Return to Granada
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Capturing a romantic vision of the past on the eve of the First World War, George Owen Wynne Apperley could hardly have imagined the kerfuffle his picture would cause at auction almost a hundred years later. Despite the conflict around him, his time spent working in Spain in 1914 were among his most treasured. Injecting that passion into his work he painted the court of the Alberca in Alhambra, Granada and it was this watercolour that bought bidders from the UK and Europe to Mallams auction house in Cheltenham on 22nd January. As the auction got under way, six bidders were on the telephone against another in the room, each pushing the price higher and higher. A Spanish dealer, keen for the piece to return to Granada, beat off fierce competition. Despite concerns that 19th and early 20th century watercolours have become difficult to sell in the current market, Apperley's painting surpassed all expectations, selling for £3,600. A Mallams expert said, "Granada fascinated and inspired Apperley. Its no wonder that his interpretation of the Court of the Alberca in the Alhambra, painted at such a critical point in his career encouraged bidders from both home and abroad". Also in the sale, a small oval portrait of Miss Charlotte Mordaunt, painted by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, reached £1,150. In the furniture section, a fine Regency mahogany secretaire bookcase bucked the trend which suggests such pieces have become unfashionable. The simple classical style and unusual fitted drawers at the bottom attracted murmurs of approval and it sold for £2,100. Easier to carry home was a charming tortoiseshell sewing box which still contained its implements. The 19th century box, marked Leuchars of London, made £1,250. (Gloucestershire Echo, 31st January 2009) |