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Including The Peta Smyth Collection of Antique Textiles & Tapestries, Selected Items From The Collection of Lord & Lady Flight, and The Contents of Chequers' Attics

21 March 2023 | starting at 10:00 GMT

Peta Smyth. Lord and Lady Flight. The Chequers Estate. The first London Collections sale of the year brings together, across 400 lots, three distinct collections with individual character and history.

After forty-five years of dealing from her Moreton Street shop, Peta Smyth's collection of antique textiles and tapestries will begin the sale. From 16th century tapestry fragments and 18th century Aubusson tapestries to panels of brocade and reams of colourful green and yellow damask silks, each lot had carefully been curated and collected by Peta for its quality and workmanship.

The important historical portraits, decorative arts, and porcelain from the collection of Lord and Lady Flight takes up the mantel for the second part of the sale. Lord Flight is a direct descendant of Thomas Flight (1726-1800) who purchased the Worcester Porcelain Company in 1783 for his sons. Proud of this connection, he has been collecting Worcester porcelain ever since; a selection of which is included in the sale. In addition to the porcelain, Lord Flight's political interests and career as an MP are reflected in the Old Master portraits that serve as a timeline of British prime ministers of the 17th and 18th centuries: the Gainsborough portrait of William Petty hung in the Houses of Parliament prior to auction.

Continuing the political theme, Bonhams is delighted to close the sale with the selected contents of the attics at Chequers, the official country residence of the prime ministers of Great Britain. Gifted by the Viscount Lee of Fareham to British prime ministers in perpetuity, the attics, as with many other country houses, have become filled with dinner services and pieces of silver which are no longer of use. The funds raised from the sale will be ploughed back into the repair and maintenance of the house and its collections.

Live Auction

London, Knightsbridge

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Auction highlights

Thomas Gainsborough, R.A. (Sudbury 1727-1788 London) Portrait of William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne and 1st Marquess of Lansdowne. Estimate: £15,000 - £20,000

A large leaf tapestry fragment Circa 1550, Southern Netherlands. Estimate: £12,000 - £18,000

A mythological Soho tapestry Last quarter 17th century, England, after designs by Francis Cleyn (1582-1658). Estimate: £12,000 - £18,000

Charles d'Agar (Paris 1669-1723 London) Portrait of Henry St. John, Lord Bolingbroke, three-quarter-length, in Parliamentary robes. Estimate: £7,000 - £10,000

A set of seven Italian silver altar candlesticks Only four of the removable drip pans are marked, Eagle mark, probably for Palermo, 18th century, with maker's mark GS and a star and assay master mark SP.37, some of the columns and bases with only traces of marks (7). Estimate: £5,000 - £7,000

A crewelwork curtain Early 18th century, English. Estimate: £4,000 - £6,000

A Charles X gilt and patinated bronze sunflower clock Early 19th century. Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000

A collection of Chinese blue and white plates and dishes 18th - 19th century. Estimate: £1,500 - £2,000

A very large Flight Worcester platter from the 'Hope Service', circa 1790. Estimate: £800 - £1,200

A collection of tapestry and needlework fragments from the wall of Peta Smyth's office. Estimate: £400 - £600

Specialist contacts

Kafayat Zaria-Suleiman

Sale Coordinator

Tel: +44 20 3988 6400

Kafayat.Zaria-Suleiman@bonhams.com

Ghislaine Howard

Sale Coordinator

Tel: +44 20 7393 3825

Ghislaine.Howard@bonhams.com

Anna Burnside

Head of Sale

Tel: +44 20 7468 8246

Anna.Burnside@bonhams.com

Madeleine Cater

Cataloguer

Tel: +44 20 7468 5895

Madeleine.Cater@bonhams.com

Helena Gumley

Specialist

Tel: +44 20 7393 3892

Helena.Gumley@bonhams.com

Charlie Thomas

Group Head, Private Collections, Furniture & Works of Art, U.K

Tel: +44 20 7468 8358

Charlie.Thomas@bonhams.com

Client Services (UK)

Tel: +44 20 7447 7447

info@bonhams.com

Bids (UK)

Tel: +44 20 7447 7447

bids@bonhams.com

News and stories

Read Story

Additional information

Buyers' Obligations
ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.
If you have any complaints or questions about the Conditions of Sale, please contact your nearest customer services team.
Buyers' Premium and Charges
For all Sales categories, buyer's premium excluding Cars, Motorbikes, Wine, Whisky and Coin & Medal sales, will be as follows:
Buyer's Premium Rates
27.5% on the first £20,000 of the hammer price;
26% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £20,000 up to and including £700,000;
20% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £700,000 up to and including £4,500,000;
and 14.5% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of £4,500,000.
VAT at the current rate of 20% will be added to the Buyer's Premium and charges excluding Artists Resale Right.
Payment Notices
For payment information please refer to the sale catalogue.
Shipping Notices
For information and estimates on domestic and international shipping as well as export licences please contact Bonhams Shipping Department.

Ф	Item contains or is made of ivory
	This lot contains or is made of ivory and cannot be imported into the USA or any country within the EU.
AR	Artists Resale Right
	Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.
TP	Off site storage location
	For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information. For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.
Y	CITES
	Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the EU, see clause 13.

Collections

Auction highlights

Lot gallery

1TP — An Aubusson verdure tapestryLate 17th century

2TP — A fine verdure tapestry panelMid-17th century, French

3TP — A Flemish verdure tapestry panelLate 17th century

4 — Two cushions of verdure tapestry Early 18th century, probably Aubusson

5 — A pair of cushions of tapestry 17th century, French

6 — A pair of cushions of verdure tapestry 18th century, Aubusson

7 — A pair of needlework cushions 18th century, French

8 — Two pairs of cushions of Aubusson tapestry 19th century

9 — A tapestry cushion 17th century, Brussels

10 — A pair of ciselé velvet cushions 19th century, French

11 — A collection of four cushions of tapestry Early 18th century, adapted from the border of a Teniers tapestry probably woven in the Lille workshops of Guillaume Werniers

12TP — An Aubusson tapestryCirca 1750

13TP — A biblical Aubusson tapestry panelCirca 1670-1690

14TP — A Flemish tapestry panelLate 16th century, probably Oudenaarde

15TP — A pair of Flemish tapestry panelsCirca 1650

16 — A pair of tapestry border panelsFrom a tapestry woven in the Faubourg Saint-Michel workshop, circa 1620-1650, Paris

17 — A length of silk velvet 18th century, possibly Italian

18 — Seven panels of ciselé silk velvet 19th century in 17th century style,

19 — A red silk damask coverlet 19th century, French

20 — A red velvet coverlet 17th century, Italian

21 — A length of silk velvet Probably 18th century, Italian

22 — Four lengths of red silk damask Mid-19th century, French or English

23TP — A silk brocade panel 19th century, probably Russian

24 — Six lengths of silk Late 18th century, French

25 — A yellow damask curtain 19th century, Italian

26 — A yellow damask silk panel 19th century, French

27 — A panel of ciselé velvet Early 19th century, Italian

28 — A length of yellow damask silk Circa 1720-1730, probably Dutch

29 — Three yellow silk droguet panels Late 18th century, probably French

30 — A length of yellow damask silk 19th century, probably French

31 — A length of green damask silk 20th century, French

32 — A dark bottle green velvet runner 17th century, Italian or Spanish

33 — A runner of bottle green velvet 17th century, probably Italian

34 — A pair of appliqué pilaster hangings Early 18th century, possibly Portuguese

35 — A length of green damask silk 20th century, French

36 — A fragment of a Perugia towel Probably 16th century, Italian

37 — A shaped panel of 'Bizarre' silk Early 18th century, French

38 — A Coptic tapestry textile 3rd - 4th Century

39 — A needlework picture18th century, French

40 — A needlework picture Mid 18th century, French

41 — An embroidered picture of St. AndrewEarly 18th century

42 — A needlework picture Mid-18th century, French

43TP — A needlework hanging 17th century and heavily reworked, probably English

44TP — A set of four needlework panels Mid-18th century, French

45TP — A needlework panel Mid-18th century, French

46 — A needlework picture Mid-18th century, English

47 — A needlework picture after Benjamin West (1738-1820)Late 18th century, English

48 — A circular embroidered picture17th century, probably Italian

Specialist contacts

Kafayat Zaria-Suleiman

Ghislaine Howard

Anna Burnside

Madeleine Cater

Helena Gumley

Charlie Thomas

Client Services (UK)

Bids (UK)

News and stories

Under the Hammer | Top Picks from Collections

A Closer Look | Portrait of William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne and 1st Marquess of Lansdowne by Thomas Gainsborough

Tapestry of Life: Bonhams to Offer a Collection of Antique Textiles From Renowned Dealer Peta Smyth

Chequers Attic Sale at Bonhams

Bonhams Magazine | Threading through time

Additional information

Auction information

Lot Symbols

Related Departments

Auction Viewings

Conditions of Sale

1^TP —
An Aubusson verdure tapestry
Late 17th century

2^TP —
A fine verdure tapestry panel
Mid-17th century, French

3^TP —
A Flemish verdure tapestry panel
Late 17th century

4 —
Two cushions of verdure tapestry
Early 18th century, probably Aubusson

5 —
A pair of cushions of tapestry
17th century, French

6 —
A pair of cushions of verdure tapestry
18th century, Aubusson

7 —
A pair of needlework cushions
18th century, French

8 —
Two pairs of cushions of Aubusson tapestry
19th century

9 —
A tapestry cushion
17th century, Brussels

10 —
A pair of ciselé velvet cushions
19th century, French

11 —
A collection of four cushions of tapestry
Early 18th century, adapted from the border of a Teniers tapestry probably woven in the Lille workshops of Guillaume Werniers

12^TP —
An Aubusson tapestry
Circa 1750

13^TP —
A biblical Aubusson tapestry panel
Circa 1670-1690

14^TP —
A Flemish tapestry panel
Late 16th century, probably Oudenaarde

15^TP —
A pair of Flemish tapestry panels
Circa 1650

16 —
A pair of tapestry border panels
From a tapestry woven in the Faubourg Saint-Michel workshop, circa 1620-1650, Paris

17 —
A length of silk velvet
18th century, possibly Italian

18 —
Seven panels of ciselé silk velvet
19th century in 17th century style,

19 —
A red silk damask coverlet
19th century, French

20 —
A red velvet coverlet
17th century, Italian

21 —
A length of silk velvet
Probably 18th century, Italian

22 —
Four lengths of red silk damask
Mid-19th century, French or English

23^TP —
A silk brocade panel
19th century, probably Russian

24 —
Six lengths of silk
Late 18th century, French

25 —
A yellow damask curtain
19th century, Italian

26 —
A yellow damask silk panel
19th century, French

27 —
A panel of ciselé velvet
Early 19th century, Italian

28 —
A length of yellow damask silk
Circa 1720-1730, probably Dutch

29 —
Three yellow silk droguet panels
Late 18th century, probably French

30 —
A length of yellow damask silk
19th century, probably French

31 —
A length of green damask silk
20th century, French

32 —
A dark bottle green velvet runner
17th century, Italian or Spanish

33 —
A runner of bottle green velvet
17th century, probably Italian

34 —
A pair of appliqué pilaster hangings
Early 18th century, possibly Portuguese

35 —
A length of green damask silk
20th century, French

36 —
A fragment of a Perugia towel
Probably 16th century, Italian

37 —
A shaped panel of 'Bizarre' silk
Early 18th century, French

38 —
A Coptic tapestry textile
3rd - 4th Century

39 —
A needlework picture
18th century, French

40 —
A needlework picture
Mid 18th century, French

41 —
An embroidered picture of St. Andrew
Early 18th century

42 —
A needlework picture
Mid-18th century, French

43^TP —
A needlework hanging
17th century and heavily reworked, probably English

44^TP —
A set of four needlework panels
Mid-18th century, French

45^TP —
A needlework panel
Mid-18th century, French

46 —
A needlework picture
Mid-18th century, English

47 —
A needlework picture after Benjamin West (1738-1820)
Late 18th century, English

48 —
A circular embroidered picture
17th century, probably Italian