Diary date for art lovers as Pepys engraving goes under the hammer

PORTRAIT:

HIS WORK has graced the Vatican and is revered around the world. But art by the late Stephen Hines rarely goes to public auction.

So auctioneers are excited about a planned sale of an engraving of Samuel Pepys that will take place on March 1.

CW Harrison & Son, auctioneers of Ossett, near Wakefield, say the work of art depicting the famous diarist should prompt interest.

Hines, famous for his murals and engravings, including a commission of the Madonna and Child for the Vatican, died in 2017.

Dion Harrison, auctioneer at

CW Harrison & Son, said: “The piece we are auctioning is a handsome engraving of Samuel Pepys on granite.

“It is signed by Stephen Hines and is easily identifiable by his distinctive engraving style.

“Samuel Pepys is a very collectable historical figure and having this work produced by an acclaimed local artist makes this a particularly interesting sale.

“Having lived in Ossett, the local connection really piqued our interest.

“Although this is a rare and collectable piece, with little history of recent sales we would expect the sale to be in the low hundreds, not thousands of pounds, meaning someone will be able to own a piece of local art for a modest investment.”

Pepys, a diarist and naval administrator born in 1633, worked under King Charles II and King James II as Chief Secretary of the Admiralty but was most famous for the eyewitness accounts of the mid1600s kept in his diaries.

Mr Hines is in the Who’s Who of Art and was acknowledged by Buckingham Palace and Downing Street for his achievements.

He died at 68 following a stroke and was an inspirational teacher. Entirely self taught, his artistic talent had been spotted by the nuns who taught him at St Joseph’s School in Hunslet, Leeds.

He exhibited at the Royal Academy, Leeds Playhouse, Wakefield Cathedral, Christie’s and Covent Garden in London, Scone Palace in Scotland and at Expo 88 in Brisbane, Australia.

Samuel Pepys is a very collectable historical figure. Dion Harrison, auctioneer at CW Harrison & Son.

MAIN PICTURE: JONATHAN GAWTHORPE Dion Harrison, top, with the engraving of Samuel Pepys by artist and sculptor Stephen Hines, which will be sold by CW Harrison & Son, auctioneers in Ossett. Above left and right, Stephen Hines – who died in 2017 – with two of his sculptures.