In Luck with Gluck...
19th October 2018
Our selection of 320 lots of picture and prints in our October Fine Art sale proved to be a great success and there was a strong array of high prices in each department.
Within the print section, a group of fourteen lots by Stanley Anderson (1884-1966) comprised meticulous engravings of rustic crafts and empathetic figure studies. The group realised a total of £7600, the top price of £870 paid for the 1937 subject `Hurdle Makers`. Highlights in the watercolours included £6340 paid for Francis Towne’s view near Tavistock from 1815 and the £7320 paid for Edward Bawden’s subtly coloured view of the interior of Saffron Walden church. Consistent demand across all periods of oil painting saw £10,900 paid for a view of the Piazzetta in Venice in the manner of Canaletto, £8780 for a dramatic view in North Wales by Alfred de Breanski and £6830 for an atmospheric `Venetian Afternoon` by Antoine Bouvard.
Great strengths continued with demand for modern pieces. Two of the best prices were the £9500 paid for a small but serene seascape by the distinctive artist Hannah Gluckstein (`Gluck`) in its typical cream stepped geometric frame and £17000 for a bronze of `Polzeath` by the eminent Cornish sculptor Denis Mitchell (1912-1993). Consigned for sale by a lady in Somerset, this was accompanied by a photograph of the artist himself, taken by the lady’s late husband when he purchased the artwork in St Ives in June 1985. The sale’s total exceeded £320,000
