The 15 x 18in (38 x 46cm) wood panel Sailing ships at sunset before an approaching storm available on November 9-11 was catalogued as in the manner of Joseph Mallord William Turner.
It now came from an old German collection; its earlier provenance was not documented. On the reverse, a label inscribed 268 Miss Rogers gave further detail which could not be deciphered, however.
In spite of the cautious attribution the auction house provided information linking the motif to Turner’s painting The Slave Ship which was completed in 1840 and exhibited under its original title Slavers Throwing overboard the Dead and Dying - Typhon [sic] coming on. It now belongs to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
The similarities in style and execution could not be denied and were apparent to several bidders willing to take a chance.
In next to no time, the bids went over €50,000, at which point many participants dropped out. At €100,000, there were only two contenders, the aforementioned Londoner and a German collector; at €300,000 (£260,870) the latter gave up the struggle and the hammer fell.
