A number of items which were originally part of the collection of the now National Trust-owned property, Peckover House in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, will go under the hammer as part of the Cheffins Fine Sale on the 28th and 29th June.
Including furniture, artwork and collectables, this important 23-lot collection comes to Cheffins from a descendant of the Peckover family. Upon the death of Alexandrina Peckover, the house was gifted to the National Trust and most of the contents were sold during a two-day sale in 1948. Some of the contents were left to her two nephews, Sir Roland Penrose, the surrealist painter and prolific art collector, and geneticist Lionel Sharples Penrose, who then went on to continue to the Peckover legacy.
The National Trust renamed the property Peckover House in 1948 in homage to the family, and along with its two acres of formal gardens, it is one of the most important properties in East Anglia.
Peckover House, Wisbech
Peckover House, previously known as Bank House, was built in 1772 and was purchased along with a fifty-acre estate by Jonathan Peckover in 1787, a well-known Quaker and philanthropist. The building went on to be the home for the family for the following 150 years, whilst they created a famous dynasty of bankers, artists and collectors. The Peckover family founded the first bank in Wisbech, which combined with a grocery business, became a centre of import and export for the town. As the family grew, they also created a home at Sibald’s Holme, another important building in Wisbech, and are credited for the development of the current North Brink, a streetscape which was described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as ‘one of the finest Georgian brick streets in England.
Lot 626, a Chinese lacquered cabinet on stand
Successive generations of the Peckover family were prolific amateur and professional artists, as well as having a love of travel. Alexandrina Peckover was a known adventurer who climbed the Alps and depicted much of her travel in detailed watercolour sketches, whilst Sir Roland Penrose would go on to be one of the leading members of the British Surrealist movement, and a contemporary of Pablo Picasso, Wolfgang Paalen and Max Ernst.
The items which will be offered by Cheffins are being sold by a direct descendant of the Peckover family. Several items in the sale were also part of the original contents of Sibald’s Holme. The house, which is also on the North Brink, Wisbech, became the home of Algernon Peckover who extended the house prior to his marriage to Priscilla Alexander in 1828. A 19th century photograph of the drawing room at Sibald’s Holme, shows lot 626 in situ, a Chinese lacquered cabinet on stand, which is estimated at £800 – 1,200, and was decorated by a family member, Elizabeth Shewell, née Peckover (1795 - 1871).
Lot 221, a series of 148 watercolour views by Alegrina Peckover
One of the highlights of the collection is lot 221, a series of 148 watercolour views of England, Wales and Scotland, painted by Alegrina Peckover between 1874 and 1880, which are illustrative of the artistic nature of the family and will be of great interest to fans of local history. They have an estimate of £1,000 - £2,000. In addition, there is lot 222 a collection of 100 watercolour views of Ireland by another unknown member of the Peckover family, dated between 1857 and 1859, which have an estimate of £800 - £1,200.
Also on offer is a painting by the Dutch Golden Age landscape painter, Adriaen van der Cabel (1630 – 1705), of a Mediterranean harbour view and is expected to sell for £1,500 - £3,000 (lot 175). This is followed by a pair of Venetian wall mirrors from the 18th century which and have an estimate of £1,200 - £1,800 and a 19th century stag antler hunting lodge chair which is believed to be Bavarian and was originally in the library at Peckover House and has an estimate of £500 - £800.
Brett Tryner, Director, Cheffins, says: “This wonderful collection, many pieces of which comes to the market for the first time, provides a window into the lives of the progressive Peckover family, one of the most significant dynasties in East Anglia.”
To view the catalogue for the Fine Sale, please click here
Auction: The Fine Sale 2023 – 28th – 29th June
Location: Cheffins, Clifton House, 1-2 Clifton Road, Cambridge, UK, CB1 7EA
For further information contact the Fine Art Department on 01223 213343, fine.art@cheffins.co.uk