CHIMNEYPIECE WITH REPUTED PROVENANCE FROM LORD NELSON AND LADY HAMILTON’S HOME TO BE SOLD AT BONHAMS
LORD NELSON’S PLANS TO RETIRE BY FIRESIDE SCUPPERED BY UNTIMELY TRAFALGAR DEATH
An imposing Egypto-Roman revival white marble chimneypiece, reputedly from the home where Lord Nelson planned to spend his retirement, is set to be sold at Bonhams Fine English Furniture and Works of Art sale on 13th June. The chimneypiece is estimated at £20,000 – 30,000.
Lord Nelson bought Merton Place in 1801, fulfilling his dreams of buying a residence that he could share with Sir William and Lady Hamilton, his mistress, when on leave. He had also recently fathered Emma Hamilton’s child, Horatia, spurring him on to make a comfortable home for the family.
Nelson’s feverish letters to Lady Hamilton attest to his ambitions to extend and improve the property and it is conceivable that such a chimneypiece may have formed part of the decoration in this country mansion.
The chimneypiece is a fine example of early 19th century marble decoration, depicting an Isiac procession flanked by a continuous series of relief-carved Roman figures and pairs of Egyptian slave figures either side.
Sadly, Nelson was never able to oversee his plans for renovation of Merton Place or to retire comfortably by the fireside. He only spent a short time with his beloved Lady Hamilton, at his new home, before he was called away to the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, where he met his untimely death.
After Nelson’s death, Lady Hamilton ran up enormous debts in her attempts to preserve Merton Place as a tribute to her love for Nelson and she was forced to sell the property and its contents.
Fergus Lyons, Director of the Furniture department commented “We are delighted to be offering this highly sculptural chimneypiece which epitomises the zenith of Regency style and is one of only a few recorded examples of its kind”.
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. 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 three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to www.bonhams.com.
