march 25, 2021 - Sotheby

Lady Mountbatten's collection brings £5.6 million at Sotheby's auction

LONDON, 24 March 2021 – The eldest daughter of Britain's last Viceroy of India #louismountbatten, #patriciaknatchbull was the great-great-granddaughter of #queenvictoria, great niece of Russia's last Tsarina and first cousin to Prince Philip, living her eminent life at the heart of a dazzling dynasty of royal and political relations.

The 376 items sold at auction today came from Newhouse, Patricia's charming eighteenth-century home, which she shared with her husband John Knatchbull, 7th Lord Brabourne. Over 1,400 participants from 55 countries drove the total to £5,620,798 / $7,729,721, over three times the pre-sale estimate (est. £1,414,430 – 2,102,600), with 98% of lots sold.

"An auction like today, with its heady mix of history and glamour, does not come up very often, and so it has been a truly special experience to be a part of. Over the course of the last two months, it has been wonderful to see Lady Mountbatten's collection received so rapturously by #people from all over the world, culminating in today's sale where her belongings found brand new homes where they will be treasured for years to come – a fitting tribute to her legacy of courage, grace and, above all, warmth."

David Macdonald, Sotheby's Specialist and Head of the Sale

Runaway Successes of the Sale

A historic Jaguar 420, commissioned by Lord Mountbatten in 1967 and built to special order in the unique blue colours of his livery, races to £126,000 (est. £10,000-20,000).
A group of four pieces of mourning jewellery belonging to Queen Victoria, Patricia's great-great-grandmother, all more than doubled their estimates, bringing a combined £100,800. Earlier in the sale, an Indian bracelet carrying a miniature of Prince Albert as a boy, worn by #queenvictoria when she informed her ministers of her intention to wed, sold for £40,320.
A charming Lacloche Frères pig-shaped evening bag, crafted circa 1905 - the eyes set with cabochon rubies and the tail and trotters set with rose-cut diamonds – trots its way to £109,620, a figure 44 times its estimate of £2,000-3,000.
A portrait of Matthew Parker (1504-1575), the Archbishop of Canterbury, by a Follower of Hans Holbein the Younger soared to £189,000, more than 75 times its estimate of £2,000-3,000.
Leading the selection of impressive jades in the sale, a rare pale celadon jade teapot, Qing Dynasty, sold for £176,400, eighteen times its estimate. The piece was among a group formerly in the collection of legendary collector Sir Ernest Cassel, who was financial advisor to King Edward VII and Patricia's great-grandfather.
Inscribed 'Edwina from Dickie', a pair of gold enamel elephants made in Jaipur which served as a twenty-fourth wedding anniversary gift from Lord Mountbatten to his wife sold for £34,020, fourteen times their estimate.
The Banks Diamond: A late 18th century brooch with a cushion-shaped yellow diamond given to explorer and botanist Joseph Banks by his eccentric sister Sarah around the time of his marriage in 1779 sold for £138,600 (est. £40,000-60,000).
A unique enamel Girl Guide bracelet, gifted by #louismountbatten to his daughter Patricia on the occasion of her 21st birthday, sold for thirty times its estimate at £15,120. The bracelet is personal memento of the 1st Buckingham Palace Company, formed in 1937 so that the then Princess Elizabeth, now HM Queen Elizabeth II, could become a Girl Guide.
A Fabergé gold-mounted cigarette case and Imperial enamel timepiece, bought by the last Tsar and Tsarina as gifts for the parents of #louismountbatten, both soared above their estimates, selling for £47,880 and £81,900 respectively.
With its profusion of multicoloured carved rubies, emeralds and sapphires, a 'Tutti Frutti' style necklace designed as an wreath of carved leaves, brought a double-estimate £107,100.
Formerly hung in Lady Mountbatten's Drawing Room, a beautiful portrait of Jane Monins by John Michael Wright sold for £176,400, more than double its pre-sale estimate. A further ancestral portrait, depicting Sir Norton Knatchbull, 1st Baronet, also sold for an above-estimate £176,400.
A painting of Mary Harvey (1629-1705), the first British female composer to have had her works published, sets a record for Thomas Hawker, who was one of Sir Peter Lely's chief studio assistants, at a triple-estimate £37,800.
A portrait of Patricia as a young girl by Raymond Kanelba used to hang in her glamorous mother Edwina's bedroom at her London dwelling on Wilton Crescent. Today it set a record for the artist at £22,680, exceeding its estimate by 38 times. A portrait of Edwina herself also set a record, for Count Uberto Pallastrelli di Celleri, at £7,560, when it sold for multiples of its estimate.
A novelty silver table cigar lighter in the form of a grenade, dating to 1917, went off with a bang, selling for £15,120 – 60 times its pre-sale estimate.

- Photogallery (76)

Tutti Frutti’ style Jewels A gem set and diamond wreath of carved rubies, emeralds and sapphires (est. £40,000-60,000) together with other Tutti Frutti style pieces including, dress clips, earrings and a ring

4992x6668, 3MB

A 1930s jabot pin modelled as a bird perched in a potted tree, leaves composed of carved emeralds, flowers and fruit of carved sapphires and rubies and the branches set with diamonds (est. £7,000-9,000)

4514x3385, 4MB

A Chinese white jade model of a buddhistic lion, Qing Dynasty (est. £15,000-25,000)

8298x6212, 3MB

A Continental Parcel-Gilt Silver Tankard, Maker’s Mark Only AP in Monogram, Probably German or Swiss, circa 1690 (est. £2,500-3,500)

3395x4531, 1MB

A diamond-set and enamelled gold bracelet containing a miniature portrait of Albert, Prince Consort, as a child, by Henry Pierce Bone (1779 - 1855), India and England, 19th century (est. £4,000-6,000) - detail

2316x3089, 3MB

6208x8280, 6MB

A Fabergé silver-gilt inkwell, probably workmaster Julius Rappoport, St Petersburg, circa 1900 - inscription - (est. £4,000-6,000)

5953x6308, 6MB

A Fabergé silver-gilt inkwell, probably workmaster Julius Rappoport, St Petersburg, circa 1900 (est. £4,000-6,000)

4907x4906, 4MB

AFINES~1

3550x3237, 4MB

A George III openwork engraved oval gold badge with fouled anchor and engraved legend commemorating Earl Howe and the Battle of the Glorious First of June, 1794, circa 1794

800x1067, 61KB

A George VI leather jewel case By Asprey, London, circa 1950, a gift to Patricia Knatchbull, whose monogram is tooled on the lid (est. £400-600)

5740x3342, 5MB

A gilt-bronze mounted marble veneered pedestal, early 19th century

5341x7127, 5MB

A gold ruby and diamond brooch, 1950s, designed as five songbirds on a flowering branch, belonging to Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma (est. £1,500-2,000)

3555x2140, 4MB

A gold snuff box with an inscription that ecords the gift of this box to 'Edwina' [Lady Louis Mountbatten] from 'George' [Prince George, Duke of Kent] at Christmas 1941 (est. £1,000-1,500) - detail

5215x4459, 5MB

A gold snuff box with an inscription that ecords the gift of this box to 'Edwina' [Lady Louis Mountbatten] from 'George' [Prince George, Duke of Kent] at Christmas 1941 (est. £1,000-1,500)

5439x3612, 4MB

A gold-gounted agate snuff box, probably German, late 19th century, inscription reading '18 July 1943 XXI Edwina from Dickie' (est. £2,000-3,000)

3446x3446, 611KB

A historic jewel passed down through the Knatchbull Baronets which commemorates Sir Joseph Banks (est. £40,000-60,000)

2536x3031, 1MB

A Louis XVI Marquetry, Kingwood and Rosewood Bonheur-Du-Jour, in the manner of Charles Topino (est. £2,000-3,000) - image 2

4016x5111, 6MB

A Louis XVI Marquetry, Kingwood and Rosewood Bonheur-Du-Jour, in the manner of Charles Topino (est. £2,000-3,000)

4208x5231, 6MB

A Netherlandish silver wedding medal, probably Amsterdam, early 17th century

4312x4168, 4MB

A novelty silver table cigar lighter in the form of a grenade, Deakin & Francis Ltd., Birmingham, 1917 (est. £200-300)

2048x2364, 463KB

A pair of jewelled gold and enamel elephants, Jaipur (2)

4170x3127, 6MB

A pair of jewelled gold and enamel elephants, Jaipur, 1946 (est. £2,000-3,000) - 2

6432x4729, 6MB

A pair of jewelled gold and enamel elephants, Jaipur, 1946 (est. £2,000-3,000)

5727x4416, 7MB

A pale Celadon Jade Marriage Bowl, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period (est. £15,000-25,000)

6208x6208, 6MB

A rare Anglo-Indian inlaid bureau mounted on a mahogany stand supplied by Thomas Chippendale to Sir Edward Knatchbull in 1767 (est. £40,000-60,000)

6400x6400, 9MB

A rare pale celadon jade teapot and cover, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period (est. £8,000-12,000) - sold for £176,400

6820x5114, 3MB

A rare TM (Masudaya) battery-operated Radicon Robot, 1957, in original box (est. £4,000-6,000) - 2

7620x5710, 7MB

A rare TM (Masudaya) battery-operated Radicon Robot, 1957, in original box (est. £4,000-6,000)

4618x4534, 4MB

A Rock-Crystal Cup and Cover with Enamelled Silver Mounts, Hermann Ratzersdorfer, Circa 1880 from collection of Sir Ernest Cassel (est. £2,500-3,500) - image 2

2876x3788, 3MB

A Rock-Crystal Cup and Cover with Enamelled Silver Mounts, Hermann Ratzersdorfer, Circa 1880 from collection of Sir Ernest Cassel (est. £2,500-3,500)

2768x3788, 3MB

A silver, enamel and hardstone Fabergé timepiece, St Petersburg, 1896-1903 (est. £15,000-25,000) - 2

5371x5312, 6MB

A silver, enamel and hardstone Fabergé timepiece, St Petersburg, 1896-1903 (est. £15,000-25,000)

8280x6208, 6MB

A two-colour gold-mounted guilloché enamel étui, 20th century (est. £8,000-12,000) - 2

4296x6305, 6MB

A wedding present to Edwina from Louis - a gem set and diamond bracelet, 1920s (est. £3,000-4,000)

5300x3254, 3MB

An agate snuff box, probably German, late 19th century, inscription reading '18 July 1943 XXI Edwina from Dickie' (est. £2,000-3,000) - side view

6292x6292, 8MB

ANELIZ~1

7376x4496, 7MB

An Indian silver presentation document case in the form of an airplane, circa 1934 (est. £1,000-1,500)

8187x6138, 5MB

An unusual and amusing gem-set gold mesh purse by Lacloche Frères, Paris, circa 1905 (est. £2,000-3,000)

4992x5061, 4MB

Banded agate and diamond locket, circa 1861 (est. £1,000-1,500)

2677x2677, 3MB

Banded agate and pearl pendant, circa 1878 (est. £1,000-1,500)

2524x2523, 3MB

Cartier, A silver and enamel calendar desk clock, circa 1920 (est. £7,000-9,000) - image 2

5656x5184, 8MB

Cartier, A silver and enamel calendar desk clock, circa 1920 (est. £7,000-9,000)

5680x5592, 9MB

Clip brooch monogrammed PB (est. £200-300)

2688x2688, 3MB

Derek Hill, Rica, A Sleeping Dachshund - a gift to Patricia from the artist who was a family friend (est. £1,000-1,500)

4865x3304, 5MB

Diamond brooch, designed by Louis Mountbatten, of circular form, with a pierced undulating pattern pavé-set with single-cut diamonds, set to the centre with a brilliant-cut diamond (est. £4,000-6,000)

3127x3127, 2MB

Diamond necklace and tiara, 1880s (est. £4,000-6,000)

4405x4405, 6MB

Edwina Mountbatten's diamond-set initialled dressing table set which travelled with her round the world (est. £400-600)

6292x6292, 3MB

Exterior of Newhouse 2

4099x6149, 6MB

Exterior of Newhouse

6276x4184, 9MB

Gem set and diamond necklace, 1950s and fitted Wartski case (est. £40,000-60,000)

4383x4383, 5MB

Girl Guide bracelet made for Patricia from her father Louis on the occasion of her 21st birthday, circa 1945(est. £400-600)

5548x2334, 4MB

Girl Guide bracelet

5390x4042, 6MB

Hardstone, enamel and diamond memorial pendant, Robert Phillips, circa 1878 (est. £2,000-3,000) - reverse

3841x3836, 4MB

Hardstone, enamel and diamond memorial pendant, Robert Phillips, circa 1878 (est. £2,000-3,000)

3389x3390, 4MB

Interior of Newhouse 2

4372x6558, 6MB

Interior of Newhouse 3

3691x4614, 3MB

Interior of Newhouse

3572x4465, 3MB

John Michael Wright, Portrait of Jane Monins (d. 1699) (est. £60,000-80,000)

2136x2614, 5MB

Lord Mountbatten's Jaguar

3498x5246, 2MB

Lot 222 A large spinach jade vase and cover, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period

2729x3543, 4MB

Lot 227 A rare spinach jade archaistic vessel and cover, fang ding, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period

3543x3188, 3MB

Lot 281 Dwight V. Stork, Potrait of Lord Louis, Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900-1979)

2193x2789, 6MB

Lot 349 Italian, late 18th-century early 19th-century, cameo - sold for £107,100

4810x6417, 4MB

Onyx and seed pearl button, 1879 (est. £1,000-1,500)

2282x2282, 3MB

Queen Victoria mourning jewels in situ

5056x3792, 8MB

Queen Victoria's Diamond-set and enamelled gold bracelet containing a miniature portrait of albert, prince consort, as a child, by henry pierce bone (1779 - 1855),india and england, 19th century (1)

8280x6208, 7MB

6208x8280, 6MB

Rock crystal, emerald and diamond bracelet, Hennell, 1929 (est. £15,000-20,000)

5314x3092, 3MB

Samuel van Hoogstraten, Portrait of Sir Norton Knatchbull, 1st Bt. (1601-1684), full-length, wearing a black tunic and white collar

1922x3113, 3MB

Sapphire, emerald, ruby and diamond jabot pin, 1930s (est. £7,000-9,000)

2883x2882, 4MB

The Banks Diamond

3990x2993, 5MB

Thomas Hawker, Portrait of Mary Harvey (1629-1705) (est. £10,000-15,000)

5500x6917, 9MB

Tri-coloured brooch, designed as a Canadian maple leaf, presented to Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, during her visit in 1955 (est. £80-100)