Unique Scottish collection to be auctioned in London gallery this year

Built up over decades by the Astor family at their Tillypronie Estate in Aberdeenshire, the collection majors on the work of the hugely influential Archibald Thorburn, one of the world’s great ornithological artists.

The Astor Collection from Tillypronie, which Christie’s say is the finest collection of sporting and ornithological art to come to the market in over 20 years, will be auctioned as part of their December Classic Week 2017.

Art experts say it is unlikely that the collection will be bought en masse, and many of its much sought-after elements are unlikely to stay in Scotland.

The auction is taking place following the sale by Philip Astor of Tillypronie and its 12,000 acres to an as yet unnamed buyer, reputedly for a sum in excess of £10 million.

The auction includes one of the most comprehensive selections of works by Thorburn, along with a younger generation of artists such as Claire Harkess, Steven Porwol, Darren Woodhead and Jonathan Sainsbury, many of whom have been hosted at Tillypronie, renowned as one of Scotland’s finest sporting estates.

The collection also presents sculpture, furniture and decorative arts and will be offered at Christie’s in London on December 15, along with an online-only sale that will be open for bids from December 9 to 18.

Lord and Lady Astor bought Tillypronie in 1951, the house having originally been built in 1867 by Sir John Clark, the son Sir James Clark, physician to Queen Victoria who travelled from nearby Balmoral to lay the foundation stone.

The Astor collection contains one of the greatest assemblies of paintings by Archibald Thorburn, along with an impressive array of works by George Edward Lodge. From 1900 until his death in 1935, Thorburn was the most sought after and successful ornithological artist of his day and his complete mastery of the field has led to his continued influence today. First trained by his father, the Scottish miniaturist Robert (who painted Queen Victoria), Thorburn honed his skill by studying from nature, filling multiple sketchbooks with his studies of birds in their natural habitat. Even after he moved to England he would return home to Scotland every year to paint.

Throughout the auction, birds are the central motif that unites the artists, depicting a variety of Scottish species including black and red grouse, ptarmigan, capercaillie, and birds of prey.

Highlights include Thorburn’s Blackgame in the Glen (estimate: £70,000–100,000), and A Frosty Dawn, dating from 1927 (estimate: £50,000-70,000), which demonstrates his handling of lighting and ability to capture the movement of birds. A wider interest in sporting art is evident in works such as Monarch of the Glen, a 10-point stag with three hinds, painted in 1901 (estimate: £12,000–18,000).

A watercolour by Queen Victoria depicting a stag, shot by her ghillie John Brown (estimate: £6,000–10,000), will also be offered.

Harriet Drummond, International Head of Department, British Drawings & Watercolours at Christie’s: “I have known the Astor Collection at Tillypronie since the 1980s. The much-celebrated selection of paintings by Archibald Thorburn is magnificent, the finest and largest I have ever seen. Assembled by a keen sportsman and naturalist, advised by Aylmer Tryon of the eponymous leading London sporting art gallery, it is pitch perfect — the best put together by the best.”

“Dominated by paintings of Red Grouse, Blackgame, Ptarmigan and Partridge, and executed at the height of the artist’s skills, the collection also includes letters, sketches and studies of the trees and plants found around Tillypronie from the heather to the rhododendron.

“It is Thorburn’s technical skill, his attention to detail and accuracy - providing authentic landscapes and plants for his depictions of birds, that made his work not only compelling in his lifetime but also today. No collector, admirer or enthusiast should miss the opportunity presented by the Astor Collection.”