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| Ticket of Admission to Fonthill Abbey's Auction England, 1823 The Victoria & Albert Museum |
In 1823, the contents of Fonthill Abbey, the magnificent Gothic Revival estate of celebrated author, designer and collector William Beckford, were auctioned off. Here, from the V&A, we see a ticket to the auction which was issued by auctioneer.
This was one of the most talked-about events of 1823. The auction at the Wiltshire estate lasted over two months. By the end, over 2000 lots were sold in addition to nearly 20,000 books. Since Beckford’s collection at Fonthill Abbey had long been a topic of conversation throughout London, those who had been curious about the author’s monumental assortment of art and artifacts were in attendance, flocking to see the items about which they’d long speculated and, possibly, to buy a thing or two. The air of mystery was heightened by the fact that Fonthill Abbey, unlike most other nearby country houses, was never open to the public for tours until the time of the auction.
The ticket depicts the façade of the elegant house. The design was created by Thomas Higham (1796-1844).
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