Jack Russell Terrier and a West Highland Terrier in a Kennel by Samuel Fulton, £6500 at Halls.
Pictures of Spaniels, Jack Russells, Collies and West Highland Terriers were all among his most popular works and so a picture with two of the above breeds that appeared at Halls (20% buyer’s premium) on September 20 had considerable appeal, especially with the estimate set at a ‘here-to-be-sold’ estimate level of £1000-2000 in Shrewsbury.
The 20 x 16¼in (51 x 41cm) signed oil on canvas depicting a Jack Russell and a West Highland Terrier in a kennel came from a large private collection of 19th century paintings that included another dog painting by Edwin Douglas that made £2300 in the current sale.
The same source had also yielded a large painting of otterhounds by Walter Hunt and a loch scene by Alfred Breanski which were sold earlier this year.
Kept behind glass, the Fulton was in good overall condition although it had a small hole to the top-left corner. Selling to a London buyer at £6500, it made the highest auction price for the artist since Lawrences of Crewkerne sold another picture of a West Highland Terrier for £7400 in 2019.
Barn find
Chickens, Pigeons and Rabbits by Edgar Hunt, £5500 at Halls.
Another animal picture offered in Shrewsbury was a typical Edgar Hunt (1876-1953) painting of chickens, pigeons and rabbits in a barn. The 10½ x 14¾in (27 x 38cm) signed oil on board was in good condition and came from a deceased estate in Shropshire.
It had been purchased from Chester dealer Baron Fine Art in 2014 but previously had appeared at Sotheby’s back in 1989 when the market was much stronger and it fetched £12,500.
Here it was estimated at £4000-6000 and sold at £5500 to a private buyer in rural Wales.
