Titans Of Scottish Art, Hollywood Stars and Diamonds As Big As The Ritz

A stunning oil by the ‘Fifth Scottish Colourist’ John Maclauchlan Milne (1885-1957), was the subject of intense bidding at the first of McTear’s week-long series of luxury autumn auctions, eventually selling to a buyer in Kent for almost £26,000.

The Fine Pictures auction included impressive works by a series of Scottish titans of art, including E.A. Hornel, Sir William McTaggart, and Robert Gemmell Hutchison, amongst others.  With an estimate of £5,000 to £10,000, McTaggart’s Still Life with Moonlight Over Drummond Place Gardens, generated huge interest online and in the room, finally selling for £10,300

Several lots in the More than a Game: Sporting Medals and Shirts auction attracted fierce bidding from collectors and sports fans across the globe.  Alfie Conn’s match worn jersey from Rangers triumph in the 1972 European Cup Winners Cup Final, sold for £19,000 to a buyer in the United States, while Ibrox legend, Jim Baxter’s first winners medal for Rangers, was snapped up by a buyer in Monaco for £7,000.

Meanwhile, ‘Madonna at Prayer’, an impressive painting in the style of Italian Baroque painter Giovanni Battista Salvi, was one of the star lots in the Britain and Beyond auction, selling for almost £1,700 - over five times its upper estimate. 

Long respected for its auctions of historic militaria, McTear’s again offered a fine selection of rare and unusual items in the autumn sale.  Amongst the many service honours in the auction was a medal group awarded to Pte. James Devlin – complete with Death Penny – which eclipsed its upper estimate to sell for almost £1,000

On a lighter note, McTear’s pop culture auction is rapidly becoming a ‘go to’ event for fans of science fiction, fantasy and film.  An autograph book signed by Hollywood legends Humphrey Bogart, Fred Astaire and others, caught the attention of movie fans, eventually sellingl for £1,500 – seven times its upper estimate.  Meanwhile a ‘Beatles Brick’ from the original Cavern Club in Liverpool sold for more than double its £300 estimate, and two retro Nintendo 64 consoles made £770 and £900.  Both would have retailed for around £200 in 2000.

The Fine Furniture and Works of Art sale included an impressive collection of lots covering several centuries of furniture design.  A pristine pair of late 18^th/early 19^th century French ebonised elbow chairs sold for more than three times their upper estimate of £400, while a fine William IV Scottish sampler made £1,000 – more than double its estimate.

On a musical note, an immaculate ‘Wheatstone 64’ key concertina - once owned by famed Scottish musician, John Eaglesham - sold for £4,600 in the Clocks and Instruments auction.  Continuing the Scottish theme, a George III bracket clock by John Carmichael of Greenock sold for £1,800 – well above its estimate of £1,200 - while a candy apple red Fender Stratocaster sailed past its estimate on its way to a £900 bid. 

The auction room was sparkling during the Autumn Elegance jewellery sale, with a series of diamond pieces securing top prices.  Two stunning diamond bracelets secured £7,000 and £5,100 from a buyer in Guernsey, while a beautiful 2.8 carat, two stone diamond ring fetched an impressive £7,700.

All prices above include buyer’s premium and VAT thereon.

For a complimentary, no-obligation valuation, make an appointment to visit our Glasgow Galleries, contact our specialists by clicking this link and completing the short form, or call us on 0141 810 2880