Fine Art Auctions Coming Soon:
This October the Bellmans auction room will feel a little more like a museum – not only are the works on the wall of particularly high standard, but they can be enjoyed sitting on original National Gallery benches.
More from the organizers:
The auctions are being held October 13-15, 2025 and the Old Master, British & European Art Sale includes works by George Frederick Watts and Charles Napier Hemy from the famous Ionides Collection; a portrait of Ethel Eastman Johnson Conkling, the daughter of Eastman Johnson, who is often referred to as ‘American Rembrandt’; as well as several paintings by Henry Scott Tuke, the famous ‘Golden Goose’ by Frederick Hall, a priced Sussex bred Ox by Tyddesley R. Davis and portraits by Henry Jamyn Brooks and works by the forgotten female sculptor, Marie-Louise Simard.
A rare and intimate family portrait by Eastman Johnson (1824–1906), one of America’s foremost 19th-century painters, is one of the highlights of the auction on October 15. The portrait offered for sale is of Ethel Eastman Johnson Conkling (1870–1931), the daughter of Eastman Johnson. Ethel was Eastman Johnson’s frequent model in his genre scenes of children but is seen here, in a formal portrait from circa 1895, a year before her first marriage. The portrait is estimated at £10,000 – £15,000.
Eastman Johnson was celebrated for his ability to combine the influence of the Dutch Golden Age painters of the 17th century with a style based in realism and a deeply American sensibility. A co-founder of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, he is best known for his genre scenes of domestic life and the great American outdoors. Today, his works hang in major institutions such as The Met, The Smithsonian, and The National Gallery of Art, Washington. Two further works by the artist are being offered – a smaller portrait of the artist’s father (est. £600 – £800) and a Canal Scene (est. £500 – £800).
Bellmans also offers a selection of works from descendants of the seminal Ionides family collection. Among the paintings are a portrait of Isabella Ionides by family friend George Frederick Watts (est. £8,000 – £12,000) and a marine watercolour by Charles Napier Hemy (est. £2,000 – £4,000), both come to the market for the first time.
For more information on these fine art auctions, please visit www.bellmans.co.uk.
