Hamish MacDuff | Christie's

The following two Lots have been donated by Colour Box Miniatures and will be sold to raise funds for SOCIETY OF STARS Celebrity support for children and adults with cerebral palsy THE SOCIETY OF STARS achieved charitable status in November 1995 - the result of the vision of personalities of the UK who wished to focus their charitable efforts in a manner that accommodates their professional lives through their own organisational skills. The Charity's Trustees include Frederick Forsyth (Chairman), Bob Monkhouse OBE, Michael Grade, George Layton and Ricard O'Brien, and a number of luminaries from the world of commerce including John Goldcrown (Treasurer), Charles Gooch and Jock Gallagher. The Countess Alexander of Tunis is the organisation's first President and David Jacobs CBE,DL is Honorary Vice President and Life Member. Membership currently numbers 166 including 118 Star Members and 48 Corporate and Associate Members. Members commit to a 'Labour of Love' a year, on behalf of the Charity and Ringo Starr and his giant panda are key supporters of the Colour Box/Society of Stars partnership. Ringo, along with his lovely wife, Barbara Bach, were two of the first celebrities to commit to working for the Society and its important aims - To raise funds for children and adults with cerebral palsy and similar disabilities. Wherever Ringo and Barbara happen to be in the world they always find time to respond to the Society's requests, indeed, their decision to lend The Chairman of the Board to become the first limited edition piece of the Celebrity bears Project, was made whilst they were in the United States. Such understanding of the importance of the Society's work and appreciation of the need to respond, makes the Society of Stars a unique organisation. Each Member does what they can when they can, and the Society's success certainly relies on the Member's co-operation, as demonstrated by the success of the Celebrity Bear Collection. COLOUR BOX MINIATURES Peter Fagan trained at Colchester College of Art and taught for a while before taking a job as an assistant in an art studio. It was not long before he decided to branch out on his own. In 1973 Peter Fagan established a company called bronze Age Ltd from his own home in Lauder. he made miniature cold cast bronze figurines and sold them locally. The business progressed rapidly and Peter Fagan began to employ local people in the production process. By 1975 he employed 10 people in a local factory in Lauder and had a network of handpainters who worked from hoem to paint the miniatures. In 1983 he changed the medium of his sculptures to ceramic resin and hand-painted them. The new collection was then named Colour Box. The first collection was based upon the antics of his own pet cats in nostalgic and domestic settings. Humour plays an essential part in all Peter Fagan's sculptures. Approximately 80,000 Colour Box figurines are marketed weekly from the Lauder factory and are sold through some 3000 UK retailers as well as 25 countries worldwide. The Colour Box Collectors Club has been in existence since the mid 1980s. It began as many 'tiny acorns' with modest aspirations but soon developed into a thriving self-sustained organisation. It is currently recruiting members at the rate of one every eight minutes, throughout the working week, which is testimony to the popularity of these unique figurines. Any unique or Limited Edition Peter Fagan pieces are now greatly sought after by collectors who acknowledge the value of such items in the collections.

Hamish MacDuff

Details

Hamish MacDuff
a Blackwatch bear, with gingerbread English mohair, black glass boot button eyes, fully jointed, suedette pads, hi-loft polyester stuffing and leather ear tag, dressed in wool blackwatch tartan clothes --16in. (41cm.) tall, 1996; and Colour Box miniature likeness

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Lot Essay

BLACKWATCH BEARS
Blackwatch Bears is a partnership producing award-winning hand made, artist bears of the highest quality. The limited edition bears, which are highly sought after by collectors, are sold through selected retail outlets and at specialist fairs and exhibitions. Although only established in July 1995, Blackwatch Bears have already broken into Japan which promises to be a major export market. The business currently employs three full time and one part time member of staff. Blackwatch Bears' main objectives are to make sure that as production goes up, the quality doesn't go down; and to give their customers the most original bears on the market.

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