London – This July, Bonhams celebrates Classics Week in London with five exceptional sales spanning Antiquities, Old Master Paintings, Fine and Decorative Art, Fine Clocks, and 500 Years of European Ceramics. Running from 1–3 July at New Bond Street, the series showcases museum-quality pieces drawn from distinguished private collections and estates. Kicking off Classics Week is a special collaboration and installation with 8Holland Street, viewing open 27 June. From a Cycladic marble figure formerly owned by Harvard professor Nelson Goodman to a monumental Sèvres vase exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1889, this year's offerings span millennia and represent the highest levels of craftsmanship, historical significance, and aesthetic impact.

Nette Megens, Bonhams Director of Decorative Art and Head of European Ceramics, commented: "These sales represent the very best of what Classics Week is all about, remarkable objects, exceptional provenance, and timeless appeal. From important Old Master paintings and rare antiquities to museum-quality design and European ceramics, this season'soffering is one of our strongest yet. We're excited to share it with collectors and new audiences alike."

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FINE DECORATIVE ART

1 July, New Bond Street Leading the sale is Eve after the Temptation , a patinated bronze figural group by Robert Wiedeman 'Pen' Browning (1849–1912), offered with an estimate of £60,000 – 80,000.

The final version of this monumental sculpture—previously known only through its plaster model—was recently rediscovered in a villa outside Venice. Browning, son of poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, trained under Rodin and was known for his realist approach, working from life models and even his pet python. This sculpture presents Eve after the Fall, sensual, introspective, and psychologically charged, marking an important rediscovery in Anglo-Italian sculpture.

Other highlights include:

• A George III Indian rosewood, fustic, tulipwood, stained sycamore and marquetry secretaire chest, dating to circa 1775. This important Neoclassical piece of furniture was made by Thomas Chippendale , one of the most widely celebrated and rightly revered cabinet makers of all time. It is offered with an estimate of £70,000-100,000.

• An important Louis XV ormolu mounted Japanese lacquer and Parisian varnish serpentine commode by Jacques Dubois (1694-1763) Circa 1745. Offered with an estimate of £60,000-90,000

• A monumental Victorian silver and parcel-gilt 'Battle of Bosworth Field' presentation vase Charles Frederick Hancock, London 1866, rim of base stamped CF HANCOCK 39 BRUTON STREET LONDON Ɔ44. Offered with an estimate of £30,000-50,000

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OLD MASTER PAINTINGS

2 July, New Bond Street Among the highlights is George Gower's Portrait of Sir Edward Monins of Waldershare (1575) , estimate: £200,000 – 300,000 . Depicting a newly knighted aristocrat and close associate of Queen Elizabeth I, the portrait is a masterclass in Elizabethan iconography and symbolism. Painted in 1575, this richly detailed work is a rare example of Gower's early career and a powerful symbol of status, allegiance, and royal favour at the height of Elizabeth I's reign.

Other notable works include:

• Single-Masters near a Shore in a Calm by Jan van de Cappelle, estimate: £300,000 – 500,000

• Portrait of Captain Sir John Jervis, later 1st Earl of St Vincent, in full-dress uniform, standing in a coastal landscape with the fleet in the distance by Gilbert Stuart, estimate: £100,000 – 150,000

• William and Mary Young seated on a parapet in parkland by Johann Joseph Zoffany, estimate: £200,000 – 300,000

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FINE CLOCKS

2 July, New Bond Street A standout of the Fine Clocks sale is alate 17th-century quarter repeating bracket timepiece by Thomas Tompion , London, No. 93, circa 1686, offered with an estimate of £60,000 – 80,000. Believed to have belonged to the Empress Dowager Cixi of China, this clock exemplifies Tompion's pioneering skill and international prestige.

Also featured:

• An exceptionally large, fine and rare late 16th/early 17th century gilt engraved brass Central European horizontal table clock with portrait medallions commemorating Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and his wife Anne of Bohemia . The backplate punched G.I.G * in a shield. Offered with an estimate of £100,000-150,000.

• A rare early 19th century brass inlaid mahogany striking mantel clock with Certificate, sold on the '5th day of Complémentaire an 10' (22nd September 1802) to Madamme de Praslin for 600 francs by Abraham Louis Breguet, number 1203. Offered with the estimate of £15,000-20,000

• A fine and rare 'Atmos du Millénaire' with 1000-year calendar, month and phases of the moon. Sold 22 December 2000, in the original box, with papers Jaeger LeCoultre, No. 696579, Caliber 556. Circa 2000. With an estimate of £8,000-12,000.

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ANTIQUITIES

3 July, New Bond Street Spanning the ancient world, the Antiquities sale is led by a Cycladic marble figure, Early Spedos type, dating to 2700–2300 B.C., estimate: £60,000–80,000.

Formerly part of the collection of Professor Nelson Goodman , the sculpture is arefined example of early Aegean abstraction. Further highlights include: • Arare Canaanite bronze female deity of striking presence and scale, circa 1600–1500 B.C. Estimate: £3,000 – 5,000

• Greek marble head of abearded deity from the collection of American writer Gore Vidal. Estimate: £20,000 – 30,000

• Roman bronze figure of Aphrodite from a private English collection from an English private collection. Estimated at £15,000 – 20,000

• A 9th–10th century Sahidic Coptic apocryphal parchment leaf relating to the Crucifixion once in the renowned collection of Maurice Nahman. Estimate: £10,000 – 15,000 500 YEARS OF EUROPEAN

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CERAMICS

3 July, New Bond Street Topping the ceramics sale is a monumental Sèvres vase (vase de Nîmes), dated 1888 , exhibited at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, estimate: £80,000–120,000 . Standing at 147cm high and signed by Emile Belet, it features naturalist bird motifs influenced by Japonism and demonstrates the technical mastery of the Sèvres factory.

Other highlights include:

• An important pair of royal portrait gold-ground porcelain armorial vases, circa 1827, attributed to Raffaele Giovine, circa 1827, estimate: £40,000–60,000

• A rare polychrome Dutch Delftware figure of asmiling Budai or Budai Heshang , circa 1700-1725, estimate: £12,000–18,000

• A Sèvres part dinner service, with feuilles de choux decoration, various dates (1780-1799), estimate: £7,000–10,000

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SPECIAL INSTALLATION: 8 HOLLAND STREET x BONHAMS

27 June – 3July, New Bond Street

To mark Classics Week, Bonhams has partnered with design gallery 8Holland Street , founded by Tobias Vernon, to present a special foyer installation at New Bond Street. Known for his non-hierarchical and intuitive method of layering objects from different eras and styles, Vernon will create a richly textured interior using a playful mix of historic pieces from Bonhams' Classics Week auctions and modern design and decorative objects from 8 Holland Street's own collection. The installation will be on display from the 27 June. Tobias Vernon, founder of 8Holland Street said. "Imagine what it might be like to live among a collection where every piece tells a story, and the overall atmosphere is greater than the sum of its parts. We're not interested in matching or formality—we're interested in relationships, contrast, and storytelling,"

(Press Release)