M74 No12 wall-hanging by the weaver Peter Collingwood – £20,000 at Sworders.
The trademark ‘microgauze’ hanging of two-tone woven linen and steel had been recently given to a fund-raising event in Suffolk but was consigned to auction after specialist advice. Sworders has sold several similar pieces in recent years.
Based in Colchester for much of his career, Collingwood was at the forefront of weaving for 50 years. His wall hangings, many of them sold at the time through Liberty’s and Heal’s, use the traditional craft to create very modern visual abstraction. Today they are admired and collected worldwide.
Measuring 2ft 1in (63cm wide) by 6ft (1.50m) high, the hanging titled M74 No12 was bought directly from Collingwood in the early 1980s by the vendor’s mother. She was an enthusiastic weaver and had joined a craft cruise for which Collingwood provided lectures and tutoring.
Donated to a fete in Wenhaston, near Southwold, the auction proceeds will now benefit the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. Underbid by the UK trade, the winning bid of £20,000 (estimate £5000-8000) came online from a UK private buyer via thesaleroom.com.
The previous high for a Collingwood weaving was the £18,000 bid for a similar example at Phillips in 2015.
M22 No41 wall-hanging by the weaver Peter Collingwood – £9000 at Lyon & Turnbull.
Another Collingwood wall-hanging offered at Lyon & Turnbull’s (25% buyer’s premium) Modern Made sale in London on April 29. Worked in black linen threads and signed and titled M22 No41, it made a more regulation price in selling at £9000.
