FERNHURST.- With the Epsom Derby running recently, what better way to spend your Derby Day winnings than on this fabulous original signed cartoon by HM Bateman (1887-1970), the doyen of early 20th century British social satirists.
The Favourite Who Took the Wrong Turning at Tattenham Corner is a fine example of work from Batemans celebrated The Man Who
series of cartoons devised while working for The Tatler in the 1920s and 30s. Built around the concept of British gaffes and faux pas, they are enjoying a huge resurgence among collectors of the genre, with several big prices already registered at auction this year.
John Nicholsons of Fernhurst in West Sussex have developed a particular reputation for securing key Bateman works for their fine art auctions, selling original signed Bateman watercolours for £3200 and £2400 in January as well as a signed ink drawing bought by the vendor for £2 in a car boot sale for £1100 in May.
This signed and inscribed 13¼ x 19½in Derby Day watercolour, which was included in an exhibition at the distinguished Leicester Galleries in London in 1974, carries an estimate of £4000-6000 in their June 15 sale.
Other highlights include a series of 30 pictures by the French/British artist Dora Holzhandler (1928-2015), whose naïve compositions have started to develop a considerable following. One of the best is the signed and dated 2001 mixed media work, A Married Couple. At 14½ x 13in, it carries hopes of £400-600.
Another view of a racing scene, Leaving the Paddock Longchamp Prix de LArc de Triomph Atmosphere, comes from the brush of Jack Lawrence Miller and is signed and dated 73. An oil on canvas measuring 36 x 24in, it is priced at £2000-3000.
Antoine Blanchard is the pseudonym for the French painter Marcel Masson (1910-88), winner of the Prix de Rome and famous for his Paris street scenes. Two of his works appear in this sale, including the signed and inscribed oil on canvas Grands Boulevards, a Street Scene with Figures, measuring 13 x 18, guided at £3000-£5000.
The Maltese capital Valetta also features among the art. Anton Schranz (1769-1839) was a German painter and father of the celebrated marine artist John Schranz. He passed his final years in Valetta, which inspired the watercolour in this sale, The Grand Canal, from Ricasoli, with Valetta Harbour, and Fishermen in the foreground. Inscribed on the reverse and dated 1833, the 8¼ x 11¼in work is pitched at £2000-£4000.
Back to sport and the British artist John Emms (1843-1912), best known for his depictions of horses and dogs. A Sportsman with his Spaniels Resting in a Moorland Landscape is a fine example of his skills. A signed 24 x 20in oil on canvas, it is one of two works by Emms in the sale and is expected to fetch £5000-£8000.
Another artist known for depicting animals, particularly horses and farmyard beasts, was Harry Fidler (1856-1935). With two works in this sale, one is Ginger Beer Sold Here, a scene showing with a couple by an inn. A signed 11 x 12¼in oil on canvas, it is estimated at £1500-£2000.
A Battle Scene with Numerous Figures is another oil on canvas, but unframed and by French artist from the Circle of Jacques Courtois (1621-76). At 29 x 49½in, should sell for £3000-£5000.
One of 16 maps in the sale is an 18th Century Johannes Van Keulen (1654-1715) West-Indische, Paskaert, Tropicus Caneri, with North America, South America and Africa. Hand-coloured and engraved, it measures 16¾ x 39in and is priced at £200-£400.