CheffinsA private collection of paintings by one of the UK’s most renowned wildlife artists has sold for £21,190 at auction.
Terance James Bond, who was from Suffolk, was particularly known for his detailed and lifelike illustrations of birds. He died in 2023 at the age of 79.
A collection of his works, belonging to a family in Bedfordshire and built up over 40 years, was auctioned off by Cheffins, based in Cambridge, on Wednesday.
Patricia Cross, associate at Cheffins, said “every piece sold well above” pre-sale estimates.
The collection was owned by Mr and Mrs Robert Graves, who met Bond during a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) charity event in the 1980s.
Over the years, they purchased many of his paintings, but as they prepared to downsize, they auctioned their collection.
A highlight of the collection was a piece depicting a bald eagle in a snow-covered landscape, which sold for £2,800 against an estimate of £500 to £1,000.
Another study of a great grey owl in the snow sold for £2,600, while a picture of a robin sold for £1,100.
Cheffins“We were delighted with the success of the Terance James Bond collection, which included three pictures breaking the artist’s record at auction,” Ms Cross said.
“The strong prices achieved today are a testament to Bond’s talent and popularity amongst collectors.”
Bond was a self-taught painter, born in 1946, and he grew up on a farm near Sudbury.
He later went on to live at Little Paddock in Wickerstreet Green, Kersey, near Hadleigh.
Bond’s own garden provided inspiration, which was a haven for wildlife.
Ms Cross added that the auction included many Suffolk-based art collectors as well as buyers from across the country.