Furniture, Works of Art and Clocks

It is almost two years ago that we sold the first part of Sir Jeremy Lever’s collection of furniture and works of art and in our 9^th January 2019 sale we are delighted to be selling one hundred and sixty five lots of furniture, fine French clocks, sculpture and works of art.

Sir Jeremy Lever, KCMG, QC has spent his working life as both a practising and an academic lawyer. He was fortunate enough to gain a place as a scholar at University College, Oxford where he became a Fellow of All Souls College. He took silk in 1972 and served as a Bencher of Gray’s Inn until reached the age of retirement. In 1977 he established Chambers in Brussels and for seven years practised as a Barrister mainly in what is now European law. His knighthood was conferred for services in the field of law.

Highlights of the collection include a Directoire white marble and ormolu mantel clock by Lépine. A wonderful Regency ormolu tazza in the manner of Thomas Hope, some very good bronzes including one of the Farnese Hercules after the antique statue which can now be found in the Museo Nazionale in Naples and a Grand Tour Italian specimen marble and micromosaic table top which once belonged to the actor Dirk Bogarde.

Also from the Grand Tour but a century earlier we have a rare mid-18^th century scagliola table top by Don Pietro Belloni. Decorated with a central pastoral scene it is signed and dated ‘1754’ and has very strong resemblances to table tops commissioned by Joseph Leeson (later 1^st Earl of Milltown) for his country residence Russborough, Co. Wicklow, Ireland and for the pair of tables commissioned by Sir Matthew Fetherstonehaugh for Uppark, West Sussex. Don Pietro Belloni was a monk at the monastery of Vallombrosa near Florence and the pupil of the Abbot Don Enrico Hugford who is credited with reviving the art of scagliola. We sold a fantastic pair of scagliola panels by Hugford in our January sale in 2012 for £32,000 so it is with great excitement that that we will be offering this rare table top in our sale next month.