On Tuesday 5 & Wednesday 6 March, we are pleased to present the auction Drew Pritchard: The Collection. The auction celebrates the first 30 years of Drew Pritchard's career, with items that he has collected over this period.
On leaving school at sixteen, Drew began a seven year apprenticeship as a stained glass restorer and conservator working on national monuments, ecclesiastical buildings and private houses. During this time, he garnered extensive knowledge and experience in multiple areas and disciplines. In 1993, Drew left the workshop at aged 23, and set up his own antique showroom and restoration company, mainly focusing on architectural antiques. His background training enabled him to continue his path of collecting, dealing and restoring and he quickly became a prominent name in that world. The last thirty years have seen Drew continually evolve and he has become a highly influential antique dealer.
Here, Drew picks out some of his favourite pieces from his collection.
No. 1
Lot 8: A large Victorian stained glass window, possibly by Daniel Cottier, second half 19th century | Est. £3,000-4,000 (+ fees)
"This is a piece I’ve owned for many years. It has a naivety and subtlety to it that I adore. It captures a moment between the pre-Raphaelite and Arts & Crafts movements."
No. 2
Lot 19: P Monaco, a monumental verdigris patinated bronze bust of a man, Italian, 20th century | Est. £3,000-5,000 (+ fees)
"I found this in a salvage yard in Italy. It was quite a magical experience being able to purchase something of such grand scale and pomposity of someone who was once clearly very grand but ended up sitting under an olive tree in Southern Italy. Now taking him out of context he has a sort of benevolence."
No. 3
Lot 140: Eileen Gray, A 'No 71' desk lamp, produced by Jumo, Paris, circa 1935-40 | Est. £400-600 (+ fees)
"These lamps have been a staple of any interior I’ve put together in the last 20 years. I adore everything about it. The scale, the colour, the originality but most of all the story, bravery and talent of Mrs Gray herself."
No. 4
Lot 401: A large and impressive pair of Portuguese carved giltwood architectural elements, Porto, first quarter 18th century | Est. £6,000-8,000 (+ fees)
"Some pieces just have a resounding presence, and these certainly do. Carved in high relief from a single tree trunk at the beginning of the 18th century under a Portuguese sky and then forgotten about since the 1980s in a small apartment in Lisbon. They resonate the awe inspiring power that they were designed to give off all of those hundreds of years ago as they were attached to an unknown and now lost Cathedral altar wall in Porto."
No. 5
Lot 153: The Scone Palace Gothic Bed, a gothic revival oak double bed frame designed by William Atkinson, early 19th century | Est. £8,000-12,000 (+ fees)
"This bed has everything you’re looking for. A fabulous house. An important architect. The unknown quantity that is the Lords, Ladies, rogues and heroes who must have slept here."
No. 6
Lot 128: Y A rare pair of Regency exotic rosewood, oak, ebonised and brass mounted bedside cabinets, circa 1820 | Est. £10,000-15,000 (+ fees)
"I’ve only ever seen two pairs of these and they are of the most wonderful quality, exceptionally rare singularly but as a pair almost unheard of. Useful, handsome; all they need is a pair of bedside lights and a good book to finish them off."
No. 7
Lot 69: A large carved stone heraldic lion, 17th century or earlier | Est. £3,000-5,000 (+ fees)
"I feel this wonderful little beast should now be brought in from the cold and enjoyed inside. The naivety of the carving and the slight tilt of the head give it a humanity that I found incredibly endearing."
No. 8
Lot 110: Of world land and water speed record interest: a silver cigarette case, gifted by Malcolm Campbell to Monty Brinton, Frederick Field, Birmingham 1936 | Est. £5,000-8,000 (+ fees)
"Very much a moment captured in time. It’s so personal and clearly Mr Brinton meant something important to Malcolm Campbell. What his engineering contribution to the Mark II was we will never know but clearly of great worth to Mr Campbell."
No. 9
Lot 267: Y A Regency rosewood, simulated rosewood and penwork decorated folding table, in the manner of George Bullock, circa 1820 | Est. £1,500-2,000 (+ fees)
"A subtle yet beautifully drawn piece of English furniture in an exceptionally original state of preservation, lightly faded to the most beautiful hue. Its exceptional design and simplicity make it so useable in any interior."
No. 10
Lot 321: λ Louis Sinclair McNally (Scottish B. 1963), The Playhouse Cinema at Leith Walk, Oil on canvas, framed and glazed | Est. £600-800 (+ fees)
"A picture I loved the moment I saw it. It captures the brutalism of the building yet is softened by the wonderful vivid blue used for the roof. It reminds me of works by Edward Hopper. It feels like it was painted in the early morning or late evening and under the movement and shadows of a moody Edinburgh sky."
Tuesday 5 & Wednesday 6 March, 10.30am GMT
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE
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