A portrait of Cardinal Basil Hume, a study of the late Queen Elizabeth II and a picture of a naked woman reading a paper made up the top three lots in the recent studio sale of renowned British portraitist Jeff Stultiens’ (1944-2023).
The top seller at Hansons Auctioneers’ online sale at its Royston saleroom was a large oil on canvas (measuring 101 x 152cm) of His Eminence Cardinal George Basil Hume OSB, hammered at £8,500 more than eight times its low estimate of £1,000.
The second bestseller, measuring 102 x 81cm, was a study Stultiens carried out for his 2003 portrait of the queen, which, at 2.3m, is thought to be the largest portrait of the late monarch ever produced. With a guide price of £1,000-£2,000, it sold for £3,600.
When Stultiens’ larger-than-life depiction of the queen, commissioned by Oxford University’s Oriel College where it now hangs, was unveiled, it caught the attention of the world.
To produce it Stultiens was granted six hour-long sessions with the late monarch in the drawing room of Buckingham Palace.
A number of the resulting studies appeared in the recent online sale which ended on August 24.
The third top seller, dated 2010, and called Nude in the Financial Crisis, sold for £2,200, beating its guide price of £800-£1,200.
Blackpool born Stultiens studied at the Camberwell School of Art in London in the 1960s and became a a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in 1991, He went on to live in Toddington, Bedfordshire, where he died in 2003, aged 79.
His paintings reside in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery as well as several other important national collections.
Auctioneer Paul Fox said: “Seeing the collection direct from the artist’s studio afforded us the wonderful opportunity to see the range this extraordinary artist produced – from the elaborate portrait of Cardinal Hume to the many studies and sketches making up the collection.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an auctioneer and an experience relished by all involved. We were elated that the collection drew so much interest.”
The 207-lot collection, which fetched a total of £35,989, was consigned by the artist’s ex-wife and the couple’s two daughters.
It included portraits of the percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, the pioneering respiratory doctor Professor Dame Margaret Turner-Warwick and Professor Dame Carol Black (a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery and renowned physician).
Auction Results
Auction: Jeff Stultiens: A Lifetime of Portraiture
Auction date: 18th July – 24th August 2025
Location: Hansons Hertfordshire Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
