Blampied paintings sell for more than £37k

A rare collection of paintings by Jersey artist, Edmund Blampied, have been sold at auction for more than £37,000.

Six individual lots went under the hammer at Dawsons Auctioneers in Jersey, with the most expensive painting, "Seaweed Harvesting, Jersey" selling for £13,000.

The collection was previously on display at Government House when Admiral Sir Randolph Stewart Gresham Nicholson served as Jersey's Lieutenant-Governor.

Jonathan Pratt, managing director of Dawsons Auctioneers, said it was "a privilege to bring such a special collection to auction."

The auction house said Edmund Blampied, who died in 1966, was widely regarded as Jersey's "most renowned artist" and was celebrated for his ability to "capture the essence of island life with charm, character, and a deep sense of place."

The artworks for sale included some of Mr Blampied's "most evocative depictions of Jersey life", it said.

Lot 10, a watercolour titled "Peeling Potatoes" was sold along with a letter from the artist to its previous owner for £5,500.

The letter read: "Dear Lady Nicholson, the old lady peeling potatoes must be, I am sure, feeling so greatly honoured at being in Government House – but at the same time wishing most desperately that she had on a cleaner apron and the hat especially reserved for Sundays which is fitted with black grapes, ribbon and a kingfisher…"

Some of the other works in the sale included "Surf Riders" and "Vraicking, Jersey; Study of Flowers (verso)", which sold for £11,000 and £7,500 respectively.

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