The son of a tea-merchant born in Belfast, Humbert Craig was virtually self-taught and influenced in his early years by the celebrated Irish artist Paul Henry.
At his height he showed more than 200 paintings with the Fine Art Society in London, preferring the opulent Victorian gallery to that of the stuffier confines of the Royal Academy.
His Impressionistic scenes were widely reproduced in the form of lithographic posters and calendars. Last year a poster painting produced for the Ulster Ministry of Commerce, Flax Growing, Northern Ireland (1927) sold for €54,000 (around £46,000) at Whyte’s of Dublin.
This 19 x 23in (49 x 59cm) oil on canvas, Upper Glendun, was offered at Locke & England (17.5% buyer’s premium) in Warwickshire on September 24 and bore all the hallmarks of a Humbert Craig landscape with its sweeping view, energetic brushstrokes and lively colours.
Against a £1500-2000 guide, it was pursued to £5000 via thesaleroom.com.
