Treasures of the East in historic Cape Town mansion
● Strauss & Co is offering for sale the entire contents of Harcroft House, an imposing 64room Arts and Crafts mansion in the heart of Constantia in Cape Town.
The 558-lot auction will take place in situ tomorrow and will be preceded by a public viewing today. Harcroft House has remained untouched for 70 years and represents the end of an era.
The story of Harcroft House makes riveting reading. British-born Charles Rycroft and his wife, Muriel, ran Harcroft Rubber Estates in Perak, Malaysia, until the Japanese invasion in 1941. Forced to flee, they made their way to Singapore.
Muriel left Singapore on the last ship in February 1942, travelling via Bombay to Cape Town, while Charles was captured when Singapore fell in April that year.
It was only in 1943 that Muriel received news that Charles was alive, in Changi internment camp for civilians. After many trials and tribulations, they were reunited after the war and returned to Perak in 1946 to rebuild the plantation and factory.
In the 1950s they retired to Cape Town and purchased a property in Constantia that originally had formed part of Klaasenbosch Farm.
Previously owned by the Baxter family, who were hugely influential in developing and cultivating the arts in the Cape, this home became the perfect setting for the antiques, works of art and pieces acquired by the Rycrofts in Malaysia, Britain and their extensive travels to China, Japan and the US.
The property was renamed Harcroft and bears many similarities to their much-loved home in Malaysia.
Seven years after Muriel’s death in 1974. Charles married Louise Jackson, an animal lover and philanthropist, and together they gave invaluable assistance to the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust through the Harcroft Foundation.
Charles died in 1998 and Louise left the house — one of the last remaining grand residences in Constantia — untouched to preserve his legacy, living there until her death in 2014 at the age of 106.
The emphasis of the collection is on oriental ivories, scroll paintings and furniture. There is an interesting selection of Chinese and Japanese ivory carvings including a late 19th century tall Japanese ivory okimono of a reveller and a child (R20,000-R30,000) and a pair of 19th century Chinese ivory carvings of archers (R15,000-R20,000).
Among the selection of Chinese works on paper is a set of four ink and colour paintings from the Early Republic period, painted with birds and flowering trees (R80,000R100,000) and from the 19th century a set of 10 large Chinese ink and colour panels depicting court scenes (R80,000-R100,000).
Highlights from the Chinese and Japanese porcelain on offer are a large Canton famillerose vase (R25,000-R35,000), a pair of Chinese famille-noire vases (R15,000R20,000), a large Japanese highly decorated Satsuma earthenware vase (R15,000R20,000) and an impressive pair of Japanese cloisonné vases (R30,000-R40,000). From the same period are two Japanese hardwood, lacquered, ivory and Shibayama inlaid panels (R30,000-R40,000).
The dining room is decorated with one of the many dinner services, silver, crystal glasses and handmade lace table mats. The silver and plated collection spans four centuries and includes a large George IV silver two-handled tureen and cover by Rebecca Eames & Edward Barnard I, London, 1826 (R30,000-R35,000) and a grand Victorian silver-plated mirror plateau (R4,000R6,000). On offer are a pair of George VI silver three-light candlesticks presented to the Rycrofts by their staff in Malaysia in 1948, and a highly collectable pair of early 20th century Chinese Export silver and enamelled two-handled vases (R8,000-R10,000).
The diverse furniture collection features a 19th century black japanned and chinoiserie decorated brass-mounted cabinet-on-stand (R30,000-R40,000) and an impressive Chinese Export hardwood, dream stone and mother-of-pearl inlaid suite (R70,000R80,000).
Originally bought in 1982 from the Nederberg auction, the home of the Holt sisters, is a Chippendale-style flame mahogany breakfront bookcase (R25,000-R30,000).
An important highlight is a rare pair of Robert “Mouseman” Thompson of Kilburn carved oak armchairs (R40,000-R50,000), which were commissioned by Charles in 1928. The collection includes various clocks, such as an early 20th century mahogany tubular chiming longcase clock, Smith & Son, London (R80,000-R100,000).
Muriel was an ardent royalist, as is evident in the two paintings by Walter Gilbert Wiles executed at the time of the royal tour of SA in 1947, one of the royal couple (R20,000–R30,000), and the other of
Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth in Helderberg (R15,000-R20,000).
Muriel was a competent amateur artist herself and there is a large-scale copy of Annigoni’s photograph of Queen Elizabeth II in her insignia and robes of the Garter, painted by Muriel, hanging majestically in the dining room.
Harcroft House has remained untouched for 70 years and represents the end of an era. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience life as it was in a different world, a world that is no more.
The sale will take place at Harcroft House, at the end of Norton Dingle Drive, Constantia, tomorrow. Session 1 will commence at 9.30am; Session 2 at 12.30pm; and Session 3 at 4pm.
The preview is today from 10am to 5pm For inquiries and catalogues, contact 021-683-6560.