A Picture Says A Thousand Words

Do you have a few pounds/dollars to spend on something nice for the living room wall? Well here's your chance, a painting by JMW Turner which has not been seen in the market place since 1878 is about to go to auction in England.



DETAILS:

An 1839 painting by JMW Turner has been tipped to fetch up to £18m, when it is sold at Sotheby's in London on 7 July.

According to the auction house, Modern Rome - Campo Vaccino is among the most important of the British artist's works ever to go under the hammer.

Last seen on the market in 1878, the painting represents the culmination of the painter's fascination with Rome.

The record for a Turner was set by a view of Venice that sold for $35.9m (£24.1m) at a New York auction in 2006.

At the time, the sale of Giudecca, La Donna della Salute and San Giorgio also set a new record for a British painting at auction.

The sale of Modern Rome - Campo Vaccino will form part of an evening sale of Old Master and early British paintings.

David Moore-Gwyn of Sotheby's said the masterpiece represented "Turner at his absolute best" and "one of the most evocative pictures of Rome ever painted".

Bought by the 5th Earl of Rosebery and his wife Hannah Rothschild in 1878, the painting has remained in their family collection ever since.


Barry Eva (Storyheart)

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I bid you $20. Do I hear $25? Who'll give me $30?

Last Friday I was invited to an event at a school about seventy miles away. The school had previously contacted me re donating one of my books "of which we've heard great things" as a fund raising for their school.

Being always willing to help with such donations for any charity or event I was only too pleased to send them a signed hard back copy of "Across the Pond". Following this and some further emails passing in the night, I was invited along to the event. Then I could actually sign it then and there for the person who had one the item in the auction.

The school was only about seventy miles away but traveling in the rush hour in what was left of hurricane Ike when it arrive in CT (mainly rain) was not the most pleasant of journeys.

When I arrived at the school there were about seventy items ranging from "power saws" and "golf lessons" to a "free pass for homework" and being "principal for a day" in the "silent auction". I am pleased to say my book managed to get at least three bids as well.

After the silent auction came the real auction, I was amazed that such a small school had so many brilliant items for auction. These ranged from a week in a vacation home for ten (went for $1300)through items like "2 round trip tickets anywhere in US that United flies" (went for $550). In amongst all these there was one item I would have liked to have won, in fact it was the final item of the auction
"Zhu Zhu pets".

For those who do not know these are the "must have... can't get" items for this Christmas. rubbing my hands and counting what money I thought I might manage for this item, also thinking it was last item and people had already spent a fortune (to me anyway) on the other items I thought I had a chance to get this "Giant Hamster fun house and four pets" as a real treat for my children.

Was I wrong!!!!

The bidding went way pas the top end of my spending scale, in the end the item sold for $375. So it looks like an overnight queuing outside some of the stores for Black Friday is my only hope.

At the end of the day, no I did not sell any books, nor did I win any auction items.
But I had fun, I made contacts for possible future signings and I had a good time.


Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"