SCOTTISH AND LIVERPOOL ARTISTS BREAK WORLD RECORDS AT BONHAMS 19TH CENTURY SALE
TERRICK JOHN WILLIAMS PAINTING SMASHES WORLD RECORD.
THORBURN PTARMIGAN ALSO BREAK RECORDS WHILE RARE CONSTABLE NUDE FROM CORNWALL MAKES £24,000
The top lot at yesterday’s 19th Century Paintings auction at Bonhams was ‘Evening – Concarneau’ by Terrick John Williams which sold for £144,000 - more than six times the previous world record for the artist at auction. He painted several views of this harbour, with this work being an excellent example of his early, large-scale scenes.
Meanwhile, a ‘Female figure study’ by John Constable with a hidden history sold for four times it pre-sale estimate to make £24,000. A cutting from the Times of 1972 recounts how the drawing was discovered in the Ridley Colbourne album after it was bought by William Darby. When Darby was looking through the album, the previously hidden drawing came to light hidden underneath an invitation to a Royal Academy dinner. He suspected that the drawing may have been covered up by a previous Victorian owner of the album because of its ‘sensitive’ nude subject matter. The work was discovered by a Bonhams specialist at a valuation day in Cornwall, and was estimated to fetch £4,000-6,000.
Seven paintings by Archibald Thorburn featuring ptarmigan, pheasants, woodcock and grouse also made great prices, far exceeding their pre-sale estimates. The Scottish artist’s beautiful paintings of birds and wildlife with attractive and evocative countryside backgrounds make him a popular choice for sportsmen, countrymen and birdlovers alike. The seven ‘classic’ Thorburns in this sale were from his prime period in the 1920s and in pristine condition. Two scenes featuring ptarmigan achieved the highest prices recorded for Thorburn ptarmigan works - £72,000 (estimate £15,000-20,000) and £62,400 (£15,000-20,000). In total the seven works fetched £339,600.
And an interesting ‘Portrait of a Gentleman’ with an unknown identity by George Dawe (British 1781-1829) was the subject of fiercely competitive bidding, finally selling for £43,200 against a pre-sale estimate of £4,000-6,000.
Charles O’Brien, Department Head, comments, “We were delighted with the sale today. Results were exceptional and prove that the market is still extremely buoyant for good traditional works.”
Bonhams
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further five throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Boston in the USA; Toronto, Canada; and France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com
