OWING to today’s minimalist taste, Continental views of 19th century ports are not an easy sell. This pair of canvases, above, proved otherwise when they topped Thomson Roddick’s (15% buyer’s premium) March 18 sale in Carlisle, Cumbria.
Probably painted c.1800, the 19in x 2ft 10in (48 x 88cm) oil on lined canvases by Anton Schranz (1769-1839) depict Minorca’s Port Mahon dotted with figures and sailing vessels.
Schranz, who lived most of his life in Minorca, specialised in painting and engraving landscapes and seascapes, notably of Port Mahon. He found patronage among British naval officers who bought his works as topographical souvenirs. The pair had hung in a local Cumbrian house since being acquired at Sotheby’s in 1984 for £10,000.