A once in a lifetime sale

December 2, 2024 | Events | 4 minute read

The attics and cellars have been cleared and catalogued ahead of a sale of items next spring, offering the chance to acquire a piece of Holkham!

For most of us, the loft is a rarely ventured space to store unwanted items, held onto ‘just in case’ or out of sentimentality.

Holkham Hall’s attics and cellars are little different, except the forgotten treasures stored there have far greater interest. With the introduction of Holkham’s popular attic and cellar tours, the need to declutter these areas has given the Earl and Countess of Leicester an
opportunity to review items, many of which have been stored for centuries.

Working with the estate’s former Collections Co-ordinator, Katherine Hardwick, and Maria de Peverelli, Executive Chairman – Art Management of Stonehage Fleming which advises on management of Holkham’s collections, Lord and Lady Leicester have selected 450 lots which will be auctioned at Holkham on 11th February 2025. Among the items included in the sale are porcelain and china, silver, furniture, sculpture, pictures and prints from the late 18th and 19th centuries.

“I’m a natural hoarder,” says Lord Leicester, “but equally I realise how cathartic decluttering can be and that one shouldn’t be too sentimental about things. The attics and cellars are stuffed with items that are no longer in regular use. We want to create a clear space to enable tours to flow easily. We worked through the list in bite-sized pieces, category by category. Some were easy decisions to sell or keep, while others were more marginal. For example, I kept a really interesting torchiere stand table, which was in bad repair and listed to go, but
I noticed that the feet were sheep’s hooves and I thought that would have been something Coke of Norfolk might have commissioned or
been given, so we decided to keep it. We will spend some of the receipts of the sale on its restoration. I let go of an unusual 19th century bracelet of lion’s claws, set on a silver chain, which is intriguing and would make a great objet d’art in a frame. We want to attract interested purchasers who will love and cherish the items that they buy.”

A further consideration was to establish whether sale items have an historical importance. “Attic sales usually include a large volume of relatively inexpensive items,” says Maria. “We chose to work with Sworders as they are experienced in this type of sale and their record is
impressive. It was important to pick some items with a coat of arms and to select things that were used by the family on a daily basis, as people want to own a little bit of Holkham.”

Following their appointment, the Sworders team worked with Maria and Holkham’s Archivist, Lucy Purvis, to create the catalogue which
will accompany the sale. Guy Schooling, Sworders’ Chairman and Head of Art and Antiques, says the event is likely to attract international interest.

“It’s unusual to have a sale at a house, and holding it at Holkham provides a great opportunity to visit. Many bids are made online and there will be screens to display these as they come in, but with viewing over four days prior to the sale, the chance for catalogue holders to see items on display in The Lady Elizabeth Wing and Marble Hall will be unique.

“There are some interesting pieces including a number of 18th century plaster busts, which rarely come to market, a Regency giltwood firescreen in the manner of Thomas Chippendale the Younger and a group of marble fragments of a Roman sarcophagus relief from Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester’s grand tour.

These are really special things, but there are also many highly affordable pieces including clocks, Victorian china and plenty of furniture. As a collection, it gives an insight into the story of the house and there will be great interest from the USA, where collectors love the idea of a grand, aristocratic country home. Anyone can participate, whether they are in Burnham Market or Birmingham, Alabama and it will be fun to see what captures people’s imagination on the day.”

This article is taken from the Holkham Gazette (Autumn/Winter 2024), written and edited by Daska Davis. See the rest of the Gazette here.