An untitled relief by Ben Nicholson, £54,000 at Mallams.
The vendor received the 7¾ x 11in (20 x 28cm) piece as a gift from Nicholson’s daughter Kate in c.1997.
The back is inscribed Nicholson Chy An Kerris, CarbisBay, St Ives – a reference to the house called Chy-an-Kerris on the far side of Carbis Bay to which the Nicholsons moved in September 1942.
The artist began making shallow reliefs in the 1930s, reducing their colour in terms of plainness to achieve a sense of purity, as shown in the current lot.
Estimated at £40,000- 60,000 at Mallams, it sold for £54,000.
