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Archive photo · 11 May 2013Sotheby’s Auctions Lord Horatio Nelson Letters In London, Expected To Fetch Millions
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A collection of 415 Nelson letters and manuscripts heads to London auction. Estimated at up to £6 million at auction.
Nelson letters at Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s is set to auction a trove of Vice-Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson’s letters in London, with the collection expected to fetch millions at auction. Clive Richards spent decades collecting some 400 letters and other historic documents now on sale at Sotheby’s, and Sotheby’s books and manuscripts specialist Gabriel Heaton said, "It's an absolutely astonishing collection and I think what really distinguishes it is that it captures every aspect of Nelson's life and career,".
The lot includes Nelson’s signature on battle plans for Trafalgar and letters tied to his learning to write with his left hand after losing his right arm, and it also features correspondence with his lover Emma Hamilton. The auction house plans to display the letters at Sotheby’s for the first time on Wednesday, and bidding will run until 18 November.
Love letters and wartime
Nelson’s letters describe his relationship with Emma Hamilton, including a written at sea in 1800 in which Nelson said, "last night I did nothing but dream of you",. The collection also includes a message to Nelson’s wife and a letter in October 1805 in which Hamilton wrote, "how do I idolise you my dearest Husband of my Heart you are all in this world to your Emma".
The auction materials say Nelson burnt Hamilton’s letters and only two are known to exist, and the letter that reached Nelson after his death was hit by a bullet on the deck of his ship HMS Victory. The archive is described as including The Nelson Papers, with 168 autograph letters, and it also includes 24 letters to Hamilton and 73 letters written by Hamilton herself.
Foundation proceeds and dates
The auction is estimated to sell for between £4 and £6 million, and the proceeds are set to go to the Clive Richards Foundation committed to supporting education, healthcare, heritage and arts. The collection is described as "the greatest collection of its kind in private hands" and Sotheby’s book and manuscript specialist Gabriel Heaton said, "We’re really privileged to be presenting here the Clive Richards collection of letters and documents relating to Admiral Nelson, one of the towering figures of British history."
Country Life says the Nelson papers were on show at Sotheby’s from October 21 to October 28, and it says the collection will be offered in a single-lot sealed auction with bidding closing on November 18. The auction materials also say Nelson died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 at the age of 47, and the lot is being presented to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, also known as Trafalgar Day.