The late 19th century 18 x 9in (46 x 23cm) Pre- Raphaelite-style work was painted in 1896 by Robert Anning Bell (1863-1933). It had not been offered at auction before.
Bell’s interest in the architectural setting of art helped him to win numerous decorative commissions for mosaics, stained glass and relief sculpture – some of which he painted on plaster.
Estimated at £300-500 on May 25, this example sold at £5000 to one of four phone lines active on the lot. The buyer was a private collector.
Other comparable examples at auction include a slightly larger plaster work along the mother and child theme, dating from 1906, which sold at Christie’s London in 1998 for £5500.
Another picture to attract multiple enquiries at Hutchinson Scott was a well-preserved posthumous portrait of Sir Francis Drake.
The 17th century 19½ x 15in (50 x 39cm) oil on oak panel of the Elizabethan sea captain had formerly been in the possession of Drake’s direct ancestors, the Drake Lennon family, and had also sold at Sotheby’s in 1930. Consigned to the sale by a private collector, it sold to the UK trade for £2600, more than five times the bottom guide.
