Maritime art collection in sale
An upcoming auction of British and Continental Pictures and Prints will feature a collection of more than 30 maritime watercolours, drawings, prints and etchings from the Wyllie Gallery, a private gallery based in South Kensington.
The group in the sale at Olympia Auctions will include works by George Weatherill (1810-1890), Elijah Walton (1832-1880) and David Cox (1783-1859).
Modern British pictures coming to the sale comprise works by Augustus John O.M., R.A. (1878-1961) as well as John Piper (1903-1992). A charming watercolour by Mary Fedden R.A., O.B.E. (1915-2012) titled Julian Trevelyan on the beach, Mary in the background’, painted in 1987 has an estimate of £5,000-£8000. In 1951, Fedden married the artist Julian Trevelyan, and the pair went on to travel extensively together seeking inspiration for their painting and printmaking.
Three sunlit views of Rome by Jacob George Strutt (1790-1864) draw the eye to the architectural splendour of the city. Strutt who painted mainly in gouache, was influenced by Constable, and exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1822–1852. Low estimates start at £800.
A View of the Pyramids, estimate: £1,500-£2,000 by Royal Academician Frederick Goodall (1822-1904) depicts a scene of everyday life – including sheep herding – in front of the majestic pyramids at sunset. Goodall visited Egypt in 1858 and again in 1870. His paintings on Eastern themes received critical acclaim, with 170 of Goodall’s orientalist works being exhibited at the Royal Academy over 46 years.
A group of English Civil War paintings by Ernest Crofts, RA (1847-1911) may well appeal to military history enthusiasts. Crofts witnessed battles during the Prussian war with France while he was studying under the German military artist, Emile Hünten (1827-1902) in Düsseldorf. He also had superb knowledge of military uniform bringing authenticity to his work, and had his own personal collection of military costume and accoutrements. There are also works in this genre by Robert Alexander Hillingford (1828-1904) and John S. Sanderson Wells (1872- 1955).
Ten 19th and early 20th-century gouaches depicting an erupting Mount Vesuvius through day and night are also among the lots, the calm sea contrasting with the spewing inferno on land. Low estimates start at £100, up to a high of £400.