Taxidermy: A Large Cased Trio of Swallow-Tailed Kites (Elanoides forficatus), dated 1930, by Rowland Ward, 166 Piccadilly, London, previously part of the Hart Hall Collection, three full mount adults, two perched upon tree branches issuing from soil covered groundwork, the other in flying pose above, superbly mounted against a curved watercolour painted back drop, enclosed within a large ebonised single-glass display case, 127cm by 64cm by 152.5cm, signed and dated to interior left "Rowland Ward, London, 1930". This magnificent case, of rare form and fine quality, was once part of an important collection of avian taxidermy. The collection was started by Edward Hart, an eminent Victorian naturalist and proprieter of taxidermist's William Hart & Son of Christchurch. Hart built a large collection of mounted birds, which he initially exhibited in his own small museum. Hart's Museum received many visitors, including Sir Robert and Lady Baden-Powell in March 1914. The building was described as 'warm, well-lit and very clean, the ideal of a private museum, every part of which is crowded with rare and beautiful birds.' A chart drawn up by Edward Hart for Bournemouth Corporation gave some indication of the space taken up by the cases. The total length of the bird cases was 270 feet (82 metres) with a height of 10 feet (3 metres). In addition the mammal cases extended another 30 feet (9 metres). By 1903, Hart sought an established museum to purchase the collection in order to maintain and exhibit it in perpetuity; however, no buyers came forward. In 1924, the collection was sold to John Hall an industrialist and keen ornithologist who displayed it in a purpose built gallery in his home, Broughton Hall in Staffordshire. Hall purchased extra skins from Edward Hart, which he had prepared and mounted in the late 1920's by Rowland Ward Ltd of Piccadilly into thirty-two cases, these birds were mounted by Rowland Ward's most respected and highly skilled bird taxidermist Frank Griffin. When John Hall died in 1930, the Hart Hall collection was again offered to museums with no success. Hall's heirs eventually gave the collection to Stowe school in 1942, in order to preserve the collection as a whole. However, it was beyond the resources of the school to adequately care for and display the collection and, with the exception of a few items displayed in a local museum, it was put into storage. In March 1982, the Governors of Stowe decided to offer the thirty-two cases Hall has commissioned from Rowland Ward Ltd for public auction at Christie's. This case was part of that original auction. The rest of the Hart Collection was purchased in the early 1980's by the Horniman Museum, Leicester Museum & Hampshire County Council Museum Services.
Taxidermy: A Large Cased Trio of Swallow-Tailed Kites (Elanoides forficatus), dated 1930, by Rowland Ward, 166 Piccadilly, London, previously part of the Hart Hall Collection, three full mount adults, two perched upon tree branches issuing from soil covered groundwork, the other in flying pose above, superbly mounted against a curved watercolour painted back drop, enclosed within a large ebonised single-glass display case, 127cm by 64cm by 152.5cm, signed and dated to interior left "Rowland Ward, London, 1930". This magnificent case, of rare form and fine quality, was once part of an important collection of avian taxidermy. The collection was started by Edward Hart, an eminent Victorian naturalist and proprieter of taxidermist's William Hart & Son of Christchurch. Hart built a large collection of mounted birds, which he initially exhibited in his own small museum. Hart's Museum received many visitors, including Sir Robert and Lady Baden-Powell in March 1914. The building was described as 'warm, well-lit and very clean, the ideal of a private museum, every part of which is crowded with rare and beautiful birds.' A chart drawn up by Edward Hart for Bournemouth Corporation gave some indication of the space taken up by the cases. The total length of the bird cases was 270 feet (82 metres) with a height of 10 feet (3 metres). In addition the mammal cases extended another 30 feet (9 metres). By 1903, Hart sought an established museum to purchase the collection in order to maintain and exhibit it in perpetuity; however, no buyers came forward. In 1924, the collection was sold to John Hall an industrialist and keen ornithologist who displayed it in a purpose built gallery in his home, Broughton Hall in Staffordshire. Hall purchased extra skins from Edward Hart, which he had prepared and mounted in the late 1920's by Rowland Ward Ltd of Piccadilly into thirty-two cases, these birds were mounted by Rowland Ward's most respected and highly skilled bird taxidermist Frank Griffin. When John Hall died in 1930, the Hart Hall collection was again offered to museums with no success. Hall's heirs eventually gave the collection to Stowe school in 1942, in order to preserve the collection as a whole. However, it was beyond the resources of the school to adequately care for and display the collection and, with the exception of a few items displayed in a local museum, it was put into storage. In March 1982, the Governors of Stowe decided to offer the thirty-two cases Hall has commissioned from Rowland Ward Ltd for public auction at Christie's. This case was part of that original auction. The rest of the Hart Collection was purchased in the early 1980's by the Horniman Museum, Leicester Museum & Hampshire County Council Museum Services.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
