Possibly the largest quantity of watercolours by the Second World War artist Thomas Hennell (1903-45) to come to auction in one sitting was on offer at Mallams (20% buyer’s premium) on July 5
The 10-lot group offered in Oxford was among just 77 works thought to have been sold at auction since 1986, according to the Art Sales Index. The fact that he died young – captured in 1945 by Indonesian nationalist fighters in Java and presumed dead shortly thereafter – partly accounts for the scarcity of his work.
Born in Kent, the second son of a clergyman, Hennell specialised in illustrations of British country crafts and craftsmen at work in and beyond the home counties.