Charlo e Conboy
We peek into the busy working life of Charlo e Conboy, Head of Pictures at Tennants Auctioneers
‘My parents were interested in antiques, my uncle was an antiques dealer and my grandparents ran a 17th- century inn in Eyam, Derbyshire, so when I developed an interest in drawing and painting my family was very supportive. After an Art Foundation course, I did a degree in History of Art, Auctioneering and Valuation, and my first job was with Bonhams Leeds, where I learnt the nuts and bolts of the auction world. I put together the LS Lowry print sales and remember getting a world record of £4,230 in 2006 for Going to the Match, a lithograph from an edition of 300. Tennants now holds the world record for the same print, at £25,000.
‘Seven years in picture research and collection co- ordination for a Qatari royal collector followed, then I joined Tennants in 2013 as head of the pictures department. It’s high octane, with twice- monthly interiors sales, and auctions of paintings throughout the year. Pictures from the 18th and 19th centuries are good value for money today and recent highlights include the enigmatic portrait of Lady Armatrude Waechter de Grimston by Philip de László, which sold for £18,000 (est £6,000–£8,000), and a late 18th- century drawing of a Barb horse by an artist in the circle of George Stubbs that made £1,500 (est £80–£120).
‘It’s always encouraging to see female artists coming through and I’ve dealt with works from the likes of Edith Lawrence of the Grosvenor School of Modern Art and Dame Laura Knight. I don’t auction at the podium – I’m not a natural performer – but I nurse the sale and do all the background work, from cataloguing to promotion. It’s very satisfying and there’s always a tangible outcome – the public decides how appealing a picture is.’
01969 623780; tennants.co.uk