[MSN] Lawrence of Arabia's £1/4m compass 'is a £50 fake'

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Lawrence of Arabia's £1/4m compass 'is a £50 fake'
21.10.06 
 

  It was described as the pocket compass used by Lawrence of Arabia during
his First World War desert adventures when it was sold by Christie's for
more than £250,000.

But now the auction house is facing embarrassing claims from experts that it
has been duped - and the successful bidder walked away with a £50 fake.

The two-inch brass pocket compass, which fetched £254,000 when it was sold
with a watch and cigarette case, was said to have helped Lawrence as he led
the Arab revolt against Germany's ally Turkey.

Christie's claimed the three items were given by Lawrence to Corporal Albert
"Taffy' Evans, who they said was his unofficial chauffeur at the Paris Peace
Conference in 1919.

An inscription on the cigarette case reads: "I leave to my dear friend Taffy
my compass which saw me safely across a wilderness so that he may
occasionally know where he is going!' 

But Lawrence's authorised biographer Jeremy Wilson says that during more
than 30 years research on the British hero he has never come across any
reference to a "Taffy' Evans working for Lawrence at the conference - or
indeed any other driver.

He said it was one of a number of 'problems' with the items which he claimed
to have warned Christie's about before the sale last month.

"There are a number of awkward questions to answer,' said Mr Wilson. "I have
never come across a Taffy Evans working for Lawrence. Also, why would
Lawrence, having spent some months in the UK during the winter of 1918-19,
have taken his wartime marching compass to the Paris Peace Conference?

"And as Lawrence didn't smoke at any stage in his life, why would he have a
cigarette case?' Mr Wilson pointed out the engraved inscription in the case
refers to Lawrence as "T.E." - a short form not used until 1923. He
claimed: "The whole set could be worth as little as £50."

One antiques dealer, who did not want to be identified, said: "I was
gobsmacked by the sale. I have a problem with people who play with the
truth."

The seller, Colin Humphreys, has responded to the growing doubts about
authenticity on a specialist internet discussion forum. "The items were
presented by Lawrence before his departure for Oxford in late August 1919,'
he wrote. "He was a serial gifter of what he considered redundant items to
his friends." 

He added: "The terms of the sale are such that if within five years the
successful bidder finds the items to be a deliberate forgery, I will repay
him every penny, a condition I had no hesitation in accepting." 

The items, which were included in an exhibition at London's Imperial War
Museum before the Christie's sale, were expected to fetch up to £16,000 but
were bought by an anonymous telephone bidder for more than 15 times that
amount.

Mr Wilson was not consulted about their inclusion in the exhibition but said
he would have advised against showing them. 

Lawrence was an archaeologist working in the Middle East when he was
recruited by the British Army to mount reconnaissance exercises to determine
the extent of Arab nationalism. 

His close friendships with local tribes and his adoption of their flowing
robes turned him into the romantic figure of popular imagination
immortalised by Peter O'Toole in the 1962 film Lawrence Of Arabia.

A Christie's spokesman said: "We have no reason to doubt these objects were
the property of T.E. Lawrence. 

"We endeavour to uphold the highest standards in cataloguing. However, if
convincing evidence did come to light that a work of art is not as
catalogued, we would take the necessary steps including, if appropriate,
cancelling the sale."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/