LONDON.- Bonhams is to sell the contents of the historic French house, Château Villers-Helon, in a special sale on 30 June in London. The sale will also feature a carefully curated selection of pieces from the residence of a French aristocratic family.

Among the fascinating mix of paintings, furniture and objets d’art are:

• Trouville, le port by the 19th century painter Eugéne Boudin estimated at £40,000-60,000

• A large and impressive 17th century bronze Buddha from Thailand with an estimate of £10,000-15,000.

• An Italian mid 19th century carved giltwood and gesso console table £5,000-7,000

• An early 18th century large Rouen faience plate £12,000-18,000

• La Seine à Paris by the 20th century artist, Armand Guillaumin which is estimated at £30,000-60,000.

The Château Villers-Helon was built in 1135 by a Crusader Knight, Monseigneur Helon. Since then it has served as a Templar safe house; a home to French Royalty and nobility; a shoe factory and a billet for Prussian soldiers during the Franco-Prussian war and German forces in the First and Second World Wars.

Located 50 miles north east of Paris, the Château has played host to many important guests including Alexandre Dumas, the author of the Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. He wrote of his time there, ‘’Villers-Helon was where I learned to fence, shoot and hunt, and do all the things that make you a man’’.

More recently Villers-Helon has been a cherished family home after the successful businessman, historian and collector, the late Monsieur Anthony Tirri restored the château and its grounds to their previous splendour with painstaking attention to historical details. His passion for Islamic and Native Weapons of Africa during the colonial era, on which he wrote the definitive work, is reflected in the sale.

Bonhams Director of House Sales and Private Collections, Charlie Thomas, who has assembled the sale, said, “Over recent years Bonhams has built a strong reputation for specialist in-house sales and this is one of the most intriguing. The compelling story of the Château and the aristocratic provenance of the curated collection make a perfect combination. With all lots under £3,000 being offered without reserve the sale provides a wonderful opportunity to own a piece of history.”