A painting labeled “extremely personal” by auctioneers and did by WWII PM Winston Churchill – the Goldfish Pool at Chartwell – sold off for a record amount of £1.8 million [about $2.7 million] just last month.
The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell painting by the WWII British prime minister had an estimated value between £400,000 and £600,000 but unexpectedly, the price it was sold off was way higher than what was expected.
The said painting was one of the eleven art pieces auctioned off at the Sotheby’s in London on December 16. Over 4,000 people visited the auction house to look at the prized possessions on sale throughout the four days before the actual auction took place. Reportedly, the sell-off followed the death of Lady Mary Soames, Sir Winston Churchill’s last surviving child.
Aside from paintings made by the WWII prime minister’s own hands, the auction also featured some personal things of the war leader like his ivory-mounted humidor box made of wood which he used to keep his cigars dry and his dispatch box.
There were 150 items that went under the gavel that day including the Goldfish Pool at Chartwell painting. All in all, the auction was able to garner as much as £15.4 million which was thrice more than the expected amount.
Meanwhile, following the selling of some of his personal items, some 38 of Churchill’s artworks will go on display in Chartwell, the former British leader’s home from 1924 until the year of his death, in 1965. Once the Churchills’ family home, Chartwell is now a National Trust site.
Lady Mary Soames
Lady Mary Soames had spent most of her time standing by his father’s side supporting him through his career even during the war years.
As a matter of fact, Lady Soames was a junior commander of the Auxilary Territorial Service throughout WWII and the British prime minister confided in her during his most crucial war-time negotiations. On her death, current British Prime Minister David Cameron described Lady Soames as someone who was an eyewitness to a number of the most important events in recent history.