A recently rediscovered archive of work by Tirzah Garwood will be offered for sale at Cheffins Fine Art Auctioneers as part of the Art & Design Sale on 22nd May. This fresh-to-market collection has never been in the public eye before, having been held in private hands since its creation.
The archive has been consigned by the granddaughter of artist Frederick Austin, who lived with his brother, Robert Sargeant Austin (RA), and was a close friend of Tirzah Garwood and her late husband, Eric Ravilious. The collection has been held within the family for over 90 years and is thought to have been gifted to Austin by Garwood before the start of the Second World War.
The Crocodile, Tirzah Garwood
The archive includes four wood engravings from ‘The Seasons’ series and a further 10 signed and numbered wood engravings, there is also six unframed pencil sketches, three workings from the famous work ‘The Grandmother,’ two further sketches and a sketch book from circa 1927 which includes sketch books, tile designs, figure studies and dog portraits. The suite of four engravings from The Seasons were the first of Garwood’s engravings to be accepted by the Society of Wood Engravers for its annual exhibition in 1927.
Brett Tryner, Director at Cheffins Fine Art Auctioneers comments:
“This is the largest amount of work by Tirzah Garwood to ever come onto the open market as much of her work is still within family ownership. It is hoped that this exciting discovery will only build upon her justified reputation as an important artist and designer. Having long been in the shadows of her late husband’s fame, Tirzah Garwood’s work is now having its time in the spotlight. The current exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery has really helped to propel her into the public conscience and we are hopeful that this archive of works will draw interest from across the country and overseas. Her current deserved popularity and that of her late husband is down to the efforts of her children who continually have worked with institutions and galleries nationwide to ensure that they remain an important part of English art history. This sale may present the only opportunity for collectors to acquire works by Tirzah in order to add to this ever-increasing popular genre of Modern British art.”
Workings for 'The Grandmother', Tirzah Garwood
Tirzah Garwood’s works have long been eclipsed by her husband Eric Ravilious’s landscapes, but she is now seeing a renewed interest and rising prices as a result. Eric died in action as a war artist in 1942 and Tirzah would go on to pass away in 1951 at the age of only 42, leaving behind three children, John, James and Anne. Anne, the last surviving child who is now in her eighties, has viewed the work at Cheffins, along with her niece, Ella Ravilious.
A sketchbook, Tirzah Garwood
Ella Ravilious comments: “We didn’t know about this archive before being contacted by Cheffins. Both Tirzah and her husband Eric died young, and their three children were sent off to boarding schools and to live with friends, so all of their works ended up scattered across the country. But I was hopeful that more works would come to light like this as a result of the current exhibition about Tirzah Garwood at the Dulwich Picture Gallery. The group includes her original drawings as well as her prints, and it’s fascinating to see such a large group of her pictures all in one place. It was very moving for the family, in particular my aunt, who is their last surviving child, to see these fantastic pieces, especially some of Tirzah’s more informal drawings.”
Estimates for the items in the archive vary from £600 - £5,000.
This consignment follows a series of successful sales of Tirzah Garwood’s work at Cheffins, including an oil on canvas titled “Nathaniel and Patsy, two donkeys in a stable with chickens” which achieved £24,000 when it sold in 2017 and is currently on show at The Dulwich Picture Gallery, and a wood engraving of “Train Journey”, numbered 9/30, which achieved £11,000 in 2022.
Auction: The Art & Design Sale – 22nd May 2025.
Location: Cheffins, Clifton House, 1-2 Clifton Road, Cambridge, UK, CB1 7EA
For further information contact the Fine Art Department on 01223 213343, fine.art@cheffins.co.uk