There are over 800 lots in Cheffins Fine Sale on 26th and 27th June, including a wonderful array of ceramics, furniture, collectables, paintings, drawings and prints. Amongst the lots is a special assortment of artwork from the remaining studio collection of Sir Peter Markham Scott OM CBE FRS (1909-1989), conservationist, painter, and broadcaster, as well as a sailing and gliding champion.
The only son of Captain Scott of the Antarctic, Peter was brought up by his mother, Kathleen, a sculptor, and became interested in natural history, drawing and painting at an early age. Throughout his life he drew or painted something almost every day. This sale is of his drawings, watercolours and other art remaining in his studio after his wife Philippa died in 2010.
The collection includes early published drawings from his teenage years such as “Adventures among birds” by Three Schoolboys (Lot 432).
“Adventures among birds” by Three Schoolboys (Lot 432) from the Peter Scott collection
As a student at Cambridge University, he became less interested in studying zoology than in spending time out on the marshes shooting wild birds in winter, and sailing in summer. His love of wild birds, especially wildfowl, translated into his art and he began painting them, exhibiting for the first time at the age of 24 at Arthur Ackermann & Sons gallery.
Wildfowl and their wetland habitats remained his favourite subjects to paint for the rest of his life. However, he also found he could create likenesses when drawing people and in his 30s and 40s, he made many portrait drawings - approximately one hundred sketches are included in this sale, including one of King George VI (Lot 443).
Peter Scott's sketch of King George VI
During the war, he served much of his time in steam gunboats, commanding a flotilla of six SGBs patrolling in the Channel. Afterwards, he wrote “The Battle of the Narrow Seas”, a book describing the encounters and extreme bravery of the sailors involved. Cover designs for this book are included in the sale (lot 438).
After the war, in 1946, he founded the Wildfowl Trust (now Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, WWT) at Slimbridge as a centre for research and conservation of wildfowl, where people could also come and see the collection of diverse wildfowl species. Wanting to celebrate this diversity, he illustrated ‘A Coloured Key to the Wildfowl of the World’ (Lot 429), first published in 1957. The designs and hand-coloured lithographs for this are in the sale. In 1961, he helped to found WWF and, with the aid of sketches by Gerald Watterson, he drew the initial panda logo. A sample logo is included in the sale (Lot 437).
A sample sketch of the WWF panda logo, drawn by Peter Scott
During his life, he acquired work by other artists including Keith Shackleton, Eric Ennion, Robert Hainard, Norbertine Bresslem-Roth and Archibald Thorburn. Works by these artists are amongst the collection being offered for sale (Lots 407-418).
A Golden Eagle perched on rocks by Archibald Thorburn FZS (Lot 408)
He wrote his autobiography: ‘The Eye of the Wind’ in 1961, summing up his life and adventures up to that point, and illustrated it with pen and ink drawings representing places, boats or animals described in it. These drawings are on offer in the sale (lot 428).
Brett Tryner, Director at Cheffins, comments: “Cheffins is privileged to be selling the remaining studio collection of Sir Peter Scott. Regarded as one of the greatest wildlife artists of the 20th century, this collection comes fresh to the market and has been consigned for sale by Scott’s family. The collection demonstrates his passion for wildlife, and his lifelong devotion to conservation.”
The Fine Sale is on 26th and 27th June. Please click here to view the full catalogue.