Drawings & Pastels
Drawing is a type of graphic art created with lines and areas of tone applied to paper usually with pencil, charcoal and coloured pencil, but a wash may also be applied.
They frequently serve as preparatory studies for other works, but are also considered works of art in their own right. A practitioner of drawing is known as a draughtsman.
Pastels are created using a stick made of pure pigment and a binder.
A key part of the general art market, both are also specialist collecting areas in their own right.
![img_39-3.jpg](/media/106496/img_39-3.jpg?rxy=0.65102040816326534,0.34328358208955223&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133685365990000000)
Sketch sourced from Austrian castle captures Cairo terror in Napoleonic era
19 August 2024Viennese auction house Tiberius (27% buyer’s premium) recently sold the inventory of Laudon Castle, a privately owned, moated baroque residence on the outskirts of the Austrian capital.
![Harold Cohen AARON drawing](/media/106355/harold-cohen-aaron-drawing-2658am03a-14-08-2024.jpg?rxy=0.407673860911271,0.4217252396166134&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133680305680000000)
Example of early AI art in demand at Chiswick Auctions
14 August 2024As with most other areas of life, it remains difficult to say at present whether artificial intelligence will end up having a transformational effect on the art market or not.
![img_29-5.jpg](/media/106316/img_29-5.jpg?rxy=0.5155875299760192,0.2220472440944882&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133679269880000000)
Drawing result is a surprise even for Klimt in Austria
12 August 2024Works on paper by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) are regularly strong sellers at Austrian auctions, but even so, the result for one of his coloured pencil drawings at a Dorotheum (30/25% buyer’s premium) sale in Vienna was quite a surprise.
![img_22-1.jpg](/media/105850/img_22-1.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133673278430000000)
Street view and galleon at sea surface in same south London sale
05 August 2024In a fortuitous coincidence, two Old Master drawings linked to leading Netherlandish painters emerged in the same auction at Roseberys (26/25/20% buyer’s premium) in south London.
![The Destruction of the Bastille drawing](/media/105710/destruction-of-the-bastille-2654ne04-30-07-2024.jpg?rxy=0.34845360824742266,0.549645390070922&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133667431380000000)
Lafayette’s gift to George Washington: Important visual record of the Bastille comes to auction
30 July 2024A sketch of the Bastille executed only weeks after it fell during the French Revolution has emerged at auction in the US.
![Michael Jackson drawing](/media/105520/statue-of-david-by-michael-jackson-2654ne-24-07-2024.jpg?rxy=0.47435897435897434,0.19169719169719171&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133662124030000000)
King of Pop Michael Jackson’s drawings to appear at auction after court ruling
24 July 2024King’s Auctions of Las Vegas has been appointed by the Superior Court of California to sell a collection of original artworks signed by Michael Jackson (1958-2009).
![img_32-2.jpg](/media/105428/img_32-2.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133661229030000000)
London Art Week draws in top quality buyers
22 July 2024In its latest edition London Art Week (LAW) showcased 35 participants, including four taking part in LAW Digital, and also the three major London auction houses: Bonhams, Christie’s and Sotheby’s.
![2652 NEDI NIB Queen Victoria Sketch](/media/105063/2652-nedi-nib-queen-victoria-sketch.jpg?rxy=0.52666666666666662,0.33233830845771145&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133651886410000000)
Teenage Princess Victoria’s sketches fetch £3200
11 July 2024Four drawings by the future monarch found their way into an album perhaps assembled by her portrait artist's daughter-in-law
![img_16-1.jpg](/media/104924/img_16-1.jpg?rxy=0.30166666666666669,0.33207547169811319&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133649104680000000)
Knight plays a part in sale success
08 July 2024Portrait sketch of pianist by Dame Laura was one of the eye-catching works on paper offered in the run-up to summer
![Hockney Chiswick 1](/media/104623/hockney-chiswick-1.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133638028470000000)
California dreaming as rediscovered Hockney drawing brings £320,000
25 June 2024A large prime period ‘California’ drawing by David Hockney, recently rediscovered by Chiswick Auctions, has sold for £320,000.
![img_24-1.jpg](/media/104492/img_24-1.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133636953060000000)
Barns-Graham and Nicholson in the spotlight
24 June 2024Pictures by two leading women of the Modern British art movement sold strongly at a Lyon & Turnbull (26/25/20% buyer’s premium) auction in London.
![Admiral Sir Francis Austen drawings](/media/102623/img_6-2.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133588622730000000)
Auction buy set to shed light on Jane Austen
29 April 2024A 78-page manuscript bought at a Bonhams auction could help to shed light on author Jane Austen.
![Dianthus](/media/101975/dianthus.jpg?rxy=0.45258620689655171,0.05545286506469501&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133572103430000000)
Large collection of John Ruskin drawings and watercolours offered at London dealership
10 April 2024The 45-piece collection includes several with an intriguing provenance
![img_14-6.jpg](/media/101555/img_14-6.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133564334830000000)
POW sketches created in secret reveal Japanese camp scenes
01 April 2024A 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.
![Salon du Dessin](/media/101511/salon-du-dessin-2024_044.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133560072900000000)
International museums boost sales at latest Salon du Dessin
27 March 2024Institutions visiting from the US, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the UK boosted demand at the 32nd edition of Salon du Dessin in Paris.
![Géricault study](/media/101497/bonhams-géricault-médusa-figure-study-resized.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133559282990000000)
Three rediscovered early 19th century French drawings soar above estimates at Paris auction
26 March 2024Three unpublished drawings by the French artist Jean-Louis André Théodore Géricault (1791-1824) have sold at auction in Paris.
![img_24-1.jpg](/media/101195/img_24-1.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133552322330000000)
Stand-out works on paper underline appeal of rarities from notable names
18 March 2024If you wanted to sum up the current state of the watercolours and works on paper sector in a single sentence, you might say something like ‘flatter than ever for general works but exceptional lots routinely generating strong interest’.
![img_39-1.jpg](/media/101065/img_39-1.jpg?rxy=0.60693641618497107,0.50485436893203883&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133546309090000000)
Paris drawings week: a taste of the action in salerooms
11 March 2024The Paris auction houses will also be hosting plenty of sales devoted entirely or in part to works on paper.
![img_25-1.jpg](/media/100992/img_25-1.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133546352220000000)
Dickens work makes far more than expectations
11 March 2024One of the stand-out results at a three-day auction of a huge American book collection came for a very British lot.
![img_38-1.jpg](/media/101058/img_38-1.jpg?rxy=0.45205479452054792,0.34580838323353291&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133546326680000000)
Rich mix in Paris as spotlight shines on drawings
11 March 2024Drawing Week, the Paris annual spring celebration staged around the Salon du Dessin fair and a raft of works on paper auctions, takes place in the latter part of this month when the French capital traditionally turns the spotlight on drawings
![the saleroom](/images/Top-Banner-300-x-93px_v2.jpg)
- Adam Partridge London
- Antiques & Fine Art With Asian Art
- 03 Sep 2024 - 10:00 AM
- McTear's
- Antiques & Interiors
- 05 Sep 2024 - 09:30 AM
- Adam Partridge Liverpool
- Photographic & Scientific Equipment With Antiques & Collector's Items
- 05 Sep 2024 - 10:00 AM
- W&H Peacock
- Antique Furniture, Collectables, Selected Toys, Jewellery & Watches
- 06 Sep 2024 - 09:30 AM
- Unique Auctions
- Antiques, Jewellery, Furniture & Collectables
- 07 Sep 2024 - 09:00 AM
- Anthemion Auctions
- Ceramics, Glass, Paintings, Furniture, Books & Sporting
- 11 Sep 2024 - 09:00 AM
![the saleroom](/images/Bottom-Banner-300-x-93px_v2.jpg)
Categories
-
- Arms, Armour & Militaria
- Bank notes
- Books & Periodicals
- Cameras & Camera Equipment
- Classic Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia
- Coins
- Collectables
- Entertainment Memorabilia
- Kitchenalia
- Maps
- Models, Toys, Dolls & Games
- Musical Instruments & Memorabilia
- Scientific Instruments
- Sporting Memorabilia & Equipment
- Stamps
- Taxidermy & Natural History
- Tools
- Wines & Spirits
- Writing Instruments
News
-
- Art finance
- Auctions
- Brexit
- Buyer's and seller's premiums
- Coronavirus
- Delivery and Shipping
- Education and Training
- Endangered Species
- Events and conferences
- Industry data
- Insurance
- Internet
- Law, crime and regulation
- Museum acquisitions
- Museum deaccessioning
- Obituaries
- Premises and Property
- Private Sales
- Recruitment
- Restoration
- TV shows
-
- 1818 Auctioneers
- Adam Partridge
- Adam's
- Addisons
- Ader
- Aguttes
- Alastair Gibson Auctions
- Alcala Subastas
- Aldridges
- Amersham Auction Rooms
- Anderson & Garland
- Andrew Smith & Son
- Anthemion
- AntikBar
- Antony Cribb
- Artcurial
- Arthur Johnson & Sons
- Aston's
- Auction Team Breker
- Auctionata
- Auctioneum
- Babuino
- Bainbridge Adam Partridge
- Baldwin's
- Bamfords
- Barbara Kirk
- Barbers
- Batemans
- BBR Auctions
- Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood
- Beaussant Lefèvre
- Bellmans
- Bentley’s
- Biddle & Webb
- Bigwood
- Bishop & Miller
- Bleasdales
- Bloomsbury Auctions
- Boldon Auction Galleries
- Bonhams
- Bonhams Skinner
- Bosleys
- Bourne End Auction Rooms
- Brettells
- Brighton General Auctions
- Brightwells
- Bristol Auction Rooms
- Brown & Co
- Bruun Rasmussen
- Burstow & Hewett
- Byrnes
- C&T
- Cambi Casa d'Aste
- Canterbury Auction Galleries
- Capes Dunn
- Catherine Southon
- Cato Crane
- Chalkwell
- Charles Miller
- Charles Ross Auctioneers
- Charterhouse
- Cheffins
- Chilcotts
- Chippenham Auction Rooms
- Chiswick Auctions
- Chorley's
- Christie's
- Clark & Simpson
- Clars Auction Gallery
- Clevedon Salerooms
- Comic Book Auctions
- Cotswold Auction Company
- Cottees
- Cowans
- Criterion
- Crow’s Auctions Gallery
- Curated Auctions
- Cuttlestones
- Czerny
- David Duggleby
- Dawsons
- Denhams
- Dominic Winter
- Dore & Rees
- Dorotheum
- Doyle New York
- Dreweatts
- Duke's
- Durrants
- Eastbourne Auctions
- Eldreds
- Elmwood’s
- Elstob Auctioneers
- Ewbank's
- Featonby's
- Fellows
- Fieldings
- Fine Art Auction Group
- Fine Art Bourse
- Flints Auctioneers
- Fonsie Mealy
- Forum Auctions
- Frank Marshall
- Freeman's
- Freeman's Hindman
- Gardiner Houlgate
- Gary Don
- George Kidner
- Gerrards Auction Rooms
- Gildings
- Golding Young & Mawer
- Gorringes
- Graham Budd
- Grand Auctions
- Great Western Auctions
- Greenslade Taylor Hunt
- Gros & Delettrez
- H&H Classics
- Halls Fine Art
- Hampstead Auctions
- Hannam’s
- Hansons
- Harper Field
- Hartleys
- Henry Adams
- Henry Aldridge & Son
- Heritage Auctions
- Hermann Historica
- High Road Auctions
- Hindman
- Holloways
- Holt's
- Hôtel Drouot
- Hotlotz
- Humbert & Ellis
- Hutchinson Scott
- Jacobs & Hunt
- John Nicholson
- John Pye Auctions
- Jones & Jacob
- JS Fine Art
- Jubilee Auction Rooms
- Juliens
- Kerry Taylor
- KettererKunst
- Keys
- Kidson-Trigg
- Kinghams
- Kings Russell
- Knights Auctions
- Knowle Auction Rooms
- Koller
- Lacy Scott & Knight
- Laidlaw
- Lawrences of Bletchingley
- Lawrences of Crewkerne
- Lay’s Auctioneers
- Lempertz
- Leonard Joel
- Lindsay Burns
- Littleton
- Lockdales
- Locke & England
- London Auctions
- Lots Road Auctions
- Louis Taylor
- Lyon & Turnbull
- MacDougall's
- Mallams
- Mander
- Marlows of Stafford
- Martel Maides
- Maxwells
- McTear's
- Mellors & Kirk
- Michael Bowman
- Millon
- Minster Auctions
- Mitchells
- Moore Allen & Innocent
- Morphets
- Morton & Eden
- Mossgreen
- Mulberry Bank Auctions
- Mullock Jones
- Nagel
- Nesbits
- Netherhampton Salerooms
- Nicholas Mellors
- Nigel Ward
- Noble Investments
- Noonans
- Olympia Auctions
- Omega Auctions
- Onslows
- Osenat
- Paddle8
- Parker Fine Art Auctions
- Paul Beighton Saleroom
- PBA Galleries
- Peter Francis
- Philip Serrell
- Phillips
- Piasa
- Pierre Bergé & Associes
- Piers Motley
- Plymouth Auction Rooms
- Potter & Potter
- Potteries Auctions
- Rago Auctions
- Railtons
- Ramsay Cornish
- Reeman Dansie
- Rendells
- Richard Edmonds Auctions
- Richard Winterton
- Ritchies
- RM Sotheby’s
- Rogers Jones
- Roma Numismatics
- Roseberys
- Ross’s of Belfast
- Rowley's
- Rushbrooks
- Ryedale
- Semley
- Sheffield Auction Gallery
- Sheppard’s
- Silverwoods
- Sloane Street Auctions
- Sotheby's
- Sovereign Rarities
- Special Auction Services
- Spicers
- Spink
- St Jamess Auctions
- Staceys
- Stanley Gibbons Group
- Sterling Vault Auctioneers
- StockholmsAuktionsverk
- Stride & Son
- Summers Place Auctions
- Swan Fine Art Auctioneers
- Swann
- Sworders
- Tajan
- Tamlyns
- Tayler and Fletcher
- Taylor's Auctions
- Tennants
- The Pedestal
- Thimbleby & Shorland
- Thomas Del Mar
- Thomas N Miller
- Thomas R Callan
- Thomas Watson
- Thomaston Place
- Thomson Roddick & Medcalf
- Thomson Roddick Scottish Auctions
- Timeline
- Toovey's
- Trevanion
- Truro Auction Centre
- TW Gaze
- Unique Auctions
- Vectis
- Veritas
- W&H Peacock
- Wallis and Wallis
- Warren & Wignall
- Watches of Knightsbridge
- Wellers
- Wessex Auction Rooms
- Whitton & Laing
- Whittons
- Whytes
- Wilkes & Curtis
- Wilkinson's Auctioneers
- William George & Co
- Wilson55
- Woolley & Wallis
- Wotton Auction Rooms
- Wright Marshall
-
- 1stdibs
- Advertising Standards Authority
- Antiquarian Booksellers Association
- Antique Young Guns
- Antiquities Dealers’ Association
- Art Business Conference
- Art Fund
- Art Loss Register
- Art Recovery International
- Art UK
- Arts Council England
- Assay Office
- Auction Technology Group
- BADA
- BAMF
- CADA
- CINOA
- Company of Arts Scholars
- DACS
- DEFRA
- DMG
- EBay
- Hiscox
- LAPADA
- Lot-tissimo
- National Trust
- NAVA
- Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association
- RICS
- Society of London Art Dealers
- SOFAA
- the saleroom
- Triple-A Auctioneers
-
- Adams Antiques Fairs
- Affordable Art Fair
- Alexandra Palace fair
- Antiques Centres
- Antiques Dealers Fair Limited
- Ardingly Fair
- Armchair Art Fair
- Art & Antiques for Everyone Fair
- Art Antiques London
- Art, Antiques & Interiors Expo
- Arthur Swallow Fairs
- Bath Decorative Antiques Fair
- Battersea Decorative Fair
- Bermondsey Market
- Book Fairs
- BRAFA
- British Art Fair
- Brussels Fairs
- CADA Fair
- Car Boot Fairs
- Clarion Events
- Continuity Fairs
- Cooper Events
- Ephemera fairs
- Fine Art Asia
- Fine Arts Paris
- Firsts
- Florida Fairs
- French Fairs
- Frieze
- Frieze Masters
- Galloway Antiques Fairs
- Harrogate Fairs
- Hatton Garden
- Haughton Fairs
- Hong Kong Fairs
- IACF
- Jaguar Fairs
- LAPADA Fair
- Lincolnshire Antiques and Home Show
- London Original Print Fair
- Masterpiece
- Miami Fairs
- Midcentury Modern
- Modern British Art Fair
- NEC Birmingham
- New York Fairs
- Newark Fair
- Newbury Antiques and Collectors Fair
- Olympia Fair
- PAD London
- Palm Beach Fairs
- Paris Biennale
- Paris Fairs
- Paris Parcours
- Paris Tableau
- Penman Fairs
- Philadelphia Fairs
- Photography fairs
- Regional Fairs
- Salon du Dessin
- Sandown Park Racecourse Fair
- Showground Fairs
- Swinderby Fair
- TEFAF
- The Open Art Fair
- The Treasure House Fair
- Winter Antiques Show
- Works on Paper Fair
-
- Alfred Taubman
- Bendor Grosvenor
- Bill Ruprecht
- Charles Hanson
- Charlie Ross
- Cornelius Gurlitt
- David Lester
- Ed Dolman
- Eric Knowles
- François Pinault
- Ingrid Nilson
- Lennox Cato
- Lord Ashcroft
- Marco Forgione
- Mark Law
- Sheikh Saud Bin Mohammed Al-Thani
- Simon de Pury
- Sue Ede
- Tad Smith
- Tim Goodman
- Victoria Borwick
-
- Abbott and Holder
- Agnews
- Alastair Dickenson
- Andrew Sim
- Blairman
- Carter Marsh
- Colnaghi
- Daniel Katz
- Dickinson
- Fabrizio Moretti
- Ian Towning
- Johnny Van Haeften
- London Silver Vaults
- Mallett
- Mark Weiss
- Partridge Fine Art
- Petworth Antiques Dealers
- Philip Mould
- Pimlico Road Dealers
- Richard Green
- Robert Young
- Roger Keverne
- Rupert Maas
- SJ Phillips
- Wartski
-
- A Lawyer Writes
- Around the Auction Houses
- Art Market
- Auction Reports
- Bid Barometer
- Books and Works on Paper
- Dealers' Diary
- Fairs, Markets, Shops and Centres
- Features
- Front Page and News
- International (print edition)
- Interviews
- Letters to the Editor
- News in Brief
- Obituaries (print edition)
- Opinion
- Pick of the Week
- Precious Metals Prices
- Previews
- Soapbox
- Special Reports
- Then & Now