Whilst not strictly a gun or shooting related auction, the catalogue of the Dunrobin Attic Sale is well worth a peruse. The attics and cellars at Dunrobin Castle, the family seat of the 25th Earl of Sutherland, have been cleared out and their contents are up for auction with Bonhams.
A “jewel in the crown of the Highlands”, Dunrobin Castle is the most northerly of Scotland’s great houses and the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. It is also one of Britain’s oldest continuously inhabited houses dating back to the early 1300s. As you can imagine, the generations of family members who have lived there have built up quite the collection of objects and artefacts.
Bonhams states that “a decluttering of its attics and cellars has yielded treasures ranging from paintings, portraits and historic photographs to picture frames, marble sculptures, crested dinner services, and an array of fascinating objects from the castle’s kitchen.”
Mary Miers, the architectural writer and author of Highland Retreats; the Architecture and Interiors of Scotland’s Romantic North, wrote of the objects in the winter edition of Bonhams Magazine: “They represent a fascinating time capsule of domestic operations on a Downton Abbey scale. Maids’ bedrooms tucked into the eaves of the earlier ranges had been reconfigured to become porcelain stores, with rows of footbaths, floral jugs and washbasins, chamber pots and piles of crested dinner services, all jostling for space with meat domes, tiered oyster holders and untold numbers of copper vessels and glass carafes. The forthcoming Dunrobin Attic Sale offers an opportunity to own some of these glorious objects – tangible reminders of an astonishing château in the wilds that encapsulates stirring history, unbridled wealth and the romanticism of the Highlands.”
Charlie Thomas, Director of House Sales, commented:”The Dunrobin Attic Sale provides a glorious opportunity to purchase a piece of history from one of Scotland’s grandest and most historic castles. Many of the items have been hidden away in Dunrobin Castle for generations and never been seen on the open market before. They provide a wonderful snapshot of what it was like to live both upstairs – and downstairs – in the Highlands’ premier ducal palace.”
Although there are a lot of treasures that are unrelated to guns or shooting, there are a few that wouldn’t look out of place in your gun room: LOT 169, a Late 19th century taxidermy mounted tiger skin rug by Rowland Ward; LOT 175, three early 20th century mahogany cartridge-loaders; LOT 218, a Victorian satinbirc and parcel gilt estate filing cabinet; LOT 380, a rare pair of Scottish all-metal flintlock pistols gifted by the 18th Earl of Sutherland to Captain Jas. Sutherland in 1763.
Browse through the auction catalogue below or see more on the Bonhams website HERE.
