A collapsible silk top hat - perfect for a Victorian night at the opera, or a 20th century magic trick - comes for sale on July 20.
Our Homes & Interiors sale on Tuesday 20 July includes the novelty hat, made by Gibus of 10 Chandles Street, Trafalgar Square alongside a presentation wand given to a member of the Magic Circle with a guide of £80-120.
Antoine Gibus was a Parisian hatmaker who, during the early 19th century, had solved a problem with which wearers of the top hat were well acquainted. Rather than seek a place to hang one’s silk topper, he created a hat, using a system of steel springs, that could be collapsed flat!
The wand, with silver mounts and a presentation inscription to John Holt, Esq M.M.C. 1963 has a terminal enamelled with the signs of the zodiac. It comes in a silk lined case for John Finches, London.
In our Fine Interiors sale, we are pleased to offer some forty lots of The late Baron John Mauger Langin most prized pieces, demonstrating the breadth of his personal style and taste.
30 August 2024
Carefully curated over the last forty years, Sworders is pleased to present the selected contents of North Road House, Hertford.
28 August 2024
Sworders Fine Interiors department are very excited to offer a private collection of Native American artefacts in our September sale, amassed by one individual over the past forty years, from auction houses, collectors and dealers across the United Kingdom, United States and Europe.
20 August 2024