Small family collection of drawings by Lowry feature in upcoming sale

​The three works were given by Lowry to Ruth and Neville Blakey of Pendle, Lancashire, who were longstanding friends of the artist.

Mr Blakey first met L.S. Lowry in the late 1950s, when the artist took a clock to his business for repair, and the men struck up a lasting friendship.

The collection comprises Figures Young and Old, a pencil sketch made in 1969 (estimate: £40,000-60,000), Group of Children, a further pencil sketch from 1966 and inscribed: “To Mr and Mrs Neville Blakey” (estimate: £12,000-18,000), and Street Scene with Dogs, a biro sketch from 1963 executed on a page in Mr Blakey’s autograph book (estimate: £4,000-6,000).

The autograph book is accompanied by a ledger in which Mr Blakey recounts the pair’s first meetings and notes: “This delightful sketch was drawn in the drawing room. He visited us here, and we made return visits on many occasions to his house at Mottram in Longdendale. He was a most kind person.”

Northern Art continues to demand attention at auction.

Notable lots in the sale include Salford Buildings, Broad Street by Harold Riley, 1934-2023, (estimate: £5,000-8,000), Procession by Peter Brook, 1927-2009, (estimate: £4,000-6,000), ‘Figures & Dogs in a Winter Landscape’ by Brian ‘Braaq’ Shields, 1951-1997, (estimate: £7,000-10,000) and The Shore South Gare by Len Tabner, born1946, (estimate: 2,500-4,000).

Further Northern artists represented in the sale include Geoffrey Birks, Norman Cornish, Jake Attree, David Blackburn and Marie Walker Last.

More highlights in the sale include La Logie (1929) by Scottish artist Sir William MacTaggart, 1903-1981, (est: £5,000-7,000). The painting, which was once in the Collection of Donald McKay, has previously been on loan to Kirkcaldy Art Gallery and Museum, and was exhibited at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

‘Harbour Scene’ by Cheong Soo Pieng (1917-1983) will be offered with an estimate of £3,000-5,000.

The Chinese-born Singaporean artist was the pioneer of the Nanyang style of art, which emerged from the Nanyang Academy of Art in Singapore where Cheong Soo Pieng taught for over 20 years, characterised by graphic outlines and a muted palette.

The present painting, executed in 1953, was purchased by the vendor’s parents while on honeymoon in Bali in 1954.

Also on offer is Road Through Sneyd by Staffordshire artist Maurice A Wade, 1917-1991, (estimate: £2,000-3,000).

Wade is known for his depictions of industrial landscapes around his home in Stoke-on-Trent, which are filled with a quiet, melancholy beauty.

An interesting selection of works on paper are on offer, including two ink and wash pictures by David Bomberg (1890-1957).

With provenance by repute from the collection of actor B. Davies-Rees, the artist’s stepson-in-law, Sappers at Work, Under Hill 60, and Players Resting, The Ghetto Theatre, are offered with an estimate of £1,000-1,500 each.

Other good lots include Study for The Fount by Frank Dobson, 1886-1962, (estimate: £1,000-1,500), The Cossack Act by Dame Laura Knight, 1877-1970, (estimate: £800-1,200), and Hilly Landscape by Sir Matthew Smith, 1879-1959, (estimate: £800-1,200), with further works by the likes of Roger Hilton and Quentin Blake.

Leading a strong section of prints are two works by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973); ‘Combat de gladiateurs, avec spectateurs, et en bas, rappel de l’Ecce Homo’ of 1970 is offered with an estimate of £4,000-6,000, and ‘Homme rembranesque assis chez filles’ of 1968 with an estimate of £2,000-3,000.

Prints by Joan Miro, Elizabeth Blackadder, Bob Dylan and Victor Pasmore will also be on offer, alongside a good range of affordable contemporary works by the likes of Peter Blake, Damien Hirst, Tracy Emin, Grayson Perry and Vivienne Westwood.