The house has now been sold (Viscountess Kelburn also owns an
apartment in the Albany, Piccadilly) and selected items from her
collection were offered for sale at Bonhams. Both she and her
father were collectors of Pre-War Modern British painting, but,
unfortunately, the works offered here were not quite in tune with
current tastes of the Mod Brit market and the 40-odd lot picture
section was further hampered by a number of estimates that were
based on punchy early 1990s insurance valuations. As a result, the
bidding was fairly selective, with works like the Charles Ginner
(1878-1952) canvas, On the East Heath, measuring 16 1/2 x 20 1/2in
(42 x 52cm), failing to sell against an over-optimistic estimate of
£5000-8000.
The one name on offer that is absolutely in tune with current
tastes was Winifred Nicholson (1893-1981), who was represented by
the 21 1/2in x 2ft 8in (55 x 81cm) canvas, right, of the Cornish
creekside village of Restronguet, near Falmouth, estimated at
£3000-5000. Possibly bought by Viscountess Kelburn's father, the
painting was signed and dated 1928 on the verso and bore the label
of Ernest Brown & Phillips, The Leicester Galleries, London. It
was not one of Nicholson's more assured or memorable compositions,
but it nonetheless headed the section with a price of £9200.
