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David Little's interest in pewter began in 1975 when the Littles bought The Manor House, Bramcote, described in Pevsner (Buildings of England- Nottinghamshire, 1951 ) as 'one of the best brick-built buildings in Nottinghamshire'. The surviving will and inventory of the first occupant, Henry Hanley, dated 5 June 1600, revealed a full inventory of pewter, as well as oak furniture and other valuables. The Littles extensively restored and refurbished The Manor House with appropriate items of the period using the Hanley inventory as a guide. Christie's successfully sold the contents of The Manor House, Bramcote in May 2001 in these rooms and is now delighted to offer David's Important Collection of Early English Pewter, arguably the finest ever to come to auction. The Collection was assembled over many years with the help and advice of several leading specialist dealers, with the first pieces being purchased from Keith Hockin at his Nottingham shop. David then formed a close friendship with Peter Hornsby who advised and helped in the formation of the majority of the collection until his retirement, and then subsequent help coming from David Moulson. From the start David decided to collect only the best and rarest 16th and 17th century pieces by finding highly provenanced and unique items of exceptional quality. Deliberately, the collection has only one or two pieces of each form, size or capacity and the collection has been periodically refined. Some of the outstanding lots in this sale include the Queniborough Flagons by Samuel Billings of Coventry, inscribed 1685 and referred to in the parish accounts of the same year; unique and rare 16th and 17th century candlesticks; exceptional early pear-shaped flagons; two broad- rim plates with direct connections to Sir Francis Drake and Sir Edward Lake who fought for Charles 1 at Edgehill; Royal portrait flat-lid tankards, beaker and porringer; the flagon and plate of Sir John Fryer, only one of three men to be both Master of The Worshipful Company of Pewterers and Lord Mayor of London; and the unique charger with engraved Hunting Scenes which has for many years held the world record auction price for a piece of English pewter. The importance of provenance is well understood today and many of the lots offered have come from well-known collections including Michaelis, Sutherland Graeme, Minchin, Isher, Mundey, Peal, Holt and Bradshaw. Many have featured in specialist journals and books, including Peter Hornsby Pewter of the Western World, 1983. David has always pursued an open-door policy at home and the collection has been accessible to fellow enthusiasts and specialist societies. Loan Exhibitions have included the highly successful Pewter: a Celebration of the Craft 1200-1700 at the Museum of London (1989), with contributions to an Exhibition at the Tudor Kitchens, Hampton Court Palace (1992-1993), Pewter and the British Monarchy at Harvard House Pewter Museum, Stratford (2002) and the V&A Gothic Art for England Exhibition (2003-2004). David has not been able to display the collection appropriately since moving to a cottage near Stratford-Upon-Avon and the decision has been taken to offer this outstanding collection to other discerning collectors. Simon Green, March 2007.

AN ENGLISH LATTEN SEAL TOP SPOON

CIRCA 1600

Details

AN ENGLISH LATTEN SEAL TOP SPOON
CIRCA 1600
With the makers mark of a fleur-de-lys in the bowl
6in. (15.3cm.)

Literature

Hilton Price, Old Base Metal Spoons, p.37.

Special notice

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