Heading to auction: Works from the collections of author John Le Carré and advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi

The firm’s two-part Modern British & 20th Century Art auction on March 14 includes a group of pictures from the estate of the late David Cornwell – the real name of the writer John Le Carré whose celebrated espionage novels include Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy (1974) and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963).

Among the artists represented are Rose Hilton (1931-2019), Quentin Blake (b.1932) and Charles Pears (1873-1958).

A further three lots come from the collection of The Lord Cottesloe (1900-1994), the former chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain from 1960-65, while a group of 54 lots have been consigned from ‘an important patron of British Art’.

While Part I of the sale also includes a host of mixed-owner offerings, Part II features pictures and sculptures exclusively from the collection of Saatchi & Saatchi. The sale will offer 39 lots owned by the advertising company, some of which featured in Alistair Hicks’s 1989 book ‘New British Art in the Saatchi Collection’, with many of them having not been seen for over a decade.

Saatchi & Saatchi was originally founded in 1970 by Maurice (now Lord Saatchi) and Charles Saatchi, the brothers who departed the company in 1995.

With all this and more on offer, here we pick out five highlights from the Roseberys' sale to give you a flavour of what’s on offer.

1. Guy Taplin duck

Ruddy Duck by Guy Taplin, estimated at £800-1200 at Roseberys.

Among the nine lots from the collection of David Cornwell (the real name of the spy novelist John Le Carré) is Ruddy Duck, a painted wood sculpture by Guy Taplin (b.1939).

The artist began to produce his trademark avian forms while working as a bird keeper at Regents Park, looking after the animals which inhabited the grounds. In part, his artwork was inspired by decoy ducks he saw in antique shops, something which Ruddy Duck clearly evokes.

The example here measures 6in (16cm) high and is signed and titled on underside. It is estimated at £800-1200.

View the catalogue entry for this Guy Taplin sculpture on the-saleroom.com.

2. Sickert’s view of Venice church

The Church of the Barefoot Friars, Venice, an ink and watercolour on paper by Walter Sickert, estimated at £6000-8000 at Roseberys.

One of the three lots formerly in the collection of The Lord Cottesloe offered at the Roseberys sale is this work on paper by Walter Sickert (1860-1942).

The ink and watercolour on paper depicts The Church of the Barefoot Friars in Venice and was executed in 1895-96.  It was previously owned by Sir Augustus Daniel (1866-1950), the curator of the National Gallery, London, from 1929-1933 and The Lord Cottesloe bought it from the The Leicester Galleries, London in 1951. It has featured in a number of public exhibitions since.

Measuring 15 x 12.25in (38 x 31cm), it is estimated at £6000-8000. View the catalogue entry for this Walter Sickert picture on the-saleroom.com.

3. Elisabeth Frink screenprint

Baboon, an Elisabeth Frink screenprint, estimated at £1500-2000 at Roseberys.

The first 54 lots at the Roseberys sale comprise works from an unnamed collection. The consignment features artists include the likes of Sir Terry Frost, Fred Yates, Antony Gormley, Ken Howard and Barbara Rae.

The auction house describes the owner as an ‘important patron of British art’ and said the owner knew and worked with many of these artists personally, ‘supporting their careers and promoting their work’.

Three works in the collection are by Dame Elisabeth Frink (1930-93) including this screenprint titled Baboon. Measuring 2ft 6in x 213/4in (76 x 55cm), it comes from an edition of 70 with the original drawing for the work in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland.

It is estimated at £1500-2000. View the catalogue entry for this Elisabeth Frink screenprint on the-saleroom.com.

4. Redhead’s portrait

La Roux by Emile Barthélémy Fabry, £1000-2000 at Roseberys.

A painting by Belgian artist Emile Barthélémy Fabry (1865-1966) is among the lots offered from the Saatchi & Saatchi collection. The 12 x 10in (31 x 26cm) oil on canvas is titled La Roux (The Redhead) and is estimated at £1000-2000.

Fabry trained at the Academy of Fine Arts Brussels and went on to study under the Orientalist painter Jean-François Portaels at the Royal Academy. His style ranged from Symbolist to Pointillist and later he painted the decorations in the Art Nouveau inspired Hotel Solvay, a UNESCO Heritage monument in Brussels designed by Horta.

View the catalogue entry for this Emile Barthélémy Fabry painting on the-saleroom.com.

5. Marion Adnams’ trees

La Ronde by Marion Adnams, estimated at £6000-8000 at Roseberys.

Anthropomorphised trees were one of Surrealist artist’s Marion Adnams’ (1898-1995) most prominent subjects which she returned to throughout her career.

An example at Roseberys, consigned by a separate source from outside the above-mentioned collections, is this 2ft 6in x 3ft 4in (76cm x 1.02cm) oil on board from 1963 titled La Ronde.

The large picture of leafless trees twisting like ancient figures in an expansive landscape has similar motifs to some of her best known works now in Derby Museum, located near where the artist lived. It is estimated at £6000-8000.

View the catalogue entry for this Marion Adnams painting on the-saleroom.com.