The Geoffrey and Fay Elliot collection (lots 179-271) Throughout careers that took them to London, New York and their adopted home of Bermuda, Geoffrey and Fay amassed an eclectic and diverse collection of art and antiques.  Geoffrey's early...

The Geoffrey and Fay Elliot collection (lots 179-271) Throughout careers that took them to London, New York and their adopted home of Bermuda, Geoffrey and Fay amassed an eclectic and diverse collection of art and antiques. Geoffrey's early career followed his father's footsteps into the Secret Service before moving into banking. During his semi-retirement he enjoyed exploring and documenting the life of his elusive father who spent much of the war in a Nazi prison camp. This led Geoffrey to start writing about his family and he went on to publish I Spy: The Secret Life of a British Agent (1998) - about his father, Secret Classrooms: An Untold Story of the Cold War (2002) - about his own experience, and From Siberia with Love: A Story of Exile, Revolution and Cigarettes (2004) - about his grandparents. Collecting artefacts from their extensive travels became a lifelong passion for Geoffrey and Fay, one they enjoyed and shared together. Latterly, they donated some of this sizeable collection to The Bermuda National Archives, the Morgan Library in New York, Leeds University and the British Library. This collection at auction today reflects their passion and interests. A pair of George II silver tea caddies, London, 1740, Christian Hillan, of baluster form, the bodies richly chased with scroll, flower and shell motifs and raised on a spreading circular foot, the caps with knopped finials, 15.5cm high, total weight approx. 15oz (2) Provenance: Reputedly purchased at Christie's New York, April 1996. The Geoffrey and Fay Elliot collection.
Please refer to department for condition report one cap badly fitting