Sheffield paintings with fascinating story go under the hammer

Four paintings by a 19th century Sheffield artist who fought in the American Civil War are going under the hammer today.
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Mar 2016, 04:55 BST
Four watercolour paintings by 19th century Sheffield artist Thomas Bush Hardy who fought in the American Civil War are going under the hammerFour watercolour paintings by 19th century Sheffield artist Thomas Bush Hardy who fought in the American Civil War are going under the hammer
Four watercolour paintings by 19th century Sheffield artist Thomas Bush Hardy who fought in the American Civil War are going under the hammer

The watercolours by Thomas Bush Hardy, was born at Trafalgar Street, near West Street in May 1842, could fetch over £2,000 when sold.

Hardy was an accomplished marine artist and 45 of his paintings are exhibited by Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust.

Four watercolour paintings by 19th century Sheffield artist Thomas Bush Hardy who fought in the American Civil War are going under the hammerFour watercolour paintings by 19th century Sheffield artist Thomas Bush Hardy who fought in the American Civil War are going under the hammer
Four watercolour paintings by 19th century Sheffield artist Thomas Bush Hardy who fought in the American Civil War are going under the hammer
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Today four of his seascapes are due to be sold at Nottingham auction house, Mellors and Kirk.

Auctioneer Nigel Kirk said: “Hardy was a prolific watercolourist and shipping scenes like these were very much his speciality.

“Yet how and why he fell in love with the sea – especially when he was born and brought up miles from it – is something of a mystery.

“Hardy had an exceptional ability to capture the atmosphere. He was one of the most successful and prolific artists in an era when English marine painting in watercolour was at its peak.

Four watercolour paintings by 19th century Sheffield artist Thomas Bush Hardy who fought in the American Civil War are going under the hammerFour watercolour paintings by 19th century Sheffield artist Thomas Bush Hardy who fought in the American Civil War are going under the hammer
Four watercolour paintings by 19th century Sheffield artist Thomas Bush Hardy who fought in the American Civil War are going under the hammer
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“It is rare to have quite so many Hardy paintings for sale at the same time and it is quite by coincidence, they all arrived at the auction house from several different estates.”

The paintings are valued at between £250 and £600.

The current world auction record for a Hardy painting is £23,500, paid at Christie’s in South Kensington in 2000 for The Arrival Of The Fleet. It was one of Hardy’s last works, created the year he died, in 1897, aged 55.

Related topics:SheffieldWest StreetNottingham