A pottery goat, thought to have been made by King Charles during his time at Cambridge University, was put up for sale in May of this year. The rare ceramic goat was sold for £8,500 (about ₹9 lakh) at an auction in Staffordshire on June 4th. Reports indicate that the total cost, including the premium, for the goat painted with yellow and pink stripes, amounted to £11,407 (approximately ₹12 lakh).
King Charles presented the ceramic goat to Cambridge University’s cook, Helen Patten, as a gift. Subsequently, in 1969, it was given to Patten’s nephew, Raymond Patten, a former carpenter in British Columbia, on his 21st birthday.
Patten, aged 76, decided to auction the goat at Hansons Auctioneers in Staffordshire due to its “historical significance.” It is believed to be the sole piece sculpted by King Charles.
He said, “My Aunt Nellie, Helen Patten, gave me the goat on my 21st birthday on June 22, 1969. She told me Prince Charles had made it.”
Patten mentioned that he had “treasured” the goat throughout his life but felt it was time for the rare artwork to find a new home.
He further disclosed that his aunt had prepared a meal for the Queen Mother. “My aunt, who passed away at the age of 87 in 1993 in Cheshire, used to live at 37 Norfolk Terrace, Cambridge. She was my grandfather’s sister and never married. She was honoured to serve members of the royal family. She cooked a meal for the Queen Mother,” he shared.
King Charles, who held the title of Prince of Wales at the time, attended Cambridge’s Trinity College from 1967 to 1970 to pursue studies in Archaeology, Anthropology, and History.
King Charles and his love for art
King Charles is renowned for his artistic talents. In 2023, a collection of childhood drawings attributed to King Charles was auctioned for £46,000 (around ₹49 lakh). These sketches, created by King Charles at the age of five or six, depicted his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and his father, The Duke of Edinburgh.
“King Charles has demonstrated a passion for art throughout his life but is mainly known for his paintings. The discovery of this ceramics piece demonstrates another side to his talent. As far as we are aware it is the only example of pottery made by King Charles in existence. It represents his early passion and artistic flare working in ceramics in the late 1960s,” said Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers.
