Old Masters, British & European Paintings - Day 1 - 11th August 2021

Lot 184

Helen Allingham RWS (1848-1926)

Estimate £4,000 - £6,000 | Hammer £6500

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Description

Helen Allingham RWS (1848-1926)

Cottage near Paignton, Devon

Signed H.Allingham (lower right)

Pencil and watercolour with scratching out, heightened with white

32.4 x 46.7cm; 12¾ x 18½in

Provenance:

Sir Owen Aisher (1900-1993);

By descent to The Muro Collection

This collection of works by Helen Allingham (lots 180—192) have passed by descent from the personal collection of Sir Owen Aisher (1900-1993), one of the most noted collectors of her work. Sir Owen was the chairman of Marley Ltd., a building materials company with a particular specialism in roofing tiles. On behalf of the company, Sir Owen purchased a group of Allingham works which faithfully reproduced the materials of the buildings depicted. These became known as The Marley Collection, and were sold at Christie’s in 1991. The works offered here formed part of Sir Owen’s personal collection and hung at his home in Surrey.

A visit to an uncle who lived in Paignton in the 1890s resulted in an opportunity for Helen Allingham to paint some of the thatched buildings in the town. Most of the dwellings she captured in watercolours have since been demolished, but this one still stands.

We are grateful to Annabel Watts for her assistance cataloguing the present work.