A SET OF FIVE GEORGE III BROOKS CLUB IVORY GUINEA GAMING-TOKENS

Prospective purchasers are advised that several co… Read more

THE COMPLETE GEORGIAN 'The arrangements were strictly in accord with Georgian practice or what he conceived to be. The dining-room furniture was set against the walls, the drawing-room furniture with an inner and outer ring of chairs radiating from the fireplace. The few gas fittings that remained there were removed and the room hereafter was lit by the warm glow of lamplight or the waving flames of candles. Mantelpieces were arranged with clocks and cassolettes according to the illustrations in old books and he was zealous about the ornaments on the outside being taller than those in the middle 'Otherwise the mantelpiece mews at you' he commented, without saying exactly what 'mews' meant. Like every collector he had strong likes and dislikes but a bias towards anything architectural was paramount...' '...my grandfather acquired a sedan-chair, which he claimed had been made for the Fitzroy family...This was soon pressed into the service of his charades for it was complete in every detail... straps. Friends of the family were suitably attired and with my grandfather sitting inside, the whole party went on visits. When there was an evening at Sir Anthony's [Winfield] my mother went inside the sedan-chair' so as not to get her feet wet' and my grandfather strode out in front with a glowing lantern.' S. Houfe, The Professor

A SET OF FIVE GEORGE III BROOKS CLUB IVORY GUINEA GAMING-TOKENS

LATE 18TH/EARLY 19TH CENTURY, MOUNTED IN A TABLE SCREEN IN THE 19TH CENTURY

Details

A SET OF FIVE GEORGE III BROOKS CLUB IVORY GUINEA GAMING-TOKENS
LATE 18TH/EARLY 19TH CENTURY, MOUNTED IN A TABLE SCREEN IN THE 19TH CENTURY
Comprising: a brown stained token inscribed '25 Guineas' and '152 Brooks'; a red stained token inscribed '10 Guineas' and '22 Brooks'; a white token inscribed '5 Guineas' and 'BROOKS'S'; a white token inscribed 'GUINEA' and '74 BROOKS'S'; and a white token inscribed '1/2 GUINEA' and 'BROOKS'S', with velvet mount in a glazed fruitwood frame
10½ in. (27 cm.) high; 8¾ in. (22 cm.) wide

Provenance

Probably Collins and Clarke, Cambridge, where acquired.

Literature

A.E. Richardson, diary entry, 14 January 1956.

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Lot Essay

The historic London gentleman's club Brooks's, St. James's Street, initially named Almack's after the former owner of the Pall Mall tavern which became the club's first premises, was founded in 1764 by a group of Whig aristocrats, including the Duke of Roxburgh and the Duke of Portland. The club was renamed Brooks's after the wine merchant who managed the club and who commissioned Henry Holland to design the present premises in 1777. Brooks's has always been noted for its gaming and many fortunes have been staked in its barrel-vaulted subscription room where these tokens would have been used. Professor Sir Albert Richardson was a member of the club for many years and was responsible for its first female visitor, in what was then its 150 year history, when he reluctantly escorted Queen Mary on a tour of the building during the 1930s.

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