Bulletin No. 61, Christmas 2023
Leading the list in our final website update of 2023 is a fine equestrian portrait of a chestnut charger identifiable from the initialled ‘BM’ horse blanket as the mount of Captain John Francis Burn-Murdoch, Adjutant, 1st (Royal) Dragoons. BM saw active service in the Second Afghan War (1878-1880) and the Egyptian War (1882) at Tel-el-Kebir. He afterwards commanded the Royals seconded to the Camel Corps for the Gordon Relief Expedition (1884-85) during which he was present at the Battles of Abu Klea and El Gubat. At Abu Klea, where Dervish fanatics broke the British square, he was trapped beneath a wounded camel and saved himself by shooting four spear-wielding ‘Fuzzy-Wuzzies’ with his revolver at uncomfortably close range. His charger’s portrait is an excellent example of its type possessing both decorative and historical interest.
1st (Royal) Dragoons - The Adjutant’s Charger ‘The Butt’, 1884
A glittering array of royal presentation items feature strongly across this latest update, and range from a bejewelled brooch created to mark the birth of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales in 1841 to a pair of cufflinks designed by the Duke of Edinburgh to mark his royal flying tour of eleven South American countries in 1962. Our cufflink selection further includes an exquisite pair in the art deco style by Cartier for Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902-1942).
No Bulletin would be complete in the wake of the recent Napoleon epic, without including a significant portrait of the onetime master of Europe. To this end we have included an over life-sized Neo-Classical marble herm form bust after the model by Antoine-Denis Chaudet (1763-1810) produced under the First Empire in the principality of Lucca and Massa-Carrara.
Guard-Mounting, St. James' Palace, 1790 & St. James’s Palace, 1939
Portrait of a Tenth Hussar by Dighton, 1804
Our Christmas opening times have been updated on the website, but in short we will be here as usual up until 6pm on Friday 22nd December, and open again on Wednesday the 27th. For those unable to get into town before Christmas the last courier postage dates are:
UK - Wednesday 20th December
Europe - Tuesday 19th December
North America - Tuesday 19th December
ROW - Monday 18th December
Merry Christmas,
James, Toby & George