J.M.W. Turner – The Lake of Lucerne from Brunnen
One of the greatest watercolours by Turner left in private hands made £2 million at Sotheby’s sale of Old Master and British Works on Paper sale in London today. The Lake of Lucerne from Brunnen, which depicts one of the most dramatic landscapes in the Swiss Alps, achieved one of the top prices for a watercolour for an artist.
Inspired by Turner’s travels to the region between 1841 and 1844, the work was commissioned by his patron Elhanan Bicknell to hang as a companion piece to the iconic Blue Rigi, which achieved a record price at Sotheby’s in 2006 and now hangs in Tate Britain . Works from Turner’s ‘late’ Swiss series, of which this is one, have come to be seen as the ‘climax of a lifetime devoted to the expression of light and colour’.
THIS oil self portrait by the Irish artist Peter J. Keelan is among the highlights at London Art Week which runs at various galleries around Mayfair and St, James’ in central London until July 6.
This rare portrait of Sir Francis Drake (c1540-1596) by an unknown artist from the Anglo Dutch School was authenticated by the wart on his nose. Experts say that genuine portraits include the wart, others do not. The sea captain, slave trader, naval officer and explorer of the Elizabethan era is shown in expensive half armour as a man of grandeur and social standing.
