Affordable art: Five paintings sold or offered for under £2500 including a horse racing scene

1. A close finish

A racing scene by the Alistair Little (b.1974) is among the lots on offer at Tennants’ sporting art sale on September 19.

The artist has a background in film and television, and his artworks often have a cinematic feel. He worked as a commercial illustrator for five years which helped developed his skills as a draughtsman. His love of films in particular those from the 1950s and 1960s is often evident in his work and he has exhibited at galleries in both London and New York.

The Quarter Pole is a signed oil on panel measuring 16.25 x 22in (41 x 56cm). It is estimated at £800-1200.

View the catalogue entry for this Alistair Little painting on thesaleroom.com.

2. The rooftops of Monmartre

A view of Monmartre – estimated at £300-500 at Reeman Dansie.

The Paris-born artist Lucien Delarue (1925-2001) was something of a specialist in cityscapes. His home city was his principal subject matter although he also painted harbours, cottages, river scenes and still-lifes.

He studied under Yves Brayer at the studios of Grande Chaumiere and later won first prize and the Vermeil-Medaille at the Salon Violet.

An example of his work is on offer at Reeman Dansie on September 20. The view of Monmartre is a signed 21.25 x 17.75in (54 x 45cm) oil on canvas. It is estimated at £300-500.

View the catalogue entry for this Lucien Delarue painting on thesaleroom.com.

3. First World War scene

‘Kitchener's Army, 1914’, a watercolour by Claud Lovat Fraser – £2000 at Roseberys.

Before invalided home with shellshock in early 1916, Claud Lovat Fraser (1890-1921) produced many sketches of the battlefields and of life behind the lines during the First World War.

Six were purchased by the Imperial War Museum in 1917.

This 9 x 11in (23 x 28cm) watercolour titled Kitchener's Army, 1914 and shown at the Leicester Galleries in 1921 was offered at Roseberys in West Norwood on August 11.  

It sold for £2000.

4. Stained glass window design

A design for a stained glass window by Harry Clarke – €1900 at Adam’s.

A leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement, Harry Clarke (1889-1931) is known both for his book illustrations in the manner of Aubrey Beardsley and his modern stained-glass design.

A recent affordable entry to come to auction was this original 6 x 10½in (15 x 27cm) pencilled design on cream paper for a three-light stained glass window – possibly an early version for his famous window in the convent chapel at Dowanhill, Glasgow.

Estimated at €800-1200 at Adam’s of Dublin on August 10, it sold above predictions when it was knocked down at €1900.

5. Bottles in the sunlight

‘Bottles in sunlight’ by Jack Smith – £950 at Keys.

Painted by ‘Kitchen Sink’ artist Jack Smith (1928-2011), this signed 2ft 11in (90cm) square oil on canvas belongs to a series of paintings from the late 1950s “preoccupied with the problems involved in giving form to the pictorial expression of light”.

Bottles in sunlight had appeared at Sotheby’s in 1988 and sold at Keys in Aylsham on July 29 for £950.