Works fresh to market soar past estimates at Bonhams Edinburgh sale

Pastoral by Edward Arthur Walton

Works fresh to the market sold particularly well at Bonhams Scottish Art sale in Edinburgh on Thursday 4 December.

John Cunningham’s Low Tide, Ardnamurchan outstripped its estimate of £6,000-8,000 to sell for at £22,500, while Woman by a Fireplace 2 by Robert MacBryde set a new auction record of the artist of £25,000.

MacBryde and his life-long partner, Robert Colquhoun, were the toast of London throughout the 1940s, earning themselves the collective nickname, ‘The Darlings of Bond Street’. The ‘Two Roberts’, as they were known, were both born in Ayrshire, and met as students during their time at The Glasgow School of Art.

Works by other painters performed well, too. Sir Robin Philipson’s vibrant Iconostasis, from his altarpiece series, made £27,500, while Joan Eardley’s pastel of two Glasgow Street children, Shuggie and Jamesie, sold for £31,250.

An early Stuart Park study of violas was keenly contested, and finally sold for £15,000 against an estimate of £4,000-6,000, while and EA Walton’s Pastoral, which the artist had kept until his death, made £17,500.

Bonhams head of Scottish Art, Chris Brickley, said: ‘The December sale represented a strong end to the year, showing once again how collectors value quality and freshness to the market. We look forward to offering more choice works in 2015.’