A set of embroidered silk robes belonging to legendary occultist Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) have sold for ?�11,000 ($17,288) at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury in London.

The lot, which appears in a famous 1934 photograph, led the Autographs, Manuscripts and Documents sale on December 11.

Crowley was a symbol of fascination and revulsion during his own era

Crowley founded Thelema, a religious and philosophical order, in the early 1900s. The Book of the Law, the basis for the religion, was apparently dictated to him by a mysterious being named Aiwass.

His eccentric and libertine lifestyle was at odds with its era (he freely indulged in sex, drugs and black magic) and he became a figure of fascination in the press.

He also helped popularise yoga in the west, after picking up the discipline in Asia.

From the 1960s onwards he was referenced by a number of British bands, including the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.

A ritual dagger that also appeared in the 1934 photograph made ?�10,000 ($15,716).

Both pieces came from the collection of Deirde Patricia Maureen Doherty, mother of Crowley's son Aleister Ataturk.

According to Dreweatts, Aleister presented them to her to "provide for her and their son should the need ever arise."

We have a fascinating selection of memorabilia available.

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