New Bond Street, London | 22 July 2020 New Bond Street, Fine European Ceramics Fine European Semans Foundation Trent Biddle Duke the Mary from Pottery Including Fine European Ceramics I New Bond Street, London I 22 July 2020 Fine European Ceramics Including Pottery from the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Foundation New Bond Street, London | Wednesday 22 July 2020 at 2.30pm VIEWING ENQUIRIES CUSTOMER SERVICES IMPORTANT INFORMATION Friday 17 July Nette Megens Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6pm The United States Government 10am to 5pm Head of Department +44 (0) 20 7447 7447 has banned the import of ivory Monday 20 July +44 (0) 20 7468 8348 into the USA. Lots containing ivory are indicated by the 10am to 5pm [email protected] PHYSICAL CONDITION OF symbol printed beside the Tuesday 21 July LOTS IN THIS AUCTION Ф 10am to 5pm Sebastian Kuhn PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY lot number in this catalogue. 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SHIPPING Payment in Advance For information and estimates (Telephone to ascertain amount due) on domestic and international by: cash, cheque with banker’s shipping as well as export card, credit or debit card. licenses please contact Alban Shipping on +44 (0) 1582 493 099 Payment at time of collection by: [email protected] cash, cheque with banker’s card, credit, or debit card European Ceramics London Sebastian Kuhn Department Director Nette Megens Head of Department Sophie von der Goltz Specialist The Collection of the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Foundation Lot 2 Lot 38 Lot 3 Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans in her living room, circa 1970 Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans (February 21, 1920 – January poor, cultural enrichment opportunities for the blind and deaf, 25, 2012) was an American philanthropist, leader, activist, and and humane medical care. As a powerful member of the patron of the arts. She was the granddaughter of Benjamin N. Board of Trustees of Duke University, she played an integral Duke, great niece of James B. Duke and great granddaughter role in every major decision over half a century, helping guide of Washington Duke, tobacco tycoons who built the American the University’s rise to its current status as a global leader in Tobacco Company. Her great uncle James was the key higher education. She also served as a trustee of The Duke principal in the formation and early operations of what is now Endowment for 55 years, including serving as its first female Duke Energy Corporation, the largest investor-owned utility chairman, guiding the Endowment to increase the impact and in the United States, and, with the urging and guidance of relevance of its grants through changing times, and building on his brother Ben, founded Duke University in Durham, North the philanthropic legacy of her great uncle. Carolina, and established The Duke Endowment, now one of the largest charitable organizations in the United States. Mrs. Semans was also instrumental in establishing a number of pioneering institutions, including the University of North Mrs. Semans accomplished an extraordinary amount in her Carolina School of the Arts, the nation’s first state-supported lifetime. Initially, her focus was political: in the early 1950s, conservatory for the arts, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke she was elected to the Durham City Council, then rose to University, and the Mary Duke Biddle Gallery for the Blind at the become the city’s mayor pro-tempore, both firsts for women. North Carolina Museum of Art, where sight-impaired visitors Propelled by her strong convictions and democratic ideals, she could experience a museum, feeling masterpieces by artists advocated ardently for social justice, economic opportunity, such as Rodin. For Mrs. Semans, art was essential to life – racial equality, grassroots arts programming, housing for the telling stories, promoting a greater understanding of others, and bridging cultures and lifestyles. Lot 2 Lot 38 (part) Lot 3 The substantial collection of Italian and Spanish maiolica In 1956, Mary donated their entire collection of rare books albarelli offered for sale here was one special product of to Duke University, along with ivory anatomical figures, Mrs. Semans’ first marriage. In 1935, she enrolled at Duke’s medical incunabula, early medical licenses, lecture notes, Women’s College where she met Josiah Charles Trent, a portraits, and an enchanting group of Florence Nightingale young medical student who eventually became the chief of pictures, etchings and memorabilia. This remarkable historical Duke Hospital’s Division of Thoracic Surgery. Mary and Josiah grouping, known as the Trent Collection, continues to be married in 1938, when he was 24 and she just 18 years old. housed at Duke. At the same time, Mary delivered the Their marriage has been described as “one of rare happiness” majority of the jars offered here to the University on long-term and the couple went on to have four daughters. loan, where they were prominently displayed until just recently. It was on their wedding trip to Europe that Mary and Josiah In the early 1980’s Mrs. Semans established her own began the formation of a substantial collection of rare books foundations, the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Foundation, and were likely inspired to pursue other collections. Dr. to make small, creative grants in the Durham community and Trent’s fascination with medical objects and memorabilia beyond, and the Duke-Semans Fine Arts Foundation, which came naturally, but it was during their time in Italy that he was created to hold and loan many of Mrs. Semans’ most found inspiration in the many beautiful pharmacy jars they valuable pieces of art, including the maiolica albarelli. Her observed. The exact dates of acquisition of the jars offered two foundations were merged into a single foundation, the here are uncertain, but from all accounts from Mary’s family, the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Foundation, after her death. collection was started soon after their return from Europe in the The Foundation board has recently made a determination summer of 1938 and concluded at some time before Josiah’s to sell much of its art and build its corpus in order to focus tragic death in 1948. The very earliest memories of Josiah’s on making impactful grants in North Carolina, in honor and and Mary’s four girls include the pharmacy jars, prominently (but memory of Mrs.