This summer, a private collection of exceptional provenance and extraordinary vision is being offered for sale as Roseberys London presents the collection of the late George Farrow — and Country Life readers are being invited to a special preview event.
After leaving school at the age of 16, Farrow started working in the building industry and rose to become one of Britain’s largest private landlords. Thrilled by antiques and fine art from an early age, he began collecting with a passion in the 1950s and spent the next half century hunting down rare and exceptional pieces from China, the Middle East and Europe.
These objects span centuries of the art-historical canon and many are considered to be on a par with institutional collections, including exhibits in the V&A Museum in London and the L. A. Mayer Collection in Jerusalem.
The sale takes place on Tuesday, June 4, at Roseberys Fine Art Auctioneers in south London and key highlights include a rare Berlin Chinoiserie tapestry, an Italian specimen marble and micromosaic table and several ornate velvet panels spanning the Safavid and Ottoman empires. Intense interest is predicted from both UK and international buyers on the day.
In advance of the sale, Roseberys, in partnership with Country Life, is inviting readers to an exclusive preview of The George Farrow Collection on Thursday, May 30.
Hosted at Roseberys London, doors open at 6.30pm for a drinks reception and the evening will feature an introduction and sale highlights from Country Life art market writer Huon Mallalieu and Roseberys head of sale Anna Evans.
This event is a rare opportunity to view a fresh-to-market private sale with the chance to handle and discuss the pieces with the specialists who catalogued them, who will be on hand to explain the finer details of every object.
RSVP is essential for entry to the preview. To attend, kindly register for free on the event page or RSVP to rsvp@roseberys.co.uk
The experts
Head of sale Anna Evans
Anna graduated in 2001 with a First Class degree in History of Art & Architecture from the University of East Anglia before starting her first auction-house job in 2002. As a 15-year veteran and director of Christie’s in London, Anna joined Roseberys in 2018 to lead the European works of art and sculpture department.
Huon Mallalieu
Huon Mallalieu is a writer, historian and art critic who has written Country Life’s Art Market column for three decades. He has also written and edited many books, including The Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists, Understanding Watercolours and 1066 and Rather More: A Walk through History.
Reserve a spot at the preview event now, or get further information by telephoning 020–8761 2522 or visiting www.roseberys.co.uk, and you can find Roseberys on Instagram at @roseberysauctioneers.
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