The work of late Yoxford artist Michael Stennett fetched more than £50,000 today at an auction.
Paintings and drawings both created and owned by the creative figure from the world of opera were sold for a total of £52,000 for charity at a Cheffins auction.
Mr Stennett died aged 74 in June 2020. He worked at his studio in Yoxford where he designed costumes and sets and painted portraits, landscapes, and still lifes.
Notably, the artist designed and created costumes for opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, English actor and politician Glenda Jackson, US actor and former model Mia Farrow and ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev.
The full collection amounted to about 300 paintings and drawings, as well as tiara and jewellery made for Glenda Jackson’s role in the BBC drama Elizabeth R.
The net proceeds of the sale are due to go to the charity Historic Royal Palaces.
Top lots were from the Stennett collection were:
Patrick Procktor - sold for £7,500 to a London trade buyer.
‘Laughing Guards’ by Michael Stennett – sold for £4,800 to a UK based private buyer.
‘Wounded Soldier’ by Antoli Nasedkin – sold for £2,200 to a London private buyer.
The costume jewellery made for Glenda Jackson in Elizabeth R made £800 and was sold to a UK private buyer.
The opera costume designs also sold well, with three designs for Cosi Fan Tutte for The Australian Opera making £700.
And 15 designs for Falstaff at the Royal Opera House selling for £700.
Brett Tryner, director of Cheffins said: “The results of the sale of this collection are a testament to Michael Stennett’s skill as a painter and designer and also his fantastic collection of works by other artists. Buyers came from far and wide, with sales to Australia and throughout Europe.
"Michael Stennett was a leading light in the world of costume design, and this sale offered the opportunity for people to buy up a part of the history of opera. Suffolk continues to be an excellent source of art and antiques and at Cheffins we look forward to offering more fantastic pieces to the market from the county at our other upcoming auctions.”
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