Discovered in pristine, unfaded condition in the attic of a modest house in Bury, this framed 16 by 22in (43 x 56cm) watercolour just happened to depict Salt Lake City, Utah, with all the major monuments picked out with arrows on the original mount. It is not often that watercolours of the world capital of Mormonism come on the market.
Added to this obvious rarity value was the suggestion circulating in the trade that this was the original image for a well-known print of the same subject.
On the day at least half a dozen telephones were prepared to contest this intriguing lot up to £5000, but in the end it was two bidders in the room, thought to be dealers representing private clients, who slugged it out to the final price of £13,800.
Promised Land fulfils its promise at £13,800
Exceptional subjects still have the capacity to fetch exceptional prices, as the Bury St Edmunds auctioneers Lacy Scott & Knight (10% buyer’s premium) discovered when this unsigned and unattributed 19th century watercolour came under the hammer on September 20 with an estimate of £250-400.
