Eardley sells for £200k as Scots art sale tops £1.3m

One of Joan Eardley’s last finished paintings of Glasgow street children has sold for £200,200 – an auction record for a work by the artist, the UK’s Press Association reported.

“The Yellow Jumper” and six other works by Eardley were all included in auctioneer Lyon & Turnbull’s biannual Scottish paintings and sculpture sale in Edinburgh, where sales reached more than £1.3 million.

The Yellow Jumper had been put up for auction with an estimate of £100,000 to £150,000.

The painting shows two of the Samson siblings, members of a family of 12 children who lived near Eardley’s studio and were amongst Eardley’s favourite sitters.

Alice Strang, senior specialist at Lyon & Turnbull, said: “Scottish women artists triumphed in this exciting sale, with a record-breaking price achieved for Joan Eardley’s The Yellow Jumper …

“In addition, Anne Gibson Nasmyth, Bessie MacNicol and Anne Redpath also attracted fierce bidding, showing their importance in art history and in the art market.

“The Scottish colourists JD Fergusson and SJ Peploe performed particularly well and we are thrilled with the overall results.”