Key names led our inaugural Art & Design post-1880 auction of 2026.
Works by women artists saw particular success, with the top four lots - Dame Elisabeth Frink, Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, Dame Laura Knight and Mary Fedden - exemplifying this. As ever, provenance proved a powerful catalyst: fresh-to-market works from family collections, or those with well-documented histories, often attracting fierce competition.
With the first glimmers of spring in the air, this was also reflected in the saleroom, where studies of flora were particularly well received.
John Holmes, Managing Director & Head of Paintings, shares his highlights from the most recent sale (all prices quoted include Buyer’s Premium):
Works by Women Artists
Closely following the record price set by Gorringe’s for Lucy Madox Brown’s Après le Bal, the top four lots in this Art & Design auction were all created by women.
Leading the group was our cover lot, Dame Elisabeth Frink’s Rolling Horse (lot 311), an energetic bronze supported by strong provenance and literature, which achieved £45,000.
Second and third place were also created by recipients of a damehood and further reflect the vitality of nature. A still life of Anemones by Dame Elizabeth Blackadder (lot 106), offered with provenance dating back to its year of creation, realised £10,000.
Meanwhile, Dame Laura Knight’s portrait Patience Smith, Sister of Beulah (lot 11), featuring a basket of fresh spring flowers to the foreground, sold for £9,000.
Mary Fedden’s charming Study of a Sleeping Cat (lot 71) took fourth place, achieving £8,750.
It is also worth noting the strong results for women designers working across mediums seen throughout the sale, from Clarice Cliff to Florence Knoll.
The Importance of Name and Provenance
As demonstrated above, attributable works with clear chains of ownership continue to generate strong demand. Two pictures further highlighting this trend both comfortably exceeded their estimates.
The first, by the inimitable Arthur Rackham, was titled The Witch (lot 3). It was accompanied by a note confirming its exhibition at “The Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours, 5A Pall Mall East, London, 1912,” and its purchase at that exhibition by G. Holland Esq. for £12 17s. Offered alongside the original receipt, it achieved £6,875 - an impressive return.
The second, Marcel Dyf’s Marguerites, Coquelicots, Delphiniums et Bleuets (lot 40), was supported by authentication from Madame Claudine Dyf and inclusion in the e-catalogue raisonné. This provenance proved instrumental in its sale for £8,750.
Spring in the Air
The works by Blackadder, Knight and Dyf exemplify the appeal of fresh floral subjects, and this sense of vibrancy and renewal was evident throughout the sale.
Perhaps spring had already taken hold in the minds of buyers - or perhaps it is simply always the right moment to introduce a splash of colour into one’s life.
Other notable highlights included Rudolf Bonnet’s Still Life Study of Tulips (lot 36, above), which sold for £3,000, and David Alan Redpath Michie’s Pink Sweet Peas Against a Blue Ground (lot 97, below), which achieved £2,500.
Big Name, Affordable Price
Perhaps the most famous name in the sale, that of Pablo Picasso, achieved what was arguably its most affordable price.
His Corrida Verte (Green Bullfight) (lot 264), a ceramic work from an edition of 500, sold for £6,250. While Picasso’s auction record stands at $179 million for an oil painting, this result highlights a more accessible way to acquire a work by one of the titans of art history.
On the theme of pottery and art history, it is fitting to conclude with two works by the art historian, writer and potter Quentin Bell. Lots 274 (first image below) and lot 275 (second image below), produced for Fulham Pottery and fresh to the market by family descent, both exceeded their estimates, selling for £1,125 and £3,500 respectively.
We now look ahead to our next Art & Design auction on 21 July 2026. Entries are currently invited and, if you are interested in consigning, we would be delighted to hear from you for a free, no-obligation valuation.
To view our full list of Gorringe's upcoming sales, you can visit our auction calendar and if you're interested in any past sale results, you can view them online here.
For all other enquiries, call 01273 472 503 or email us at clientservices@gorringes.co.uk
