This is in part due the fact that the village of Great Bardfield, home to the artistic community of which he was a leading light, is less than half an hour’s drive from the Stansted Mountfitchet saleroom.
The auction house’s latest Mod Brit sale on June 10 included a group of four pen and ink sketches that came for sale from the estate of Cambridge resident Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, the daughter of the 10th Duke of Devonshire who was a childhood friend of the Queen and lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret.
Two depicted scenes of East Anglian village life, while the other two were London scenes, and all of them exceeded estimates ranging from £1000-2000.
They were part of a group of a dozen drawings created by Bawden for use in 1955 edition of The English Scene, a diary and notebook published by textiles firm Morton Sundour Fabrics.
First up were the East Anglian views, Morris Dancing at Thaxted and Village Fete that sold at £2200 and £2800 respectively.
London calling
'The Painters’ River, Chelsea Embankment', a pen and ink sketch by Bawden – £4700 at Sworders.
Generating even stronger bidding was The Painters’ River, Chelsea Embankment and a depiction of the great Victorian glasshouse at Kew titled Greenhouse Management. These fetched £4700 and £3200 respectively.
The four Bawden drawings went to three different private online buyers, either based in London or locally to Sworders.
