Rich wares for the rich?

Press, 23 July 1987, Page 7

Rich wares for the rich?

By

NIGEL MALTHUS

A prominent American collector of rare books was once asked to describe in a few sentences what sort of person indulges in that hobby. The reply came in just two words: "The rich.” Dr Christopher de Hamel, a director of the London fine art auctioneer, Sotheby’s, tells that story by way of admitting that his wares are expensive. His speciality is medieval illuminated manuscripts. However, such items are neither as rare nor necessarily as expensive as might be supposed. For more than 200 years, Sotheby’s has held two auctions a year of medieval manuscripts, with an average of 150 manuscripts in each sale. The most expensive was .she Gospels of H&ry the .'Lion, “a fabulously rich

illuminated manuscript, including 48 full-page paintings. The whole thing is thick with gold,” said Dr de Hamel. It was commissioned in the twelfth century by a powerful German prince, a man who personally owned Bavaria and Austria.

It changed hands over the years, and its whereabouts was unknown for much of this century. When it resurfaced, Sotheby’s sold it to the German Government in 1983 for £8,140,000 (about $2O million). That was the record price for any art work until the recent sale of what Dr de Hamel described as “that wretched Van Gogh” for $25 million.

At the other end of the scale, however, it was possible to buy fragments of manuscripts, or kpingle leaves, for about IfSO.

Dr de Hamel believed there would be about 200 medieval books in New Zealand.

Though he was born in England, his family came to New Zealand when he was four, and it was as a schoolboy, aged 13, that he first developed his love for the art form. He

would go to the Dunedin Public Library, and pore over a fifteenth century French book, part of the collection of A. H. Reed.

Dr de Hamel joined Sotheby’s in 1975 after taking a doctorate at Oxford. He is now back in New Zealand with four other Sotheby’s directors for a series of seminars on various aspects of fine art collecting.

The first of the three seminars will be held today and tomorrow at Mona Vale. The Dunedin Public Library has lent Dr de Hamel the book he first saw as a 13-year-old to show to seminar participants. He said that his message would be that medieval manuscripts are not necessarily “hidden, away in Europe.”

"I want people to get a low, a feel and a smell anjf a touch of it”

An American fan of the Wizard, Ms Deborah Yarbrough (right), president of the Pacifica Business and Professional Women’s Club of San Francisco, outside the Christchurch Town Hall, where they met for lunch yesterday.

Mrs Juliette Paterson (left), the Canterbury Promotion Council’s administration officer and the vice-president of the Christchurch Business and Professional Women’s Club arranged the lunch. She heard of Ms Yarbrough’s enthusiasm for the Wizard, when Ms Yarbrough was a guest at the Christchurch club’s midwinter meeting. Ms Yarbrough is on a private visit to Christchurch. She feels the time is right for a promotional campaign putting New Zealand, and in particular Christchurch, before the American public. The Wizard is the right person to front ?uch a campaign, Ms Yuprough says. k