Prints, watercolours and paintings: Five pictures offered at upcoming auction

24 February 2025 Auction house Roseberys is holding its latest sale of Old Master, British & European pictures on March 12.

A view of Harlech Castle in Wales and the surrounding landscape by John Varley (1778-1842) is among the watercolours on offer at the Roseberys sale. The pencil and watercolour on paper is signed J Varley and is one of a number of pictures of the same location made by the artist who was an influential figure in the development of watercolour painting. A similar view by Varley is in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum. The estimate here is £250-300. View the catalogue entry for this John Varley watercolour.

The auction comprises no fewer than 476 lots and offers works from across the centuries. It also features pictures by artists from a whole range different countries.

Here we pick out five lots that caught our eye by British, French and American artists, representing the mediums of oil painting, printmaking and watercolour.

1. Self portrait of an artist working

A painting by the American artist Thomas Buford Meteyard (1865-1928) will be offered at the Roseberys sale with a £3000-5000 estimate. Portrait de lui-meme travaillant (Portrait of himself working), an oil on canvas inscribed 'Meteyard' in pencil on the back, comes fresh to the market having been purchased from the The Redfern Gallery in London by a member of the vendor’s family back in 1954. The work shows the way Meteyard was heavily influenced by works of French Impressionist painters which he encountered on his travels, especially those of Claude Monet. View the catalogue entry for this Thomas Buford Meteyard painting.

2. View of the Seine

This view along the Seine in Paris is by French painter Hermann Delpech (1865-1918). The artist studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and this oil on canvas is an example of his favoured subject of boats on the river, to which he returned repeatedly throughout his career. It is estimated at £800-1200. View the catalogue entry for this Hermann Delpech painting.

3. Richard Cook painting

An oil on board by Richard Cook (1784-1857) titled Helen, The Lady in the Lake is pitched at £400-600 at the Roseberys sale. The subject of the oil on board relates to a narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1810, that was influential in inspiring the Highland Revival. View the catalogue entry for this Richard Cook painting.

4. Millet print

Among the prints on offer at the Roseberys sale is a copy of the great Jean-François Millet’s (1814-1875) etching La Grande Bergère (Shepherdess Knitting). Signed JF Millet within the plate, it has provenance to London dealer Thomas Agnew & Sons as well as the collection of Professor WM Ballantyne (1922-2021). The subject was one of Millet's compassionate and poetic views of rural life and the copy here is estimated at £1000-1500. View the catalogue entry for this Jean-François Millet etching.