Hansons’ Head of Fine Art Adrian Rathbone picks out one of his personal highlight from our May 2020 online-only Fine Art Auction held at Bishton Hall, Staffordshire.
I had high hopes for Lot 215, a painting depicting a classical English landscape and I was not disappointed. It soared to success at auction and deservedly so.
The oil painting, which shows cattle watering whilst two figures converse by a cluster of trees, is by the celebrated artist Thomas Sidney Cooper R.A. (1803-1902).
Cooper is well known for his landscape and cattle in pasture paintings. His pictures of cows earned him the nickname ‘Cow Cooper’ in honour of his vast output of cows in numerous pastoral scenes. In 1867 he was elected a Royal Academician. Examples of his works currently reside in London’s Tate Gallery and The Victoria & Albert Museum.
I discovered this work, an early example signed and dated 1842, in a privately owned historic Derbyshire property. A fine example by a leading 19th Century British artist, it carried a pre-sale estimate of £5,000-8,000. After extensive marketing and with numerous phones bidders on the day, it sold to a private Derbyshire-based buyer for £8,500.
Free valuations of paintings and prints
Entries of all manner of antique to contemporary paintings and prints are currently invited for inclusion in the next Country House Fine Art Auction in October.19th/early 20th Century works by Derbyshire artists such as George Turner, the Gresleys, 20th Century pictures by notable/listed artists and signed Lowry prints are currently being sourced.For further information, please contact Adrian Rathbone on 07843 061921 or email [email protected].
