FCB Cadell painting bought in US charity shop could fetch £200,000 at auction

A painting bought for under 100 US dollars in a suburban New York charity shop in the 1960s could fetch up to £200,000 at auction after it was found to be by Scottish Colourist FCB Cadell.

Art teacher and artist Helene Plotkin was “captivated” by the picture when she came across it in a shop in White Plains in 1966 while looking for pieces to decorate her new home.

The painting was titled Portrait Of Miss Don Wauchope, however the signature of the artist was illegible.

Mrs Plotkin, then in her late 20s, bought the picture for less than 100 dollars (£75 in today’s money) and hung it on the wall in her living room, unaware of its true value.

The background to the painting did not become clear until her son Barry began his own research into it last year.

Helene Plotkin with the rediscovered work by FCB Cadell (Plotkin family/PA)

The signature in the upper right of the picture was deciphered with the help of AI technology and specialists at auction house Lyon & Turnbull were able to confirm the artist as renowned Scottish Colourist Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell.

Mr Plotkin said the family were amazed to find out who the artist was.

He said: “We grew up with this on the wall. It was always there in the background.

“I remember playing American football in front of it with my brother, David, when we were young. It’s amazing it survived our childhood.

“We were, as you can imagine, delighted and astounded when we found out the identity of the artist and of the model.

“For mum, it was confirmation of her artistic eye and ability to recognise great talent.”

Cadell was one of the artists known as the Scottish Colourists, along with SJ Peploe, JD Fergusson and GL Hunter, who were active early in the 20th century.

He was born in Edinburgh in 1883 and trained in Paris and Munich.

Mrs Plotkin, who is now 88 and lives in Florida, recalled how the painting stood out to her when she first spotted it in the charity shop.

She said: “My background in art history and studio practice drew me to this piece instantly. The painting had an undeniable, regal presence, but it was the colour theory at play that held my attention.

“The way the pastels were integrated into the composition was both interesting and bold – it was clearly the work of a significant hand with a deep understanding of light and form.

How the painting ended up in a charity shop in New York... is a mystery but we are thrilled that this terrific Scottish Colourist work has returned to the city in which it was painted some 100 years later

Alice Strang, Lyon & Turnbull

“I was captivated by the sheer quality of this piece. Beyond the poise of the subject, the technical brilliance of the colour palette – specifically the interesting use of pastels to define the interior – spoke to me as an art student.

“It was a work that demanded to be appreciated for its vibrant, modern sensibility.”

Lyon & Turnbull specialist Alice Strang has now identified the sitter in the painting as May Easter, rather than Bethia Hamilton Don Wauchope, and its title has accordingly been updated to Interior: The Lady In Black.

It will go under the hammer in Lyon & Turnbull’s Scottish paintings and sculpture auction in Edinburgh on Thursday June 4 and is expected to fetch between £150,000 and £200,000.

Experts said the work dates from the most important and successful period in Cadell’s career.

He made a name for himself with solo exhibitions in Edinburgh and London before the First World War and was demobilised from the army in 1919.

The following year he bought 6 Ainslie Place, in the Georgian New Town area of Edinburgh, across the road from his childhood home at number 22.

There he painted Interior: The Lady In Black, which portrays his north-facing studio on the first floor.

Ms Strang said: “Cadell’s stylishly decorated home became the subject matter of a remarkable series of works created in the 1920s.

“This painting is a magnificent bringing together of many of his most celebrated motifs.”

Interior: The Lady In Black was sold by auction house Christie’s in London for £21 just months before it was discovered in the US by Mrs Plotkin.

Ms Strang added: “How the painting ended up in a charity shop in New York so soon afterwards is a mystery but we are, as you can imagine, thrilled that this terrific Scottish Colourist work has returned to the city in which it was painted some 100 years later.

“It shows why Cadell is one of Scotland’s most celebrated artists and why his work is so highly sought after for private collections and so admired in public collections.”