Fine Art

It’s wise to keep a lid on estimates for traditional pictures where condition and market freshness is lacking

Though officially retired for many years, dealer Malcolm Innes continues to trade, focusing on Scottish landscape, sporting and military art.

Irish-born William W Armstrong (1822-1914) emigrated to Canada in 1851 and initially found success as a civil engineer on the early railways and pioneering photography for industrial purposes.

A remarkable sketchbook compiled after its creator had been taken prisoner at the fall of Singapore in the Second World War sold for £1650 (estimate £500-700) as part of a timed online sale.

In his first online sale, dealer Andrew Sim of Sim Fine Art features a series of Second World War pictures of the ‘Food War’ on the home front.

Alexander Calder (1898-1976) first produced designs for tapestries made at the Aubusson factory in the early 1960s.

Two prominent single-owner collections put together into a single Town & Country sale at Dreweatts generated some decent if selective bidding when it came to the pictures on offer.

A relatively early work by the Indian post-war painter Krishen Khanna (b.1925) hammered for $116,000 (£90,500) against an estimate of $4000-8000 at Taurus Auctions (18% buyer’s premium).

Two titled topographical views by a journeyman 18th century Venetian artist excelled at the Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings sale at Wannenes (35% buyer’s premium) in Genoa.

With an exhibition dedicated to Philip Alexius de László (1869- 1937) having just opened at Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury, lively activity in the artist’s market has also come of late.