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A landscape painting by John Constable – a major figure in English landscape painting in the early 19th century – has become the most expensive item ever to be sold at the Martel Maides auction house in Guernsey after it sold for £200,000 yesterday.
This painting from 1814 had not been seen for more than 40 years when it was found in a house in Guernsey last year.
Yesterday, it sold at auction for £200,000 – a record for Martel Maides auction house, which sold the painting.
David Ummels, founder of local charitable initiative 'Art for Guernsey', said he was delighted to see yesterday's auction had gone so well and he was even more pleased that the mystery buyer would be keeping the painting of Willy Lot's House in the island.
The oil painting by John Constable depicts the property in Suffolk which was itself the subject of several of his other paintings, most notably The Hay Wain.
Pictured: The Constable painting sold for £200,000 at auction.
The painting had recently been displayed in Guernsey, at the Art for Guernsey gallery in Mansell Street.
Mr Ummels said that added to the growing number of opportunities to engage with highly prized works of art in the island.
"Art for Guernsey had the opportunity to display the Constable painting in our gallery, two weekends ago, and therefore creating an opportunity for the community to discover the artwork free of charge, by kind courtesy of Martel Maides and of the local owner," Mr Ummels explained.
"We are delighted to see that the auction was succesful and even more that this wonderful artwork was acquired by a local collector."
Mr Ummels added that there may be future opportunities to see the Constable painting on display locally, especially for children in events targeted at their schools.
"Art for Guernsey, over the last seven years, in close collaboration with Education, has been running innovative art lending and cultural enrichment programmes open to all the schools of the Bailiwick.
"In this context, we regularly rely on the special goodwill of some local art collectors to lend us inspiring artworks to enhance the experience of the pupils. We are delighted that this artwork will remain on the island and wish to congratulate the successful buyer."
The oil sketch had been valued at between £80,000 and £120,000. It's sale price of £200,000 broke Martel Maides previous auction record for paintings.
Jonathan Voak, paintings specialist at Martel Maides Auctions – who held the sale – was the man who first recognised the sketch as a Constable.
"It was a great result and at £200,000 it was the most expensive painting ever sold by Martel Maides Auctions. Such a beautiful oil study by England's most famous and best loved landscape painter deserved to do well.
"By the time of the auction of the Constable on Thursday, there were eight telephone bidders, some registering at the last minute and a high number of online bidders watching the sale as well as those in the saleroom itself."
He continued: "It was really exciting as the bidding crept up from £70,000 to £200,000 with multiple telephone bidders battling it out. It was a real surprise when a lady in the room suddenly bid, outbidding all the others and prompting the auctioneer, James Bridges, to bring down the gavel with a loud bang and a cry of sold. This was followed by a spontaneous round of applause.
"After all the publicity, it is not surprising that the painting sold for twice the mid estimate. And it’s wonderful that the painting will be staying in Guernsey where it was discovered.
"Everyone at MMA, including myself, is thrilled with result and we all relished the moment when the picture sold, a mixture of relief and excitement about what had just happened. Auctions are often unpredictable and none of us could be sure that the Constable would do so well despite the extraordinary level of interest."
Pictured top: The Constable painting of Willy Lot's House. (Martel Maiden)
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