Fine Art

A Grand Tour portrait that came to auction directly from the family of the sitter was among the most contested lots at Bonhams’ (27.5%/25/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) Old Master Paintings sale on July 7.

While Christie’s had by far the top-selling Old Master drawing of the latest series (the £7.5m Leonardo da Vinci drawing of the head of a bear - see ATG No 2501), a good number of other works on paper generated better competition although sold for understandably lower prices.

Dramatically lit above a Windsor armchair, 'Up and Across' by St Ives artist Trevor Bell (1930-2017) is a dynamic work of abstracted shapes in fiery red, browns and gold.

Richard Whittle founded Whittle Antik in Oxfordshire earlier this year and offers a range of objects from 18th century oak to naïve folk art, Mid-century furniture, taxidermy and Contemporary art.

Nagel (25% buyer’s premium) in Stuttgart underestimated the international interest for a 16th century painting of Christ Carrying the Cross.

After a difficult period because of the pandemic, the latest round of Old Master sales in London returned to some kind of normality.

Over many years, Helga and Walther Lauffs collected American and European art from the 1960s-70s.

'Doppelspindel-Rot', a monumental oil on canvas from 1967 by Ernst Wilhelm Nay (1902-68), topped the latest evening sale of Modern and Contemporary art at Ketterer Kunst (25% buyer’s premium) in Munich.

Separated for over a century, a trio of small panels by Sir Edward John Poynter (1836-1919) have been reunited thanks to a dealer, an auction and two Australian Victorian art collectors.

Rare market appearance by a Sir Henry Raeburn work heads a special report on recent Scottish highlights

Growing collector interest in the work of musician-artist Herbert Whone (1925-2011) has meant his auction record price has been beaten on an almost annual basis in recent years.

Among the sales at the latest edition of Masterpiece, which ran in a digital format for the second year running from June 24-27, was this Neoclassical portrait of the Emperor Napoleon in his coronation robe.

Despite a quiet capital and diminished footfall for the second summer in a row, the latest edition of London Art Week proved to be a satisfactory outing for many participating dealers.

Vibrant colours, good subject and intriguing composition helped to spark a bidding competition for a painting by George Leslie Hunter (1877-1931).

It was third time lucky for a painting by Scottish artist Alexander Mann (1853-1908) at Cheffins’ (24.5% buyer’s premium) fine art sale in Cambridge.

A high price for Scottish painter Ethel Walker (1861-1951) came at Sworders’ (25% buyer’s premium) sale of the Sally Hunter and Ian Posgate collection.

Found in the garden room of a local property among a stack of other pictures, this unsigned oil on canvas had a distinct resemblance to portraits by Allan Ramsay (1713-84).