The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
History and landscape of Angus in art collection
Artworks go under hammer after family’s house is sold
A remarkable collection of artwork from the late 19th and early 20th centuries once housed in a former Angus manse is to be auctioned.
Included in the sale is an outstanding collection of watercolours and oils by renowned Forfar artist James Watterston Herald, and a rare bronze figure of St George and the Dragon by Gilbert Bayes, thought to be one of only three in existence.
Lyon & Turnbull will present The Contents of Kirkton House sale at its Edinburgh auction house on Wednesday.
The owners have now sold their home, built in 1804 as a manse for the nearby Craig Church on the outskirts of Montrose, and have decided it is time for the artworks to be enjoyed by others.
The history and landscape of Angus is represented in the collection, amassed over several decades, with an outstanding group of watercolours and oils by Watterston Herald revealing views of Montrose, Arbroath, Forfar and Aberdeen.
John Mackie, director at Lyon & Turnbull, said: “The house contains a remarkable collection which demonstrates the owner’s interest in predominantly British art, but more especially the art and design of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
“The collection follows the arc of 19th Century design history and includes works representative of the Gothic Revival, Aestheticism and the Arts and Crafts.
“Many of the works have been purchased in London from leading establishments such as the Fine Art Society, the Royal Exchange Gallery and renowned Arts and Crafts dealer Paul Reeves.”
The sale includes an important collection of etchings, including Gerald Leslie Brockhurst’s print masterpiece Adolescence valued at £8,000 to 12,000.
All the important British etchers are represented from Whistler and Griggs to DY Cameron and James McBey, from Samuel Palmer and Robin Tanner to Dame Laura Knight and Charles Nevinson.
Most were bought while the owners were living in London.
One of the highlights is the rare Bayes’ bronze figure of St George and the Dragon, valued at £12,000-18,000.
Other important bronzes include The
Our hope is they give the next owners as much pleasure as they have given us over the years
Sluggard valued at £20,000-30,000, by Frederic, Lord Leighton, and important renders by Sir Alfred Gilbert and Hamo Thornycroft.
There is a collection of Arts and Crafts ceramics, started when the owners were living in Gloucestershire, more than 30 pieces of Pilkington’s Lancastrian lustre pottery, ruby-lustre chargers by William De Morgan and a group of vessels by Sir Edmund Elton.
Works from the Arts and Crafts movement feature in other areas, notably a piano by Charles Robert Ashbee valued at £8,000 to 12,000; copper and brass light fittings by WAS Benson and textiles by Morris & Co.
Adorning the walls of the house was 19th and 20th Century British art featuring a harbour scene by George Leslie Hunter, an Edward Arthur Walton still-life and a dramatic portrait by Sir Gerald Kelly of his wife Jane.
The owners said: “We have enjoyed living with every single item in the house, each of which has been chosen very carefully over the years for a certain room or place.
“Our hope is they give the next owners as much pleasure as they have given us over the years.”