A Sordid Tale of The Destruction of a Great Collection
- by Michael Stillman
Our Time Is Fix'd was completely unknown until the 2001 discovery. It sold for $318,400.
Finally, in 2001, nineteen of the illustrations made their way to Caledonia Books in Glasgow. They came there, along with many books and other items, from descendants of Stennard. By then, no one had any idea of their worth. Somewhere along the line, the twentieth drawing was separated from the others, and it ended up in Paul Mellon's collection, and is now at Yale. It may well have been separated before the 1836 auction. However, the remaining nineteen stayed together.
It was at Caledonia Books that two Yorkshire booksellers, Paul Williams and Jeffrey Bates, stumbled upon them. They thought they might be significant, but were not certain. They took them to Dominic Winter, the auction house, which brought in experts. It was then discovered that these were Blake's original drawings, not just prints. While twelve were known from the 1808 printing of The Grave, the other seven were new. The nineteen were offered to the Tate, a British museum and gallery, with a great interest in Blake, for roughly $7 million. The Tate was given five months to raise the funds. They were unable to meet the deadline.
Meanwhile, things started to get ugly. Caledonia became aware of the value of the works taken by the Yorkshire booksellers and sued them, claiming they had been taken on approval, not sold. The parties settled in 2002, with Caledonia getting half and the Yorkshire booksellers splitting the other half. After the various booksellers resolved their dispute in November, they apparently scheduled another meeting with the Tate. However, at that point London art dealer Libby Howie stepped in, evidently offering a higher price, and grabbed the illustrations before the Tate could make another offer. Howie reportedly had been called in for an opinion during the lawsuit and must have seen an opportunity to make some serious dough off of the Blake collection. She rounded up cash from some unnamed private investor/s, whose interest was neither Blake, preservation, art, heritage, or anything like that. It was money, plain and simple. They saw an opportunity to make big bucks by inserting themselves in the transaction, and if that meant the destruction of a great collection or national treasure, so what? Let's all hope they really enjoy the Bentleys or whatever they buy with their profits, because the world of art and culture will pay mightily for their fleeting pleasure.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
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Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/00d5fd41-2542-4a80-b119-4886d4b9925f.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.")
