Affordable art: Five works offered or sold for under £700 including a Ralph Reuben Stubbs coastal scene
27 May 2020 Whether you are looking for a colourful contemporary abstract painting or something more traditional like a view of a fishermen setting out to sea, there are plenty of great pictures being bought and sold at auctions on thesaleroom.com every week.
Coastal inlet scene by Ralph Reuben Stubbs – estimated at £200-250 at the Canterbury Auction Galleries.
1. Golden coast
This scenic painting of a coastal inlet is by Ralph Reuben Stubbs (c.1820-1880), a Yorkshire-born artist about whom little is known although it seems he came from an artistic family.
He may well have been the son of another Ralph Stubbs who listed as an artist living in Hull in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Most of his works were landscapes and coastal scenes of his local area. Although he was based in Yorkshire throughout his career, towards the end of his life he exhibited three works at the Royal Academy which apparently found admirers.
This signed oil on canvas of figures and boats on the shore measures 11 x 15in (28 x 38cm) and is signed and dated 1863. It will be offered with an estimate of £200-250 at the Canterbury Auction Galleries on June 6-7.
View the catalogue entry for this Ralph Reuben Stubbs painting on thesaleroom.com
2. Colourful abstract
An acrylic on canvas by Wilfred Lang – estimated at £120-180 at Special Auction Services.
If you’re looking for something a bit more contemporary, Special Auction Services are offering a group of works by Wilfred Lang (b.1954) on June 2. Among them is this signed acrylic on canvas that measures an impressive (88.5cm x 119.5cm), giving it plenty of wall-power.
Lang was born into an artistic family in Shanghai and attended art schools in both his home city and in Hong Kong before travelling widely overseas, including in Europe and the US. He is known for his abstract paintings of cities using bold brushstrokes and layered colours.
This untitled work is estimated at £120-180.
View the catalogue entry for this Wilfred Lang acrylic on canvas on thesaleroom.com
3. View of Italy
A landscape depicting the mountains of Carrara by Reginald St Clair Marston – £620 at Featonby's.
Painter and printmaker Reginald St Clair Marston (1886-1943) was primarily a landscape artist and three of his works can now be found in his hometown museum, Wolverhampton Art Gallery.
Normally his paintings make a few hundred pounds when they appear at auction but this 2ft 2in x 22in (66 x 56cm) oil on canvas that appeared at Featonby's in North Shields, Tyne & Wear on April 30 had an Italian subject matter depicting the mountains of Carrara, bringing significant competition against an estimate of just £10-20. It sold at £620.
4. Thrill of the chase
A painting in the manner of George Armfield – £420 at Greenslade Taylor Hunt.
George Armfield (1808-1893) was a British sporting painter who produced numerous paintings of dogs and horses over his career.
His popularity meant that his works have inspired followers to paint similar scenes such as this 2ft x 20.5in (41 x 52cm) oil on canvas of spaniels flushing a duck that was catalogued as ‘manner of’ Armfield at Greenslade Taylor Hunt’s spring sporting sale in Taunton on April 30. It sold within its £300-500 estimate. It sold at £420.
5. Fishermen casting off
An oil on canvas by Bernard Finegan Gribble – £380 at Biddle & Webb.
British marine artist and illustrator Bernard Finegan Gribble (1872-1962) painted all sorts of vessels from the grandest historical warships to small dinghies. He lived in Poole in Dorset for much of his adult life where he was influential member of the local artistic community.
This 19.75 x 23.5in (50 x 60cm) signed oil on canvas of fishermen pushing a boat out to sea was sold at Biddle & Webb of Birmingham on May 2 for £380.
