Charles’s art surges in value since accession
A KEEN artist, the King has long specialised in watercolours, raising more than £2million for good causes from the sale of his landscapes.
Since becoming monarch, however, he is likely to raise even more after the prices of several paintings increased by 40 per cent and, in one case, by 100 per cent.
A series of limited-edition framed lithographs by the King are on sale in the Highgrove House shop. Many had been priced at £2,500 for years but have recently increased to £3,500.
They include a watercolour of one of the King’s favourite views in Scotland, Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge, which he painted in 2016, as well as a view across the Straits of Corfu and a view of Balmoral from 1991. A lithograph called The West Side of Highgrove House was previously on sale for £2,500 but now costs £5,000. All proceeds are donated to the Prince’s Foundation.
A charity spokesman said the price rise had nothing to do with the King’s elevated status but was simply down to a change in market rates and increased costs. “Our lithographs are extremely popular and are priced according to market rates, with the revenue generated from their sale invested in education and training programmes,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “Variation in price reflects the rarity of each item, and more recently produced items may cost more due to the... increase in cost of framing and printing, which we’re proud to say takes place in the UK.”
The lithographs of Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge, the Straits of Corfu and Balmoral were all priced at £2,500 as recently as last August, but at some point after the death of Queen Elizabeth II the following month, the prices were increased to £3,500. The West Side of Highgrove House was still available at the cheaper price last January and appears to have gone out of stock before returning at twice the price.
In October, a print of a watercolour painted by the King of Balmoral Castle – number 18 or 100 – was bought at auction for £5,738, more than eight times its estimate. Hamish Wilson, curator of Bonhams’ Scottish Home sale, said at the time: “This charming print combined the King’s passion for painting and his deep affection for Scotland... I am not surprised there was such keen bidding.” Previous prints had usually sold for between £400 and £600.
Bendor Grosvenor, an art historian, said: “I think the King is genuinely one of the top British watercolourists.”