From Moonlit Harbours to Rolling Fields: Fine Paintings Sale Results


September 2026

Last week's Fine Paintings sale filled the room with a rich mix of oils, watercolours and mixed media, taking in coastal scenes, rolling landscapes, sporting subjects and glimpses of history along the way. From moonlit harbours to quiet countryside corners, the sale offered something for collectors of every interest, with strong results across the board and a handful of pieces carrying stories well worth telling. Here's how the sale unfolded.

Faces of the Coast

Ernest Higgins Rigg (Staithes Group 1868-1947): The Artist's Daughters Petting Spring Lamb...Ernest Higgins Rigg (Staithes Group 1868-1947): The Artist's Daughters Petting Spring Lamb...Sold: £4,000Frederick William Jackson (Staithes Group 1859-1918): Fisher Folk on the Cliff above Lady...Frederick William Jackson (Staithes Group 1859-1918): Fisher Folk on the Cliff above Lady...Sold: £2,800Arthur A Friedenson (Staithes Group 1872-1955): Man and Donkey on the Clifftop, oil on can...Arthur A Friedenson (Staithes Group 1872-1955): Man and Donkey on the Clifftop, oil on can...Sold: £2,000Dame Laura Knight (Staithes Group 1877-1970): A Drawing Lesson, pencil drawing signed twic...Dame Laura Knight (Staithes Group 1877-1970): A Drawing Lesson, pencil drawing signed twic...Sold: £1,200
Some of the sale's strongest results came from artists connected to the Staithes Group, an informal colony of painters who settled in the fishing village of Staithes from the 1890s, drawn to its dramatic light and the everyday lives of its fishing community. Portraits and figure studies captured the people who lived and worked along the Yorkshire coastline.

Life Upon the Sea

Richard Weatherill (British 1844-1923): Dock End Whitby by Moonlight, oil on canvas signed...Richard Weatherill (British 1844-1923): Dock End Whitby by Moonlight, oil on canvas signed...Sold: £2,900Henry Redmore (British 1820-1887): 'Barges and Other Shipping Drying their Sails in an Est...Henry Redmore (British 1820-1887): 'Barges and Other Shipping Drying their Sails in an Est...Sold: £1,300Frederick William Scarborough (British 1860-1939): Shipping on the Thames at London Bridge...Frederick William Scarborough (British 1860-1939): Shipping on the Thames at London Bridge...Sold: £1,300Frank Henry Mason (Staithes Group 1875-1965): 'A Perilous Coble', watercolour laid on to c...Frank Henry Mason (Staithes Group 1875-1965): 'A Perilous Coble', watercolour laid on to c...Sold: £1,200
From moonlit harbours to bustling estuaries, this section of the sale captured the working life of Britain's waterways, where fishing boats, barges and coastal traders were as much a subject of artistic fascination as they were a way of life. Moonlit harbours and working boats brought the drama and rhythm of maritime life to the fore.

Rivers, Lochs and Reflections

Robert Gemmell Hutchison (British 1855-1936): 'Royal Review Edinburgh - 1905', oil on canv...Robert Gemmell Hutchison (British 1855-1936): 'Royal Review Edinburgh - 1905', oil on canv...Sold: £4,000Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jnr. (British 1877-1945): 'Early Morning in Glen Finglas', oi...Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jnr. (British 1877-1945): 'Early Morning in Glen Finglas', oi...Sold: £1,900William Mellor (British 1851-1931): 'On the Wharfe', oil on canvas signed, titled verso 60cm x 90cmWilliam Mellor (British 1851-1931): 'On the Wharfe', oil on canvas signed, titled verso 60cm x 90cmSold: £1,600William Fraser Garden (British 1856-1921): Evening Light on the Lake, watercolour signed a...William Fraser Garden (British 1856-1921): Evening Light on the Lake, watercolour signed a...Sold: £1,500

Still waters and softer light gave collectors a quieter, more reflective side of the sale.

Lot 139 brought an intriguing story to the sale: Robert Gemmell Hutchison's 'Royal Review, Edinburgh - 1905'. The signed oil on canvas came to its previous owner via Omell Galleries, London, back in 1990, and is believed to be the preparatory sketch for a larger canvas that fetched £18,000 at Bonhams in December 2010, a connection that added real weight to this smaller study. 

Town and Countryside

Owen Bowen (Staithes Group 1873-1967): Cattle Resting in Summer Shade, oil on canvas signe...Owen Bowen (Staithes Group 1873-1967): Cattle Resting in Summer Shade, oil on canvas signe...Sold: £3,200John Holland Snr. (British c1830-1886): 'Watergate - Chester', oil on canvas signed, title...John Holland Snr. (British c1830-1886): 'Watergate - Chester', oil on canvas signed, title...Sold: £3,000William Gilbert Foster (Staithes Group 1855-1906): The Bluebell Meadow, oil on canvas sign...William Gilbert Foster (Staithes Group 1855-1906): The Bluebell Meadow, oil on canvas sign...Sold: £2,500Owen Bowen (Staithes Group 1873-1967): Building a Hayrick, oil on canvas signed and dated...Owen Bowen (Staithes Group 1873-1967): Building a Hayrick, oil on canvas signed and dated...Sold: £1,500
Pastoral scenes and historic townscapes rounded out the sale with a nod to everyday British life.

John Holland Senior's 'Watergate - Chester', took buyers further afield. Signed and titled on a plaque, the work likely dates to around 1870–1872, and rewards a closer look: tucked into the scene is a sandwich-board man promoting a 'Panorama of the War between France and Prussia', a nod to the travelling entertainments of Victorian Britain. Guided at £1,500 - £2,500, the piece went on to make £3,000.

Another highlight was William Gilbert Foster's 'The Bluebell Meadow'. A member of the Staithes Group, Foster's painting carried an exceptional provenance: it was gifted by Foster to his pupil Hilda Annetta Walker, before passing by descent to the vendor, Walker's great-nephew. Never previously offered on the open market, the painting had been estimated at £2,000-3,000, and went on to sell for £2,500.

A Sale to Remember

From moonlit harbours to sunlit meadows, this sale showed just how much appetite there still is for British art rooted in place and memory. Strong prices for the Staithes Group in particular reflected the enduring pull of these coastal scenes for collectors. If you'd like to see how every lot performed, you can browse the full results using the link below.
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