The cupboard is currently on view at Christie's South Kensington branch, and, of course, I couldn't resist heading down for a shufti. The staff are extremely helpful; photos allowed, as was opening it up and poking about, missus:
I asked about the vendor: naturally, they can't divulge identities, but they did say that it came via a friend of the housekeeper at Kenwood. I'd guess Dot got it when Cynthia cleaned the place out, and then passed it on to her mate.
The interior shows some paint and the holes used to fix it to the wall. Riveting:
Pleasingly, they have left it entirely "as is", including cobwebs, spider corpse and, intriguingly, some flakes of tobacco on the lower shelf:
6-800 pounds seems a bit low to me. Having said that, there's a recession on, so who knows?
Excellent work again, sir.
ReplyDeleteDid you manage to retrieve the flakes of baccy for further analysis?
you are quite amazing! so much detail...
ReplyDeleteCome off it, eight hundred quid 'a bit low?' Tis firewood for heaven's sake!
ReplyDeleteIt sold for 3 grand in the end. And assuming you are not being facetious, it's entirely missing the point to say it's "firewood". How much, for example, would a cricket fan pay for the Ashes, were they ever to come on the market? There are a million other examples of things which have little or no intrinsic value, but have a great value by association. John's first guitar? Stick it on the fire along with that old cupboard! Etc.
ReplyDeleteOf course I understand fandom. If I didn't I wouldn't be here every post! But I do happen to think this is a particularly ugly little cupboard. I'm not surprised even Cyn and her mum didn't bother ripping this off the wall. That said, I'm sure someone will get their three grand's worth out of it. But will it truly bring them closer to genius?
ReplyDeleteAgain, I don't think it's about getting closer to genius. It's about a piece of history having survived, and springing out of the photos into the present. Having spent (or wasted) a lot of time "studying" the history of Kenwood, I'm always very pleased when some relic of its glory days materialises. It's the same reason people go to museums: there's a pleasant frisson to be had, if that doesn't sound too perverted.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are quite right about the three grand's worth; if the person who bought this holds on to it for a few years, and then sells it in a judicious manner, they will see a substantial return on their investment, guaranteed. So there's that as well.
I'm afraid when it comes to Kenwood, aesthetics don't really enter into it for me. (But then I am a pervert.)
If we are to believe that The Beatles will occupy the same respect as Shakespeare in years to come (if not already) then it's a small price to pay for a unique piece of history.
ReplyDeleteOK, you've convinced me on the cupboard!
ReplyDeleteBut surely there has to be some limits on what is collectable? Otherwise there's an incentive on us all to rifle though McCartney's bins or fish out Ringo's unflushed turd for future presentation on eBay?
From the extensive Wikipedia entry on Garbology:"The primary academic meaning of garbology is the study of (mostly modern) refuse and trash. As an academic discipline it was pioneered at the University of Arizona and long directed by William Rathje... It is a major source of information on the nature and changing patterns in modern refuse, and thereby, human society."
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't condone rummaging around in Macca's bins though, nor getting involved with Ringo's faeces (a sentence, frankly, which I never expected to formulate).
Having said that, any object which has been legitimately obtained, with a personal connection to them, short of excrement, is collectable and will have a monetary value.
hmm, I still think a Lennon log might fetch a few bob.
DeleteProvided it was legitimately obtained.
ReplyDelete