Scottish artist’s portrait and Persian carpet star at Shrewsbury auction
A portrait by noted Scottish artist Anna Katrina Zinkeisen and a large Persian carpet grabbed the headlines at the first live sale of 2025 held by Shropshire’s leading fine art auction house yesterday (Wednesday).
The painting by Zinkeisen (1901-‘76) was part of a collection of five consigned by a descendant to Halls Fine Art’s fine art and antiques auction in Shrewsbury and sold for £2,700.
The head and shoulders portrait was of Anna Christina Mackay, who was wearing a pink roll neck top with white cardigan and hair in a contemporary Pixie crop style.
“Mackay was related to Anna Zinkeisen and the artist painted her on a number of occasions,” said Halls Fine Arts paintings and prints specialist, Abigail Molenaar. “This portrait was gifted by Zinkeisen to her and then passed on by descent to the Shropshire vendor.
“Zinkeisen and her sister, Doris were popular society artists, having won scholarships to study at the Royal Academy Schools and often worked together on murals including for the passenger liners RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth.
“Anna chose to specialise in portraiture and murals and was particularly known for her society portraits, capturing the elegance and poise of her subjects.”
Another of the best-selling paintings was ‘Evening Tide, St Ives’, an oil on board by impressionist artist John Anthony Park (1880-1962), which sold for £1,800.Born in Preston, Park moved to St Ives in 1899 and studied there under seascape specialist Julius Olsson and in Paris at Atelier Colarossi.
Other leading prices were £1,000 for an oil of King Lear by an artist after Joshua Reynolds (1723-‘92), £850 for ‘In the Highlands’ by Daniel Sherrin (1868-1940), which showed Highland cattle drinking from an upland stream and £600 for ‘A Scotch River in the Trossachs’ by William Henry Mander (1850-1922).
Star of the antiques section was a large Khamseh ‘chicken’ carpet, measuring 353cm x 605cm, which raced away from its pre-sale estimate to sell for £1,750.
The carpet was consigned from a North West England property and Alexander Clement, Halls Fine Art’s antiques specialist, said it was biggest he had ever seen in the saleroom.
“It was a really nice design and in original antique condition which is very important to the current market,” he added. “Antique and vintage carpets pre World War Two are selling well when their condition is good.”
Another Persian carpet, this time a late 20th century Heriz example from an East Shropshire vendor, sold above estimate for £650 and was described as “absolutely stunning” by Mr Clement.
“If I were in the market for a carpet this one would appeal to me because its colours, lovely quality and super condition,” he said.
A pair of French parcel gilt bronze figural candelabra, one of a quality consignment of antiques from a Montgomery vendor, doubled its pre-sale estimate to sell for £1,200, while a beautifully carved 19th century Anglo-Indian carved rosewood cabinet from a late Shrewsbury vendor sold to a Surrey bidder for £600.
Other leading antiques prices were £550 each for an 18th century oak dresser and rack, South Wales from East Shropshire and a Regency Sheraton style mahogany and walnut-veneered bonheur de jour from a country house near Wrexham and £500 each for a late 19th century walnut cased music box from South Shropshire and a polished Coco de Mer from the Seychelles.
“This was a small sale by our standards but it proved that there is still a strong appetite for antiques and art,” added Mr Clement. “Although bidding was very selective, buyers were prepared to go the distance and pay top price for what they wanted which is an encouraging sign for the rest of the year.”
