ANTARCTICA Edward Seago (British, 1910-1974), The John Biscoe at Base 'O', oil on board, Estimate £25,000-30,000

Edward Seago had the opportunity to visit Antarctica in 1957 upon the invitation of his friend the Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip felt the artist might be stimulated by such a unique topography and with no artist having painted the land mass since Edward Wilson (1872-1912) aboard Captain Scott's ill-fated 1912 expedition, Seago responded enthusiastically to the challenge. The body of work produced reveals the artist's talent, superbly evoking the 'otherworldliness' of the floating icebergs, the wide seas, cold air and distinct light of Antarctica. Seago travelled with Prince Philip aboard HMY Britannia, crossing the Antarctic Circle on 1 January 1957. The John Biscoe at Base 'O' depicts The John Biscoe, which the Royal Party transferred to in order to visit the most southerly of the FIDS (Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, renamed British Antarctic Survey in 1962) research bases on the Antarctic Peninsula. The John Biscoe was named after the early nineteenth-century English mariner and explorer who commanded the first expedition known to have sighted the areas named Enderby Land and Graham Land along the coast of Antarctica.

CHINA Chinese School, Late 19th Century, The Ports of Hong Kong, Macao, Canton and Amoy, oil on canvas, painted circa 1880, Estimate £75,000-115,000

Following the First Opium War, Hong Kong was formally ceded to the British in 1842 under the Treaty of Nanking. The view of Hong Kong demonstrates the settlement's subsequent development into a thriving port. A flag tower is visible on the top of the highest hill to the right known as Victoria Peak (installed in 1861). Visible in the harbour are British, French, American, and Dutch shipping, together with a three-masted P&O ship and a three-masted barque owned by Jardine, Matheson & Co.

The view of the Praya Grande in Macao showcases some of the most iconic buildings of the time, some of which are still visible today. In the background on the right are visible St. Anthony's church and the façade of St. Paul, built in 1582. The façade is what remains of the church, destroyed in a fire in 1835. The fortified castle Fortaleza do Monte, built in 1617 by the Portuguese, dominates the harbour atop the hill to the right, while Penha and its church are visible on the hill to the left. Situated at the mouth of the Pearl River, Canton (now Guangzhou) had long been a flourishing trade city, being the central focus of China and the west under the Canton system, up until the First Opium War. The view shows the Chinese Godowns with the city wall in the background, and an English paddle steamer, junks, sampans and a marine policy junk. In 1842, Xiamen (once known as Amoy) became one of the five Treaty Ports opened to British trade. The view is from the island of Gulangyu, or Kulangsu, now a pedestrian-only island which was then a foreign enclave. Amoy junks (with an eye painted on the bow) are visible, as well as English and French shipping. The residences fly French, Dutch, and Portuguese flags.