All 158 lots in The Drambuie Collection, the corporate picture collection of the famous Scottish distillers which charted the last two centuries in Scottish art, got away. The majority were bid considerably over estimate and the sale total was £2.7m with furniture and works of art still to sell as ATG went to press.
The sale closed on a high with Samuel John Peploe’s still life of pink roses and fruit c.1919. Estimated at £100,000-150,000, a fierce battle quickly ensued between the room and the phone, the latter winning at an impressive £220,000 (plus 19.5/12% buyer’s premium).
The sole disappointment of the evening was the much hyped Sir William Quiller Orchardson RA (1832-1910) oil Dolce Far Niente.
Both Nick Curnow, Lyon & Turnbull’s managing director, and Robin Nicholson, curator of the Drambuie Collection, rhapsodised over the painting in numerous articles. However, on the night, the room wasn’t keen. Estimated at £30,000-40,000, it got away just over the opening bid at £16,000 to a delighted lady buyer in the room.
Drambuie art at £2.7m and counting
On a cold January 26 night in Edinburgh, a packed saleroom at Lyon & Turnbull witnessed a defining moment in the Scottish art market.
