It was painted by British artist Norman Wilkinson (1878-1971), a marine painter and poster designer who was on active service with the Royal Naval Volunteer reserve. It is offered for £12,500.
Wilkinson later produced a book relating to his time during the Gallipoli Campaign with numerous paintings and drawings. The originals rarely appear on the market, however, as most are now in public collections.
The watercolour in question is a study for a finished oil now at the Imperial War Museum in London. However, this picture, signed and inscribed Norman Wilkinson/Suvla Bay Aug 1915, resurfaced at an auction in Canada last year.
It shows a view down the beach with a destroyer offshore and the body of a soldier lying face down in the foreground. The study features an officer giving orders on the left rather than boxes of supplies which appear in the finished work.
The landing was initially successful, but due to mismanagement, it quickly reached the same stalemate that defined Gallipoli.
