Paintings by Scottish Colourist artist Peploe sell for more than £1m

Five paintings by Scottish Colourist artist Samuel John Peploe have sold for more than £1m.

One of the works, a still life titled Roses And Fruit, went for £735,000, well above the estimate of between £300,000 and £500,000.

The auction, held online on Thursday by Lyon and Turnbull, marked the culmination of events celebrating 150 years since the artist was born.

These include an exhibition – Peploe at 150 – in the auctioneer’s Glasgow showroom, featuring five paintings from the auction and four on loan from private collections.

Nick Curnow, head of fine art with Lyon & Turnbull, which has its headquarters in Edinburgh, said: “Roses And Fruit is a remarkable painting and we are, of course, delighted with the sum achieved in this anniversary year which marks 150 years since the artist’s birth.

“The auction as a whole did extremely well and is a fantastic outcome as 2021 draws to a close.”

Roses And Fruit was part of the collection of Glasgow shipowner Major Ion R. Harrison, and was one of the first Scottish Colourist paintings acquired by the famous collector, who became one of Peploe’s most significant patrons.

The Scottish paintings and sculpture auction also included work by Peploe’s fellow Scottish Colourists, JD Fergusson, FCB Cadell and GL Hunter, with the final result for the entire auction totalling £2.3m.

A painting by Joan Eardley titled Haystack And Farm Gate, Dusk sold for £21,250 while one by Cadell of St Columba’s Bay, Iona, sold for £100,000.

Peploe’s oil on canvas work The Statuette sold for £187,500.

All prices include a buyer’s premium.