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WESTERN MORNING NEWS SATURDAY OCTOBER 6 2012 ANTIQUES & WORKS OF ART 23WMN-E01-S322 ANTIQUES & WORKS OF ART SATURDAY OCTOBER 6 2012 WESTERN MORNING NEWSWMN-E01-S3

Breezy day off port ofPlymouth painted bylittle-known son of city

A marine painting by a little-known19th century artist who lived inpoverty in Plymouth is going underthe hammer in a Westcountry auc-tion house next week.

The oil painting by William Gib-bons, March Day Off Plymouth, isbeing sold at auction at Lawrencesauctioneers in Crewkerne, Somerset,on Friday.

“It is a nice bracing marine pic-t u re, ” said Richard Kay, paintingsexpert at Lawrences.

William Gibbons lived in Plymouthand painted the seascapes off Ply-mouth Sound and the Hoe. He had arelatively short life, dying aged 45in 1886, and his work languished inobscurity until fairly recently.

But dealer Robin Small, who hasput the painting into the auction,believes Gibbons’ work has beenvastly underrated.

Robin, who named his companyWilliam Gibbons Fine Art after theartist, says the 1876 painting – 22.5cmby 18cm and signed by the artist –showed the painter’s skill at captur-ing a breezy day at sea.

“I think he has great powers ofo b s e r vat i o n , ” he says. “He is good atcapturing the movement of the sea,which is always tricky.

“You can spot a bad marine paint-ing, because often the waves look tooharsh.”

He said that the painting, estimatedto fetch £350-£450, also shows thear tist’s skill at painting figures of

people, in the men in the boat in thefore g round.

“This one is particularly fine,” hesays. “Very often second-rate paint-ers can’t paint people very well, buthere we have got these three chaps inthe pilot cutter, the little boat in theforeground, and they are very wello b s e r ve d . ”

He said he had put the painting intoa Westcountry auction in the hopethat a local art gallery might be inter-ested – there are several WilliamsGibbons paintings in the collection atPlymouth Museum and Art Gallery.

Robin explained: “We named ourcompany after him because what wespecialise in is neglected artists whowe think should be reevaluated.”

March Day off Plymouth is up for auction on Friday,October 12, at Lawrences, South Street, Crewkerne,TA18 8AB.

‘Gibbonsis good atcapturingthemovementof the sea,which isalwaystricky’

Observational skills give a refreshingnew take on the everyday of seaside lifeTHE ART ROOM, TOPSHAM

The paintings of Robert Organ are asrefreshing as the sea breezes thatblow through them.

It is no surprise that the artist’snew paintings are made from hisimmediate surroundings in Pen-zance, for it has ever been his practiceto respond to what he sees dailyaround him.

An exhibition of his latest work, AYear In Penzance, is at The Art Roomin Topsham from tomorrow untilNovember 4.

Here the viewer can enjoy his keenobservational skills and ability tocapture scenes of daily life in a re-freshingly engaging style.

His new works reflect a preoccu-pation with the groups and move-ments of people in the glitteringspace of the seafront, the flutteringpennants above the promenade, andthe street lamps complicating the nat-ural light.

Organ offers us not a represent-ational fait-accompli, but an exper-ience which challenges our lookingand our thinking.

A marine painting by aforgotten artist is to besold, reports SarahPitt

William Gibbons’ oilpainting ‘March Dayoff Plymouth’, above,will go under thehammer at Lawrences,Crewkerne, on Friday

Rare silver christening giftsurvived the Civil War

LAWRENCES, CREWKERNE

A fine silver Apostle spoon made inBarnstaple when Charles I was on thethrone and the town was a bustlingport has surfaced at Somerset auc-tion house Lawrences, writes SarahPitt.

Auction house silver expert AlexButcher said he was excited by therare lot, which might well have beengiven as a gift at a child’s christening,nearly 400 years ago.

The spoon features a gilt figure ofSt Peter, one of Christ’s apostles, onthe end of its handle, and is in ex-cellent condition given its age. It hasa guide price of £1,700 to £2,000, andwill be auctioned by Lawrences nextT u e s d ay.

It is the maker’s mark on the backof the spoon’s stem which links it tothe North Devon port – it is believedto be that of Robert Mathew of Barn-staple, who was making silverware inthe town in the 1630s.

“Apostle spoons were christeningpresents and sometimes they werealso given for weddings,” said Alex.“A family might also have a set of 12apostles plus Christ, but you will onlyfind them singly now.”

“Often we don’t really now thestory behind them, but Barnstaplewas quite a busy port in terms ofshipping in the early 17th century,and there were lots of wealthy mer-chants in the town, so that gave riseto quite a few little silversmithingc e n t re s.

“Apostle spoons are very collect-able and quite scarce, particularlywhen you get to the pre-Civil Warperiod.”

Many valuables disappeared in theturmoil of Civil War in the 1640s, butspoons sometimes survived, saidAlex, because they could be easilysecreted in a pocket or amongp ap e r s.

There are a number of silverspoons from the 1630s up for auction

on Tuesday at the Crewkerne auctionhouse, all part of a private collection.The Apostle spoon from Barnstaple isa particularly special piece. “It is avery well-made spoon, and wouldhave been made for someone withquite a lot of money at the time,” saidAlex. He said the spoon could easilyfetch as much as £3,000.

While Apostle spoons rarely comeup in auctions, he said they did sell aBarnstaple spoon, “a very good one”,about six months ago for £13,000. “Itwas engraved all over and made ofsilver gilt, and as made by John andPeter Quick, who had a workshop inthe town and made fabulous-qualityt h i n g s. ”

He added: “It was interesting thatthere was a demand to these kinds ofthings, because most of the popu-lation were struggling.”

Lawrences’ silver auction takes place on Tuesday withfurther auctions from Wednesday to Friday. Visitwww.lawrences.co.uk.

Ship’s bell fromHMS Boyne willdraw keen biddingCHARLES MILLER LTD, LONDON

The bell from the River Class des-troyer HMS Boyne, 1905, discoveredoff the Cornish coast, carries an es-timate of £1,000 to £1,500.

Featuring in Charles Miller Ltd’smaritime memorabilia auction onOctober 31, the bell was recovered bya man living in Hartley, Plymouth.

It has a moulded rim and shoulder,and is inscribed ‘H.M.S. Boyne 1905.’There is an associated clapper andknot-work pull.

The businessman, whose hobbywas diving, found the bell buried inthe sand during a dive in 1988 in theRame Head area. After dislodging it,he took all 35lb of it back to thesurface using lifting bags.

He received a letter from the Min-istry of Defence giving him permis-sion to keep it – and this letter is alsoincluded in the lot.

The vendor, who now lives inFrance, lived in Plymouth for 25years. He kept the bell on his officefloor as it was too heavy to put any-where else!

Contact Charles Miller Ltd, London for more informationon 0207 806 5530. The sale is on October 31 at 25Blythe Road, London W14 0PD.

The silver Apostlespoon, dating fromthe 1600s, which wasmade in Barnstaple,above, and, inset,figure of St Peter onthe handle and themaker’s mark on theback. Other lots beingauctioned next weekinclude, from far left,a Magic Lamp by AlanDavie, a bronzeJapanese pikeman,and a walnutseaweed marquetrylongcase clock

William Gibbons was a marine artist who lived in Plymouth induring the 19th century. His paintings are being rediscovered, andinclude this study of the Eddystone Lighthouse off Plymouth on astormy day, auctioned some time ago by Plymouth Auction Rooms

Detail of one of Robert Organ’s new paintings

Coins,Medals,Arms &Armour& Sporting GunsValuationsTuesday 9 October 201210am to 1pmBonhams' specialists will be visitingCornubia Hall to offer complimentaryauction valuations with a view toselling at Bonhams.

VenueCornubia Hall, Eastcliffe Road,Par, Cornwall, PL24 2AQ

By appointment only.

01726 814047julie.julian@bonhams.com

International Auctioneers and Valuers - bonhams.com/par©NM

Over 900 lots, inc. Pottery & porcelain inc. Coalport dessertservice, Lalique opalescent bowl & similar bowls, large

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stones, half sovereign, pocket & wrist watches, selection of silverinc. Art Nouveau purse, Antique furniture, Victorian dining table& chair sets, 19th Century yew crinoline Windsor chair, longcaseclocks, Edwardian desk, painted & stripped pine inc dressers &

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VIEW ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE ON LINE @www.jefferysauctions.co.uk

VIEWING - TUESDAY 9th OCTOBER10 am-1pm & 2pm - 5.15pm

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THE AUCTION ROOMS, LOSTWITHIELWEDNESDAY 10th OCTOBER @ 10AM