Lawrences’ Summer auction of Pictures offered nearly 300 lots spanning seven centuries and a selection of high prices across the board reflected the steady demand for quality and rarity.
Some of the highlights included £4270 paid for a small portrait of a seated gentleman by Austrian artist Ludwig Guttenbrunn; £4800 for a fine pencil drawing of Croyland Abbey by John Sell Cotman; and £5600 for a fresh and skilful pastel by Leon L’Hermitte. Strong results were achieved for a watercolour by Mary Fedden showing her husband Julian Trevelyan by the sea with a shrimping net, drawn in 1994 six years after his death, which made £5000; and a total of £12200 for six signed limited editions prints of Manchester subjects by L. S. Lowry, consigned for sale by a gentleman who had bought them for £45-90 each in the late 1970’s (image 1820 shows `The Football Match` that made £3290).
A record price for a work on paper by Albert Henry Collings’ work was achieved when his sensuous `The Blue Cloak` made £3780 and the same price was paid for a very rare colour woodcut of tigers by Norbertine Bresslern Roth. This is also one of the highest prices ever paid for a single print by the artist. A small sketch of a still life study by celebrated German Expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner attracted bids from the Continent to make £6830 for its delighted vendor who was in the room to watch it make five time expectations.
The two highest prices of the day were paid for consecutive lots. A fine pair of oils of Italianate landscapes by John Glover exceeded hopes of £16000 to make £26800. Glover was born in England but moved to Australia in 1831 and his work has a keen following in Australasia.
Another surprise was the record price paid for an oil ascribed to Samuel Drummond showing the famous death of Horatio Nelson in 1805.
The canvas, painted in about 1806, is one of a number of variants of the famous theme and depicts the hero falling on the deck of HMS Victory after being shot by a French sniper at Trafalgar. Against keen competition, the lot was bought by a Nelson devotee for £26200.