Weird and wonderful London sale

A London auction house will celebrate the ‘weird, the wonderful and everything in between’ in an upcoming sale later this month entitled From the Curious to the Extraordinary.

Marc Bolan death street sign
Original street sign of Gipsy Lane, Barnes, SW15 where the singer Marc Bolan lost his life in a car crash. Bolan was in a Mini driven by his girlfriend Gloria Jones, which struck a tree instantly killing the lead singer of T. Rex. The sign, measuring 20 x 74cm,  has various handwritten annotations from fans. Some wear and losses to paint. Estimated at £500 to £700

Chiswick Auctions‘ sale looks set to be the ultimate cabinet of curiosity, with a wide array of unusual lots lined up, including ex-museum exhibits, fossils, anatomical models, dioramas, automatons and all sorts of other strange objects and works of art.

A 19th-century African witch doctor's fetish
A 19th-century African witch doctor’s fetish/staff formed from monkey skeletal remains, estimated at £100 to £150

The catalogue is divided into the different themes such as ‘From the Mysterious to the Macabre’, ‘From the Sublime to the Ridiculous’ ‘From the Massive to the Miniature’ and other more general themes such as erotica and mystery clocks.

Alessandro Padovan's Elizabeth II
Alessandro Padovan, (b.1983) Elizabeth II, 2017, screw art, acrylic on bronzed screws tapped into board. Estimate of £500 to £700

The auction house said there is something for every buyer, whether they are seeking early works of art like 18th century treen, to contemporary and urban art.

A 1930s dog with moving eyes telling the time
A 1930s dog with moving eyes telling the time, estimated at £150 to £200

What unifies the 385 objects in the sale is that they are all unusual with striking visual appeal, and estimates vary from £80 to £15,000.

Robert Doisneau photograph
Robert Doisneau photograph of a flea circus, estimate of £200 to £300

The sale will also feature a collection of mystery and novelty clocks, for example a clock modelled as a moving light house, as well as a lock of Queen Victoria’s hair and a cabinet complete with an insect collection.

The sale takes place on January 21.

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