Hispania Leads at the Gybe Mark, Western Solent, 1912 by John Steven Dews (b.1949), estimate £15,000-20,000 at Sworders.
Following the success of two similarly star-kissed dispersals in 2018 and 2019, there will be a third bite of the cherry for those who wish to share in Sir Rod’s distinctive taste for art and interior decoration. The 40 lots included in the Fine Interiors sale on December 12-13 comprise a mix of modern, vintage and antique pieces from his family home in Essex. Most have been in storage for some years.
And as befitting a successful singer-songwriter whose number one hits include Sailing (from the studio album Atlantic Crossing), two yachting paintings by recognised 20th-century marine artists lead the offering. Hispania Leads at the Gybe Mark, Western Solent, 1912, an anachronistic oil by John Steven Dews (b.1949) is guided at £15,000-20,000. Britannia Racing in the Clyde, a late work by artist David Brackman (1932-2008), is expected at £10,000-15,000.
Both the marine paintings were purchased at Christie's South Kensington and, in fact, most of the pieces in the sale were bought by Sir Rod himself at auction houses, galleries and antiques shops in the UK and the US. A set of six 18th-century Italian engravings of classical statues (estimate £600-800) were purchased from CSK in 2014 and a George II-style carved pine pier table, with an associated marble top, was acquired at Sotheby's in 2018 (estimate £2000-4000).
Sworders’ director John Black has managed the three sales for his famous client: “We all feel the need for a de-clutter and Sir Rod is no different. He has accumulated many things over his lifetime and has decided it is again the time to have a bit of a clear-out. He lives locally and it is a pleasure to be selling these items that range from the glitzy and glamorous to the more restrained.”
