PREVIEW: JEWELLERY, WATCHES, SILVER & OBJECTS OF VERTU: 26 NOVEMBER

Noonans’ exhibition in October showcased silver and jewellery by Louis Osman, in particular THE JENKINS FAMILY COLLECTION, a highly significant personal collection of silver and jewellery commissioned by Maurice and Dorothy Jenkins in the 1970s/80s.

Now that collection and further Osman highlights from different properties will be included in this 26 November auction. It brings together 16 lots by Louis Osman, presenting a rare opportunity to acquire a piece by one of the 20th century’s most important goldsmith designers.

Alongside The Jenkins Family Collection, further Osman pieces include a stunning citrine and green enamel shamrock pendant necklace, made in 1967 during the time when Osman was working at Canons Ashby in Northamptonshire. The pendant comprises a golden oval-cut citrine within a gold wrap-around setting of overlapping apple green enamelled shamrock leaves, and is suspended from a shamrock decorated long chain necklace. The enamelling was done by Louis’ wife, Dilys.

The pendant necklace featured in ’Explosion, Talent today: The 650th birthday of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths 1327-1977’, an exhibition held in December 1977, where this piece was listed as Exhibit no. 216. and illustrated in the catalogue. A copy of this exhibition catalogue is included with this lot.

Photographs of paperwork associated with the 1977 Exhibition list the original owner of the shamrock necklace as Mrs Audrey Congreve of Westering, Yeomans Lane, Newtown, Newbury, Berkshire. The necklace is estimated to fetch £20,000-£30,000.

Osman is best known for the creation of the Prince of Wales Investiture Crown, designed for the 1969 ceremony in Carnarvon, for HRH Prince Charles (now King Charles III). Two exquisite framed watercolour and pencil studies by Osman, preparatory sketches for this crown, are included in the November auction. The two drawings of the orb and arch details are both gilt heightened and annotated, and initialled ‘LO’ to the bottom right corner. They are presented within a maroon card mount and gilt frame, with hand-written provenance details verso. They carry an auction guide of £1,500-£2,000.

Louis Osman gave these sketches to Peggy Kitson in the 1980s. Peggy was a cousin of Dilys Roberts, whom Louis had married in 1940. The sketches passed to Peggy’s son Peter after her death in 2004.

A further opportunity to acquire artworks by Osman on a more modest scale is a mixed lot of personal Christmas cards, invitations and correspondence between Osman and his client / friend Branton Streeton, two copies of the printed catalogue for the OSMAN Exhibition of May 1974 at Canons Ashby, and further paper cuttings. These are grouped together as a single lot and estimated at £100-200.