Watercolours

A watercolour portrait of the 19th century Egyptian scholar Mohammed-el-Chabassy was one of the surprising high points at a recent auction of 16th to 19th century drawings, held by Bassenge (25% buyer’s premium) in Berlin.

When Daniel Lambert, the famously rotund prison warden from Leicester, died in June 1809 at the Waggon and Horses Inn at Stamford, Lincolnshire, the title of ‘England’s fattest man’ transferred to a new contender.

Watercolour can be traced back to nobleman and antiquary who commissioned the illustrator Leonardi

Sketches at the Time of the Commencement of British Intercourse with Japan, an album containing 76 watercolours and drawings and 126 wood engravings from the last days of the Edo period, sold for £16,000 at Dominic Winter (22% buyer’s premium).

Many works by the great British artist are now owned by institutions but smaller paintings and sketches are common sights at salerooms

Artist survived a shipwreck but then spent a decade creating portraits and views of the local landscape

Nicholas Bowlby was a dealer of the old school, a character of great warmth and wit, naturally inquisitive with an eclectic taste that ran from early watercolours to contemporary abstracts.

Latest sales suggest a wider collector base targeting history and topography

Result for album of watercolours underlines the current demand in salerooms for such subjects

A watercolour of a dandelion attributed to Beatrix Potter estimated at £200-300 ended up selling at a hammer price of £2600.

Star lot of a section of a recent Neumeister’s (30/27/25% buyer’s premium) auction in Munich devoted to the legacy of Alexander Eugen, Duke of Württemberg, who died last year at the age of 91, was literally one of the eyecatchers.

Guy Peppiatt has produced a new catalogue which is a combined effort with Emma Rutherford: the first time the two dealers have collaborated in this way, though they have worked together in the past.