Skip to main content
Bonhams
Search

This auction has ended. View lot details

You may also be interested in

A Jacobite concealed portrait snuff box18th century
A 15th century carved limestone figure of St George

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

A pair of mid 16th century Italian patinated and parcel gilt bronze angel candlesticks Probably Tuscan and in the manner of Domenico Beccafumi (1484-1551)
A Renaissance Florentine panel woven in silks and metal threadMid 15th century, probably for a Dalmatic garment
A 16th century tapestry fragment Formerly part of a larger tapestry in Gerona Cathedral
An extremely rare early 17th century Dutch black, red and gilt japanned casketProbably attributable to Willem Kick (Dutch, 1579-1647)
A carved limestone bust of a kingProbably late 14th/early 15th century, and later
A rare and impressive Charles II leaded bronze 'York' mortar Made for Roger Warde, apothecary, and dated 1684, together with a large associated cast iron pestle
A late 18th/early 19th century Italian relief carved and part stained wood oval profile portrait plaque depicting a classical warrior maiden, perhaps Minerva Possibly attributable to the workshop of Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo (Italian, 1745–1820)
Of Grand Tour interest: A collection of six trays of 19th century plaster intagliosProbably from the workshop of Pietro Paoletti (Rome, 1801-1847)
Francesco Righetti I (Italian, 1738-1819): A patinated bronze figure of the Apollo BelvedereAfter the antique, Roman, the cast dated 1787
After Pierre Lepautre (French, 1659-1744) and François Girardon (French, 1628-1714): A patinated bronze figural group of 'Aeneas carrying Anchises'French, probably first half early 19th century
A rare French gilt copper and champlevé enamel crozier finial depicting St Michael slaying the devil as a dragon Limoges, 1220-1230
A rare French gilt copper and champlevé enamel book or Evangeliary cover depicting the Crucifixion Limoges, circa 1190-1200
A French gilt copper and champleve enamel oval plaque of the angelLimoges, 19th century
John Gibson (British, 1791 - 1866): A carved white marble bust of Lucy Charlotte Jervis (née Baskervyle-Glegg), 3rd Viscountess Saint
Jacques-Léonard Maillet (French, 1823-1895): A patinated bronze of Agrippina carrying the ashes of Germanicus
After Louis-François Roubiliac (French, 1702-1762): A patinated bronze bust of 'The Laughing Child' Probably French, second half 18th century
A late 19th century Iberian terracotta equestrian model of a peasant Probably attributable to Antonio Peñas y León (Spanish, 1810-1871)
A pair of large 19th century French bronze figural candlesticks After designs by Corneille van Clève (French, 1645-1732), the models originally cast by Charles Le Brun (French, 1619-1690)
A pair of George III gilt and patinated bronze and white marble griffin candlesticks In the Neoclassical style after designs by Sir William Chambers (Anglo-Swedish, 1726-1796), circa 1800
A pair of 19th century French gilt bronze candlesticks In the Louis XVI style and after the 18th century models by Étienne Martincourt
A Northern Italian gilt gesso carved wood,'tôle peinte' and rock crystal six light chandelier, Probably Genoese or Piedmontese, late 18th century/early 19th century
A 19th century gilt brass and cut glass eight light tent, waterfall and bag chandelier Probably English, circa 1820-30, stamped to the frame: '1 S'
Previous Lot
Next Lot
The English Execution: a coin operated automata or 'working model' machine Made by Charles Ahrens, circa 1920s image 1
The English Execution: a coin operated automata or 'working model' machine Made by Charles Ahrens, circa 1920s image 2
The English Execution: a coin operated automata or 'working model' machine Made by Charles Ahrens, circa 1920s image 3
The English Execution: a coin operated automata or 'working model' machine Made by Charles Ahrens, circa 1920s image 4
The English Execution: a coin operated automata or 'working model' machine Made by Charles Ahrens, circa 1920s image 5
The English Execution: a coin operated automata or 'working model' machine Made by Charles Ahrens, circa 1920s image 6
The English Execution: a coin operated automata or 'working model' machine Made by Charles Ahrens, circa 1920s image 7
The English Execution: a coin operated automata or 'working model' machine Made by Charles Ahrens, circa 1920s image 8
The English Execution: a coin operated automata or 'working model' machine Made by Charles Ahrens, circa 1920s image 9
Lot 138TP

The English Execution: a coin operated automata or 'working model' machine
Made by Charles Ahrens, circa 1920s

The Greatest Show: The Fairground World of Ross Hutchinson
10 September 2024, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £17,280 inc. premium

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Private & Iconic Collections and House Sales specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

The English Execution: a coin operated automata or 'working model' machine

Made by Charles Ahrens, circa 1920s
With integral flash board, the diorama depicting the facade of a prison guarded by policemen, the electric motor causing a bell to toll and a prisoner to appear and receive his last rites before being hanged, 86cm wide, 52cm deep, 191cm high (33 1/2in wide, 20in deep, 75in high)

Footnotes

As seen in the opening scene of the BBC's Inspector Morse episode 'The Wench is Dead', first broadcast 11 November 1998.

Charles Ahrens was one of the key makers of amusement machines in the interwar period of the 1920s and 30s. While he produced a smaller range of themes than his competitors, the detail and popularity of his dioramas was unmatched. The English Execution was one of his most popular amusements, capitalising on the British public's fascination with the macabre.

Literature
Nicholas Costa, Automated Pleasures: The History of the Coin Machines, 1988, p.214.

A similar sold Christie's, South Kensington, London, Mechanical Music, Automata, Dolls and Doll's Houses, 20 May 2003, Lot 947 for £16,450 (inc. Buyer's Premium).

Additional information

Bid now on these items

A Jacobite concealed portrait snuff box18th century
A 15th century carved limestone figure of St George
A pair of mid 16th century Italian patinated and parcel gilt bronze angel candlesticks Probably Tuscan and in the manner of Domenico Beccafumi (1484-1551)
A Renaissance Florentine panel woven in silks and metal threadMid 15th century, probably for a Dalmatic garment
A 16th century tapestry fragment Formerly part of a larger tapestry in Gerona Cathedral
An extremely rare early 17th century Dutch black, red and gilt japanned casketProbably attributable to Willem Kick (Dutch, 1579-1647)
A carved limestone bust of a kingProbably late 14th/early 15th century, and later
A rare and impressive Charles II leaded bronze 'York' mortar Made for Roger Warde, apothecary, and dated 1684, together with a large associated cast iron pestle
A late 18th/early 19th century Italian relief carved and part stained wood oval profile portrait plaque depicting a classical warrior maiden, perhaps Minerva Possibly attributable to the workshop of Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo (Italian, 1745–1820)
Of Grand Tour interest: A collection of six trays of 19th century plaster intagliosProbably from the workshop of Pietro Paoletti (Rome, 1801-1847)
Francesco Righetti I (Italian, 1738-1819): A patinated bronze figure of the Apollo BelvedereAfter the antique, Roman, the cast dated 1787
After Pierre Lepautre (French, 1659-1744) and François Girardon (French, 1628-1714): A patinated bronze figural group of 'Aeneas carrying Anchises'French, probably first half early 19th century
A rare French gilt copper and champlevé enamel crozier finial depicting St Michael slaying the devil as a dragon Limoges, 1220-1230
A rare French gilt copper and champlevé enamel book or Evangeliary cover depicting the Crucifixion Limoges, circa 1190-1200
A French gilt copper and champleve enamel oval plaque of the angelLimoges, 19th century
John Gibson (British, 1791 - 1866): A carved white marble bust of Lucy Charlotte Jervis (née Baskervyle-Glegg), 3rd Viscountess Saint
Jacques-Léonard Maillet (French, 1823-1895): A patinated bronze of Agrippina carrying the ashes of Germanicus
After Louis-François Roubiliac (French, 1702-1762): A patinated bronze bust of 'The Laughing Child' Probably French, second half 18th century
A late 19th century Iberian terracotta equestrian model of a peasant Probably attributable to Antonio Peñas y León (Spanish, 1810-1871)
A pair of large 19th century French bronze figural candlesticks After designs by Corneille van Clève (French, 1645-1732), the models originally cast by Charles Le Brun (French, 1619-1690)
A pair of George III gilt and patinated bronze and white marble griffin candlesticks In the Neoclassical style after designs by Sir William Chambers (Anglo-Swedish, 1726-1796), circa 1800
A pair of 19th century French gilt bronze candlesticks In the Louis XVI style and after the 18th century models by Étienne Martincourt
A Northern Italian gilt gesso carved wood,'tôle peinte' and rock crystal six light chandelier, Probably Genoese or Piedmontese, late 18th century/early 19th century
A 19th century gilt brass and cut glass eight light tent, waterfall and bag chandelier Probably English, circa 1820-30, stamped to the frame: '1 S'