ART TREASURES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 263, 30 June 1932, Page 2

ART TREASURES

PA MOUS P I CTU R ES BID OF £95,000 FAILS TO PURCHASE WOita BY LAWRENCE PASSING OF LAMBTON CASTLE. LONDON, May 6. The higliest bid ever made in England for a work of art — £95,000 — failed to buy Lawrence's famous pieture, "Master Lambton," known as "The Red Boy,' at Lambton Castle, Durham. The highest price ever paid for a Lawrence was £80,850 for "Little Pinkie," which went to Aemrica. The sale of priceless treasures in the great banqueting hall of the castle, with its stained glass windows and earved oak roof, made a dramatic scene. It was watched by a tall, distinguished man, who stood unseen on a balcony above the hall behind an iron grille — the Earl of 'Durham. He sadly watched the disposal of many of the wonderful treasures of his ancient family. Elaborate precautions were taken to guard the pictures put up for sale, and plain-clothes detectives were on duty in every room of the estate. Only connoissenrs, art dealers, and representatives of museums and art galleries who had received catalogues were admitted to the grounds. They came from all parts of the world. A century and four years ago, "The Red Boy" was at the Academy. Lawrence was nearing the end of his great career, and there was praise for the finest depietion of childhood ever beheld. To-day, the boy seated in a rockery,,, with eyes full of lustre, the ■endowment of his mother, still commands the world, and continents have been waiting for the news whether finance can malce another great record in the art world. Lambton Castle was heing cleared of all its adornments; everything was to come under the hammer — three thousand "lots" — "Red Boy," Coui*t ladies, and generals, the yield of Reynolds, Lawrence, Romney, Hoppner, Phillips, and Kauffmann, in company with the kitchen utensils. For over a century Master Lambton has kept guard over the castle, for Lawrence perpetuated his short life of thirteen years. He has been under the eye of his mother, the daughter of Charles, Earl Grey, ever since, for Lawrence was also commissioned to paint a full-length portrait of h'er. The mothre died in her early forties, ten years after her son. Heavy Death Duties. For the past three years the fate of "The Boy" has been undecided. Successive heavy death duties on'the Durham estate have called for drastic retrenchment, and Master Lambton has been called in to realise the balance. A London firm acted for a possible buyer in America, and the price suggested for "The Red Boy" was £200,000, but no se./uem~.it w.-.s reached. The picture has come to be known as "The Red Boy" within the past three years to distinguish it from Gainsborough's "Blue Boy," which has found a home in America. The boy Lambton was originally in yellow, and it was Lawrence's last-minute thought to alter the coat colour to a gorgeous crimson. Grey-haired servants who had served the family, some of them for nearly half a century, watched with sad eyes and mourned with each other at the passing of the former glory of Lambton Castle. It was more than a sale; it was a tragedy. The gaunt, aged lodge-keep-er, an old family retainer, as he watched the motor cars whirl by, said: "I do not lcnow if the old gates will ever be open again when this is over. The First Bid.

The autioneers were seated at the spot where the Lambtons in the past had sat at the head of the table to welcome the guests. JThe sale began with the disposal of the collection of water-colour drawings, and high prices were realised. A sudden silence fell upon the room when the auctionecr announced "We now come to Lot 53." It was "The Red Boy." For some time there was no bid. "Will someone offer me £50,000?" asked the auctioneer. There was still no bid. "Anything you like to begin with," the auctioneer said persuasively. The first bid was for £10,000, and offers then came quickly and soon reached £78,000. There was a pause, and then bids were made by increases of £1000. The offer of £95,000 was reached, when it was announced that the picture would be withdrawn, its reserve price not having been reached. Hoppner's full length portrait of Lady Anne Barbara Lambton was withdrawn at £23,000. Lawrence's portrait of Lady Louise, mother of the Red Boy, was withdrawn at £8500. The pictures sold brought in just over £60,000.