Lavery oil found in Scottish attic for auction

IN A SCENARIO that features in every hoarder’s daydreams, a previously unknown painting by Irish artist Sir John Lavery has been discovered in the attic of a house in Scotland and is to be sold at auction next week.

Lindsay Burns and Company, a fine art auctioneering firm in the central Scottish town of Perth, said the 14 by 10-inch oil painting of a gipsy girl had been found in the attic of a house in Perthshire during a routine valuation.

Auctioneer Nick Burns said that “the painting was discovered in the vendor’s attic”.

He said the owners were “astonished” when he advised them of its potential value and of the importance of the artist “given that they had no knowledge of either factor and had resigned the painting to the attic some years ago after inheriting it from a family member who had passed away”.

The work has been consigned for sale in its original frame and is described as “in good, untouched condition”. The canvas is signed and dated 1881 on the front and is inscribed on the reverse with the title of the picture and the address, 101 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, where Lavery once had a studio.

The painting, titled A Gipsy, will go under the hammer in Perth next Tuesday, November 15th with a guide price of £10,000-£15,000 (€11,678- €17,517).

Online bidding is available by registering at lindsayburns.co.uk.

Belfast-born Lavery (1856-1941) is regarded as one of Ireland’s greatest artists.

Among his best known paintings is Michael Collins, Love of Irelandwhich hangs in Dublin's Hugh Lane Gallery.