Belongings of cellist Jacqueline du Pre to sell at auction next month
They'll be on sale in Wiltshire
Last updated 21st Aug 2026
The belongings of world-renowned cellist, Jacqueline du Pre, are expected to fetch tens of thousands of pounds at auction, next month.
Handwritten letters and her childhood teddy bear are among personal items, going under the hammer in Wiltshire.
Du Pre, widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, was five years old when her mother bought her a cello and by the age of seven had performed in her first public concert.
She died in 1987, after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
The collection of her belongings, including family photographs, handwritten letters, artwork, school reports and her childhood teddy bear, will be sold across two auctions.
Hilary Finzi, du Pre’s sister, said: “Most items in the sale were in boxes, having been stored in our homes for decades.
“Unboxing and unwrapping everything brought memories flooding back to us, together with many tears. Mum and Dad had kept everything. We had, too.”
The first auction will take place on September 4 at Gardiner Holgate auctioneers, featuring more than 100 lots.
Auctioneer from Gardiner Houlgate, Jamie South, said: “What we have here is a remarkable archive of Jacqueline du Pre’s personal ephemera. Nothing like it has come to public auction before.
“One or two individual items have been sold over the years and we held a much smaller sale last December, but this collection is in an entirely different league to any other du Pre sale.
“These items tell the story of Jacqueline du Pre’s life. Through her letters and documents, we see her becoming the most talented cellist in the world and then her tragic decline. It’s heart-breaking stuff.
“We also learn smaller things, like her hatred of travel, her loneliness when abroad, her love of the English spring. It’s an extraordinary glimpse into the very soul of this great performer.”
“How much this collection sells for is almost impossible to predict,” he added.
“Our small sale of 20 lots last year realised over £25,000. I’m anticipating September’s sale to be in the tens of thousands of pounds.”