The characterful 20in x 2ft 3in (52 x 68cm) oil on canvas depicts the Hamburg whaler D Jonge Jacob with a whaling fleet in the Arctic floating among an abundance of wildlife including seals, whales and polar bears. It was the object of keen competition and more than doubled the top guide, selling to a European collector for £14,000. Much of the appeal lay in its early date, 1775, and it was also signed, although indistinctly, by JA Coch.
Another popular work was a view of the famous German sailing ship Rickmer Rickmers, floating off Hong Kong, which sold for £3000 against an £800-1200 guide. The ship is now a museum in Hamburg and has been compared to the Cutty Sark in Greenwich.
The 18 x 2ft 1in (48 x 63cm) oil on canvas was among eight works of clippers and harbour views by French painter Roger Chapelet (1903-95), consigned from a single source. Together, they mostly sold above guides to total £10,900. Incidentally, Chapelet’s painting of the Cutty Sark sold last year at Bonhams London for a premium-inclusive £5000.
