| Description | A scarce copy of the complete sale catalogue of Queen Charlotte's collection of art, furniture, porcelain, jewels, coins, etc., sold by James Christie at his premises in May 1819. The sale was presented in three parts ('Oriental curiosities and porcelain', 7-10 May; 'Jewels, trinkets, plate', 17-19 May, 'Curiosities', 24-26 May) and raised an historic £51,598—a sum not matched at Christie's until the sale of the Duke of Buckingham's collection in 1848. George IV purchased several lots, including a state bed complete with chamber furnishings.
This volume was previously owned by the botanist and antiquary Dawson Turner (1775–1858), who annotated each day's sales with hammer prices and occasional notes of interest, and also inserted a contemporary coloured engraving by the satirist George Cruikshank (1792–1878). Reflecting the scandal and shame that the sale was felt to have brought upon the monarchy, Cruikshank depicts the late Queen's children 'disposing of their deceased mother's effects for the Benefit of the Creditors!!', with the Regent himself at the auctioneer's podium. |