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Thursday, July 1, 2010

BONHAMS TO SELL PAINTING OWNED BY OSCAR WILDE’S FRIEND

PROCEEDS TO FUND A CHAIR IN DEMOGRAPHY AT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE
 
A landscape painting by Herman Saftleven once owned by one of Oscar Wilde’s closest friends is expected to fetch £15,000-20,000 when it is auctioned at the Old Master Paintings sale on Wednesday 7th July at Bonhams, New Bond Street. It is being sold to fund a chair in Demography at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
 
The painting depicts a mountainous river landscape with figures loading barges, and comes from the Collection of Carlos Blacker (1859-1928), an Englishman who spent a great deal of his life abroad, especially in Paris. He was a constant friend to Oscar Wilde, with whom he frequently corresponded, and also acted as an intermediary between Wilde and his wife, Constance, after the former’s release from prison in 1897. Blacker took a financial interest in Lady Windermere’s Fan and The Happy Prince was dedicated to him.  The letters exchanged between him and Wilde were auctioned in 1986. Blacker was a prolific correspondent and linguist (he learnt a new language every two years) and his circle of friends included George Bernard Shaw and Anatole France.
 
This painting, along with lot 51, A Portrait of a bearded gentleman (£5,000-7,000) is being sold to fund a chair in Demography at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The school aims to contribute to the improvement of health worldwide, through teaching and training in national and international public health and tropical medicine, and through informing policy and practice in these areas.
 

Bonhams
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further five throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Boston in the USA; Toronto, Canada; and France, Monaco, Hong Kong, Australia and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas.For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com

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