Sir John Lavery (1856-1941)

We were pleased to offer a selection of works by Sir John Lavery, one of the most important Irish artists in history. A particular highlight was Lot 46, the original sketch for 'The Hearing of the Appeal of Sir Roger Casement'.

One of the most significant events for Ireland, this is the study for Lavery’s grand painting of The Court of Criminal Appeal London, 1916 (Government Art Collection), which is an encapsulation of the high drama surrounding the controversial court case of Roger Casement CMG (1864-1916), who was hanged for his participation in the Irish Nationalist revolt in Dublin in 1916. Learn more

Watch the moment when it sells for £155,200.

Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904)

The top selling lot of the day was Lot 70, an exquisite still life painting titled Roses Thé, by French artist Henri Fantin-Latour. With fierce bidding on the phone and online, the work sold for £237,700.

Initially trained by his father who was also a painter, Fantin-Latour went on to study alongside Edgar Degas and Alphonse Legros. The artistic milieu in which he was surrounded comprised Edouard Manet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet amongst many others that would go on to be instrumental in the Impressionist movement. Fantin-Latour's work at this time comprised many group portraits of his contemporaries, but it was his flower compositions that brought him both critical and commercial success.

Samuel John Peploe (1871-1935)

The auction also included Lot 74, this bright landscape by one of Scotland's first Modernists, Samuel John Peploe (1871-1935), which sold for £87,700. 

Peploe had firmly established himself on the Scottish art scene in the early years of the twentieth century with his traditional Edwardian style of painting. He found success with a series of carefully observed interiors, still lives, portraits and landscapes. However, regular trips to northern France and Paris from the mid-1900s saw him come into contact with the likes of Matisse and Picasso and the latest artistic trends that avant garde Paris had to offer. He began to adopt a bolder, more vibrant palette, influenced by the art of Vincent Van Gogh, the Fauves and their raw expressionism, he pared down his compositions to the barest, yet most striking elements - the black line contrasted with the brightest, richest colours.

The colourist journey begun by the Fauves ten years earlier now encompassed a new group of painters who would go on to be known collectively as the Scottish Colourists. This tightknit group comprised Peploe along with Francis Cadell, Leslie Hunter and J.D. Fergusson.

Alfred Wolmark (1877-1961)

Achieving an auction record for the artist, we had Lot 84, Gaudier Brzeska at Work by British artist Alfred Wolmark, which sold for £175,200. Dated 1912, this work was originally in the private collection of Mrs May Platini, the artist's niece. It depicts French artist and sculptor, Henri Gaudier Brzeska working on the portrait bust of his close friend Alfred Wolmark, which was posthumously cast in an edition of six between 1954-60.

Keith Vaughan (1912-1977)

Keith Vaughan was best known for his muted abstractions of male nudes, landscapes and architecture. In the 1940s, he was one of the leading artists of the Neo-Romanticism movement. We were pleased to offer this work titled, Blue Landscape with Figure by Vaughan, which sold for £43,950 (Lot 104).

This work was originally purchased from the Crane Kalman Gallery, London in 1968, and included in Hepworth and Massey's 2012 publication, Keith Vaughan - The Mature Oils 1946-1977.

Alfonso Ossorio (1916-1990)

Another highlight was Lot 160, an abstract work by Filipino/American artist Alfonso Ossorio, which sold for £50,200. Alfonso Ossorio was at the centre of the Abstract Expressionist and Art Brut movements which flourished during the 1950s. This passion for the arts and exploration of abstraction, alongside his close friends Jackson Pollock and Jean Dubuffet, was reflected in not only his own practice but also his collecting habits. Financially supported by his family, Ossorio established one of the earliest collections of Art Brut and Abstract Expressionism, helping to consolidate and promote the movements in America.

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Thinking of selling? For a free auction valuation, please contact our picture specialists on: +44 (0) 1635 553 553 | pictures@dreweatts.com. Alternatively, you can also complete our online valuation form, here.

UPCOMING AUCTIONS:
12 June: Old Master, British and European Art: entries close 23 April
9 July: Modern and Contemporary Art: entries close 21 May 

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