Showing posts with label Christie's London South Kensington. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christie's London South Kensington. Show all posts

Saturday, August 20, 2011

The St. Trinian's Sale

In my previous post on the art of Ronald Searle at auction, I discussed the results of a New York sale where three of the four lots failed to sell.  One week later on June 29th, just across the pond in the U. K. at Christie's South Kensington, 28 of 29 Searle lots sold, many for exceedingly high prices.  The sale was remarkable for having a number of lots that were very desirable St. Trinian's drawings from the 1940's and 1950's, a trove which, we are told, "has only recently come to light."  Wherever they may have been mislaid, Searle added his modern signature to the many drawings that were still unsigned, a process Christie's describes as having them "seen and authenticated."  It appears the contemporary signatures, which differ significantly from Searle's more upright and unembellished 1950's signatures, did not discourage the buyers in the slightest.  I suspect, given the attention lavished on them by the artist before the sale, that these drawings may have been with Mr. Searle or a family member all along.


The naughty girls of St. Trinian's account for much of Searle's fame in England to this day. They were merely mentioned in just one published cartoon prior to Searle's going off to the Second World War, but they became a cultural phenomenon after his return home.  For most of the intervening years he had been held by the Japanese as a prisoner of war.  Not surprisingly perhaps, themes of violence, cruelty, abuse, and confinement abound in these cartoons ostensibly about wayward schoolgirls.  The cartoons have more to do with Searle's own wartime experiences than with any schoolgirl's, however ill-behaved.  The astonishing thing is, Searle's cartoons struck a nerve.  The black humor that sprang from his awful captivity resonated deeply with the British public.  Ronald Searle became a household name and his schoolgirls from the magazines were collected in books and eventually went on to the movies.  The drawings, or most of them, went into private collections.  Searle could scarcely keep up with the demand.


Almost any cartoonist encountering such stunning success could be expected to keep at it for the rest of his life, milking every possible comic situation and every possible dollar--excuse me, pound--out of it.  But Searle chose another path for himself.  To the disappointment of his fans, Ronald Searle killed off the school and its inhabitants in grand 1950's style with a nuclear explosion in Souls in Torment (1953).  This ensured that the public would never get enough of St. Trinian's, but he, Searle, 33 years old, had had enough.




'Back to School'


In general, the sale prices here were quite strong, particularly for the St. Trinian's lots.  'Back to School,' Lot 662, above, sold for an astonishing £25,000, or about $40,000.  This is some 14 times its high estimate and, as far as I can tell, a sales record for the artist.  What happened?  It's hard to say from my vantage point far from the salesroom, but I think a few factors came into play generating a lot of excitement.  For one thing, Searle enjoyed a lot of well-deserved publicity for his 90th birthday in 2010, including a rare televised interview and several exhibitions.  Furthermore, two new St. Trinian's movies have been released in recent years, foisting the wicked schoolgirls once again into the British public's attention.  Finally, there may have been some pent-up demand on the part of collectors for a good St. Trinian's drawing, coupled with the fear that, once this sale ends, there may be no more on the horizon for a good while.  'Back to School' is a truly classic St. Trinian's drawing full of energy, mischief, and mayhem.  What more could anyone want?

Here finally are all the Searle lots from the sale, mostly original St. Trinian's drawings from the 1950's, along with the vital statistics:



Lot 651:
Rough design for the poster for 'The Belles of St. Trinian's', 1954, the first St. Trinian's film


Price Realized 
  • £2,500
    ($3,990)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £1,000 - £1,500
  • ($1,596 - $2,394)

Sale Information

Sale 1243  Lot 651
Christie's Interiors 
29 June 2011
Christie's London, South Kensington

Lot Description

Ronald William Fordham Searle (b.1920)
Rough design for the poster for 'The Belles of St. Trinian's', 1954, the first St. Trinian's film
signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower left) and inscribed 'Rough design for the poster of the/first St. Trinian's film, 1954.' (lower centre) and variously inscribed throughout
mixed media, unframed
11 5/8 x 13½ in. (29.5 x 34.3 cm.) 
November 12, 2011 Update:  This rough poster design is now being offered for sale at £7500.00 by Chris Beetles of London in his show THE ILLUSTRATORS 2011 - THE BRITISH ART OF ILLUSTRATION 1837-2011, 19 November 2011 - 7 January 2012. That's a dealer markup of an even 200% over the auction sale price.
February 18, 2012 Update:  Sold.
Pre-Lot Text
ST. TRINIAN'S (LOTS 651-662, 681-692 and 711)

This collection of St. Trinian's drawings from the 1940s and 1950s has only recently come to light, and has been seen and authenticated by Ronald Searle.
 Lot 652:
'Down with School Inspectors!'

'Down with School Inspectors!'



 Price Realized
  • £3,000
  • ($4,797)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £800 - £1,200
  • ($1,277 - $1,915)
'Down with School Inspectors!'
signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower left), dated '1952' (lower right) and inscribed 'Down with School Inspectors!' (lower centre)
pen and black ink, unframed
6 1/8 x 10 3/8 in. (15.6 x 26.4 cm.) 
Literature
Ronald Searle, The Terror of St. Trinian's, London, 1952, p. 118.
Ronald Searle, The St. Trinian's Story, London, 1959, p. 110. 


Lot 653:
'Debagging old flannel pants'
Image revised May 12, 2012

Price Realized 

  • £4,750
  • ($7,595)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £1,000 - £1,500
  • ($1,596 - $2,394)

signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower left) and inscribed 'Debagging Old Flannel pants/The Terror of St. Trinian's (p 29), 1952' (lower left)
pen and black ink and black wash, unframed
6 1/2 x 9 in. (16.5 x 22.9 cm.) 
Literature
Ronald Searle, The Terror of St. Trinian's, London, 1952, p. 29. 
November 12, 2011 Update:  'Debagging old flannel pants' is now being offered for sale at £8500.00 by Chris Beetles of London in his show THE ILLUSTRATORS 2011 - THE BRITISH ART OF ILLUSTRATION 1837-201119 November 2011 - 7 January 2012. That's a dealer markup of 79% over the auction sale price.
May 12, 2012 Update:  This drawing is included by London art dealer Chris Beetles in his exhibition Ronald Searle Remembered, May 22 - June 9, 2012. As item no. 50, it is already listed as sold.

Lot 654:
'...A jug of wine, a loaf of bread and Thou...'
'...A jug of wine, a loaf of bread and Thou...'

Price Realized 

  • £2,375
  • ($3,798)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £700 - £1,000
  • ($1,117 - $1,596)
'...A jug of wine, a loaf of bread and Thou...' signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower left) and inscribed 'A jug of wine/A loaf of bread/And thou-' (upper left)

pencil and pen and brown ink with scratching out, unframed

10¼ x 15 3/8 in. (26 x 39 cm.) 

Literature
Ronald Searle, The St. Trinian's Story, London, 1959, pp. 50-51.






Lot 655:
'...Grab the nearest weapon, Never mind which one...', The St. Trinian's school song
'...Grab the nearest weapon, Never mind which one...', The St. Trinian's school song

Price Realized 

  • £1,875
  • ($2,998)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £600 - £800
  • ($958 - $1,277)

  • signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower left)pen and black ink, unframed
3¾ x 5 1/8 in. (9.5 x 13 cm.) 
Literature
Ronald Searle, The St. Trinian's Story, London, 1959, p. 44. 


Lot 656:
'What fire in the East Wing?'
'What fire in the East Wing?'


Price Realized

  • £4,750
  • ($7,595)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £800 - £1,200
  • ($1,277 - $1,915)

signed and inscribed 'Ronald Searle/'What fire in the East Wing?''(lower left) and dated '1952' (lower right)
pen and black ink, unframed
7¼ x 10 in. (18.5 x 25.4 cm.) 
Literature
Ronald Searle, The Terror of St. Trinian's, London, 1952, p. 91.
Ronald Searle, The St. Trinian's Story, London, 1959, p. 115.



Lot 657:
'Goal!'
'Goal!'

Price Realized

  • £4,750
  • ($7,595)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £800 - £1,200
  • ($1,277 - $1,915)


signed and inscribed 'Ronald Searle/Goal!' (lower left)
pen and black ink heightened with white, unframed
5 3/8 x 11 3/8 in. (13.7 x 28.9 cm.) 
Literature
Ronald Searle, The St. Trinian's Story, London, 1959, p. 110. 

Lot Notes

This drawing was designed for a greetings card for Valentine's of Dundee.





Lot 658:
'Don't be greedy, Cynthia - give your sister some.'
'Don't be greedy, Cynthia - give your sister some.'

Price Realized

  • £13,750
  • ($21,986)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £1,000 - £1,500
  • ($1,596 - $2,394)

  • signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower right) and inscribed '"Don't be greedy, Cynthia - give your sister some."' (lower centre)

pen and black ink, unframed
8¼ x 9 5/8 in. (21 x 24.5 cm.) 
Literature
Lilliput, c.1950.
Ronald Searle, Back to the Slaughterhouse, London, 1951, p. 46.
Ronald Searle, St. Trinian's: The entire appalling business, New York, 2007, p. 29. 


Lot 659:
'To arms!'
'To arms!'

Price Realized

  • £4,000
  • ($6,396)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £1,000 - £1,500
  • ($1,596 - $2,394)

signed and inscribed 'To Arms! Ronald Searle' (lower left) and further signed with initials and dated '1949' (lower right)
pen and black ink and black wash, unframed
8 5/8 x 14 in. (22 x 35.6 cm.) 
Literature
Lilliput, September 1949.
Ronald Searle, Back to the Slaughterhouse, London, 1951, p. 34. 

Lot 660:
'Anyone for karate?'
'Anyone for karate?'

Price Realized 

  • £2,500
  • ($3,998)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £600 - £800
  • ($958 - $1,277)

signed and inscribed 'Ronald Searle/'Anyone for karate?'' (lower left)
pen and black ink, unframed
6 3/8 x 9 3/8 in. (16.3 x 23.8 cm.) 
Literature
Ronald Searle, The Terror of St. Trinian's, London, 1959, p. 48.
Ronald Searle, The St. Trinian's Story, London, 1959, p. 66. 



Lot 661:
'Old Girl's Dinner'

'Old Girl's Dinner'



Price Realized

  • £8,125
  • ($12,992)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £1,000 - £1,500
  • ($1,596 - $2,394)


signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower left) and inscribed 'Angela p125 Old Girl's dinner' (lower left)
pen and black ink, unframed
7¼ x 10½ in. (18.5 x 26.7 cm.) 
Literature
Ronald Searle, The Terror of St. Trinian's, London, 1952, p.125.


Lot 662:

'Back to school'


Price Realized

  • £25,000
  • ($39,975)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £1,200 - £1,800
  • ($1,915 - $2,873)

signed and dated 'Ronald Searle' (lower right) and inscribed 'ST TRINIAN'S/BACK TO SCHOOL' (upper left)

pen and brown ink, unframed
9 x 12 5/8 in. (22.9 x 32.1 cm.) 
Literature
Lilliput, September 1949.
Ronald Searle, Back to the Slaughterhouse, London, 1951, p. 31.
Ronald Searle, St. Trinian's: The entire appalling business, New York, 2007. 

Lot 681:
St. Trinian's: Design for a birthday card for Valentine's of Dundee
St. Trinian's: Design for a birthday card for Valentine's of Dundee

Price Realized 

  • £4,750
  • ($7,595)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £1,000 - £1,500
  • ($1,596 - $2,394)

signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower left)

pencil, pen and black ink and black wash, heightened with white, unframed
12¾ x 9½ in. (32.4 x 24.2 cm.) 


Lot 682:
'Preparing to be a beautiful lady?'
'Preparing to be a beautiful lady?'

Price Realized

  • £2,500

  • ($3,998)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £800 - £1,200
  • ($1,277 - $1,915)

signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower left), inscribed '"PREPARING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL LADY?"' (lower centre) and further inscribed 'St. Trinian's No. 8/Hurrah for St. Trinian's (Page 56)/1948' (lower left)
pencil and pen and brown ink, unframed
10 5/8 x 6 7/8 in. (27 x 17.5 cm.) 
Literature
Lilliput, March 1947.
Ronald Searle, Hurrah for St. Trinian's, London, 1948, p. 56. 


Lot 683:
St. Trinian's goes carolling: 'Help me turn her - she's thawing.'
St. Trinian's goes carolling: 'Help me turn her - she's thawing.'


Price Realized

  • £3,500
  • ($5,597)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £700 - £1,000
  • ($1,117 - $1,596)

signed and dated 'Ronald Searle/1949' (lower right), inscribed 'Help me turn her - she's thawing.' (lower centre) and further inscribed 'Lillput [sic.] St.Trinian's goes carolling. 6' (upper left)
pen and black ink, unframed
10 x 7 7/8 in. (25.4 x 20 cm.) 
Literature
Lilliput, December 1949.
Ronald Searle, Back to the Slaughterhouse, London, 1951, p. 57. 

Lot 684:
'Farewell, the East Wing'
'Farewell, the East Wing'

Price Realized

  • £4,750
  • ($7,595)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £1,000 - £1,500
  • ($1,596 - $2,394)

signed 'Ronald Searle' and inscribed 'Farewell the East Wing [Two of the firemen present could scarcely hide their disgust...]' (lower centre)
pen and black ink, unframed
13½ x 9½ in. (34.3 x 24.1 cm.) 
Literature
Ronald Searle, The Terror of St. Trinian's, London, 1952, p. 99.
Ronald Searle, The St. Trinian's Story, London, 1959, p. 118. 


Lot 685:

St. Trinian's goes carolling: 'Boy oh Boy - that's warming'


Price Realized

  • £3,500
  • ($5,597)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £600 - £800
  • ($958 - $1,277)

signed and dated 'Ronald Searle/1949' (lower right) and inscribed '"Boy oh Boy - that's warming"' (lower centre)
pen and black ink, unframed
7 3/8 x 5½ in. (18.8 x 14 cm.) 
Literature
Lilliput, December 1949.
Ronald Searle, Back to the Slaughterhouse, London, 1951, p. 58. 

November 12, 2011 Update:  'Boy oh Boy - that's warming' is now being offered for sale at £6500.00 by Chris Beetles of London in his show THE ILLUSTRATORS 2011 - THE BRITISH ART OF ILLUSTRATION 1837-201119 November 2011 - 7 January 2012. That's a dealer markup of 86% over the auction sale price, for those of you keeping score at home.

May 12, 2012 Update:  This drawing does not appear in the retrospective exhibition Ronald Searle Remembered, May 22 - June 9, 2012 at the Chris Beetles Gallery in London. I therefore assume it has been sold.
Lot 686:
'Girls, girls! - A little less noise, please.'
'Girls, girls! - A little less noise, please.'



Price Realized

  • £7,500
  • ($11,993)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £1,000 - £1,500
  • ($1,596 - $2,394)

signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower left) and inscribed '"GIRLS, GIRLS! - A LITTLE LESS NOISE, PLEASE"' (lower centre)
pen and black ink, unframed
9 3/8 x 6¾ in. (23.8 x 17.2 cm.) 
Literature
Lilliput, October 1946.
Ronald Searle, Hurrah for St. Trinian's, London, 1948. 



Lot 687:
'Same old stuff...'
'Same old stuff...' 

Price Realized

  • £4,000
  • ($6,396)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £700 - £1,000
  • ($1,117 - $1,596)
signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower centre) and inscribed 'Same old stuff...' (on the mount, lower centre)
pen and black ink, unframed
6½ x 4 1/8 in. (16.5 x 10.5 cm.) 
Literature
Lilliput, 1946.
Ronald Searle, St. Trinian's: The entire appalling business, New York, 2007. 



Lot 688:

'Hell - my best scotch!'
'Hell - my best scotch!' 

Price Realized

  • £4,750
  • ($7,595)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £600 - £800
  • ($958 - $1,277)
signed and dated 'Ronald Searle/1949' (lower right) and inscribed 'Hell - my best scotch!' (on the mount, lower centre) and further inscribed 'Slaughterhouse page 35 Hell! My best scotch' (on the mount, lower left)
pen and black ink, unframed
6 5/8 x 5½ in. (16.8 x 14 cm.) 
Literature
Lilliput, London, September 1949.
Ronald Searle, The St. Trinian's Story, London, 1959, p. 68.
Ronald Searle, St. Trinian's: The entire appalling business, New York, 2007.




Lot 689:
The violin: St. Trinian's, Ashtray design for Nymolle, Copenhagen
The violin: St. Trinian's, Ashtray design for Nymolle, Copenhagen 
 Price Realized
£2,000

  • ($3,198)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
  • Estimate
    £600 - £800
  • ($958 - $1,277)
signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower left) and inscribed 'St. Trinian's: Ashtray design for Nymolle, Copenhagen/c.1955' (lower right) pencil, pen and black ink and bodycolour, unframed 9½ x 9½ in. (24.1 x 24.1 cm.) 


Lot 690:

   The tuba: St. Trinian's, Ashtray design for Nymolle, Copenhagen 

Price Realized

  • £1,250
  • ($1,999)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £600 - £800
  • ($958 - $1,277)

signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower left) and inscribed 'St. Trinian's: Ashtrya design for Nymolle/Copenhagen/c.1955' (lower right)
pencil, pen and black ink and bodycolour, unframed 11½ x 10¼ in. (29.2 x 26 cm.) 


November 12, 2011 Update:  The tuba: St. Trinian's, Ashtray design for Nymolle, Copenhagen was offered for sale by Chris Beetles of London in his show THE ILLUSTRATORS 2011 - THE BRITISH ART OF ILLUSTRATION 1837-201119 November 2011 - 7 January 2012. It is now listed as sold.

Lot 691:
'Cave!'
'Cave!' 

Price Realized

  • £5,250
  • ($8,395)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £800 - £1,200
  • ($1,277 - $1,915)

Jan 1947' (upper left) and further inscribed 'Hurrah page 57 1948' (upper right)
pencil and pen and brown ink heightened with white, unframed
10 5/8 x 7½ in. (27 x 19 cm.) 
Literature
Lilliput, January 1947.
Ronald Searle, Hurrah for St. Trinian's, London, 1948, p. 57. 

Lot 692:
'Well - you said your love knew no bounds'      'Well - you said your love knew no bounds' 

Price Realized

  • £5,250
  • ($8,395)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £800 - £1,200
  • ($1,277 - $1,915)

signed 'Ronald Searle' (upper right) and inscribed '"Well - you said you loved me..."/'Well - you said your love know no bounds'' (lower right)
pen and black ink, unframed
8¾ x 6 1/8 in. (22.3 x 15.5 cm.) 
Literature
Lilliput, September 1949.
Ronald Searle, Back to the Slaughterhouse, London, 1951, p. 32.
Ronald Searle, St. Trinian's: The entire appalling business, New York, 2007, p. 82. 

Lot 708:

'Middle East negotiations'
   'Middle East negotiations' 

Price Realized

  • £1,250
  • ($1,999)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
  • Estimate
  • ($958 - $1,277)

    £600 - £800

signed and inscribed 'Ronald Searle/Middle East negotiations' (lower left)
pencil and pen and black ink, unframed
15 x 19 in. (38.1 x 48.3 cm.) 
Literature
Journal Le Monde, Paris. 


Lot 709:

Nineteen caricatures of officers from HQ 18th Division (one illustrated)
UnsoldEstimate
£800 - £1,200
($1,277 - $1,915)

Set of 19: pencil and pen and black ink, loose in a folio 
22,9 x 17,8 cm
9 x 7 in

Lot: 711
'Such forcible charm'
 'Such forcible charm' 
Price Realized

  • £2,125
  • ($3,398)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £600 - £800
  • ($958 - $1,277)

signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower left), dated '1959' (lower right) and inscribed 'Such forcible charm' (upper left)
pen and black ink, unframed
5 3/8 x 6 in. (13.7 x 15.3 cm.) 
Literature
Ronald Searle, The St. Trinian's Story, London, 1959, p. 72. 

Lot: 712:
Walk on
Walk on 

Price Realized

  • £1,000
  • ($1,599)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £1,000 - £1,500
  • ($1,596 - $2,394)

pen and black ink, unframed
11 x 7 5/8 in. (28.6 x 19.4 cm.) 
Saleroom Notice
Please note that this lot should be subject to Artist's Resale Right



Lot 713:
'10'
   '10' 

Price Realized

  • £1,625
  • ($2,598)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £800 - £1,200
  • ($1,277 - $1,915)

signed 'Ronald Searle' (lower right)
pen and black ink and watercolour heightened with white, unframed
8 x 10 3/8 in. (22.3 x 26.4 cm.) 
Saleroom Notice
Please note that this lot should be subject to Artist's Resale Right. 
May 26, 2012 Update:  This drawing 10% was published in TV Guide. It is reproduced in The Art of TV Guide (2007) by Jerry Alten. If anyone has the date of original publication or a scan of the magazine page, please let me know.



Note:  My previous post on Four Drawings by Ronald Searle at Auction can be found here.
Want more? Check out the Ronald Searle Tribute blog at http://ronaldsearle.blogspot.com/. Matt Jones has spent years adding troves of astonishing material. I am not guilty of hyperbole when I say this is the greatest online repository of Searle artistry in the universe! There are four sections about St. Trinian's alone!
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