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Previously unseen illustrations by prominent 20th-century artist Gilbert Spencer are set to go under the hammer in the Cotswolds next month.
Gilbert was the younger brother of Sir Stanley Spencer, one of the best-known English artists of the early 20th century, and an influence on the work of later luminaries such as Lucien Freud.
The illustrations – for a series of unpublished children’s stories – were the result of a lifelong friendship between Gilbert and aspiring writer Marjorie Freeman.
The drawings and typed stories – along with correspondence between Gilbert and Marjorie about their collaboration, and a series of self-illustrated Christmas cards by Gilbert to Marjorie – are up for sale in The Cotswold Auction Company’s August 13 sale of Modern Art and Design, Vintage Fashion and Textiles.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Marjorie wrote a series of tales for children entitled Flower Stories, each recounting the story of an individual flower, such as The Primrose’s Story and The Daisy’s Story.
Marjorie – who wrote under the pseudonym Michal Taunt – retired to Gloucestershire, and in the 1970s she entered the stories into a BBC competition. The work never found a publisher, but Marjorie’s family kept hold of Gilbert’s drawings for decades after his death.
The illustrations, stories and associated correspondence have now re-emerged and are being offered for sale with an estimate of £700 to £1,000.
A collection of Christmas cards from Gilbert to Marjorie will be offered separately at an estimate of £300 to £500.
The Cotswold Auction Company director, Liz Poole, said: “This is a charming collaboration between Gilbert and a local writer, Marjorie Freeman, born of their long-standing friendship, which lasted for decades until Gilbert’s death in 1979.
“We are expecting interest from collectors of the Spencer brothers’ work. It is rare to come across such an unusual series of drawings by an important artist.”
She added: “Gilbert was the younger brother of Sir Stanley Spencer, but also a highly regarded artist in his own right. He studied at the Royal College of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art and later became a member of the Royal Academy. Examples of his work are owned by the Tate Gallery and the RA.”
