Stanley Baldwin Items take Prime Position in Mallams’ Upcoming Sales

Mallams is pleased to be bringing to auction a number of items from the estate of Edward Baldwin, grandson of Stanley Baldwin (1867-1947), the 1^st Earl of Bewdley and the three-times British Prime Minister during the 1920s and 30s.

Stanley Baldwin was from an extraordinary family which included Rudyard Kipling (Stanley’s first cousin) as well as the painters and designers Edward Burne-Jones and Edward Poynter (Stanley’s uncles).

Items from the estate will be featured across two sales - the 21 September Oxford Library Sale and the 12 October Picture Sale, both hosted by Mallams’ Oxford saleroom.

Included in the Oxford Library Sale are two red leather despatch boxes, previously owned by Baldwin, with ‘10 Downing Street’ to the top in gold lettering.  Lot 55, estimated at £4000-£6000, dates from the George V era and was manufactured by John Peck and Son. Lot 56 is an Edward VII, First Lord of the Treasury despatch box manufactured by Wickwar & Co and estimated at £3000-£5000.

Lot 53 is a striking bronze bust of Stanley Baldwin by the English sculptor Newbury Abbot Trent (1885-1953). Signed by the artist and dated 1927, it stands at 58cm high and is expected to achieve £2,000-£3,000.

Also in the Oxford Library Sale, and of interest to historical clothing collectors, is a court dress uniform worn by Baldwin, estimated at £300-£500 (lot 54). This lot comprises a sword, two bicornes, a dark blue velvet coat and breeches with polished steel buttons, a white silk waistcoat and a pair of cut steel shoe buckles.  Presented in a tin with a brass name badge for The Hon Arthur Howard.

Two pairs of black stockings (lot 60), once the property of Stanley’s cousin Rudyard Kipling (and with his name tag sewn in), are also an interesting lot, and carry an estimate of £80-£120.

Included in the 12 October Picture Sale are two portraits of Stanley Baldwin, including a charming painting of a youthful Baldwin dating from 1891, showing him holding a tennis racket and accompanied by a small dog. Painted and signed by Baldwin’s cousin, Philip Burne-Jones (1861-1926), this oil on panel work measures 43 x 33cm and is estimated at £6000-£8000.

A second oil on canvas portrait depicting Baldwin reading a newspaper, by John Seymour Lucas (1849-1923), is also featured in the 12 October sale and carries an estimate of £3000-£5000.

To find out more about the Baldwin collection, please contact Rupert Fogden at rupert@mallams.co.uk

All prices are subject to a 30% buyers' premium (VAT inclusive).