English country house, with particular strength in 19th-century sporting art. It is led by two works by John Ferneley Senior: a hunting scene featuring Sir Francis Holyoake, George Osbaldeston and Sir Harry Goodricke with the Quorn below Tilton (estimate £15,000 to £20,000), and James Smith Barry, Esq. out hunting (estimate £10,000 to £15,000).
The sale also features the collection of the late Tim O’ Donovan, known for his lifelong devotion to the British Royal Family. Over more than four decades he chronicled the Court Circular, becoming an unofficial authority on royal engagements, and assembled a wide array of royal memorabilia.
O’ Donovan Collection highlights include a group of programmes, photographs and memorabilia relating to royal pantomimes and concerts held at Windsor Castle during World War II, featuring Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret (estimate £1,500 to £2,500), and an engraved ticket for admission to Westminster Abbey for the coronation of George IV on 19 July 1821, with related passes and a printed pamphlet (estimate £500 to £700).
(Press Release)
