Discover the influences that have shaped Emma Hawkins’ unique aesthetic and how a love of nature and the natural world permeates every aspect of her collecting.

A Life Less Ordinary

Emma’s interiors are at once tranquil, homely spaces yet full of intrigue and discovery with museum quality objects at every turn. It is this layering of works, some prehistoric others newly formed and each with a story to tell, that creates the impression of permanence, as if each piece has always been there.

Explore the extraordinary interiors Emma Hawkins created in her Edinburgh town house.

In Situ

Eggs of the Great Auk are regarded as being among the most sought-after of all natural history objects, due to their exceptional rarity. The Victorians thought of them so highly that every surviving egg was listed and its whereabouts carefully recorded. At this time more than 60 had survived and each of these had been collected in the years before 1844, when the bird itself became extinct. Today, almost all of those that still exist are in museums from which they will never be released with only four remaining in private hands.

This incredibly rare specimen is a poignant reminder of humanity's responsibility to conservation and environmental stewardship.

Lady Cust's Great Auk Egg

London

Director | Furniture

Senior Director, Senior Specialist | English Furniture

David Macdonald

Cataloguer | Furniture

Adèle Bourbonne

Specialist | Silver

Miles Harrison

Specialist | European, Victorian & British Impressionist Paintings

Emma Gordon

Director, Head of Sale | European Sculpture and Works of Art

Christopher Mason

Associate Specialist | Modern British and Irish Art

Tamsin Golding Yee

Deputy Director, Head of Sales, London | Chinese Works of Art

Gordon Lo 

Associate Specialist | Japanese Works of Art

Jon Adjetey

Specialist | Photographs

Aris Kourkoumelis

Assistant Vice President, Specialist | African & Oceanic Art

Paul Lewis

Director, Senior Specialist | Clocks & Barometers

Jonathan Hills

Administrator

Christian Billinghurst

Meet our Specialists

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6-17 January 2023 • 14:00 GMT • London

6-18 January 2023 • 14:00 GMT • London

Emma Hawkins: A Natural World heralds a collection which will delight, amuse, intrigue and on occasion, shock. Drawn from the interiors of townhouses in Edinburgh and London, the auction is a celebration of Emma’s unique aesthetic and inimitable eye. A pioneering collector and dealer, Emma’s interests range from the extinct to the newly formed, with the natural world an ever-present muse. From life-enhancing modern art and time-worn antiques, to eye-opening curios and natural history specimens; each work is carefully selected to form part of Emma’s very own wunderkammer.