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Hannah Lund's Top Picks | Old Master, British and European Art auction | 11 February 2025
On Tuesday 11 February, we have our Old Master, British and European Art auction. The sale presents an impressive selection of museum-quality works. Ahead of the sale, we are pleased to have Hannah Lund, Curator of Exhibitions and Displays at Leighton House, picking out some of her favourite pieces from the auction.
Hannah Lund studied history of art at Edinburgh University, completing a research masters in British material culture in 2017. She joined the museums at Leighton House and Sambourne House full-time in 2018 and has been Curator of Exhibitions and Displays since 2023. Leighton House is the former studio-home of artist, Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830-1896), while Sambourne House is the family home of illustrator, Linley Sambourne (1844-1910). In this role she has curated exhibitions including 'Out Shopping: The Dresses of Marion and Maud Sambourne' and 'Maha Ahmed: Where Worlds Meet', as well as the current exhibition 'Leighton and Landscape: Impressions from Nature'.
Hannah Lund's Top Picks
No. 1
Lot 98: William Etty (British 1789-1849), Eve and the Serpent, Oil on panel | Est. £1,000-1,500 (+ fees)
"This picture reflects the influence of Venetian painters such as Veronese and Titian on Etty’s pictures. Leighton owned a study of Etty’s study of 'Fortune, An Allegorical Figure' after Paolo Veronese and praised his ‘colour and painting’."
No. 2
Lot 103: John Hayter (British 1800-1891), Interior of a Painter's Study - Edwin Landseer (1802-1873) at his Easel, Oil on canvas | Est. £15,000-25,000 (+ fees)
"This painting is an interesting depiction of the animal painter’s studio, as he works on his important early picture 'The Larder Invaded'. The carefully staged work reflects artists’ fascination with their working environment."
No. 3
Lot 127: Carlo Ferrario (Italian 1833-1907), View of Venice, Oil on canvas | Est. £4,000-6,000 (+ fees)
"Leighton visited Venice on many occasions and considered the Grand Canal, pictured in this work, ‘one of the most splendid views in Europe’. This work shows the enduring charm of the city."
No. 4
Lot 153: Albert Goodwin (British 1845-1932), Sunset Through Woodland, Watercolour heightened with bodycolour | Est. £500-700 (+ fees)
"This picture captures the rich glow of the fading light through the autumnal trees. Leighton, likewise, often chose to paint landscapes in the changing light and owned a number of pictures on this theme, including Corot’s, Four Times of Day."
No. 5
Lot 171: Sir Frank Dicksee (British 1853-1928), Old Songs, Watercolour | Est. £2,000-3,000 (+ fees)
"Dicksee followed Leighton in becoming President of the Royal Academy in 1924 and was best known for his larger scale paintings of chivalric subjects. This small watercolour interior has a charming warmth and intimacy."
No. 6
Lot 173: Edward John Poynter (British 1836-1919), A Sussex Garden, Watercolour | Est. £4,000-6,000 (+ fees)
"Like Dicksee, Poynter also followed Leighton in becoming President of the Royal Academy. Sussex was a popular retreat for London-based artists in the 19th century, in the 1880s. G. F. Watts spent time there, painting Haystacks (study on Brighton Downs) in the museum’s collection." (Dreweatts ‘Robert Kime: The Personal Collection’, 4-6 October 2023, Lot 291).
No. 7
Lot 220: Walter Crane (British 1845 - 1915), Summer, Watercolour and bodycolour laid to canvas | Est. £30,000-50,000 (+ fees)
"Walter Crane was both a designer and painter and was responsible for the mosaic friezes in the Arab Hall at Leighton House. This elegant watercolour is a lovely example of his aesthetic style paintings."
No. 8
Lot 236: George Howard (British 1843 - 1911), Cecilia, The Artist's Daughter, Sketching, Watercolour | Est. £1,000-2,000 (+ fees)
"This sketch of the artist’s daughter, depicts her deep concentration as she works, perched on a bench wrapped up in a capacious grey coat. This is one of several pictures Howard made of artists at work, including sketches of Giovanni Costa and Frederic Leighton also sketching outdoors."
No. 9
Lot 242: Sir Edward Coley Burne Jones (British 1833 - 1898), The Passing of Venus or the Triumph of Love, Pencil, coloured crayon and ink on paper | Est. £3,000-5,000 (+ fees)
"This design is an early example of Burne-Jones’s work for Morris & Co. which would go on to prove a hugely fruitful collaboration for both parties. Several works by Burne-Jones will be featuring in the museum’s upcoming exhibition Victorian Treasures, opening in May 2025."
No. 10
Lot 293: Walter Greaves (British 1846 - 1930), Whistler Finishing the Portrait of his Mother, Watercolour | Est. £2,000-3,000 (+ fees)
"This painting provides an intriguing glimpse into Whistler’s studio. On the far wall Whistler’s own self-portrait hangs at the top of the wall, surveying the scene."
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Auction Details
Tuesday 11 February, 10.30am GMT
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE
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VIEWING:
- Viewing in Newbury: Donnington Priory, RG14 2JE
- Thursday 6 February: 10am-4pm
- Friday 7 February: 10am-4pm
- Sunday 9 February: 10am-3pm
- Monday 10 February: 10am-4pm
- Dreweatts Remote Viewing Service | Available from Thursday 6 February
- Dreweatts 360 Virtual Auction Tour | Take the Virtual Tour
