Thursday, November 26, 2009
Living a sheltered life in the Pennines with little social interaction did not stop the Brontë sisters from becoming among the most vivid storytellers of their age.Sotheby's website includes pictures and further details on each item:
Now some of the items that helped two of them, Charlotte and Emily, to translate the bleak windswept heather and wild moors landscape into the dramatic settings for Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre are up for sale in what could be the last such auction for years.
Charlotte's desk and Emily's geometry set and art box could fetch as much as £17,000 when they go under the hammer at Sotheby's in London next month.
The Brontë treasures – which will be auctioned on December 17 – belonged to William Law, an avid 19th century collector of Brontëana who made frequent visits to Haworth where he bought items from Charlotte Brontë's widower, the Rev Arthur Bell Nicholls.
So keen was Law to make sure the items were not mistaken for worthless artefacts he went to the trouble of installing metal plaques, engraving the words "Desk belonging to Charlotte Brontë. Displayed in memory of W.Law Esq" on the George III mahogany desk, valued at up to £10,000, and "Artists box of Emily Jane Brontë, Ladies' Literary Society,Manchester" on the Regency mahogany artist's box, valued with the geometry set at up to £7,000.
One of the first sales from Law's collection was a paint box owned by Emily, which sold in 1907 at Sotheby's.
As the auction house deputy director, Dr Phillip Errington, explained these are the final few pieces of that collection.
He added: "You have to go back a long way back to find items like this for sale.
"The opportunity to buy something the Brontës owned is not common at all.
"We had a sale a few years ago, in December 2004, that included a unknown painting of Charlotte Brontë, a box and a pistol which was unmistakenly from Wuthering Heights."
Emily was only 30 when she died in 1848, having lived a very sheltered life in Haworth, West Yorkshire amid the bleak moors where she penned Wuthering Heights.
Her paint box and geometry set would have been one of the few items of entertainment she owned.
The front compartment contains three quill nibs, the middle compartment contains a square glass bottle and includes space for two round ink or water bottles, while the back section contains a paint tray with remnants of paint. Below the tray is space for the geometry set and a compartment containing three miniature envelopes, two sticks of sealing wax and a small circular box of miniature gummed labels.
The geometry set is in a morocco-covered box featuring a metallic label, which is inscribed : EJB.
The box contains seven items including a folding bone ruler and a retractable steel nib pen, and its front drawer includes nine ceramic fitted mixing dishes which are mostly stamped.
These stamps are for Ackermann, 96 The Strand, London and thanks to this address Sotheby's says the box can be dated back as far as 1827.
Ann Dinsdale, Collections Manager for the Brontë Parsonage Museum, explained: "They are very important pieces, especially anything relating to Emily Brontë.
"Because she was never famous during her own lifetime very few of her personal items or manuscripts were kept and are extremely rare."
Dr Errington agreed: "We have two very special items here. Items of Emily Brontë's are the holy grail of Brontë collections because she died a lot younger than her sister."
Charlotte, who also died young at the age of 37 in 1855 while pregnant, was also a keen artist.
Dr Errington said he was very excited about her desk because of its rarity. He said: "I wouldn't like to say definitively that this was Charlotte Brontë's writing desk she wrote her books on, but it was obviously important." (Simon Neville)
English Literature, History, Children's Books & IllustrationsAnd finally something quite different and not so very thrilling but Brontë-related all the same.
Sale: L09777
DATE & TIME
Session 1: Thu, 17 Dec 09, 2:30 PM, Lots 1 - 182
LOCATION London
EXHIBITION
Location: London
Sun, 13 Dec 09, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Mon, 14 Dec 09, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tue, 15 Dec 09, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wed, 16 Dec 09, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PMLot 76
REGENCY MAHOGANY ARTIST'S BOX AND GEOMETRY SET FORMERLY BELONGING TO EMILY BRONTË
5,000—7,000 GBP
Description
Early nineteenth century, the rectangular hinged top bearing the trade label of R. Ackermann enclosing a box in three compartments, also front drawer, 81mm. (height) by 310mm. (width) by 209mm. (depth)
The front compartment contains three quill nibs, one steel nib on a wooden handle and two wooden handles. The middle compartment includes space for two round ink or water bottles (with one square glass bottle present and some loss and damage to the wooden surround). This compartment includes a removable lid on which there is a metal plaque. This reads 'Artists Box of Emily Jane Brontë Ladies' Literary Society Manchester'. The back compartment comprises a paint tray with remnants of paint and some loss to individual compartment dividers. Below the tray is space for the geometry set and a compartment containing three miniature envelopes, two sticks of sealing wax and a small circular box of miniature gummed labels.
The geometry set comprises a morocco-covered box with a central metalic label inscribed 'EJB'. The box contains seven items including a folding bone ruler and a retractable steel nib pen.
The front drawer includes nine ceramic fitted mixing dishes mostly stamped 'Ackermann 96 Strand'.
The Brontë sisters' interest in art is well-documented. This artist's box can be dated after 1827 since that was the date when Ackerman moved business premises from 101 Strand to 96 Strand. Charlotte Brontë's paint box, from the sale of Mr Nicholls' collection, was sold in these rooms in 1907. It is now owned by the Brontë Pasonage Museum. (See more pictures)
Lot 74
GEORGE III MAHOGANY DESK FORMERLY BELONGING TO CHARLOTTE BRONTË
7,000—10,000 GBP
Description
Last quarter eighteenth century, the sloping top with a reading ledge above a frieze drawer, on moulded square legs joined by stretchers, 864mm. (height) by 640mm. (width) by 448mm. (depth)
There is a metal plaque attached to a horizontal ledge at the back of the desk. This reads 'Desk Belonging to Charlotte Brontë Displayed in Memory of W. Law Esq.'
This, and the following two lots, were formerly part of the collection of William Law (c.1836-1901). Law was an avid collector of Brontëana and made numerous visits to Haworth which included purchases from Charlotte Brontë's widower, the Rev. A.B. Nicholls. After the formation of the Brontë Museum Law donated a number of items but also gave material to the nurse who attended to him before his death. Material from the same source was previously offered in these rooms, 16 December 2004, lots 111-119. (See more pictures)
Lot 75
A COLLECTION OF MATERIAL OWNED BY MEMBERS OF THE BRONTË FAMILY OR THE COLLECTOR WILLIAM LAW, COMPRISING:
1,500—2,000 GBP
Description
[Brontë, Emily?] Church and graveyard, 105 by 80mm., pencil drawing, unsigned, framed and glazed--[Brontë Family]. Pair of sugar tongs apparently belonging to the Brontës, c. 90mm. long, hallmarked 'GA', London, 1854--[Brontë Family]. Ceramic circular pen or brush holder, 105mm. diameter, floral design with gilt decoration, some gilt edging eroded--[Law, William]. Victorian mahogany table display cabinet, with a sarcophagus shaped top above glazed sides incorporating a fall front panel, each corner with turned columns, altered, with miniature metal plaque ('Emily Brontë Wm. Law'), 635mm. (height) by 583mm. (width) by 333mm. (depth)--[Law, William]. Pocket cigar case, brown pigskin, silver monogram 'WL' by Allen & Wright London--[Law, William]. Embossed and gilded paper 'Farewell' memento, with poem, dated 1855, [?associated with the funeral of Charlotte Brontë--together with William Law's stationery case and wooden trunk; together with small folder of later newspaper clippings and 4 volumes (13 items)
Lot 129Categories: Brontëana
FOLIO SOCIETY.
A FINE COLLECTION OF 280 VOLUMES, INCLUDING FIVE LIMITED EDITIONS, COMPRISING:
3,000—5,000 GBP
Description
Joyce, J. Ulysses, 1998, number 913 of 1760 copies, full goatskin, folding box--Tolstoy, L. War and Peace, 2006, number 879 of 1750 copies, full goatskin, folding box--Life of St Edmund... [2004], number 377 of 1010 copies, full goatskin, together with volume of commentary, folding box--Cervantes, M. de. Don Quixote. 2005, number 74 of 1250 copies, full goatskin, folding box--Malory, Sir T. Le Morte Darthur. 2003, number 599 of 1020 copies, full goatskin, together with pamphlet, folding box--together with 273 others including: Austen, J. (8 vol.)--Beckett, S. (1 vol.)--Betjeman, J. (1 vol.)--Brontë Sisters (7 vol.)--Bunyan, J. (1 vol.)--Carlyle, T. (3 vol.)--Chekhov, A. (1 vol.)--Chesterton, G.K. (2 vol.)--Churchill, W.S. (10 vol.)--Coleridge, S.T. (1 vol.)--Darwin, C. (1 vol.)--Dickens, C. (13 vol.)--Domesday Book (3 vol.)--Donne, J. (1 vol.)--Galsworthy, J. (3 vol.)--Gaskell, E. (2 vol.)--Gibbon, E. (8 vol.)--Joyce, J. (1 vol.)--Keats, J. (1 vol.)--Kipling, R. (2 vol.)--Lang, A. (1 vol.)--Lawrence, T.E. (1 vol.)--Mansfield, K. (1 vol.)--Milton, J. (1 vol.)--Norwich, J.J. (4 vol.)--Priestley, J.B. (1 vol.)--Pym, B. (1 vol.)--Ruskin, J. (1 vol.)--Sackville West, V. 1--Shakespeare, W. (8 vol.)--Solzhenitsyn, A. (1 vol.)--Tolstoy, L. (3 vol.)--Trollope, A. (1 vol.)--Twain, M. (1 vol.)--White, T.H. (1 vol.)--Wilde, O. (1 vol.)--Williamson, H. (1 vol.)--Wordsworth, W. (1 vol.); 4to and 8vo, original bindings, slipcases (280)
Search
Labels
- Advert (4)
- Agnes Grey (329)
- Alert (1605)
- Anne Brontë (555)
- Art-Exhibitions (956)
- Arthur Bell Nicholls (27)
- At The... (11)
- Audio-Radio (572)
- Biography (352)
- Books (3948)
- Branwell Brontë (361)
- Brentë Society (1)
- Brontë 200 (395)
- Brontë Birthplace (11)
- Brontë Parsonage Museum (1561)
- Brontë Society (527)
- Brontëana (761)
- Brontëites (1900)
- Brussels (273)
- Charlotte Brontë (899)
- Comics (414)
- Contest (34)
- Cottage Poems (8)
- Dance (352)
- Elizabeth Gaskell (237)
- Ellen Nussey (12)
- Emily Brontë (1028)
- Fake News & Blunders (130)
- Fiction (405)
- Haworth (1757)
- Humour (359)
- Illustrations (160)
- In Memoriam (3)
- In the News (1158)
- Ireland (76)
- Jane Eyre (7412)
- Jounals (1)
- Journals (518)
- Juvenilia (289)
- Maria Branwell Brontë (23)
- Mary Taylor (63)
- Messages from BB (107)
- Movies-DVD-TV (4481)
- Music (2188)
- New Releases (7)
- Opera (231)
- Patrick Brontë (205)
- Penzance (15)
- Poetry (830)
- Red House (54)
- References (2695)
- Reminder (122)
- Review (138)
- Scarborough (79)
- Scholar (1165)
- Sequels and Retellings (1110)
- Shirley (268)
- Software (16)
- Talks (1408)
- Teatre (3)
- The Professor (135)
- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (513)
- Theatre (3190)
- Thornton (150)
- Top Withens (90)
- Translations (508)
- Unfinished Novels (9)
- Victorian Era (378)
- Villette (555)
- Websites & Apps (194)
- Weirdo (660)
- Wide Sargasso Sea (995)
- Wuthering Heights (6784)
Recent Posts
Old Labels
Blog Archive
Other BrontëBlogs
-
Celebrating Charlotte’s Birthday In The Bronte Birthplace - Yesterday was the 208th anniversary of a very special person indeed. They were the third of six children of a couple who had moved to Yorkshire from Irelan...2 days ago
-
2024年ブロンテ・デイ公開講座についてのご案内 - 2024年ブロンテ・デイ公開講座を6月1日(土)14:00より早稲田大学戸山キャンパス38号館AV教室1にて開催いたします。詳細はこちら をご覧ください。ブロンテ文学に興味がある方であればどなたでも受講できます。受講料は無料です。 お申し込みはこちらからお願いいたします(受付期間4月26日〜5月24日)。...1 week ago
-
Interesting side over the Haworth Old Post Office, with beautiful photo's. - *facebook/theoldpostofficehaworth*: Restoring the old Brontë Post Office to its Victorian glory... This is the original location where Emily Brontë pass...4 weeks ago
-
Member talk: The Brontës and fake news - There have been wild speculations and baseless theories about the Brontë sisters and their novels virtually since the books were first published in 1847. J...5 weeks ago
-
Storytime for Grownups - a podcast reading of Jane Eyre - I recently received an email from Faith Moore, creator and podcaster of Storytime for Grownups, who is releasing a free podcast audiobook version of Jane...2 months ago
-
Celebrating Anne Brontë - Wishing a happy belated birthday to Anne Brontë, born on 17th January 1820 in Thornton. She was an English novelist and poet and her works include the prot...3 months ago
-
Goodbye, Jane - As two wonderful years come to an end, Piper and Lillian reflect on what we've learned from Jane Eyre. Thank you for joining us on this journey. Happy...3 months ago
-
The Calderdale Windfarm - *The Calderdale Windfarm* Sixty-five turbines, each one of them forty metres taller than Blackpool Tower! All of them close by Top Withens. This is what ...3 months ago
-
Hathersage in the Hope Valley, in the Dark Peak, Derbyshire with Charlotte Bronte - July 1845 - The vicarage at the side of St Michael and all Angels church Hathersage. Charlotte would have been the mistress of this house had she married the Reveren...3 months ago
-
Hello! - This is our new post website for The Anne Brontë Society. We are based in Scarborough UK, and are dedicated to preserving Anne’s work, memory, and legacy. ...8 months ago
-
Final thoughts. - Back from honeymoon and time for Charlotte to admire her beautiful wedding day bonnet before storing it carefully away in the parsonage. After 34 days...1 year ago
-
Charlotte Bronte and the Great Exhibition of 1851 - A Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace, celebrating industrial advances, had been promoted from July 1949 by Prince Albert and Sir Henry Cole, the sam...1 year ago
-
Ambrotipia – Tesori dal Brontë Parsonage Museum - Continua la collaborazione tra The Sisters’ Room e il Brontë Parsonage Museum. Vi mostriamo perciò una serie di contenuti speciali, scelti e curati dire...2 years ago
-
-
ERROR: Tried to load source page, but remote server reported "500 Internal Server Error". -2 years ago
-
Novedad: Cartas olvidadas de Jane Eyre y Anna Karenina - Hola a todos, Justamente hoy sale a la venta un libro relativamente relacionado con Jane Eyre y no quería dejar pasar la oportunidad de dároslo a conocer. ...2 years ago
-
-
-
Livre «Quel Brontë êtes-vous ?» - Un nouveau livre en français au sujet des Brontë est paru le 20 février 2020 aux éditions Librinova : Quel Brontë êtes-vous ? par Anna Feissel-Leibovici. ...4 years ago
-
Two New Anne Brontë 200 Books – Out Now! - Anne was a brilliant writer (as well as a talented artist) so it’s great to see some superb new books…4 years ago
-
Brontë in media - Wist u dat? In de film ‘The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society’ gebaseerd op de gelijknamige briefroman, schrijft hoofdrolspeelster Juliet Ashto...4 years ago
-
Researching Emily Brontë at Southowram - A couple of weeks ago I took a wander to the district of Southowram, just a few miles across the hills from Halifax town centre, yet feeling like a vil...5 years ago
-
Handwriting envy - The opening facsimile of Charlotte Brontë’s hand for the opening of the novel is quite arresting. A double underlining emphasises with perfect clarity tha...5 years ago
-
Link: After that dust-up, first editions are dusted off for Brontë birthday - The leaden skies over Haworth could not have been more atmospheric as they set to work yesterday dusting off the first editions of Emily Brontë at the begi...6 years ago
-
Page wall post by Clayton Walker - Clayton Walker added a new photo to The Brontë Society's timeline.6 years ago
-
Page wall post by La Sezione Italiana della Brontë Society - La Sezione Italiana della Brontë Society: La Casa editrice L'Argolibro e la Sezione Italiana della Brontë Society in occasione dell'anno bicentenario dedi...6 years ago
-
Html to ReStructuredText-converter - Wallflux.com provides a rich text to reStructredText-converter. Partly because we use it ourselves, partly because rst is very transparent in displaying wh...6 years ago
-
Display Facebook posts in a WordPress widget - You can display posts from any Facebook page or group on a WordPress blog using the RSS-widget in combination with RSS feeds from Wallflux.com: https://www...6 years ago
-
charlottebrontesayings: To Walk Invisible - The Brontë Sisters,... - charlottebrontesayings: *To Walk Invisible - The Brontë Sisters, this Christmas on BBC* Quotes from the cast on the drama: *“I wanted it to feel...7 years ago
-
thegrangersapprentice: Reading Jane Eyre for English class.... - thegrangersapprentice: Reading Jane Eyre for English class. Also, there was a little competition in class today in which my teacher asked some really spe...7 years ago
-
5. The Poets’ Jumble Trail Finds - Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending with some friends a jumble trail in which locals sold old – and in some instances new – bits and bobs from their ...8 years ago
-
How I Met the Brontës - My first encounter with the Brontës occurred in the late 1990’s when visiting a bookshop offering a going-out-of -business sale. Several books previously d...9 years ago
-
-
Radio York - I was interviewed for the Paul Hudson Weather Show for Radio York the other day - i had to go to the BBC radio studios in Blackburn and did the interview...10 years ago
-
-
Short excerpt from an interview with Mia Wasikowska on the 2011 Jane Eyre - I really like what she says about the film getting Jane's age right. Jane's youth really does come through in the film.13 years ago
-
Emily Brontë « joignait à l’énergie d’un homme la simplicité d’un enfant ». - *Par **T. de Wyzewa.* C’est M. Émile Montégut qui, en même temps qu’il révélait au public français la vie et le génie de Charlotte Brontë, a le premier cit...13 years ago
-
CELEBRATION DAY - MEDIA RELEASE February 2010 For immediate release FREE LOCAL RESIDENTS’ DAY AT NEWLY REFURBISHED BRONTË MUSEUM This image shows the admission queue on the...14 years ago
-
Poetry Day poems - This poem uses phrases and lines written by visitors at the Bronte Parsonage Museum to celebrate National Poetry Day 2009, based on words chosen from Emily...14 years ago
-
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte - Firstly, I would like to thank the good people at Avon- Harper Collins for sending me a review copy of Syrie James' new book, The Secret Diaries of Charlot...14 years ago
Podcasts
-
With... Emma Conally-Barklem - Sassy and Sam chat to poet and yoga teacher Emma Conally-Barklem. Emma has led yoga and poetry session in the Parson's Field, and joins us on the podcast...6 days ago
Subscriptions
Brontë Parsonage X
Brontë Studies X
Other Stuff
Click to join BRONTE
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
Site archived by the British Library - UK Web Archiving Consortium
0 comments:
Post a Comment