21 Former British Prime Ministers for Sale at Sloane Street Auctions

Portrait collection includes Walpole and rare bronze maquette of Chartwell sculpture of Sir Winston and Lady Churchill

EXETER, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, June 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Twenty-one former British Prime Ministers – or rather their portraits – from a single collection will be offered for sale at Sloane Street Auctions’ on June 12.

Possibly the largest collection of portraits of British Prime Ministers in private hands, and outside the National Portrait Gallery, this group of 25 portraits of 21 Prime Ministers has been built up over a lifetime by the collectors who have consigned them here.

The collection is led by an important portrait of our first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745) by Irish artist Charles Jervas (c.1625-c.1725), and a rare bronze maquette of Sir Winston (1874-1965) and Lady Churchill (1885-1977) by artist and friend Oscar Nemon (1906-1985) entitled Married Love.

Among the other portraits on offer are those of William Pitt the Younger; Spencer Perceval, the only Prime Minister ever to be assassinated; the Duke of Wellington; Sir Robert Peel, founder of the modern Police force; Benjamin Disraeli; William Gladstone; David Lloyd George; Harold Macmillan; Anthony Eden; Harold Wilson; and Margaret Thatcher.

The celebrated English painter Ruskin Spear (1911-90) produced several of the portraits, including those of Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Margaret Thatcher.

The highest estimate is for the portrait of the man accepted as Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745). Painted by the Irish artist Charles Jervas, the estimate is £25,000-35,000.

A £10,000-15,000 guide applies to Oscar Nemon’s (1906-85) double portrait maquette in bronze of Sir Winston and Lady Churchill from around 1978. Nemon was a close friend of the whole Churchill family and Lady Churchill considered an earlier bronze bust of her husband a triumph in capturing his character. From an edition of 15, the maquette is titled Married Love, and a life-size version of the piece can be found at Chartwell, the Churchills’ home in Kent.

“Having had such a success with the sale of the property of the late Baroness Thatcher, we are proud to be able to offer this major collection of portraits of British Prime Ministers in our Chelsea showroom,” says Sloane Street Auctions’ owner Daniel Hunt.

“These sort of pieces would have been a natural fit for Christie’s South Kensington in its day, but now that has gone, we find that consignors tend to come to us, so we are delighted to play our part in keeping this tradition of higher end works coming to London beyond the confines of Bond Street and St James. It is also a happy coincidence that our auctioneer, Hugh Edmeades, was Christie’s South Kensington’s former chairman.”

Live online bidding is available via Sloane Street Auctions’ website at www.sloanestreetauctions.com

For further information contact info@lucasfieldmedia.com Tel 07968 952850

Images courtesy of Sloane Street Auctions

High res images here: https://we.tl/t-Bq4A1OfPBY

Captions

Walpole
Considered to be Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745) was in office as head of the Whig party from 1721-1742. The portrait by the Irish artist Charles Jervas (c.1675-1739) is estimated at £25,000-35,000.

Churchill
The maquette by Oscar Nemon of Married Love, whose life-size version may be found at Chartwell. The estimate is £10,000-15,000.

Churchill Sketch
This pastel portrait of Churchill, signed E.F.C., inscribed OVER THE RHINE March 8, 1945, is expected to fetch £500-800.

Spencer Perceval
Spencer Perceval, Prime Minister until assassinated in the lobby of the House Commons on May 11, 1812, was captured in portrait by George Joseph, who took the likeness from a deatyh mask. The estimate is £1,500-2,500.

William Pitt
Prime Minister twice from 1783 to 1806, William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806) was the first prime Minister of the whole United Kingdom after the 1800 Acts of Union. The portrait is guided at £3,000-5,000.

Duke of Wellington
One of two portraits of the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) in the collection, this large oil on canvas by Martin Archer Shee (1769-1850) comes with hopes of £5,000-8,000.

William Gladstone
The politician who dominated the Victorian era, Gladstone (1809-98) was Prime Minister four times between 1868 and 1894. This small portrait in oil on canvas has a guide of £800-1,200.

Lloyd George
The premier during the First World War and final Liberal Prime Minister before the Labour Party’s emerging dominance, David Lloyd George (1863-1940) was painted by Archibald Barnes (1887-1972). The estimate is £600-800.

Harold Wilson
Ruskin Spear’s striking portrait of Harold Wilson (1916-95), the most successful Labour leader until Tony Blair. It is pitched at £3,000-5,000.

Margaret Thatcher
Ruskin Spear painted Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) in surreally striking blue. The estimate is £5,000-8,000.


About Sloane Street Auctions

Sloane Street Auctions was founded by Mr Daniel Hunt after spending over 30 years as a high-profile gallery owner and dealer, based at his galleries in Lower Sloane Street, London. Daniel Hunt’s intimate knowledge of the upper tiers of the art and antique sectors throughout millennia, from BC to 2022, provides Sloane Street Auctions with unprecedented access to private collections worldwide and the best of access to specific expertise.

Sloane Street Auctions’ primary objective is to work with both our buyers and sellers to provide the art market access to the rarest objects and art - from Classical Antiquities, Icons and Old Masters, right through to the YBAs and beyond.

Sloane Street Auctions takes great pleasure in dealing with people. We aim to provide a seamless and pleasant service, whether buying or selling. Our vision is to unearth the world’s greatest treasures and to match them with the world’s greatest collectors, whether an occasional buyer or a seasoned connoisseur. Sloane Street Auctions prides itself in providing the highest level of client service and discretion.

With Daniel’s contacts spanning over 40 countries worldwide, accumulated over a lifetime in the industry, Sloane Street Auctions empowers our community of connoisseurs and collectors to acquire and consign the greatest of fine art and objects at a highly competitive rate.

With Daniel Hunt’s expertise in curating some of the most renowned private collections worldwide, Sloane Street Auctions has the ability to source a wide variety of extraordinary pieces. Sloane Street Auctions’ concentrates on, but is not limited to, Old Master Drawings and Paintings, European Furniture and Works of Art, Impressionist Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, Photography and Private Sales.

Julia Macquisten
Lucas Field Media
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