First impressions: Five prints pitched at £400 or under at upcoming sale
08 April 2022 If you love art and like a bargain, there are plenty of prints offered at regular auctions on thesaleroom.com
If you love music, opera or the theatre, take a look at this image. This print of the interior of Covent Garden is a mezzotint after an image by Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827) and Augustus Charles Pugin (1762-1832) published in 1808. Measuring 9 x 10.5in (23 x 27cm), it is estimated at £300-400. View the catalogue entry for this mezzotint of Covent Garden here.
Prints are a more affordable option when it comes to buying art whether you’re looking for something to decorate your walls or starting a collection. Among the works often available are impressions by well known names for which you might not have to break the bank to make a purchase. Others might feature famous landmarks or high quality draughtsmanship giving them high artistic appeal.
If you’re new to this area, you can view our buying guide to prints here. Among the upcoming auctions with a good selection of prints is Olympia Auctions’ sale on April 21. Here we’ve picked out five lots below to give you a flavour of what’s on offer.
1. Eton College quad
A print showing a view of the main quad of Eton College is estimated at £60-80 at the Olympia Auctions sale. It is catalogued as ‘English School (19th century)’ and measures 10.5 x 14.25in (27 x 36cm). Showing masters, pupils and visitors being escorted around the college, it is offered together with two further prints, one titled Collegium Regale de Eton Prope Windsor and another titled The Queen at the Camp. View the catalogue entry for this Eton College print here.
2. Whistler’s view of the Thames
James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) is one of America’s most celebrated artists. A central figure in the Aesthetic movement, he spent much of career in England and the scenes he made of Victorian London were an important part of his oeuvre. Among the prints of the Thames he produced was the small etching Fulham 1878, a signed copy of which, measuring 5 x 7.75in (13 x 20cm), is estimated at £300-400 at the Olympia Auctions sale. View the catalogue entry for this James McNeill Whistler print here.
3. Coastal wood engraving
Some collectors love the atmosphere, sense of history and rustic style of the traditional art of wood engraving. An example at the Olympia Auctions sale is this 8.25 x 13in (21 x 33cm) image titled By the Seashore by Sydney Lee (1866-1949). It is estimated at £100-200. View the catalogue entry for this Sydney Lee woodcut here.
4. Covent Garden theatre
If you love music, opera or the theatre, take a look at this image. This print of the interior of Covent Garden is a mezzotint after an image by Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827) and Augustus Charles Pugin (1762-1832) published in 1808. Measuring 9 x 10.5in (23 x 27cm), it is estimated at £300-400. View the catalogue entry for this mezzotint of Covent Garden here.
5. Jockey Club scene
This etching with later hand colouring is titled The Jockey Club of New Market. Catalogued as ‘after Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827)’, the famous caricaturist, it measures 17.75 x 21in (45 x 54cm) and is estimated at £80-100. View the catalogue entry for this Jockey Club etching here.
