King Charles has become the first British monarch whose artwork has sold at auction, fetching nearly £5,800 at Bonhams.
The print is from an original painting that the king created at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire in 2001. King Charles had 100 prints made from the artwork; the one sold through Bonhams’ Scottish Home Sale last Thursday was the 18th print in the collection, was signed ‘Charles 2001’ and came with a certificate of authenticity.
“We were quite flabbergasted to see the level of interest in this. We’ve had interest from all over the globe,” said Bonhams managing director May Matthews in a statement, noting that the King’s other prints usually sell for around £400 to £600.
“This charming print combined the King’s passion for painting and his deep affection for Scotland,” said Hamish Wilson, the curator of the Scottish Home Sale, which the King’s print was sold through.
“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.”
King Charles has long been lauded for his artistic abilities. Earlier this year, 79 of his watercolours were displayed at the Garrison Chapel at Chelsea Barracks through the Prince’s Foundation.
The watercolours were mainly of geographic areas that meant something to the then-Prince of Wales, including the Scottish Highlands and Tanzania, reportedly one of his favourite places to paint.
As part of the exhibit, King Charles wrote that his interest in painting came because he didn’t like how photography showcased his vision: “I took up painting entirely because I found photography less than satisfying. Quite simply, I experienced an overwhelming urge to express what I saw through the medium of watercolour and to convey that almost ‘inner’ sense of texture which is impossible to achieve via photography.”
