For the gentleman who has everything
A forthcoming sale at Bonhams is offering an eclectic array of items including a snake cigar lighter, the molar of a wooly mammoth and the skeleton of a pigmy hippopotamus


The skeleton of a pygmy hippo (estimated at £10,000- £15,000), a pair of 18in Thomas Malby library globes (£60,000-£80,000) and a painting of an extremely fat heifer are surely the must-have items for any discerning gentleman's lair. These are among the more eclectic lots in Bonhams's Gentleman's Library sale in Knightsbridge, London SW7, on January 29-30.
* Country Life New Year subscriptions sale
There is also a George III kneehole desk (£2,000-£3,000) which reputedly belonged to Sir Alexander Dixon, a soldier held in high esteem for his part in the Napoleonic and Peninsular Wars by the Duke of Wellington, and is being sold by a descendant, plus crocodile-leather cases, a whale-tooth inkwell frame, a horn snuff mull, a snake cigar lighter, a rhino-horn walking stick, a bust of Gladstone and much, much more (www.bonhams.com).
* Follow Country Life magazine on Twitter
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
Jaecoo 7 SHS: Can you really get a luxury SUV for £35,000?
The Chinese automaker Jaecoo lands on UK shores with the 7. We take it for a spin around Scotland and the north of England to see if the hype is real.
By Charlie Thomas Published
-
18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country Life
From a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
By Toby Keel Published