Spring is here and with it the usual spring clean and a desire to buy new things for the house and garden. If you have objects that you no longer need or cherish – or perhaps just one too many heirlooms – then auction houses are a good way to turn these items into cash.
Look out for valuation days at regional auction houses. They all offer regular opportunities to bring in your possessions and let the specialists take a look at them. With bigger items it’s worth giving them a call first and showing some photos to save yourself a journey.
Bellman’s recently sold some wonderful artworks that had been passed down through a family, their real value completely unknown. Among them was an early portrait painting by Dod Procter (1892-1972) of a girl in a black dress with a fabulous red hat and striking wallpaper in the background that had been in the family for many decades, possibly since it was painted by Procter (c1915). It had been estimated at £15,000-£20,000, but sold for £88,000.
I like to keep a keen eye on sales of personal art collections to pick up tips on how to build them successfully. One in particular came to my notice: the sale of banker Bernard Kelly’s collection at Mall Galleries in January. Kelly had a hobby of cycling to auction houses to spot works of art that took his fancy. He’d then check them out with a specialist adviser before bidding, always with a banker’s caution, never exceeding the estimate and never buying for more than £5,000. Although in financial terms, he had a few misses, his gains were quite spectacular. For example, a drawing of the dancer Anna Pavlova by Laura Knight, which Kelly bought in 1986 for £750, sold for £8,190; a portrait by Duncan Grant of his lover Paul Roche, that he paid £1,550 for in 1984, sold for £28,950; and a studio interior by Peter Kinley, which Kelly bought for £1,100 in 1988, sold for £11,970.
If you are inspired by those figures to build your own collection, there are some great opportunities coming up over the next few months.
Among the highlights in Bellman’s Modern British auction on May 14 is a wonderful still life of flowers by Dorothea Sharp.
It comes from a private collection in Petworth and has been in the family since the 1960s. Sharp was born in Kent and studied at Richmond School of Art, before travelling to Paris where she was heavily influenced by the Impressionists. In 1935, Harold Sawkins, editor of i-MAGAZINE, described her as ‘one of England’s greatest living painters’. He went on to describe her style: ‘Full of sunshine and luscious colour, her work is always lively, harmonious and tremendously exhilarating … the chief attractions of Miss Sharp’s delightful pictures are her happy choice of subjects, and her beautiful colour schemes.’ The painting is rare as the majority of her works depict children on the beach in Cornwall, where she had a studio at Porthmeor and became an honorary member of the St. Ives Society of Artists in 1928.
A stunning Chinese silk-embroidered ceremonial apron skirt from the late 19th/early 20th century comes up for auction on March 25. Its vibrant colours are perfect for spring – it would look stunning as a wall hanging, but you may even be able to wear it. The same Works of Art auction is also offering a spectacular one-off vintage Dior dress that was worn by the bride of the society wedding of 1968. The glamorous couple were driven in an open top horse-drawn carriage through the streets of Mayfair and St James’s, including Piccadilly, London’s busiest road at the time, which was closed especially for the occasion. Unsurprisingly, the bride made headlines and the dress was admired by millions. It has lost none of its glamour or style over the years and carries an estimate of £1,000 to £2,000. Similarly, Bellman’s will be selling a real showstopper in its May jewellery auction: a ring with a 15-carat emerald at its centre, flanked on each side by a triangular step-cut diamond. It is estimated at £9,500 – £10,000.
Silke Lohman is a freelance art consultant at Bellman’s and Summers Place auction houses who has previously worked for Sotheby’s, New Bond Street. She is the founder of Exclamation PR.