Silver Salver

This masonic silver salver is coming up for sale at Bonhams in London on December 1 and is expected to fetch £1,000

The catalogue description reads: "A George II silver salver,
by Hugh Mills, London 1748, shaped circular form, shell and scroll border, on three leaf capped scroll feet, ground later engraved with flower heads and scrolls, central presentation inscription "Presented to A.A. Leveau Esq G.S.B of Grand Lodge of England. M. G. Directer of Ceremonies of Supreme Grand Chapter of England P.Z of Zetland chapter York 287 &r &r &r By the principles, officers and companions of the Zetland chapter of Royal Arch freemasons 287 as a testimonial of ..(?)..regard and esteem and in ackowledgement of the important and valueable services rendered by him with unremitting (?) and attention during a period of (?) years. York 16th November 1853", diameter 36.5cm, weight 33oz."

Masonic Cribbage

These cribbage boards are coming up for sale at Humbert Auction House in Northampton.

The catalogue description reads: "A fine matched pair of Tunbridge ware Masonic cribbage boards with inlaid bone Masonic emblems."

They are being on November 18 and are expected to fetch £120.

Tick-tock

At 210 years old, this masonic watch has seen a lot of time go by. It is coming up for sale at an auctionn house in Germany.

It was made in London in about 1800 and the catalogue description reads: "Stainless steel. Key wound movement with verge escapement, chain and fusee. Movement inscribed «Stoddart London». Very good fully functional condition."

The saleroom is:

Auktionshaus Kaupp
Schloss Sulzburg
Hauptstr.62
Sulzburg

The starting price is €500

Square hands

This clock is being sold by Jeffrey Evans and Associates in the US and has assorted Masonic emblems on its face.

The cataolgue description reads: "SIGNED "R WHITING - WINCHESTER", CT PAINT-DECORATED PINE TALL-CASE CLOCK 30-hour wooden works, finely painted wooden face decorated with assorted Masonic emblems. Case with an excellent dry rosewood and sponge-decorated surface. Lacking weight and pendulum. Riley Whiting (1785-1835).

"Circa 1820. 83 1/2" H. Excellent condition, minor loss to hood pediment, paint with only minimal wear. "

It is expected to raise about 1,800 pounds.

King Solomon

This painting is of King Solomon and is being sold in London in December. The following is a press release from Bonhams.


A double-sided painting entitled ‘King Solomon’ by Svetoslav Roerich is one of the top lots in the Russian Sale taking place in New Bond Street on 1st December. Estimated to sell for £300,000 – 400,000, this work has never been exhibited or published before and has only previously been known to a small group of specialists.

One of only two existing works from the unfinished series of paintings depicting the most important religious figures and spiritual teachers of the past, this magnificent portrait was painted in 1923 in Paris where Roerich stopped on his way to India.

Roerich’s interpretation of King Solomon, who built the first Temple of Jerusalem, is instilled with complex symbolism and is depicted as a vehicle for mystical experience: his Solomon has tasted from the chalice of his fate and sacrificed himself for the creation of the Great Temple. This symbolic interpretation was most likely suggested by the Roerich’s father, the legendary Nicholas Roerich who wrote the essay ‘Strings of Earth’ about Solomon’s desire to build a unified Temple.

Consequently, Svetoslav Roerich decided to model the portrait of King Solomon on the likeness of his father, who was indeed considered a spiritual teacher and cultural leader at the time. As a result, this interesting portrait can be seen as the personification of Nicholas Roerich as the celebrated builder of the Temple, known for his great wisdom, wealth and power.

The reverse side of the painting reveals Roerich’s talent as an illustrator. The scene of the falcon hunt is one of a series of illustrations for the edition of European Fairy Tales commissioned in France in 1923, but the series was never completed.

A magnificent painting of the Himalayas by Nicholas Roerich, entitled ‘‘Himalayas, from Ting-kye Dzong’ is estimated to sell for £80,000 – 100,000. The painting was executed in 1928 in Darjeeling, India where Nicholas Roerich and his expedition party arrived after crossing Mongolia and Tibet. The painting is characteristic of Roerich’s ability to turn a mountain landscape into a symbol of life’s grandeur and beauty. Roerich only needed a few lines to create a scene of exceptional beauty and grandeur making it easy to see why he became known as the ‘master of

Historic book

This interesting item is coming up at Special Auction Services in Newbury, Berks.

The description reads: "Masonic interest: A cabinet card portrait album presented to Magnus Ohren, Past Grand Overseer of England, with detailed inscriptions from fellow masons, including two manuscript autograph letters from Sir Henry Irving and two from Edward Terry, 1902, bound in crocodile skin."

NZ Masons lose charity status

From stuff.co.nz

Freemasonry's national executive is conceding defeat in its battle to maintain the charitable status it has held for decades.

Last year, the secretive society's highest body in New Zealand, the Grand Union, lost the tax-exempt status it had held since 1933.

Responsibility for determining charitable status was passed from the Inland Revenue Department to the Charities Commission in 2008, forcing thousands of organisations to reapply for tax exemptions.

High-profile organisations including Greenpeace and the Sensible Sentencing Trust have had their applications rejected.

Freemasons New Zealand appealed to the High Court last month, arguing that the Grand Lodge's primary activities were "beneficial to the community" and therefore charitable.

As well as directly charitable activities such as university scholarships (which the commission conceded were charitable), the lodge also teaches public speaking and lessons on ethics to its members, which it argued should also be considered charitable.

Acting for the Crown, Tania Warburton argued that many of the activities of the Grand Lodge were primarily for the benefit of its members, not the entire community. She said its membership, limited to men over the age of 21 who reached the rank of master mason, was too exclusive for a charity.

Judge Simon France rejected the Freemasons' appeal. He concluded that the activities of the Grand Lodge, and freemasonry in general, "do not benefit the public other than indirectly and intangibly by seeking to produce members who are better citizens".

Laurence Milton, the grand secretary for Freemasons New Zealand, said the decision meant the Grand Lodge would have to apply for separate charitable status for its Fund of Benevolence, which did most of its charitable work.

The administration and other activities of the Grand Lodge would now be subject to tax.

"We'd have liked the decision to have been in our favour, but it really won't affect our charitable activity all that much at all. It just means a bit more work for me and my office," Mr Milton said.

The organisation spent $3 million to $4m on charity in New Zealand each year.