Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

The artist was Ted Harrison (1926-2015), the Wingate miner’s son who was at the time working as a junior school teacher - but would go on to achieve international fame for the extraordinary landscape paintings of the Yukon that he produced after emigrating to Canada.

David Duggleby art specialist Dominic Cox said: “Harrison was a very close friend of the vendor’s father, they had known each for many years, indeed he was known in the family as ‘Uncle Ted’. He gave these pictures to the boy shortly before he left for Canada in 1967.”

“The pictures – two oil paintings and a signed, inscribed, screenprint – date from time that Harrison had spent teaching in New Zealand and depict two wallabies, swimming fish and a Maori figure.”

Three pictures given to a Hartlepool schoolboy by an artist friend of his father more than half a century ago are expected to make several thousand pounds when they go under the hammer in an auction in Scarborough on Friday.

Dominic added: “Whilst the subjects are different to the Yukon landscapes for which Harrison became famous they do show the beginnings of that passion for striking, vibrant colour, that would explode in his later work.”

“The pictures have never been exhibited or indeed even seen outside the vendor’s family until this year.”

The two oil paintings, both signed and dated ’66, have been given pre-sale estimates of £800-£1,200. ‘Maori Figure’, a screenprint signed and inscribed ‘To Andrew from Uncle Ted’ has an estimate of £100-£200.

Friday’s Summer Art Sale is one of the biggest fine art auctions to be staged at Duggleby’s Scarborough salerooms - over three hundred paintings, valued at close to a quarter of a million pounds going under the hammer.

The auction has a particularly noteworthy entry of Staithes Group pictures including five oils and a watercolour painted by Robert Jobling (1841-1923), the Newcastle-born artist who was a leading figure in both the Cullercoats artist colony and the Staithes Group.

His ‘Children at the Foot of Cowbar Nab’, Bait Catchers on Penny Steel – Staithes’, and ‘Fishergirl on Cowbar Steel’ all have pre-sale estimates of £2,000-£3,000. Meanwhile ‘A Good Catch, Cullercoates’ is expected to make £4,000-£6,000 and a watercolour ‘Fisherfolk on the Beach at Cullercoates’ is estimated at £200-£400.

Dominic said: “The top result of the auction is expected to be achieved by one of three paintings by Alfred de Breanski Snr. (1852-1928), an English landscape artist whose great passion was the wilderness scenery of the Scottish highlands and the Welsh mountains.”

“The best is a superbly atmospheric depiction of a Selkirk Valley that we think will make £7,000-£10,000.”

Viewing of the Summer Fine Art Sale is taking place at the Vine Street Salerooms in Scarborough is taking place throughout this week including Friday morning from 9am until the start of the auction at 11am. The catalogue is available on the firm’s website.

For further information or comment please contact Dominic Cox at David Duggleby Auctioneers on 01723-507111

Artist’s gift to schoolboy expected to make thousands at Scarborough auction