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#EssexLandscape #JohnNash #BoxtedMillPool #TennantsAuction #ModernArt #TempleNewsam #Zoffany #HumphreyBoyle #AustinWright #PrunellaClough #HenriHayden #BobDylanPrint #PicassoLaCorrida #ArtSale2025 #CollectibleArt
Summary of the Tennants Modern & Contemporary Art Sale (3 October, Leyburn)
The headline lot was John Northcote Nash’s Boxted Mill Pool (c. 1960s), a lyrical Essex landscape painted near his wartime‑turned‑peacetime home at Bottengoms Farm, Wormingford. The work, which appeared in the Royal Academy’s 1967 retrospective – the first ever solo show the Academy gave to a living artist – fetched £38,000 hammer (≈ $51,000). Nash, a former Royal Marines captain who served as an official war artist, turned after the conflict to a quieter, pastoral mode; Tennants described the painting as “the solace nature can offer after the horrors of war,” noting its feathery brushwork in sky, foliage and water. A related oil, Mill Building, Boxted (1962), is held by Tate.
The painting came from the collection of Humphrey Boyle, founder of the heritage‑furnishings house Zoffany. Boyle’s interest in historic textiles was sparked during the restoration of Temple Newsam, a Jacobean estate, where he uncovered fragments of wallcoverings and woven silks. Those fragments inspired Zoffany’s inaugural “Temple Newsam Collection” of wallpapers (1984), establishing the firm as a specialist in reproducing lost fabrics.
Other works from the Boyle collection also performed well: Austin Wright’s Critics (1911‑1997) exceeded its estimate to sell for £12,000 (≈ $16,100), while Prunella Clough’s Old Quarry realised £9,000 (≈ $12,100). Clough, whose muted palette and industrial subjects have been reassessed since her 1999 Tate retrospective, remains a sought‑after post‑war British artist.
Additional consignments included Henri Hayden’s Nature Morte à la Poule (£7,500/≈ $10,100), Geoffrey Key’s Evening Hillside (£5,500/≈ $7,400) and Simon Palmer’s In the Vale (£2,800/≈ $3,800). In the prints section, Bob Dylan’s Train Tracks from his much‑collected series led at £7,000 (≈ $9,400), followed by Picasso’s 1956 La Corrida at £6,000 (≈ $8,100).
Overall, the 126‑lot sale realised £188,770 hammer (≈ $253,000) with a 92 % sell‑through rate.
About the editor: Mark Littler, editor‑in‑chief of Antique Collecting since 2026, spent nearly a decade as an auctioneer at Tennants, specialising in general valuation, silver and whisky. He later founded Mark Littler Ltd, advising clients on art, antiques and rare whisky valuation and sales. A regular Forbes contributor, Littler also owns and edits The Whiskey Wash, which he revitalised after its 2023 acquisition. His commentary draws on hands‑on experience in valuing objects, researching collections and navigating the auction market.
