Pilchards prove to be quite a catch
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West Country scenes provided two of teh top three prices at Mallams picture sale in Oxford on March 6th. The top lot came from a local deceased estate and had been hanging in sheltered accommodation until the executors decided to consign it to auction. This was Morning With the Pilchard Fishers by Cornwall artist Garstin Cox (1892-1933), which came with a £4,000-6,000 estimate. Having been based in both Newlyn and St. Ives, the artist was best known for his coastal and woodland scenes. Although not commonly seen in the saleroom, his prices at auction tend to range from £1,000 to £6,000 when they do appear. However, this 3ft 3in x 4ft 1in oil on canvas was a larger, more striking and detailed image than most of his works, and it was certainly among the best examples that have emerged since the Royal Institute of Cornwall held anexhibition devoted to Cox's work in 2003. It was also in untouched condition which added to its appeal, especially for dealers. Against bidding on the telephone, it was duly knocked down to a member of the trade at £12,000, which the auctioneer thought was a record for the artist. The other Cornish scene at the sale was Land's End by John Brett (1830-1902), which again sold to the trade, but this tiem at a mid-estimate £2,500. The separately consigned 10 x 14 1/4in oil on board was dated Sep 30 '72 and had been acquired by the Birmingham architect J. H. Chamberlain, one of the vendor's ancestors, the year after it was painted. Indeed, after spending most of September 1872 at St. Ives, Brett moved to Sennen, near Land's End towards the end of the month. This work was the first of a number of sketches he made in the vicinity, several of which are on boards of this size, a format he employed only in that year. The subject here was the rock known as The Irish lady, which lies at the foot of the cliffs about half a mile north of Land's End. Brett did another sketch of the same rock but from a different angle in 1880, which sold at Sotheby's Belgravia in June 1978 for £700. (Antiques Trade Gazette, 28th March 2009, pp.30-32) |