13th Apr, 2021 10:00
Out of the Ordinary - Two Day Sale - Live Online
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A TAXIDERMY ALICORN
A TAXIDERMY ALICORN,
20th century, a taxidermy horse mounted on a metal base, in a rearing position, with mounted swan wings and horn, on two Corinthian capitals,
202cm high excluding base, 239cm high including base
195cm wingspan
195cm long
This work was commissioned by the current owner.
The word 'Alicorn' has its roots in Latin, where it is used to describe the horn of a unicorn. Unicorn horns have been of great medicinal interest since their first mentionings in antiquity and were often featured in cabinets of curiosities into the Victorian era. They were commonly believed to have immense healing powers, as well as the power to purify water and cure most forms of poisoning and intoxication. What was in fact used would likely have been horns of the more common variety, from deers and stags, but also narwhals as these would have been deemed more visually appropriate and more convincing. These would have been ground and ingested in various ways, believed to cure most ailments, and would have been kept by European royalty in the belief that they would ward off disease.
This lot can be viewed prior to the sale at a London SW location on a prearranged basis. In order to arrange a viewing, please contact Mark Wilkinson or Otto Billström at Sworders. Collection from the same location following the sale.
Take advantage of our Sworders Delivery Service. Please see 'Shipping estimate' below.
Sold for £8,000
Condition Report
Wings detachable, and the horse detaches from its base. Generally excellent condition.
IN PERSON
To bid in person at auction for the first time please register for a bidding paddle in advance by filling out and submitting a registration form at our front desk. When registering in person we require photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence.
ABSENTEE BIDDING
If you cannot attend the auction in person we can bid on your behalf. You can leave an absentee bid on our website.
The amount you bid should be your maximum bid. We will bid up to that limit for you, and remember you may end up paying less than your limit, depending on other bidding on the day.
You can leave an absentee bid up to half an hour before the start of any sale. Please note when we receive two or more absentee bids for the same amount, the first bid received will be the one taken.
LEAVE COMMISSION BIDS ONLINE
If you would like to leave a commission bid on our website you can do so up until 30 minutes before the sale starts. Leaving a commission bid through sworder.co.uk is free for all registered clients. Thereafter you may register bank card details under your account in order to bid live. Click here to register an account.
BID LIVE ON sworder.co.uk
You can bid live at our auctions from the comfort of your home or office using bidding platform Sworders Live. It is easy to register and you can watch the auction live as it happens. A 'Bid Live' button will appear on the auction on our website homepage when a sale is live; simply click the button to sign in or register with your card details. There is no additional charge for this service.
For further instructions on registering to bid live, please click here.
TELEPHONE BIDDING
If you would like to bid by telephone please contact our team prior to the auction with your details of the lots you are interested in and your full name, address, telephone number(s) and email address. Once our team have entered your bid request you will receive an email confirmation. We will contact you during the sale and one of our team will bid live with you over the phone.
Please note that we normally offer this service for lots with an estimate of £500 or higher and all telephone bid requests must be received by close of business the day before the auction.
Auction: Out of the Ordinary - Two Day Sale - Live Online, 13th Apr, 2021
Viewing
Although we are currently unable to offer general viewing of all items in our auction rooms, we are pleased to announce that selected items for this sale can be viewed by appointment on 12, 13 and 14 of April. If you would like to book a time slot to view (maximum of 10 lots), please click on the link below:
All lots are, however, extensively illustrated and carry detailed condition reports - see 'Condition report' at the foot of each lot description.
Please note that this item is not suitable for a pre-sale automated shipping estimate due to the items weight/size.
The below table shows indicative shipping costs for larger items being delivered within the UK mainland. Please note that all the below costs are purely for indicative purposes and are to be used as a guideline only. If you purchase multiple large items, we will combine deliveries to reduce the shipping costs.
Should you be successful in buying this item, a specific shipping estimate will need to be requested after the sale using the link in your invoice email; this also includes all requests for international delivery.
If you would like further information about shipping and collection please see here.
Buying a pre-loved, antique, or vintage item not only provides you with unique style and value for money but it also helps to reduce landfill, and the annual emissions of an antique or vintage piece can be as little as one sixteenth of those of its new equivalent!
Sworders is proud to be supporting the work of Antiques are Green - the movement that was founded in 2009 to promote “a greener future created from the past”. Read their fascinating carbon footprint study of a Georgian chest of drawers versus a modern equivalent here
Request A Valuation
Here at Sworders, we are happy to offer a free online valuation service. Please fill out the form and press the 'Submit' button below.
To help us with your valuation please attach clear photographs of the item where possible. You can submit up to 5.
Approximate dimensions are also useful. Expect to hear from the appropriate valuer as soon as possible.
