The late Robert ‘Robbie’ Bogdan (1950-2023) was known for his kindness, hospitality, and boundless enthusiasm. A gifted storyteller, he took great pleasure in showing guests some of the quirky artefacts tucked away in chests and cupboards that had been accumulated by his Russian or Scottish ancestors. Following Robbie's sad passing, we are honoured to offer the following lots for sale to new owners so that their story continues.
FIVE CENTURIES
Property from the Estate of the Late Robert Bogdan
29 April 2024
Douglas Girton
Educated at Gordonstoun, Robert ‘Robbie’ Bogdan went on to read medieval history and geography at St Andrews University. This was followed by a PGCE at St Catherine’s College, Cambridge. He went on to teach Geography for forty years at Charterhouse School, Surrey, where he ran the hockey team, a sport at which he excelled, retiring in 2015. In 2019 he became the chairman of the Scottish Castles Association, where his love of the history and heritage of Scotland could be indulged. He loved nothing better than scrambling over the wilder parts of Scotland looking for castle ruins and Scottish tower houses. Accounts of his trips, often taken in his 1930s Riley, were shared in the Association’s newsletters and journal.
LOT 373
FRENCH GOLD, ENAMEL, AND ROMAN MICROMOSAIC SNUFF BOX, BY PIERRE ANDRE MONTAUBAN, PARIS
Born in Paris in 1763, Pierre-André Montauban is only recorded in Paris from 1800, when he entered a post-revolutionary mark as bijoutier; garnisseur from 30 quai des Orfèvres. As garnisseur, he specialised in mounting miniatures or other types of panels, such as micromosaics, in gold boxes. Because no boxes with Montauban's maker's mark are to be found with a post-1819 Paris mark, it is generally assumed that he either died or retired before then.
Robert’s grandfather, Vladislav Bogdanovich, studied law at Moscow University, graduating in 1914. A career in the Russian Imperial Navy followed, and by 1917 he was married with a young son, Andrew, working in London attachéd to the Imperial Russian Embassy. As a result of the Russian Revolution, the family essentially found themselves stateless and refugees, and so remained in Britain where they settled. As a young man Andrew met Mhairi Irvine when she was the commandant of the naval hospital on the Isle of Man. They married in 1946, with Robert being born in 1950, preceded by his brother Nicholas in 1947. During this time the family name was shortened from Bogdanovich to Bogdan.
LOT 37
RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ICON OF THE VIRGIN AND CHILD
This icon was not known to have been purchased by Robert Bogdan during his lifetime and was likely a piece he inherited. The possible origin could have been from either his maternal or paternal family. It is possible that the icon was taken with them as a possession of the Bogdanovitch family, who had links to the Imperial government and navy. Another possible source is his great aunt, Lettie Muriel Burnett (1880-1966), sister of his grandmother Dorothy Irvine (nee Burnett) of Barra Castle.
Mhairi, who was born an Irvine, was closely tied to the Burnett and Ramsay families, and it is through the Ramsays that Robbie’s association with Barra Castle came about. A 16th century tower house in Aberdeenshire, Barra Castle was home to the Ramsay family since the 18th century. In the early 20th century marriage brought the castle under the ownership of the Irvines, and in the early 1960s it passed to Robbie’s grandmother, Dorothy Irvine [née Burnett], who remained there for four decades. Robbie was a regular visitor and in the 1980s bought a cottage nearby, where animals, friends, and newcomers alike were always welcome. A gifted storyteller, he took great pleasure in showing guests some of the quirky artefacts tucked away in chests and cupboards that had been accumulated by his Russian or Scottish ancestors. Some of these treasures are included for sale here, including lot 374, a Russian icon attributed to Semyon Galkin, and lot 373, a French gold and Italian micromosaic box by Pierre Andre Montauban.
LOT 370
FRANCIS TOROND (BRITISH, 1743-1812) , SILHOUETTE CONVERSATION GROUP
A later handwritten note on the reverse identifies the sitters as George Mackay, 5th Baronet of Reay, and his wife, however this attribution is spurious as the 5th Lord of Reay died in 1768, a decade before Francis Torond was actively working as a silhouette artist. The 6th Lord of Reay was unmarried, so it is uncertain who the sitters may be.
Following his sad passing, Robert leaves his partner Diana and a multitude of friends, whose lives were made richer by the twinkle in his eye and generosity of spirit. We are pleased to offer the lots for sale to new owners so that their story continues.
DEPARTMENT
British & European Furniture
Selling fine antique furniture from across Britain and Europe has always been at the core of our business, ever since Lyon & Turnbull’s establishment in 1826. Today, our Furniture Department conducts four specialist Five Centuries auctions throughout the year in our beautiful Edinburgh saleroom and via live online.
