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Celebrating: Nature, Culture & Curiosity


September 2025

In anticipation of the upcoming auction, Nature, Culture & Curiosity on 23 October, we will be uncovering some of the most fascinating historical objects in the natural and cultural world to have passed through our doors in previous auctions.

Nature: The Coco de Mer

The natural world is a treasure trove for collectors and scientists alike, offering rare objects that tell stories of evolution, exploration, and ecological wonder. Earlier this year, an extraordinary specimen came under the hammer: a Coco de Mer seed. Also known as Lodoicea maldivica, this example sold for £300 and originated from the Praslin and Curieuse islands in the Seychelles and showcases the remarkable story of evolutionary adaptation. Due to its gigantic size, double-coconut shape, and rarity, this item has long intrigued collectors and botanists.

Seeds must have methods of dispersal in order to grow. When systems that have been relied upon for centuries are no longer viable, they adapt. Growing in shaded habitats, the dramatic size of the Coco de Mer seed was necessary to sustain the tree’s early growth. As dispersal methods, such as local animals, dwindled, the seed evolved to survive. Such natural phenomena are of historical, scientific, and cultural value, and are sought after by natural history museums, collectors, and botanical research centres such as Kew Gardens in London.

Culture: A Treen Snuff Box in the Shape of a Ship

Sold for £1,100, just over five times its high estimate of £200, a 19th-century treen snuff box in the shape of a ship captivated collectors with its charm and craftsmanship. The maritime design evokes 19th-century sailors and coastal towns such as Scarborough, making it an interesting snapshot of the period, and especially relevant to the hometown of our auction house. This item is a fine example of intricate woodware, known as treen. Treen refers to small functional wooden items sculpted through turning, where a single segment of wood is spun on a lathe while the craftsperson uses tools to shape it.

Treen encompasses many functional items, such as this snuff box, which would have held a powdered mixture of tobacco and scented oils, sniffed through the nose, a fashionable habit among the wealthy elite in the 18th century. As the practice became more widespread, woodworkers began experimenting with more elaborate or novelty designs. Such objects hold strong appeal for collectors of folk art, nautical antiques, and treenware, and continue to perform well at auction.

Curiosity: Butterfly Wing Art

David Duggleby’s is no stranger to curious objects. In April, an assortment of four framed pictures sold for £480, well over the estimate of £200-300, clearly charming collectors. Why? The images were constructed using real butterfly wings. The unknown 20th-century artist created a selection of scenes: a couple in traditional Dutch dress, a pair of ladies in crinoline dresses promenading through a floral path, a young boy catching an insect, and a fashionable Georgian couple. The pieces are crafted through lepidochromy, the layering of real butterfly wings, overlaid with painted glass.

The practice of using butterfly wings in art began in the 17th century, but experienced a nostalgic revival in the 20th century through a U.S. company founded by Thomas L. Mott, who used butterfly wings in Art Deco jewellery. In the UK, Dorothy Buckley was a notable artist who is still represented at auction today, known for her silhouette pictures made using butterfly wings, similar to the collection sold at David Duggleby’s. A curiously beautiful and niche offering, these silhouette and butterfly wing pictures showcase the creativity of a forgotten branch of art, sitting at the intersection of craft and natural history.

The deadline for entries for our upcoming sale is Thursday 9 October. Book your complimentary, no obligation valuation today.
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