LONDON.- One of the great figures of sporting art today, the gallerist Lindsey Knapp, is selling her collection at Halls after deciding to retire after 22 years through ill health.

The star of the December 7 sale will be a signed bronze sculpture by Joseph Edgar Boehm of a Suffolk Punch and Groom (c.1869), which is expected to make more than £10,000.

The doyenne of the Victoria Gallery, in Cholmondeley, Cheshire, Lindsey has specialised in sporting art and memorabilia from the mid-Victorian era to the present day and has a reputation for fine taste and a remarkable eye for quality.

The Victoria Gallery was the first port of call for anyone seeking beautiful and individual sporting gifts, where Lindsey would share her enthusiasm and knowledge of the art of horse, dog and hound. Specialising in original art, etchings, bronze sculptures, Swaine & Adeney whips, hunting horns and books, all of which are represented in the December 7 sale, as well as in Halls’ Antique and Interiors sale on November 9.

As well as being a collector herself, she has bought, sold and commissioned many ‘presentation works of art for legendary sporting events. These have included The Waterloo Cup, coursing’s premiere fixture, for which she commissioned a bronze sculpture from Paul Jenkins for the winner of final in 2005. The artist’s proof is just one of the historic items listed for sale here, estimated at £2,000-3,000.

Lindsey has a professional equine background who moved on to be at the cutting edge of equine sports injuries in 1980. She is a member of the Fine Art Trade Guild (FATG) and The British Sporting Art Trust (BSAT) and has exhibited regularly at major events. Her trade stand was highly regarded, winning many prizes including Best Trade Stand at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2007.

Estimates across the two Halls sales start at £50-70 for a Hermes ‘Springer Spaniel’ ashtray, rising through £600-800 for a Basil Nightingale hunting watercolour, up to the Boehm bronze.

“This is a remarkable offering from a unique figure who is well known and respected across the equine world, says Halls Director of Fine Art, Gerry Berwyn Jones.