The Scott Centenary 1912–2012

The Scott Centenary 1912–2012 The items accepted in lieu include perhaps the finest portrait of Scott, taken from life, which has been on long term loan to the National Portrait Gallery. Painted by Daniel Wehrschmidt in 1905, In this centenary year of Captain Scott’s last it is a swagger portrait, as befitted the hero of expedition, Christie’s was instructed to offer in the 1901–04 Discovery expedition, and depicts lieu property from the estate of the late Lady the youthful Scott standing on the poop deck Felicity Philippa Scott. Christie’s had previously Nicholas Lambourn of Discovery, wearing the emblemata of his new undertaken sales on behalf of Lady Scott and Director and Head of rank (he was promoted to Captain on his return) Department, Topographical the Scott grandchildren, selling a remarkable Pictures, Christie’s and status, the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) and collection of relics of the great explorer in the his Polar Medal. Its format recalls the Polar Exploration and Travel sale in September 1999. portraits of the great Arctic explorers, those of In 2007 Lady Scott gifted Scott’s final letters Sir John and James Clark Ross amongst many home, written from the Antarctic to his wife, others, which recorded the heroic safe returns and the camera he took south on Terra Nova, of these navigators from their far north and south to the Scott Polar Research Institute, University latitudes in the first half of the 19th century. of Cambridge, the Institute set up in Scott’s memory and now the primary repository of Scott’s medals and decorations, on loan to the Antarcticana in the UK. This gift followed Sir British Museum (with the exception of the Polar Thomas Venning Peter Scott’s earlier gift of the Scott diaries to Medal given by Sir Peter Scott to New Zealand) Senior Specialist, the British Library (British Library Add. MS Autograph letters, include the CVO he wears in the Wehrschmidt Manuscripts and Archives 51035). The present offer in lieu, and a few lesser Books and Manuscripts portrait, along with his Royal Geographical items that have passed through auctions at Department, Christie’s Society Patron’s Gold Medal (1904), and Royal Christie’s over the last two years, mark the final Geographical Society Scott Medal (1904) issued significant dispersals of the Scott relics from the uniquely in gold to Scott and in silver to his family’s possession. officers and men. Also included were 14 further gold and silver medals awarded by Geographical Societies and others in Scotland, Denmark, America, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, Germany and Austria, variously for Discovery and Terra Nova expeditions.

Medals awarded to Captain Robert Falcon Scott: top: The American Geographical Society of New York Cullum Gold Medal, 1907; centre: Gold Medal of The Royal Yacht Club of Belgium, 1904; bottom left: Royal Scottish Geographical Society Livingstone medal in gold, 1904; bottom right: The Royal Geographical Society of Antwerp Gold Medal, 1906 Christie’s Bulletin for Professional Advisers

Kathleen Scott’s original plaster maquette for The final element of the AIL offer was a group the Scott Statue in Waterloo Place, London, of letters and manuscripts: these included two a large bronze which was subscribed for and letters from moments of the highest drama erected by officers of the fleet in 1915, is during the Terra Nova expedition, one by Victor perhaps among the most personal of all of Scott’s Campbell reporting his fateful discovery of Roald widow’s sculptures, executed in the immediate Amundsen’s rival expedition encamped at the aftermath of the tragedy. A copy was commissioned Bay of Whales; the second by Henry Bowers, from the explorer’s widow by Christchurch City written in the midst of the chaotic incident when Council in the same year. The poignancy of the he, Crean and Cherry-Garrard were almost maquette itself, sitting safely in our warehouse swept out to sea with four ponies when the in St James’s, was all too keenly felt when the pack-ice unexpectedly broke up. Perhaps the marble in Christchurch was felled by the earthquake most compelling items amongst this group, which struck in February 2011, while we were and the most appropriate in the Scott centenary in the process of negotiating the offer in lieu. year, are two crude sketches by the Norwegian Kathleen Scott’s statue, depicting her late Tryggve Gran, depicting the exterior and interior husband in his explorer’s garb, is based on of the tent in which the bodies of Scott, Wilson Herbert Ponting’s photograph of Scott taken at and Bowers were discovered. These, together Cape Evans on the Terra Nova expedition. The with the photographs Gran took of the cairn Christchurch version was originally intended to over the tent, apparently comprise the only be made in bronze, but with the shortage of direct documentation of one of the most famous metal due to wartime demands, was carved from death scenes in British history. The sketch of the a single block of white Carrara marble. It was interior includes the remarkable, and apparently shipped to New Zealand in October 1916 and overlooked, detail that Wilson’s body was in the unveiled on Oxford Terrace, Christchurch, opposite orientation to Scott’s, so that Scott’s on 9 February 1917. famous “left hand … stretched over Wilson, his lifelong friend” (Apsley Cherry-Garrard, The Worst Journey in the World) was flung not over Wilson’s shoulders, but over his feet.

Nicholas Lambourn Christie’s Topographical Pictures Department

Thomas Venning Christie’s Books and Manuscripts Department Daniel A. Wehrschmidt (1861–1932) Portrait of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, RN, three-quarter length, in naval uniform and wearing the Polar Medal and the CVO, standing on the deck of ‘Discovery’ Signed and dated 1905 oil on canvas 1 1 59 /4 x 39 /2 in. (151 x 100 cm.)