Although she has very little track record at auction, the American portraitist Cecile de Wentworth (1853-1933) had a notable roster of sitters during her lifetime. Née Cecile Smith, she painted presidents William Taft and Theodore Roosevelt as well as Queen Alexandra of England, General Pershing and even Pope Leo XIII.
A work by the artist will make a rare appearance on the market at Grand Auctions of Folkestone on July 1 where a portrait of a lady, signed and dated 1903, will be offered with a £2000-3000 estimate. The 4ft x 3ft (1.22m x 92cm) oil on canvas has come to auction from a vendor whose late wife acquired it many years ago.
The sitter has yet to be identified.
This oil painting on panel is believed to be by the Whitehaven artist ‘C Welsh’, and will be offered at Cumbrian saleroom Mitchells with an estimate of £3000-5000 in its three-day sale of more than 1800 lots from June 12-14.
This 2ft 3in x 4ft (69cm x 1.22m) oil painting on panel is believed to be by the Whitehaven artist ‘C Welsh’, of whom little is known. It dates from 1860 and depicts a panoramic view of shipping off Whitehaven Harbour on the north-west Cumbrian coast.
Many vessels can be identified by pennants such as the Wasdale, a Whitehaven brig launched in 1837 and destroyed in a collision in 1854. Other vessels include the Nicholson, Sarah, Enterprise, Callao and the paddle steamer Queen.
Cumbrian saleroom Mitchells has estimated the painting at £3000-5000 in its three-day sale of more than 1800 lots from June 12-14.
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This 16½ x 21½in (41 x 55cm) painting of the Richardson Travelling Theatre troupe is signed and dated WT Saratalan 1845 – is priced at £2950 from Manfred Schotten Antiques in Oxfordshire.
At the turn of the 19th century London had only two official theatres – Covent Garden and Drury Lane – and they opened only in the winter months.
Companies such as Richardson Travelling Theatre filled the void by setting up shows at the fairs in London’s suburbs during the spring and summer months. Founded by John Richardson (1766-1836), the company grew to become one of the largest travelling theatres with performances ranging from Shakespeare to acts such as Josephine Girardelli, who poured molten lead into her mouth and then removed it as a cast of her teeth. The company ran until 1853.
This 16½ x 21½in (41 x 55cm) painting of the troupe is signed and dated WT Saratalan 1845 – the year a huge fire destroyed the theatre at Dartford with just a single wagon left unscathed. It is thought this was painted after the disaster in remembrance at a time when it might have been unsure if they could continue.
The work is priced at £2950 from Manfred Schotten Antiques in Oxfordshire.
'Acrobats' by Cyril Power (1872-1951) was made in a limited edition of 60 in red, raw sienna and viridian, c.1933. This example is estimated at £1500-2500 at Clevedon Salerooms in Bristol on June 13.
Cyril Power (1872-1951), perhaps the best known of the Grosvenor School artists, was inspired to create this linocut after watching trapeze artists at Bertram Mills Circus in London. In Acrobats, Power uses curvilinear forms and curved interlacing lines to portray figures in motion, while giving a sense of height through the diagonal soaring tent pole.
Made in a limited edition of 60 in red, raw sienna and viridian, c.1933, this example is estimated at £1500-2500 at Clevedon Salerooms in Bristol on June 13.
clevedon-salerooms.com or see this item on thesaleroom.com
