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SPoRTING AND WILDLIFe ART

Sporting and Wildlife Art is one of the most eclectic sale genres at Christie’s, encompassing drawings, watercolours, oil paintings and sculptures from the 17th century to the present day, with a rich variety of subject matter including wild animals, dogs and traditional country sports. The two most successful sales in the category’s history have been held at Christie’s South Kensington in the past two years and the market for high quality works is extremely buoyant. Collectors, both new and established, from Europe and the United States as well as emerging markets in the Middle East, the Far East and Russia, are seeking to acquire the fi nest examples for their collections. Today, Sporting and Wildlife Art can realise from £2,000 to over £20 million, making it an exciting area from which to collect at all levels of the market.

Works by John Emms, a prolifi c and renowned artist, appeared on the market a number of times last year, and one of the most except-ional results was for Anticipation, sold on 27 June 2011. The painting possesses all of the characteristics that collectors look for in Emms: engaging subject matter, flawless composition and exceptional condition. With competitive bidding, the painting achieved £115,250 against an estimate of £50,000–80,000. Another superb example by the artist was Two spaniels in a barn which achieved £39,650 against an estimate of £15,000–20,000.

Emms’s life was as colourful as his art. Early in his career he was Frederic, Lord Leighton’s studio assistant, an apprenticeship that took him to Lyndhurst Parish Church, where he assisted in the execution of the fresco The Ten Virgins and reputedly added the owl, the symbol of sloth. An engaging character, Emms’s ability to paint animals, combined with his sociability and passion for hunting, saw numerous commissions from the local gentry, and substantial success which enabled him to build a large house and studio in Lyndhurst. A fl amboyant character, Emms was easily recognisable by his long black cloak and wide-brimmed black hat. He enjoyed a bohemian lifestyle with his family, and when a large commission was paid out,

would take them to London, where theywould stay at the fi nest hotels, dine in the bestrestaurants and buy the most fashionable clothes – until the money ran out.

Sadly, Emms was struck down by a stroke in the early 20th century and from then on the quantity and quality of his output was considerably affected. In lieu of payment, local tradesmen had his paintings on their walls, while the family’s charitable landlady let them have a house even though their rent was often months overdue.

The highlight of the December 2011 sale was On the Warpath, by Wilhelm Kuhnert, which sold for £241,250, and again refl ects the fi erce demand for the highest quality examples. As with Emms’s Anticipation, the condition was immaculate and the subject matter exceptional in the artist’s oeuvre. To understand the appeal of many artists, it is necessary to look at their lives, as well as their art, and all too often the two are interchangeable. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, when the majority of animal artists were painting from captive wildlife, Wilhelm Kuhnert distinguished himself from his contemp-oraries (and indeed from his teacher, Paul Meyerheim) by travelling to sketch animals in their natural habitats. He travelled extensively in the Far East and Africa, recording in his diary the dates and places he visited and making hundreds of charcoal and pencil studies of the animals he saw. Upon returning to Germany, he completed the works in his studio, drawing upon his experiences and the fi rst-hand knowledge gathered from his adventures.

On the Warpath is a work produced by an artist at the height of his abilities. The unremitting African heat reaches out to the viewer from the canvas, while the scorched bush, golden from the sun’s unforgiving gaze, communicates the primal intensity of the landscape. The lion and lioness stand regal and statuesque, king and queen of all they survey, their attention drawn to a fi xed point on the horizon. Both lions are aware of a scent in the air, perhaps – as the title implies – a rival pride, a potential threat to their territory. Alternatively, one can interpret the lions as having picked up the scent of a herd of zebra or other such prey. Either way, the artist depicts a moment of calm, beauty and tranquillity, with a subtle insinuation of the action to come. Kuhnert masterfully leaves the

Tom RoothSporting Art Department Christie’sTom is an Associate Director, Specialist in Victorian Art and Head of Sale for Sporting Art. He joined Christie’s British & Irish Art department in 2004. Having come from another major London auction house and with over 10 years’ experience in the art world, Tom has been instrumental in the successful growth of sales revenue in the category since joining Christie’s. Specialising in 19th and early 20th Century British painting and Sporting Art, Tom’s interests range from the Pre-Raphaelites to British Impressionism and early to modern Sporting Art.

1. john emms (1813–1912)Two spaniels in a barnoil on canvas 17 x 21 in. (43.2 x 53.4 cm.)

2. Wilhelm Kuhnert (1865–1926)On the Warpathoil on canvas 30 1/3 x 59 1/2 in. (77.5 x 151.2 cm)

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viewer to contemplate the scene and decide where the narrative is to go, as quite possibly he too once would have done. The preparatory pencil sketch was made in Ruhudji, now Tanzania, during Kuhnert's third East Africa trip in 1911. It formed the basis for the present work, which the artist completed after returning to his studio in Germany in 1913.

The eclecticism of the Sporting and Wildlife Art category is ably demonstrated by the success of two recent collections of works by Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe R.A. which were 100% sold, with many lots tripling their pre-sale estimates. These collections of watercolours, drawings and prints testify to Tunnicliffe’s originality and brilliance, demonstrating his vivid imagination, sense of design and unique take on composition. The sheer variety of subject matter takes them far beyond the category of wildlife art.

Growing up on a farm in Langley, Cheshire, it is perhaps not surprising that Tunnicliffe was so drawn to the study of birds and animals. Elected Associate of the Royal Academy in 1944, his close proximity to nature continued in 1947 when he moved to Shorelands, a house in Anglesey by the Cefni estuary, where he could see a broad variety of wildlife on walks and rambles, and even from his living room window. Tunnicliffe found much inspiration in the area, and in 1954 he was elected Royal Academician.

The speed and competence of Tunnicliffe’s hand and eye are startlingly apparent in each lot. The artist was emphatic that the starting point of any work was with the live creature; to achieve this, he would memorise sightings of wild animals and then return to his studio and work on drawings. Through these studies, one can trace his thoughts and ideas, his unerring sense of composition and colour, and his sheer understanding, appreciation and knowledge of his subject. Some of the drawings were studies for pleasure or larger compositions, while others were workings to show a client for a commission, or for magazine illustrations.

Tunnicliffe also undertook several book commi-ssions, most famously collaborating with the author Henry Williamson. Theirs was a highly turbulent and volatile relationship which often saw writer and artist at odds over both personal and professional issues. Together, they produced a number of great works, including Tarka the

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aspect of the bird, but thrown in an element of poetry into the work that is not often attained, and it deserves all praise."

Perhaps the greatest and most measurable tribute to Thorburn and Lilford is the fact that the works are still among the most loved and widely reproduced bird pictures in Britain. Their except-ional quality, timeless beauty and meticulous detail combine science and ornithology with art, in a way that few artists before or subsequently have succeeded in doing.

Strong and record prices have also recently been achieved for numerous other artists in the category, including Sir Peter Scott, Guy Taplin, Lionel Edwards, Dylan Lewis, David Shepherd, William Osborne and George D Armour.

The demand for Sporting Art has not been affected by the fox hunting ban, and stylish, decorative works depicting hunts and hounds in extensive landscapes are still in strong demand. This is illustrated by the result achieved for On the scent by James Seymour, which sold for £94,850 against an estimate of £30,000–50,000 in November 2010.

Featuring in Christie’s 27 June Sporting and Wildlife Art Sale will be Full Cry by John Nost Sartorius, a superb and striking example of Sartorius’s work for which we are expecting considerable interest.

Christie’s are now collecting for the Sporting and Wildlife Art sale to be held on 12 December (the closing date for entries is 3 October). If you are considering selling and would like a valuation, or would just like to discuss your property and its sale potential, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Tom RoothSporting Art Department, Christie’s

Otter, The Lone Swallows, The Peregrine Saga and the much-loved Salar the Salmon.

Another superb collection which appeared on the market recently and sold 100% by lot was a private collection of works by Archibald Thorburn. Commissioned by Lord Lilford for his seminal book Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Islands, Thorburn ended up completing 268 out of the 421 plates, after the artist who had originally been commissioned to produce the illustrations became ill. It was a formidable task that was to take all of ten years to complete. His fi rst plates appeared in 1888 and were such a success that demand for the book (subscribed to in issues) increased threefold.

As opposed to producing purely scientific ornithological studies, Thorburn presented the readers with an unsentimental aestheticism, one that placed his subjects in their natural environments and captured the beauty and poetry of nature. He often visited Lilford’s aviary and executed sketches, which ensured that his subjects came across not as specimens of taxidermy, but as living creatures, animated in their surroundings. That the works received such high appreciation from Lilford, a gifted patron and minutely critical judge, would have no doubt pleased Thorburn. Lilford was exact in his expectations, and was content with nothing less than perfection in every detail. This is apparent in their correspondence, in which Lilford would point out that "the inner toe was a little foreshortened", "the iris should be a shade lighter in colour" or "the angle of the eye is rather too acute". Expression was also of paramount importance to Lilford, who would issue Thorburn with complex instructions, such as to give a bird "an expression of seeing something far off". He was equally emphatic that the natural environment of each specimen should be captured.

The illustrations perfectly represent a convergence of Lilford’s perfectionism and Thorburn’s artistic ability, with a mutual appreciation for the poetry and sublime beauty of nature. This is encapsulated in a letter from patron to artist: "[I am] delighted with your beautiful picture of the eagle. You have not only admirably portrayed the characteristic

1. Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe R.A. (1901–1979)Peregrine Falconwoodblock print

2. james Seymour (1702–1752)On the scentoil on canvas 25 x 40 in. (63.5 x 101.6 cm)

3. Archibald Thorburn (1860–1935)Eagle-owlpencil and watercolour heightened with bodycolour, unframed 9 1/2 x 7 in. (24.2 x 17.8 cm.)

4. john Nost Sartorius (1755–1828)Full Cryoil on canvas 38 x 52 in. (96.5 x 132.1 cm.)

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Sporting and Wildlife Art

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