Painting sells for ten times its estimate

AN 18th century painting featuring an important figurehead processing before jubilant crowds sold for ten times its estimate at a Cirencester art auction last week.

The Festival of Bacchus depicted the god of wine and his fawns leading a procession, including a golden coach puled by exotic birds, before a bunting-festooned temple while revellers drank, danced and played music in the background.

The metre tall by 1.8m wide oil painting, painted in Italy in the 1700s, had been expected to sell for between £5,000 and £8,000 at Moore Allen & Innocent's Selected Picture Sale on Thursday, April 27.

But perhaps anticipating the excitement surrounding the following day's royal wedding, four bidders – two on the telephones and two in the room – pushed the hammer price to the princely sum of £50,000.

It was a good day for large oil paintings. The Piazza Quirinalli, Rome, from the School of Gaspar Van Wittel (1652-1736) made £10,000 against a £5,000 to £8,000 estimate.

And for those who had written off the English watercolour market, there was a shock when the third highest price of the day was achieved by Yachts, St Ives, a study of boats in the harbour by Terrick John Williams, which sold for £2,400 – well in excess of its £500 to £800 estimate.

Equestrian scenes, ever-popular in the Cotswolds, performed well with Master with Hounds, a study of a mounted huntsman jumping a Cotswold stone wall with hounds galloping beside, by the celebrated artist Lionel Edwards (1878-1966) making £1,200, comfortably within its £1,000 to £1,500 estimate.

Modern pieces, too, sold well. Blue Drawing by Avinash Chandra, a mixed media picture dated 1960, made £1,000 – at the top of its £700 to £1,000 estimate.

And a collection of 44 limited edition prints and originals by contemporary artists – which were sold commission-free in aid of Coln House School in Fairford – made £4,007.

Among the highlights was an artist's proof of Diamond Dust Marilyn, by Sir Peter Blake, a study of Marilyn Monroe sprinkled with real diamond dust, which made £600 against a £500 to £700 estimate.

A limited edition lithograph by the sculptor Lynn Chadwick made £460 against a £100 to £200 estimate, and a limited edition silkscreen, Sun City, by Eduardo Paolozzi made £300 against a £300 to £500 estimate. 

Master with Hounds by Lionel Edwards	Diamond Dust Marilyn, by Sir Peter Blake