Craig Aitchison oil leads Cotswolds sale

Work by Scottish colourist Craigie Aitchison, a terracotta plate by Grayson Perry, and a humorous oil painting by Chris Chapman were among the highlights of The Cotswold Auction Company’s March sale of modern art and design, vintage fashion and textiles.

The top seller in the sale was an oil and ink by Aitchison entitled Crucifixion, Angel and Bedlington, which sold for a hammer of £3,000. The artist was well-known for his love of Bedlington Terriers, and they appear frequently in his work. Crucifixions became a recurrent motif following a period studying in Italy during the 1950s. The work sold at auction this time combined both themes.

Elsewhere, a terracotta plate by Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry, Death to Grayson Perry, His Word, His Soul, His Mind, sold for £1,700, and a stoneware vase by John Ward went for £600.

Other highlights included an oil by Chris Chapman, entitled Power Napping, depicting a man and dog asleep in an art gallery in front of an abstract painting signed ‘Jason Pillock’. The picture sold for £480.

A bronze miniature winged figure group by Lynn Chadwick hammered down at £1,850, while a Jack Vettriano giclee print on paper, entitled The Missing Man II, sold for £900. The Scottish art superstar died earlier this month at the age of 73.

Auctioneer Liz Poole said: “We have sold several works by the renowned Scottish colourist Craigie Aitchison over the past year. This work, Crucifixion, Angel and Bedlington, was particularly distinctive, combining Craigie’s favoured motifs of the Crucifixion and his beloved Bedlington Terriers.”