Churchill estate to part with wartime leader’s art, effects

LONDON — As the last surviving child of Winston Churchill, Mary Soames inherited many of his most treasured possessions. Her death in June, at the age of 91, marked the end of an era.

Now, 38 of the family’s paintings have been offered to the nation to meet a hefty inheritance tax bill, and a number of other fascinating personal items are to be sold at Sotheby’s. The lots in the auction on Dec. 17 have seldom, if ever, been seen in public before.

Churchill took up painting aged 40 and rarely travelled without his paintbox. The most prized lot is The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell, painted in 1932. Churchill dug the pond himself in the garden of his Kent home, and visiting it was a daily ritual.

The paintings show the house in all seasons, including one of the grounds under snow. The wall pictured was built by Churchill, who counted bricklaying among his more surprising hobbies.

Other items represent his political life: a battered dispatch box from his days as secretary of sate for the colonies; a silver hot water jug inscribed “Egypt 1942, To Winston from his colleagues from the War Cabinet.”

But it should not be forgotten that this is the collection of Lady Soames, and tells the story of her own role in 20th century life. She acted as Churchill’s aide- de- camp during the Second World War, meeting key figures such as French Gen. Charles de Gaulle, U. S. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and wartime U. S. president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Many became personal friends. A 1946 portrait by Oswald Birley captures her luminous beauty.

The 38 paintings had been lent by Lady Soames for public display: 36 at Chartwell, which is now managed by the National Trust; one in the House of Commons; and one at the Imperial War Museum. Those paintings are being offered to the nation in lieu of inheritance tax, and, if the government accepts, the works will be put on permanent public display.