A painting by the celebrated teddy bear artist Deborah Jones, and the cuddly toys that inspired, it sold for £3,200 – 40 times their low estimate of £80 at Hansons Auctioneers’ recent sale at Bishton Hall in Staffordshire.
Self-taught Jones, who died in 2012 aged 91, had a global following for her paintings – even counting Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra among her fans.
While her subjects ranged from still life to domestic interiors – often nostalgic in style – it was her depiction of teddy bears which sustained a six-decade career.
Hansons auctioneers’ toy expert, Janet Rawnsley, said: “She never used commercially-madeteddy bears as models, preferring handmade versions like the ones in the sale.
“All the bears and toys in the painting were finely made, and a wonderful collection for a vintage teddy bear collector. To have both the teddies and the painting was wonderful and appreciated by the bidders who fought it out in the saleroom.”
Jones was born in Pontypridd in South Wales but moved to Bristol as a child with her family. Her career was inspired by her own childhood teddy, named Lexi, which survived a 1941 German bombing raid but destroyed the family home.
After WWII, when she worked as a capstan lathe operator at Bristol Aeroplane Company, she moved to London immersing herself in the art and theatre world.
Inspired by the fashion drawings at the Victoria and Albert Museum, she worked as a theatre designer producing props and costumes for the Royal Opera House as well as working as a dresser to ballerina Margot Fonteyn.
But painting was where her true passion lay, with a solo exhibition at the prestigious London store Liberty in 1957 launching a successful artistic career.
As well as her paintings of teddy bears, Jones became renowned for depictions of Victorian shop windows and cosy domestic interiors with techniques that included trompe l’oeil.
In 1975 Hollywood A-lister Cary Grant reportedly bought her entire collection of 20 paintings at the London Teddy Bear Exhibition.
Jones continued painting until her death in Bristol on Christmas Eve 2012, at age 91, with her beloved teddy bear Lexi said to be beside her.
Auction Results
Auction: The Bishton Hall Super Sunday Auction
Auction date: 29th March 2026 | 11am
Location: Hansons’ Derbyshire Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
