The Summer Welsh Sale (Part II): Auctioneers' Choices

I am looking forward to following the second part of The Welsh Sale with my feet up, when Charles takes to the rostrum on August 5th. Welsh Sale II should be really exciting as lots go under the hammer 'without reserve'. The sale is packed full of quality with Welsh porcelain, Brynmawr furniture, prints and paintings galore. My stand-out painting in the collection is the view of Happy Valley in Llandudno by Lilian Woodcock (1864-1932). I know very little about the artist and there is not much information online but evidently she was living and/or working foremostly in Llandudno and there is an example held at the local museum. I am really taken with the painting  - it shows picnickers at Happy Valley under the Orme in Llandudno and there is a feel of European impressionism about the painting with application that is sensitive and light that has been brilliantly captured. It is not overworked but there is enough there to create a narrative and mood. It really is a lovely picture. Once again, the painting evokes memories for me of visiting Happy Valley with my Nain and Taid (Grandmother and Grandfather) when I was a young lad. I haven't been up there for a few years, but the painting makes me want to do so, I am sure it hasn't changed. 

This is a charming watercolour that expresses great skill and artistry.

I admire the artist's choice of composition, the view to the castle is juxtaposed by the rooftops of the modern town that dominate the foreground. The artist has skillfully created balance within the composition, filling the frame with the rooftops of townhouses whilst not allowing  the majesty of the castle to dominate the townscape. This has all been achieved with great draughtsman ship, finely observed perspectives and subtle use of colour, light and shade.

In my opinion this early period oak furniture is still under appreciated in the market. This dressing chest is immediately appealing for its simple Quaker lines and superb proportions and is a reminder of how good a designer Paul Matt really was.

This painting is fascinating! There is so much detail to take in requiring multiple viewings and the layers of storytelling within a relatively small picture is quite something. 

As per our 'Auctioneer’s Note' - Ken Etheridge (1911–1981) was a Welsh painter, writer, and educator. Born in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, attended Swansea School of Art and University College, Cardiff, from 1933, blending interests in both visual and literary arts. From 1947 to 1971, he served as the head of the art department at Queen Elizabeth Boys’ Grammar School in Carmarthen. Exhibited work at Paris Salon, Piccadilly Gallery, and Woodstock Gallery and regular contributor to the National Eisteddfod, where he received multiple awards. Public collections at Carmarthenshire Museum, the National Library of Wales, and the World Rugby Museum. Beyond painting, Etheridge was an accomplished writer authoring several books on scenic design and stage costume, as well as Collecting Drawings, published in 1970. His literary repertoire also includes radio plays in both English and Welsh.

A must have for an academic art collector with a particular interest in Welsh mythology.

I’m rather taken by lot 394, the Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe wood engraving entitled Gallows – Tree of the Failures.

An illustration from Henry Williamson’s ‘Raskil The Wood Rogue’, first published in 1923, featuring 16 short stories or nature essays 'with a stark realism, natural life as it really is'.

The rather macabre image here illustrates the gibbet of the 'wood rogues', the gamekeeper’s natural enemies. The tale itself ends with philosophical acceptance of inevitable death!

Reminds me rather of a recent valuation I had in a remote area near Bala. My directions to the property ended in 'the drive is on the right just by the line of dead moles hanging on the fence'….

What are your favourite lots from The Summer Welsh Sale (Part I)? View the full catalogue here.