Famous Scottish artist's portraits for sale at new year auction in Shrewsbury
A collection of paintings by noted Scottish artist Anna Katrina Zinkeisen, including two of her family members, will be going under the hammer at Shropshire’s leading fine art auction house in January.
The works by Zinkeisen (1901-1976) have been consigned by a descendant to a fine art and antiques auction being held by Halls Fine Art in Shrewsbury on January 29, with entries being accepted until early in the new year.
The two portraits are of her cousin, Helene Babbett-Philp and daughter-in-law, Anna Christina Mackay and valued at £5,000 to £8,000 and £3,000 to £5,000 respectively by Halls Fine Arts paintings and prints specialist, Abigail Molenaar.
“Helene is posing in what looks like a white dress but it is fact a bedsheet and she’s wearing an impressive diamond-like costume necklace, which we will also be included in the sale,” said Abigail.
“The portrait of her daughter has a 60s look, as she has pixie crop hairstyle and is wearing a pink, rolled neck top. They are both beautiful portraits and it’s lovely to have the exact necklace that Helene was wearing to sell with her portrait.”
Another mixed media work by Zinkeisen, a Madonna and child study set with gem and semi-precious stones carries an estimate of £400 to £600.
“The paintings come from a Shropshire vendor who is a descendant of the artist,” added Abigail.
Zinkeisen studied drawing and anatomy before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools in 1916 to study sculpture. She exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1919 and won the Landseer Award in 1920 and ‘21.
Two works by St Ives impressionist painter John Anthony Park (1878-1962) have also been consigned to the auction.
Born in Preston, Park moved to St Ives in 1899 and studied there under seascape specialist Julius Olsson and in Paris at Atelier Colarossi. Valued at between £1,500 and £3,000 each , the two paintings in Halls Fine Art’s auction are of the harbour and a street scene in St Ives.
Another oil painting that’s expected to attract a lot of interest is the interior of St Paul’s Cathedral, London by Welsh artist Thomas Prytherch (1864-1926) which is valued at between £1,500 and £2,000.
Born in Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil, Prytherch painted oils and watercolours and worked from a studio in Wroxeter, near Shrewsbury, where he lived with an aunt. He exhibited three paintings at the Royal Academy and one at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, and his patrons included Lord Barnard and Lord Bradford of Weston Park.
The painting has been consigned by a Scottish vendor because of the artist’s connection with Shropshire.
The antiques section include a double flap classic handbag by Chanel, which is valued at up to £1,200. A similar Chanel handbag sold for £3,000 at Halls Fine Art’s two-day Christmas auction earlier this month.
Reflecting on a successful year for the paintings department, Abigail said: “We have been delighted to see a lot of high quality art coming through for valuation and sale this year. Single owner and gallery collections have been particularly successful, attracting international buyers.
“We also held our first live modern and contemporary art and design auction, which will be repeated on March 19 and prospects for 2025 are very promising.
Anybody wishing to enter either paintings, sculpture or furniture in the January 29 auction are asked to contact Abigail or her colleague Alexander Clement at Halls Fine Art on Tel: 01743 450700 or email: fineart@hallsgb.com .
