July Welsh Sale: Post Sale Report

Highlights from the sale commenced with a very fine collection of Welsh porcelain from the factories of Swansea and Nantgarw realising just over £31,290. Highlights in this section included a rare Swansea vase in the French-Empire style selling for £4,200 (1), a salad bowl from the Burdett-Coutts service taking £3800 (2) and a super Nantgarw teapot hammering for £2,800 (3).

The large picture section followed which, excluding a separate section of works by Sir Kyffin Williams, sold for £253,710.

Ben Rogers Jones; ‘’the painting section was one of the most memorable of any Welsh Sale with some of the best examples I have seen from some artists. Bidders responded accordingly with record auction prices achieved for several pieces’’

A few of the many highlights included £9,500 for an oil by Aneurin Jones (4), another by Valerie Ganz which was the front cover of the catalogue selling for £5,000 (5) a George Chapman oil also selling at £5000 (6), an oil by Kevin Sinnott at £10,000 (7), a monumental Shani Rhys James at £18,000 (8) and a very fine watercolour of Aberffraw, by Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe (9), which realised £4800. Also in the auction was a very interesting section of pre-20^th Century paintings, three of which performed exceptionally; namely Edward Albert Pettitt (£4000) (10), John Varley (£7500) (11) and Paul Sandby (£4000) (12).

The importance of Sir Kyffin Williams to The Welsh Sale does not go unnoticed and so the prints, works on paper and oils by Kyffin were arranged in a separate section to other artists. Seven oils were offered with each of them finding buyers, while 8 out of 9 works on paper find new homes too. The highest price in the section of works by Sir Kyffin Williams was for Lot 279 at £52000. The total for the Kyffin section was £221,640. (images 13-23)

Ben Rogers Jones; ‘’It was another remarkable day for Sir Kyffin Williams. The demand for his work is getting stronger if anything.

The prices were robust and there was interest from bidders far and wide. I was especially pleased with Lot 279, the oil of Pen Lleyn, which almost doubled the auction estimate. From the moment I saw the quality of the picture I thought that it might do very well, and so I am relieved and delighted that it did so’’.

The final lots of The Welsh Sale came under the umbrella of Welsh Sculpture, Antiques and Memorabilia, and it was two very different chairs which accepted the plaudits. A primitive 19^th Century Welsh stick-back chair taking £3,600 (24) followed by a 1917 Eisteddfod armchair which realised £2,800 (25). A mention should also be given to the Cardiff City FC programme for their 1927 FA Cup victory which scored a price of £1500 (26).

The importance of Sir Kyffin Williams to The Welsh Sale does not go unnoticed and so the prints, works on paper and oils by Kyffin were arranged in a separate section to other artists. Seven oils were offered with each of them finding buyers, while 8 out of 9 works on paper find new homes too. The highest price in the section of works by Sir Kyffin Williams was for Lot 279 at £52000. The total for the Kyffin section was £221,640. (images 13-23)

Ben Rogers Jones; ‘’It was another remarkable day for Sir Kyffin Williams. The demand for his work is getting stronger if anything.

The prices were robust and there was interest from bidders far and wide. I was especially pleased with Lot 279, the oil of Pen Lleyn, which almost doubled the auction estimate. From the moment I saw the quality of the picture I thought that it might do very well, and so I am relieved and delighted that it did so’’.

The final lots of The Welsh Sale came under the umbrella of Welsh Sculpture, Antiques and Memorabilia, and it was two very different chairs which accepted the plaudits. A primitive 19^th Century Welsh stick-back chair taking £3,600 (24) followed by a 1917 Eisteddfod armchair which realised £2,800 (25). A mention should also be given to the Cardiff City FC programme for their 1927 FA Cup victory which scored a price of £1500 (26).

The final lots of The Welsh Sale came under the umbrella of Welsh Sculpture, Antiques and Memorabilia, and it was two very different chairs which accepted the plaudits. A primitive 19^th Century Welsh stick-back chair taking £3,600 (24) followed by a 1917 Eisteddfod armchair which realised £2,800 (25). A mention should also be given to the Cardiff City FC programme for their 1927 FA Cup victory which scored a price of £1500 (26).

The next Welsh Sale is at the end of October and entries are required as soon as possible.

Ben Rogers Jones: ‘’The final Welsh Sale of the year is already looking bright. A fabulous one owner collection of pictures has come from Monmouthshire and two oils by Sir Kyffin Williams have been consigned too (27). We urge potential vendors to contact us as soon as you can as we anticipate closing entries early. The market continues to be very exciting for Welsh fine art’’

For potential entries to the next Welsh Sale please email images to brj@rjauctions.co.uk or call us on 02920 708125