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The sale on 1-2 May 1871 was described in its frontispiece as
'A [sale] catalogue of some most interesting Select Antiquities, obtained from the excavations made in the Island of Cyprus by General di Cesnola at Paphos, Amathonta, Citium, Idalium, Salamina, &c. including Greek Glass, with fine iridescence; chalk stone statuettes, busts and heads, life-size, of the finest style of work, some archaic, finely painted vases & terra-cottas of earliest style; Enamelled ware of the remotest antiquity; gold and silver ornaments, intaglios & Greek coins which will be sold at auction by Messrs Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge ... On Monday the 1st day of May 1871 and following Day at One O'Clock precisely.
The annotated auctioneer's sale catalogue, of which the Pitt Rivers Museum has a photocopy of the set held by the Bodleian, lists Pitt-Rivers (or Lane Fox as he was then) as the purchaser of the following lots:
|
Lot no |
Sale Catalogue Description |
No of objects |
Price paid £.s.d |
Notes |
|
|
1 May 1871 |
|||||
|
1 |
18 |
… A spear head with its socket length 10 in |
1 |
5.15.0 |
Possibly 1884.119.335 |
|
2 |
20 |
… Two spear heads |
2 |
3.3.0 |
Not yet matched to item in founding collection |
|
3 |
37 |
Painted Vases A Cantharus ornamented with two Phoenician capitals; very valuable for the history of art 6 3/4 in diameter |
1 |
0.10.0 |
Not yet matched to item in founding collection |
|
4 |
49 |
Painted Vases An Oenochoe representing a large hawk crowned with the pachent and bearing a little bird in its beak, rosettes and arrows in the field height 8 1/2 in |
1 |
2.14.0 |
Not yet matched to item in founding collection |
|
5 |
129 |
Terra Cotta Statuettes The head of a helmeted and bearded warrior, his hair and his pointed beard are curled, the eyes and upper lip are painted black height 11 in A most precious specimen of archaic workmanship The Museum of the Louvre possesses no Cyprian terra cotta of this style |
1 |
6.5.0 |
Marked to Wareham on one version of the auctioneers annotated sale catalogue but to Lane Fox on another, it is o1884.39.24 (so it must have been Lane Fox’s bid) |
|
6 |
130 |
Terra Cotta Statuettes A small head of the same kind, still more carefully executed, the helmet is formed with rings of mail, the ye brows and beard painted black height 3 in |
1 |
3.12.0 |
Not yet matched to item in founding collection |
|
7 |
131 |
Terra Cotta Statuettes The head of a helmeted Minerva |
1 |
1.0.0 |
1884.39.17 |
|
8 |
141 |
Terra Cotta Statuettes An Antelope and two Bull’s Heads one of which is painted and fixed on a conical base |
3 |
1.0.0 |
1884.56.96 and 99, and not yet matched to item in founding collection |
|
2 May 1871 |
|||||
|
9 |
354 |
Coins, found in Cyprus Copper Diocaesarea Ciliciae of Philip sen, exactly as Mt s VII page 209 n 236 two females &c very scarce size 8 |
1 |
1.1.0 |
No coins from the Cesnola collection form part of the PRM founding collection. It must have been retained as part of his private collection |
|
10 |
357 |
Coins, found in Cyprus Silver Salamis Cypri, unpublished, obv Pallas with acrostolium seated on prow to left two Cypriot letters in front, rev Hercules to right strangling a lion a fine and valuable coin of the highest rarity |
1 |
13.10.0 |
See above |
|
11 |
359 |
Coins, found in Cyprus Silver Cyprus &c varied very desirable small sizes |
8 |
0.15.0 |
See above |
|
12 |
370 |
Coins, found in Cyprus Gold Aegae Ciliciae obv Head of a Goat to right rev Head of Hercules with lion’s skin, to right fine and valuable rare of this size size 3/4 |
1 |
2.13.0 |
See above |
Lane Fox purchased 22 objects at this sale in 12 lots, for a total cost of £41.18.0.
Apart from Lane Fox other buyers in the sale included:
Ashley - Cannot be traced
Belsher - Cannot be traced
Cust - Cannot be traced
?Dans - Cannot be traced
* Feuardent - Felix Feuardent (1819-1907), dealer, London. In partnership with Rollin [qv] until 1883
* Flower - John Wickham Flower (1807-1873) Antiquarian
Gregory - Possibly a dealer based in Covent Garden, London who also sold other objects to Pitt-Rivers?
Hall * - ?William Edward Hall (1835-1894) Writer and collector, certainly owned some Cyprus items. Married to a Grove so possibly related by marriage to PR?
Henderson - a John Henderson gave an archaeological object to the British Museum, and a P. Henderson gave coins to the same place
Hoffman - there was a coin dealer called Henry or Henri Hoffman who sold coins to the British Museum who may be the right person?
Lincoln * - Possibly W.S. Lincoln and Son Dealers Numismastists and antiquaries
Marks - there was a dealer called Murray Marks based in New Oxford Street London who was partner to George Durlacher and specialised in Oriental china, he may be right person? [information from British Museum database]
Mayhew * - possibly Samuel Martin Mayhew (?-1898) Antiquarian and clergyman
Neligan - William Chadwick Neligan Irish antiquarian
Lord Ranelagh - Cannot be traced
Reynolds - possibly a dealer of Broad Street, Bloomsbury London who sold items to Pitt-Rivers second collection
Strutt - Cannot be traced
Tebbs - Cannot be traced
* Terry - possibly Edmund Terry a curiosity dealer of 162 Wardour Street London who sold items to Pitt-Rivers second collection
Underwood - Cannot be traced
Valentine - possibly Jacob Vallentine and Son Dealer in the Strand, London who sold items to Pitt-Rivers second collection
Wareham - possibly William Wareham 14 Charing Cross Road London, a curiosity dealer who sold items to both Pitt-Rivers collections
Names above marked * are known to have bought from more than one Cesnola sale.
If you know anything about the individuals or dealers listed above that we cannot trace please let us know, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
AP May 2012.
