Tennants Auctioneers’ British, European and Sporting Pictures Sale on 17th July saw confident bidding and strong prices being achieved for a host of Old Masters, 19th Century landscapes, and Sporting Art, and the sale achieved an impressive 90% sold rate.
The sale opened with a selection of works on paper, the highlight of which was an ethereal example of the work of John Anster Fitzgerald (1832-1906), one of the most highly regarded of the Victorian ‘Fairy Painters’. His highly imaginative ‘The Fairies Around The Chained Dog’ sold for £4,500 (plus buyer’s premium). A good offering of still lifes in the sale was topped by ‘Summer Arrangement’ by Cecil Kennedy (1905-1997), which sold for £5,000.
19th century oil paintings generated much enthusiasm amongst buyers, with strong prices seen for the likes of ‘The Trossachs’ and ‘Loch Lomond’, a pair of works by Alfred de Breanski (1852-1928) that sold for £5,200, and ‘Near Stanachlacher’ by the same hand that sold for £4,200. Also of interest in the section were ‘Returning with the catch’ by Robert Edward Smythe (1810-1899) that sold for £3,200, ‘The Old Barge Berth on the River Colne’ by the Circle of John Constable (1776-1837) that sold for £3,200, and ‘On the Lowther, Westmoreland’ by James Peel (1811-1906) that sold for £2,500. A vibrant and engaging work, ‘Goatherders at rest before a rustic cottage’ by Croatian artist Nicola Masic (1852-1902) attracted high levels of interest and finally sold for £9,500.
