LONDON.- In Christie’s second Sunday Sale of the year on 20 March 2011 two distinguished private collections will be offered for sale: The Collection of the late Lady King of Wartnaby and Property of the late Amanda Caroline Severne of Shakenhurst. The Sunday Sales offer an increasingly popular opportunity for collectors to view and bid at their leisure over the weekend, and choose from a wide range of antique treasures and furnishings at affordable prices. Loved for generations by their respective owners, the two hundred items in the upcoming sale range from a pair of George V octagonal silver sugar casters, with a pair of sauceboats (estimate: £300-500) to a bronze group of a Cossack hunter with two borzoi cast by C.F. Woerffel after the model by Vasilii Grachev, 1877 (estimate: £15,000-20,000). The sale as a whole is expected to realize in excess of £270,000.

Property of the late Lady King of Wartnaby (1926-2010)
The first section of the sale is offered from the collection of the late Lady King of Wartnaby, who made a name for herself, as Isabel Monckton, during the 1960s as a stylish interior designer, running a successful Interiors Design company on the King’s Road, London. She advised clients about quality, colour, and attention to detail – all qualities showcased in her own home. The third daughter of George Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount Galway, she married Lord King of Wartnaby (then Baron) in 1970. Lord King was later made a Life Peer in 1983 by Margaret Thatcher, and held the position of Chairman at British Airways from 1993 to 1997. Home-owners can imitate the elegant style of Lady King by bidding on property selected by her discerning eye for both Wartnaby House near Melton Mowbray, and their London residence in Chelsea. Highlights from her collection include a black lacquer chinoiserie-decorated two-tier occasional table, early 20th century, bearing a later label from Apartment 6, Kensington Palace (estimate: £600-800); a portrait attributed to Michael Dahl (1659-1743) of Henri de Massue, Marquis de Ruvigny, 1st Earl of Galway (estimate: £7,000 - 10,000); and a low countries polychrome decorated and embossed leather six leaf screen, 18th century (estimate: £2,000 - 3,000).

Property of the late Amanda Caroline Severne of Shakenhurst (1954-2008)
Steeped in history as well as Royal and aristocratic connections, Shakenhurst was granted to Amanda Severne’s direct ancestors by Edward III in 1349 for services rendered overseas. The Meysey-Wigley Severne occupation of Shakenhurst was left unbroken for over three-quarters of a millennium, and this is the first time that many of the items on offer have ever been on the market. Highlights from the collection which once filled the stately halls of the Worcestershire mansion include a group of Old Master Pictures, the star piece being a portrait by the studio of Peter Lely of Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth (estimate: £8,000-12,000). On offer will also be a number of decorative objects including a Worcester (Flight) armorial part dessert-service, circa 1785-1815, painted with the arms of Wigley of Shakenhurst (estimate: £6,000-10,000). In addition, there is a selection of fine furniture pieces such as a set Regency parcel-gilt and grained rosewood beech seat furniture, early 19th century (estimate: £5,000-8,000).

Public Viewing: Friday 18 March: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Saturday 19 March:11.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday 20 March: 11.00am – 11.30am
Auction: Sunday, 20 March 2011 at 11.30am
Ecatalogue: Available online

* Prices do not include buyers’ premium *