London: A painting by Sir Winston Churchill sold for £1.8million last night - a record price for a work of art by the former Prime Minister.
The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell, labelled ‘extremely personal’ by auctioneers, had been estimated to be worth between £400,000 and £600,000.
Of the 11 pieces of artwork sold at Sotheby’s in London last night, at least five went to American buyers. Two were bought by UK buyers and a further four remained anonymous. A Sotheby’s spokesman said: ‘Churchill’s exceptional ability as a painter was celebrated.’
A portrait of Sir Winston by Sir Oswald Birley, painted in 1950, went for £1.4million - almost ten times its estimated value.
In the four days before the sale, which followed the death of Sir Winston’s last surviving child, Lady Mary Soames, more than 4,000 people flocked to the auction house to admire the possessions up for sale.
Among 150 lots in the auction, the ivory-mounted wooden humidor box Sir Winston used to keep his cigars dry sold for more than £20,000.
The war-time Prime Minister’s despatch box fetched £158,000, more than 30 times its estimated value. The box is inscribed with ‘The Rt Hon Winston S Churchill MP’ in gold and is made of scarlet leather. It was used during his time as Secretary of State for the Colonies between February 1921 and October 1922.
The box is one of seven Sir Winston used during his time in office. The others are on display in The House of Commons War Rooms.
Meanwhile, a photograph of President Franklin D Roosevelt was sold for £32,500. The picture had been estimated to be worth between £2,500 and £3,500 and was a gift from President Roosevelt to Lady Soames, who died in May, aged 91.–DM
Beneath the picture are the words: ‘For Mary, from her friend the other naval person, Franklin D. Roosevelt’.
A chalk drawing of General Charles de Gaulle featured in the auction. The drawing, also a gift to Lady Soames, is inscribed with the words ‘Mary, in appreciation from the de Gaulle Statue Committee’.
Lady Soames had met de Gaulle at Chequers during World War II and again during the liberation of Paris in 1945.
Lady Soames spent most of Sir Winston’s career at his side.
She was a junior commander in the Auxilary Territorial Service during the war, and was his confidante during critical war-time negotiations. When she died, David Cameron described Lady Soames as ‘an eyewitness to some of the most important moments in our recent history’.
In total, the 150 lots raised £15.4 million - more than three times the expected amount.
Following the sale of his items, 38 of Churchill’s paintings will be dispatched to Chatwell, the family’s home which is now a National Trust site.
There the paintings will hang proudly to be admired by those who visit the estate in Westerham in Kent, where the former British leader lived between 1924 and 1965 - the year of his death.