An array of period and fine modern taxidermy will be coming under the hammer in 7th August Natural History and Taxidermy Sale at Tennants Auctioneers. The sale will include three good Private Collections, and opening the sale will be the Harold Soar Collection. Soar was born in Ticknall, south Derbyshire, and was an avid collector from an early age, having grown up surrounded by his family’s taxidermy specimens. He collected throughout his life, from both auctions and local taxidermists, and he had a keen interest in local and family history. Highlights of his collection include A Large Late Victorian Diorama of Sea and Estuary Birds, made circa 1880-1900 (estimate: £500-700 all figures exclude buyer’s premium), A Victorian Cased Pair of Eurasian Bitterns by John Sayer of Norwich (estimate: £450-650), and A Cased Late Victorian King Charles’ Spaniel “Charlie”, made circa 1860-1880 (estimate: £500-700). “Charlie”, according to legend, lived in the Wheel Inn, Ticknall, learned to collect coins that had fallen into the sawdust covering the floor and remove them to the garden to be retrieved later by the landlord. One fatal day, Charlie ran up the garden path, and the landlord, John Mason, through a stick for him to retrieve; sadly, it struck Charlie on the head, which proved fatal.
The second collection in the sale is a Private Collection of cases mounted by David Keningale, a notable taxidermist working in Warwickshire. Highlights of the collection include A Cased Mandarin Duck, late 20th century (estimate: £350-450), and A Cased European Barn Owl, dated 1996 (estimate: £250-350). The final collection is a Private Collection of cases by Colin Dunton, who operates in Marlborough, Wiltshire. Notable lots include A Cased Diorama of Mandarin Ducks, 2001 (estimate: £600-800), and A Diorama of Red-Legged Partridge, 1997 (estimate: £500-700).
Outstanding pieces from other vendors in the sale include A Bengal Tiger, circa early 20th century, attributed to Theobald Bros, Naturalists and Taxidermists, Mysore, India (estimate: £7,000-10,000), and A Cased Bearded Vulture or Lammergeier, 2024, by Carl Church, Pickering, North Yorkshire (estimate: £8,000-10,000).
Also of interest will be A New Zealand North Island Brown Kiwi, early 20th century (estimate: £2,000-3,000), A Large Cased Resplendent Quetzal, circa early 20th century (estimate: £4,000-6,000), and A Golden Eagle Attacking a Scottish Wildcat, circa 2003 by Eric Morton (estimate: £1,800-2,500). Amongst the natural history lots in the sale is a Large Collection of European and World Butterflies, Moths & Insects, dating from the mid-20th to early 21st century (estimate: £1,500-2,500), and An African Hippopotamus Skull, early 20th century (estimate: £1,000-1,500).
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