English School

The sheet cockles very slightly. Some staining and discolouration. Held under glass in a simple gilt frame with a cream mount; unexamined out of frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Deborah Devonshire, Wait for Me, London, 2010, p. 262-265.

The Duchess wrote affectionately about Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, the home of Charles, Henry and Airmyne Harpur Crewe; the last in a long line of that family. She records an extraordinary dinner at the house in 1961 where she and other guests were served in candlelight (the only form of light in the house) a supper of melon, followed by cold beef and then melon. She writes '[The other guests] ...thought they had arrived in a fairy story and so did I' (op. cit. p. 263). The house was transferred to the National Trust in 1985 by Henry. The Duchess continues 'The Harpur Crewe siblings were the only true eccentrics I have ever met. They have all gone now and with them the mystery; in spite of the Trust's best efforts, Calke Abbey is a lovely house containing an exhibition of curiosities but no Harpur Crewe among them' (op. cit. p. 265)