16th Jan, 2026 12:00
The Westgate House Collection
§
Sold for £38,500
William Scott (British, 1913-1989) - Red Still Life (1953/1954), abstract composition, oil on canvas, 40 x 50cm
Please note following entry from the William Scott, Catalogue Raisonné of Oil Paintings, Volume 2, Edited by Sarah Whitfield, published 2013, page 91; "This untraced painting is known from an illustration in a 1956 article by Basil Taylor. It is recorded there as Still Life, 1954, but a date of 1953 seems more likely given its closeness to the abstract works of that year. The horizontal arrangement of the still-life elements is a reminder of Scott's admiration for the paintings of Giorgio Morandi"
Literature: 'The Paintings of William Scott', ARTS vol. 31, no.2, November 1956, p.38, illustrated in black-and-white (dated 1954)
With thanks to the Paul Mellon Centre Archives, 16 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3JA, for providing in-person access to the above literature
Provenance:
The vendor's grandfather, Dick Russell (younger brother to the furniture designer Gordon), met Ted Power when he was chairman of Murphy Radio. In the 1930s Ted had asked Dick to design their radio casings. Thereafter becoming good friends, Ted hired Dick to design the interior of his flat in Grosvenor Square, London.
Ted had a keen interest in paintings, one of his first purchases was a work by Alfred Sisley, which he bought very reasonably and later sold on for a far greater sum. He went on to build an impressive art collection to include works by; Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock and Nicolas de Staël among others.
The vendor's father, aunt and uncle, on each turning 21, were invited to Ted's flat to select a painting as a birthday present. The vendor's father received an Oskar Kokoschka, and the aunt, as the oldest and only girl, was gifted this work by William Scott "Red Still Life, 1953/54" in the summer of 1960. The painting has been lovingly looked after and protected under glass ever since.
Condition Report
There are areas of wide crazing to surface of paint; most evident to white/red painted mug at centre-left of image. Smaller horizontal area of crazing lines to red oblong object at lower left central area also noted. There is a small delineation to the back of canvas at the first mentioned area (only visible at an angle and on close inspection).
3x1mm area of surface loss/fatigue towards top right-hand corner of bold red painted upper area. The relief background colour of this area is slightly darker, which gives some contrast.
Single paint brush fine bristle embedded to surface towards lower left corner edge.
Otherwise good and very original. Protected under glass, colours appear very bold, good & original.
Condition reports must be considered as a matter of opinion and not fact.
How to bid
Buyers Premium 22.5% plus VAT normally applies.
You can register and bid live while the auction is taking place through our LSKlive portal which becomes available half an hour before the auction is due to start. WE DO NOT CHARGE FOR THIS SERVICE. This platform uses thesaleroom.com technology and is completely secure. Once you have registered your details through our website, you won't need to re-register for future sales - just sign in and start bidding! Please note that if you register for our auction on thesaleroom.com first, then you will be liable for their 4.95% plus VAT fee.
You can bid through our website or email commission bids to fineart@lsk.co.uk (include your full contact details, lot number and bid amount). Telephone bids can be booked for lots with an estimate of £300+, please call our offices to arrange this.
Of course, you are also very welcome to come along on the day! We are located in the heart of beautiful Bury St Edmunds and have our own car park.
ARR - Artist's Resale Rights of 4% are applied to works of art by a UK/EEA living artist or an artist who has died within the last 70 years, which sell for over £1000.
Please note that Books are sold subject to no return.
At YOUR liability, we offer a fully tracked postage & packing service within mainland UK and across the globe for most items. We use APC Couriers and everything is sent 24 hour tracked and signed for. Our standard mainland UK charge is £20 for up to 3 lots, and £2.00 per lot thereafter, regardless of weight (max.30kg). Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland & the islands - £25 for up to 3 lots then £2.00 per lot thereafter Some exclusions apply for larger lots such as dinner services, please contact our offices for a quote with regards to larger or bulkier lots. Jewellery, watches, coins and high value small items will be sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery with maximum insurance of £2500.
Please note that this service is NOT insured, therefore if purchasers require further cover, then they must arrange this themselves. Alternatively we can send by Parcelforce 48 with insurance charged at £4 upto £500 cover, £8-£1000 cover, £12-£1500 and £20-£2500 cover. Lacy Scott & Knight accept no liability for items which are damaged or lost during postage, and cannot and will not assist in any claims unless insurance cover has been taken out. If you instruct your own courier packing is charged at £8 per parcel. Please give clear instructions when settling your account as to your shipping requirements so that we can process full payment and ship within 10 working days.
You can simply add your postage costs to your invoice amount by bank transfer or when paying online
Please note that Lacy Scott & Knight DO NOT accept any liability for loss or damage, however caused. For, fragile or high value items, we STRONGLY RECOMMEND contacting Mail Boxes Etc email info@mbechelmsford.uk or 01245 262527 or we can pack for an alternative courier (£8 per parcel). For larger items such as furniture Alban Shipping email info@albanshipping.co.uk or 01582 493099
For further postage queries or global quotes please contact postage@lsk.co.uk
Our calendar has a wide variety of auctions and entries are always invited.
We are open for drop-in valuations and consignments Monday to Friday 9am-5.30pm and Saturday 9am-1pm.
Contact us by email or using the form below for a quick assessment or auction advice, or telephone our offices on 01284 748 625 to arrange a home visit.
CONSIGN BY POST SERVICE
We can now also arrange UK-wide collections for boxed consignments weighing up to 30kg – just contact us with the item and address details, we’ll send a courier, and you can sit back and wait for the auction proceeds to arrive in your bank account.
