Collectables to feature at sale
• English and Continental silver will come under the hammer followed by 114 lots of South African art and sculpture
Bernardi’s 2017 New Year’s art and collectables auction will take place in Pretoria on February 6 at 6pm.
An eclectic selection of collectables will come under the hammer first. This includes English and Continental silver featuring a fine pair of George III Corinthian candlesticks by Emick Romer, a card tray by Daniel Smith and Robert Shapiro, a heavy Victorian tea tray by John Aldwinkle and Thomas Slater, Egyptian and Tunisian silver pieces as well as Turkish chopines.
A Rene Lalique “Coquilles” bowl, South African ceramics from Rorkes Drift, Drostdy ware, stoneware by Andrew Walford and Tim Morris and two apartheid-era signs will pique the interest of many a collector.
The 114 lots of South African art and sculpture will follow at 6.30pm. Highlights of the auction are a bold Maggie Laubser floral still life “Sunflowers” and two unique sanguine ink landscape sketches by Walter Battiss executed circa 1939, as well as a pen and ink drawing from his 1966 visit to the Greek Islands titled Hotel Olympic Palace 304, Athens, are on offer. An iconic Penny Siopis, Trails, dated 1994 should attract keen bidding.
A pair of evocative portraits by Neville Lewis of “Sir Hugh Gwynne Levick’s Houseboy” will be of special interest to the serious collector of period colonial art.
Sir Hugh was born in Port Elizabeth in 1870 and died in Cape Town in 1937. He was knighted in 1918.
Works by Keith Alexander, Kenny Baker, Gregoire Boonzaier, David Botha, Errol Boyley, Carl Buchner, André de Beer, Zakkie Eloff, Wopko Jensma, Amos Langdown, Eli Kobeli, Don Madge, Speelman Mahlangu, Erich Mayer, JH Pierneef, Neil Rodger, Lucky Sibiya, Cecil Skotnes, Chris Tugwell, Shany van den Berg, Piet van Heerden and Gordon Vorster will be on show. Contemporary artists Olaf Bischoff, Larita Engelbrecht, Gordon Froud, Kelly John Gough, Anton Karstel, Joseph Phokela, Mark Pradervand, Wilhelm Saayman with sculptures by Joseph Muzondo, Noria Mabasa and Irmin Henkel will also be on show.