This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-35697432
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Dowager Duchess of Devonshire's possessions sell at auction for £1.7m | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Hundreds of possessions which chronicle the life of the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire have sold for over £1.7m. | |
| The Duchess, who was the last of the fabled Mitford sisters and lived at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, died aged 94 in 2014. | The Duchess, who was the last of the fabled Mitford sisters and lived at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, died aged 94 in 2014. |
| Elvis memorabilia, a rare signed copy of Brideshead Revisited and a Channel Tunnel machine blade were some of the items that went under the hammer. | |
| Historian Maxwell Craven said the lot reflected her "terrific" personality. | Historian Maxwell Craven said the lot reflected her "terrific" personality. |
| As well as jewellery and furniture, the Duchess' passion for art and literature shines through. | As well as jewellery and furniture, the Duchess' passion for art and literature shines through. |
| Portraits of her at different stages of her life feature along with correspondence from artists and writers such as Lucien Freud, Evelyn Waugh and, more recently, Madonna. | |
| Mr Craven, who knew the Duchess, said she had an affinity with creative people, which was rare for someone from the upper classes in post-war Britain. | Mr Craven, who knew the Duchess, said she had an affinity with creative people, which was rare for someone from the upper classes in post-war Britain. |
| He said: "She understood what artists were trying to say...and had these wonderful people from all backgrounds come to stay [at Chatsworth]." | |
| Other highlights of the collection included a photograph of the Queen when she famously sat for Lucien Freud and a signed pre-publication copy of Brideshead Revisited - which sold for £52,500. | |
| The Duchess also had a passion for popular culture, reflected in her collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia. | The Duchess also had a passion for popular culture, reflected in her collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia. |
| "She was very keen on Elvis," said Mr Craven. | "She was very keen on Elvis," said Mr Craven. |
| "She was the right age in the 1950s, she loved the music." | "She was the right age in the 1950s, she loved the music." |
| Perhaps the most baffling item is an iron and steel tooth blade from the borer machine that broke through the final section of the Channel Tunnel. | Perhaps the most baffling item is an iron and steel tooth blade from the borer machine that broke through the final section of the Channel Tunnel. |
| It gets a name check in her 2011 book Wait For Me, where the Duchess wrote about an expedition under the sea where she met French tunnellers. | It gets a name check in her 2011 book Wait For Me, where the Duchess wrote about an expedition under the sea where she met French tunnellers. |
| She said: "The machines were like something out of a giant's toy box and I still have - given to me as a memento of the day - one of the claws that played its part in opening up this underground highway to the Continent'." | She said: "The machines were like something out of a giant's toy box and I still have - given to me as a memento of the day - one of the claws that played its part in opening up this underground highway to the Continent'." |
| The claw sold for £1,875. | |
| The most expensive items sold were a diamond and ruby brooch gifted to the Duchess and a Japanese gilt-decorated lacquer guardian figure, which went for £62,500 each. | |
| The auction took place at Sotheby's in London on Wednesday. |