A signed print of a Balmoral Castle painting by Britain’s reigning monarch King Charles III sold for £5,737.50 (around $6,500) — almost 10 times its original upper estimate of £600 ($675). The print is number 18 in a limited run of 100 reproductions of a painting of the Scottish residence done by the King in 2001. It was part of Bonhams’ ‘The Scottish Home’ auction.
“In my time as an auctioneer, I have never seen so many commission bids lodged prior to an auction. I think that speaks for itself,” Hamish Wilson, senior valuer at Bonhams, was quoted as saying by CNN.
Balmoral Signed and dated in pencil ‘Charles 2001’, framed and cased with certificate (Source: bonhams.com)
Believed to be the first print by a reigning monarch being auctioned, it is accompanied by the King‘s original signature and a certificate of authenticity.
The auction was live-streamed on the Bonhams website and saw the bidding start at £3,000. “This charming print combined the King’s passion for painting and his deep affection for Scotland,” Wilson said.
Balmoral Castle has gained much attention in recent times as the Scottish residence is where Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, spent her final days before her death on September 8 at the age of 96. “It acquired special resonance and appeal, of course, because of recent events and I am not surprised there was such keen bidding nor that it exceeded its estimate by so much,” Wilson said.
It was painted by the then Prince of Wales in 2001 (Source: bonhams.com)
Prior to the auction, May Matthews, Managing Direction of Bonhams, opened up about the unprecedented level of interest in the print which left the auctioneers “flabbergasted”. “We’ve had interest from all over the globe and we expect to go for well over the estimate,” he said.
King Charles III is a well-known painting enthusiast and has earlier said that the art form “transports me to another dimension”. According to the monarch, the great thing about painting “is that you are making your own individual interpretation of whatever view you have chosen”.
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