Carbisdale collection sells for record sum

HISTORIC marble statues and paintings from Carbisdale Castle fetched a record £1 million at auction this week – double the price anticipated.

Items from the ‘Carbisdale Castle Collection’ were the first under the hammer at Sotheby’s sale of 19th and 20th century sculpture in London on Wednesday.

All were sold to private collectors and dealers in the UK, Europe and Asia.

A spokesman for Sotheby’s said: "Life-size marbles continue to appeal to collectors around the world. These sculptures took nine of the top 10 prices achieved and established a number of artist auction records."

The collection was put up for sale by the Scottish Youth Hostel Association (SYHA) which was gifted Carbisdale Castle and its art collection in 1945 by Captain Harold Salvesen.

There has been anger locally at the sale with local people accusing SYHA of "asset stripping" the castle, which has been closed since 2011 and is on the point of sale,

The organisation will receive £600,000 of the sale price, it has been revealed.

An SYHA spokesman told The Northern Times: "SYHA is pleased with the outcome of the sale of the Carbisdale Castle art work at Sotheby’s in London on 20th May.

"The collection raised £1,003,939 and, after tax and costs, SYHA expects to receive in the region of £600,000.

"The proceeds of the sale will be used to sustain SYHA’s diverse youth hostel network of affordable fit-for-purpose accommodation, allowing everyone, but especially young people, to learn and experience what Scotland has to offer."

The Carbisdale Castle Collection comprised 17 Victorian marble sculptures, along with 36 Italian and Scottish 19th century paintings and a historic textile.

It is understood the collection is only part of the art works which went with the castle.

Announcing its sale last month, Sotheby’s estimated that the collection would make around £500,000.

The auction house said most of the paintings were "quality copies" of Old Masters.

Sotheby’s European sculpture specialist, Christopher Mason, said of the sculptures: "Encompassing the elegant Neoclassicism of the early part of the century to the fantastical Romanticism of the Belle Epoque years, the works shine a light not only on collecting tastes at the height of the British Empire, but also on how sculptors of this period created works of astonishing beauty and grace through their masterful handling of marble."

Sotheby’s revealed yesterday that one of the Carbisdale Castle statues which fetched a record price was the white marble Andromeda, by Florentine artist Pasquale Romanelli.

It was expected to fetch between £60,000 and £80,000, but went for £125,000 – a record for the artist – to a private collector from Asia.

Another Carbisdale sculpture, Cupid in Repose, by German artist Johann Lotsch also exceeded expectations when it fetched £118,750, well over the estimate of £40,000–£60,000. This was also a record for the artist.

The overall sale raised

£2.3 million in total – a record for a Sotheby’s sculpture sale.

Two members of Creich Community Council have previously said that the collection should have remained part of the castle.

Treasurer Russell Taylor branded the sale a "disgrace", stating: "The youth hostel association has asset stripped Carbisdale Castle. The collection should have stayed where it was."

Meanwhile, uncertainty remains over the sale of Carbisdale Castle. Developers hoping to turn it into a luxury hotel have hit a stumbling block in their bid to purchase adjoining Forestry Commission woodland for gardens. The move has been opposed by the nearby community of Culrain which has a long standing affiliation with the forest ground in question.

Highland Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise managers have been holding talks with all sides over the past fortnight in bid to reach a reconciliation and allow the project, which would create up to 90 jobs, to go ahead.

When approached by The Northern Times this week, a spokesman for the developer said: "Our continued position at this time is still that we have no comment or update we wish to make."

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