Raymond Booth: An Artist Immersed in Nature - 7 October

RAYMOND BOOTH: AN ARTIST IMMERSED IN NATURE

SATURDAY 7 OCTOBER 2023

9.30AM

RAYMOND BOOTH: AN ARTIST IMMERSED IN NATURE

SATURDAY 7 OCTOBER 2023 AT 9.30AM

AUCTION

The Auction Centre, Leyburn North Yorkshire DL8 5SG

VIEWING

Wednesday 4 October 4.00pm to 7.00pm

Thursday 5 October 10.00am to 4.00pm

Friday 6 October 11.00am to 4.00pm

Morning of Sale from 8.00am

Live bidding is available on this sale by registering at www.tennants.co.uk

All lots illustrated online at www.tennants.co.uk

CONTACT

Telephone: 01969 623780

enquiry@tennants-ltd.co.uk

www.tennants.co.uk

YOUR SPECIALISTS

Francesca Young Modern & Contemporary Art Specialist

Charlotte Conboy Head of Pictures

Guy Cooper Picture Specialist

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“...the lark’s song and the speedwell in the grass; surely a man need not sigh for greater loveliness until he has read something more of this living letter, and knelt before that earth of which he is the only confusion.” Michael

Fairless,The Roadmender.

Raymond Booth was a man born out of time, a countryman brought up in an overcrowded street of back-to-back houses in Leeds, where his father worked in the local constabulary, but by the time I came to know him in the early 1970s his father had retired and they had moved to a pre-war bungalow in the leafy suburb of Alwoodley with easy access to Adel Wood, a source of leaf-mould, inspiration and subject matter.

As a teenager and young man there was nothing that Raymond loved more than putting a pack on his back and walking off into the countryside. I have in my possession a transcript of a letter he wrote to a mutual friend (*) dated 20th December 1984. It reads:

“I’m glad you like Scarborough. The only drawback to the place is that, even in Summer, it can have pretty awful spells of weathercold North Sea weather, thick banks of fog when the rest of the country is in a heat wave. But in good weather the whole neighbourhood is splendid, and I’ve the happiest of memories of days spent walking and camping in the area. Well - “camping” is too grand a way to describe it - I never even took a tent, just a sleeping-bag and very bare necessities, and I slept out in any bit of woodland or slight shelter I happened to be near when night fell! Very disreputable, but so interesting to be outside all the time. I used to get disturbed by prowling foxes - and tiny mice scurrying about amongst the leaves; it is surprising to find so much activity goes on at night amongst the wild life.” At such times Raymond “knelt before that earth” and absorbed the greater loveliness which Michael Fairless’s roadmender described as nature’s “living letter”.

But Raymond did not just read from nature, he was also a book-man, keen on poetry and widely read, and would almost certainly have read The Roadmender. Michael Fairless was a pseudonym for the late-nineteenth-century author Margaret Fairless Bishop (18691901), who was born, like Raymond, into a teetotal, non-conformist South Riding family, at Rastrick, within - for those like Raymond - easy walking distance of Leeds and Alwoodley. Walks during which, regardless of the weather he could enjoy and absorb the landscape; and I use the word “absorb” because he was not a plein air painter, his landscapes, such as “Evening Landscape, late May” (lot 34) were painted at home from memory and are in effect syntheses of their subject. Raymond summarised his approach in another letter to the same correspondent dated 2nd August, but with no year: “Most of my pictures are done in several stages, as I don’t really like to work on any one piece of work for more than about five days at a time. Staring at a picture, all day, for days at a time, means that my perception of it gradually becomes less acute, and so I put the picture aside, and start a new one. Then when I do resume work on the part-finished

Images credited to: Peyton Skipwith

Raymond Booth in front of lot 36

one I see it with a vision refreshed, and very often I see faults I had not really noticed before. The bigger pictures can take a year or two to complete in this way, but it means I have plenty of opportunity to consider and reappraise what has been done, and to alter the picture accordingly.”

He followed something of the same approach with regards to his paintings of flora and fauna. In the letter quoted above he told his correspondent that “Very soon I’ll be starting one or two very big decorative orchid pictures. [...] I belong to the Harrogate Orchid Society, and they borrow plants from their members to form a collective display at various exhibitions ... I usually have something to lend them, - and to my astonishment, a plant of mine won the silver cup for the best orchid in the show at a recent orchid exhibition! One spectacular one is just about to come into flower, and this is one I must paint - a most intriguing thing it is, too.” In such cases he would set down with great dexterity the essentials of the composition, either on board or on his specially prepared paper, so that background and more permanent details could be worked-up later, leaving him free to concentrate his attention on the transient blooms in all their fragile freshness.

I organised all Raymond’s exhibitions at The Fine Art Society from 1982 until my retirement in 2005, including, ten years later, the amazing “Japonica Magnifica”, which grew out of his fascination with Japanese plants and his correspondence with Don Elick, an American expatriate living in Japan, who would send him highly illicit packages of roots, bulbs and corms, some of which got confiscated at customs. Happily others got through and were carefully nurtured in the series of do-it-yourself greenhouses and conservatories that surrounded the bungalow, which he had built over the years. This resulted in an exhibition which toured six museums across America from New York to Madison, Wisconsin, before returning to the UK for a triumphant selling exhibition at The Fine Art Society, as well as in the publication of the book of the same title, one of the great florilegia of the late twentieth century.

Raymond was a reserved and private character, and through all these years our relationship had remained rather formal, but this changed in March 1998 when, having broached the idea of a book, I took the American collector and publisher, Nicholas Callaway, to meet him. In order to write it I had to probe him about his early life, art school memories, national service on the Suez Canal, where he contracted TB, resulting in a six month spell in a sanatorium. It was this break that gave him the freedom to pursue his own path and ignore his teachers’ pressure to work in a more modern idiom. Our relationship from this time on became much less formal: as we walked through Adel Woods, or sat on one of the great rocky out-crops at Adel Crags, Raymond would talk about his life and work, and draw my attention to the bird and animal life as well as varieties of fungi on rotting tree trunks, which he loved and watched and drew from year to year.

Soon after Raymond’s death his widow, Jean, rang me to ask if I would come and clear his studio (although he always referred to it as his painting room) and it was only then that I saw for the first time his early drawings dating from his time at Leeds College of Art. In many of these, to keep his tutors happy, he had tried to blend his passion for nature and poetry with a sort of post-war modernism. Most of these works were on paper but one substantial painting stood out, inscribed with the lines “Nature’s simple equations / In the Mind’s Precincts do not apply” inspired by R.S. Thomas’s poem “No through Road”, written in the last desperate months of the Great War. His mastery is clear, but TB and the spell in the sanatorium provided the break he craved, giving him time to study and develop his own path. He started by drawing examples of Shepherds Purse - the least spectacular plant he could find - to train his eye and hand undistracted by beauty. Several of these were shown at the Royal Horticultural Society in London, where they attracted the attention of the highest botanical authorities in the land. The course of his career was now set and he never looked back. He said that he was probably the only person who could truly say “Thank God for TB!”

It was a privilege to have known him for over forty years and to have played a rôle in the promotion and dissemination of his work.

Peyton Skipwith

* The late Jill Anne Bowden, whose collection of Raymond’s work was sold after her death by the London dealers, Abbott & Holder.

An Appreciation of Raymond Booth by

David J. Tennant

During the 1960s I often visited John Armitage – the influential naturalist, photographer, and curator – at his home in Meanwood, Leeds. While there I’d gravitate towards a remarkable painting of a tawny owl prominently displayed in his living room. It was not until November, 1982, opening the pages of the Observer magazine, that I first saw the name Raymond Booth; straightaway I recognised him not only as the painter of that owl I’d long admired, but as a local man. I immediately picked up the phone to John Armitage, who confirmed this and (no surprise to me, as John knew everyone) was soon offering to introduce the two of us in person. We developed a firm friendship – lasting until Raymond’s death –through our shared love of the natural world and art. It is well known how private a man he was, that Raymond would rarely even visit his own exhibitions. I felt honoured that he would allow me to visit his painting room and discuss elements of his technique and routine. Not least his unusual choice of oils on paper, which allowed for a precision canvas never could – the results can best be seen in his depiction of animal fur or in the seed hairs of composite flowers. He often used thick Arches aquarelle paper (always from Gadsby’s on Briggate, Leeds), carefully pre-coated to prevent warping. Raymond did most of his work under ideal light conditions in the hours after dawn, painting from life whenever possible. I loved it when he’d open his chest freezer for me, a cabinet of curiosities containing dead animals delivered fresh by a dutiful network of friends and contacts.

Raymond was himself an accomplished gardener, and brought such knowledge to his craft. I came to consider his best work as equal to Thorburn in the realm of fauna, and to that of Margaret Mee in the botanical sphere. So it was a great honour when Raymond agreed to provide illustrations for my botanical monograph “British Alpine Hawkweeds”, one of which we were to use on the cover. After collecting specimens, I drove at great speed directly from the Cairngorms to Raymond’s home in Alwoodley, where he started work that same day (which is fortunate, as the following morning he woke to find one plant devoured entirely by a slug). In characteristic fashion, Raymond would accept no payment for this work, although later I was able to compensate him when one of the five illustrations was purchased by the National Museum of Wales.

It is wonderful to see Raymond’s reputation steadily grow. He is much missed, but lives on through a remarkable body of work.

David J. Tennant

Botanist and Author of “British Alpine Hawkweeds”

Acknowledgement: We are grateful for the assistance and contributions of Peyton Skipwith and David J. Tennant towards this publication and providing such insight into the artist and working practices of Raymond Booth.

1 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Gulls on Plough Land”

Signed, inscribed, mixed media, 26cm by 48cm (unframed) £100-150

2 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Winter Sunset”

Signed, pencil and watercolour, together with two further works on paper by the same hand “Autumn Trees” and “Landscape Forms”, 37cm by 53cm, 24cm by 32.5cm & 25cm by 18cm respectively (3) (unframed)

£120-180

“The Woods are Lovely Dark and Deep but I have Promised to Keep and Miles to go Before I Sleep”

Signed, inscribed, pencil and watercolour, together with two further examples on paper by the same hand “Winter Sunset” and “Landscape Abstract”, 18cm by 26cm, 22cm by 18cm & 24cm by 34.5cm respectively (3) (unframed)

£150-250

3 ✓ Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

4 ✓ Raymond Booth (1929-2015) “Landscape”

Pencil and watercolour, together with two further pencil and watercolour studies “Abstract, Tree Derived” and “Hillside”, 14cm by 17.5cm, 20.5cm by 17cm & 18cm by 25cm respectively (3) (unframed) £100-150

“Leathley

Signed and inscribed, pencil and watercolour, together with two further examples by the same hand including “Hillside” and An extensive landscape with buildings, 25cm by 32cm, 36cm by 39cm & 35.5cm by 46cm respectively (3) (unframed)

£100-150

5 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Church”

Signed and inscribed, pencil and watercolour, together with two further studies by the same hand including “Earth Forms” and “Moonlight through branches”, 19.5cm by 17cm, 16.5cm by 26cm & 25cm by 16.5cm respectively (3) (all unframed)

£80-120

6 ✓ Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“The Desire of the Moth for the Star”

7 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Papilio Xuthus & Graphium Sarpedon Nipponum” (plate 20, p.46)

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 32.5cm by 32cm (unframed)

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 6

£200-300

8 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“The Old Tree” (1981)

Signed and dated 1981, pencil, together with a further pencil drawing “Tree Study”, signed and dated 12 Dec.1980, 37cm by 54.5cm and 45cm by 29cm respectively (2)

Exhibited: The Old Tree - “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 - 29 May 2017, No. 26

£150-250

9 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Study of a Hawk, with flower studies to the same sheet Pencil and oil on paper, 56cm by 36cm (unframed)

Exhibited: Abbot and Holder Ltd., London £80-120

10 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

10

11 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Four Studies of a Brambling”

Pencil and oil on paper, 32.5cm by 24cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 2

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 83

£300-500

12 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Three studies of a Chaffinch Dated May 1967, pencil and oil on paper, 18cm by 34cm (unframed)

Exhibited: Abbot and Holder Ltd., London

£200-300

13 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015) Study of a Wood Pigeon Inscribed, pencil and oil on paper, 20.5cm by 22.5cm (unframed)

Exhibited: Abbot and Holder Ltd., London £200-300

14 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015) Study of a Woodcock Signed twice, pencil and oil on paper, 26cm by 28.5cm (unframed) £150-250

15 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015) Duck in flight Pencil and oil on paper, 43cm 52cm (unframed) £300-500

16 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015) Study of a Cuckoo or Fieldfair Pencil and oil on paper, 15cm by 28cm (unframed) Exhibited: Abbot and Holder Ltd., London £100-150

17

17 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Study of a Magpie Alighting”

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 38cm by 36.5cm (unframed) £200-300

18 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Study of Black-Headed Gull”

Pencil and oil on paper, 29.5cm by 38.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 80

£400-600

19 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Study of a Juvenile Black Headed Gull in Winter Plumage”

Inscribed, pencil and oil on paper, 32.5cm by 39.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 82

£400-600

20 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Study of a Gull with Winter Plumage”

Pencil and oil paper, 55cm by 44.5cm (unframed)

Exhibited: Abbot and Holder Ltd., London

£300-500

21 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Golden Eye in a Winter Landscape” (1982)

Signed and dated 1982, oil on board, 44.5cm by 75cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 92

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 60

£600-900

22 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Swift in a Landscape” (1980)

Signed and dated 1980, oil on board, 38cm by 61.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 67

£400-600

23 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Dove in a Woodland” (2007)

Signed and dated 2007, oil on board, 51cm by 59cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 63

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 106

£500-800

24 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Three Studies of a Weasel”

Pencil and oil on paper, 29.5cm by 21.5cm (unframed)

£200-300

25 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Study of a Marten”

Pencil and oil on paper, 27cm by 51cm (unframed)

£250-400

26 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Study of a Marten”

Pencil and oil on paper, 25cm by 30cm (unframed)

£200-300

Study

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 29cm by 41cm (unframed)

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 21.5cm by 34cm (unframed)

27 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

of a Hare

£300-500

28 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Still life of a rabbit

£150-250

29 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Fox Cub at Play”

Pencil and oil on paper, 22cm by 40cm (unframed) £200-300

30 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Study of a badger

Pencil and oil on paper, 36cm by 51.5cm (unframed) £300-500

31 ✓ Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Badger and Honeysuckle

Signed, oil on board, 40cm by 38cm (unframed)

£600-900

32 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Autumn, A Fox Resting Amongst the Fallen Leaves” (2005)

Signed and dated 20(05), oil on board, 63.5cm by 49.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 75

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 28

£1,200-1,800

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Mahonia Japonica and Squirrel” (2000)

Signed and dated 2000, pencil and oil on paper, 65cm by 99cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 58

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 21

“The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 2021- 6 February 2022, Garden Museum, London

£600-900

33 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Evening Landscape Late May” (1974)

Signed and dated 1974, oil on board, 78.5cm by 121.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 62

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 11

£1,200-1,800

34 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Woodland Copse” (Adel Woods)

Signed, oil on board, 36cm by 52cm (unframed)

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 20

£300-500

35 ✓

Adel Woods as likely depicted above in the present day

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“By Adel Crags: A Brilliant September Morning” (2001)

Signed and dated 2001, oil on board, 60cm by 82cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 83

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May29 May 2017, No. 107

£700-1,000

36 ✓

Adel Crags as likely depicted above in the present day

37 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Summer Evening Adel Woods” (2007)

Signed, oil on board, 24cm by 33.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 17

£300-500

38 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“September Afternoon at the Edge of Adel Woods” (2004)

Signed and dated (20)04, oil on board, 29.5cm by 65cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 80

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No 105

£300-500

“Natures Simple Equations In

61cm

Minds

do not Apply”

39 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

the

Precincts

Inscribed, oil on board,

by 114cm The title of the work is taken from the poem “No Through Road” by R.S. Thomas £400-600

40 ✓ Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Autumn Hedgerow”

Oil on card, 30.5cm by 22cm, unframed £150-250

£1,200-1,800

41 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“A Branch of Apples”

Pencil and oil on paper, 59.5cm by 46.5cm

Exhibited: “The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 20216 February 2022, Garden Museum, London

42 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Through the garden to the gate Oil on board, 48cm by 31cm (unframed) £600-900

“From the Vegetable Garden” (1990)

Signed and dated 1990, oil on board, 45.5cm by 63.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 73

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 27

£1,500-2,500

43 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Raymond

“Camellia, Cyclamen and other Flowers” (1993)

Signed and dated 1993, oil on board, 50.5cm by 63cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 89

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May29 May 2017, No. 15

£2,000-3,000

44 ✓

Booth (1929-2015)

45 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“A Shelf of Plants”

Signed and dated 1989, oil on board, 22.5cm by 63.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 79

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 97

£1,500-2,500

46 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“October Flowers” (1987)

Signed and dated 1987, oil on board, 73.5cm by 37.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 53

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 16

£2,000-3,000

45

47 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Camellia Japonica”

Signed and dated 1996, pencil and oil on paper, 46cm by 72.5cm (unframed)

£500-800

48 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Rhodendron Kaempferi”

Signed, oil on paper, 41.5cm by 31cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 18

£250-400

49 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Rhododendron”

Signed and dated 1997, pencil and oil on paper, 42.5cm by 64.5cm

Exhibited: “The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 2021- 6 February 2022, Garden Museum, London

£500-800

50 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Rhododedron Moupinense Pink-Flowered”

Pencil and oil on paper, 37.5cm by 44cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 111

£500-800

51 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Rhododendron Dauricum”

Signed, oil on paper, 44.5cm by 31.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 112

“The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 2021- 6 February 2022, Garden Museum, London £400-600

52 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Rhododendron Dauricum”

Signed, oil on paper, 44cm by 31cm

£300-500

53 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Rhododendron Veitchianum” (2004)

Signed and dated (20)04, pencil and oil on paper, 46cm by 33cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 40

£400-600

54 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Rhododendron Lindleyi (1994)

Signed and dated 1994, oil on board, 98.5cm by 54.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 38

£500-800

55 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Camellia “Nuccio’s Pearl” (1998)

Signed and dated 1998, oil on paper, 61cm by 40cm

£600-900

“Camellias

Signed and dated 1987, oil on board, 50cm by 72cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 50

“The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 2021- 6 February 2022, Garden Museum, London

£1,500-2,500

56 ✓ Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Jurys Yellow and Wood Nymph”

57 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Ainsliaea Dissecta”

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 42.5cm by 31.5cm (unframed)

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 76

£200-300

58 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Aloe Variegata” (1985)

Signed and dated 1985, pencil and oil on paper, 55cm by 29.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 68

£500-800

58 57

Signed and dated (19)93, oil on paper, 68.5cm by 59cm

Exhibited: “The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 20216 February 2022, Garden Museum, London

£700-1,000

£200-300

59 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015) “Paeonia Mlokosewitschii”

60 ✓ Raymond Booth (1929-2015) Yellow Azalea

Pencil and oil on paper, 50.5cm by 57.5cm (unframed)

59

61 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Shortia Soldanelloides” (plate 29, page 63)

Pencil and oil on paper, 42cm by 32cm (unframed)

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 66

£200-300

62 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Anenome Flaccida” (plate 9, p. 22)

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 42cm by 32cm (unframed)

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 65

£200-300

63 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Dianthus Superbus var Longicalycinus” (plate 51, p.119)

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 42cm by 32cm (unframed)

£250-400

64 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Tulipa Ferganicia”

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 51.5cm by 33.5cm (unframed)

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 46

£250-400

65 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Allium”

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 36.5cm by 26.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 113

£300-500

66 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Common Mallow” (Malva Sylvestris)

Oil on paper, 46.5cm by 29.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 92

£300-500

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Hosta Lancifolia” (plate 42, p. 98)

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 43cm by 32cm (unframed)

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 23

£300-500

68 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Iris Ensata

Signed, oil on paper, 74cm by 39.5cm

Exhibited: “The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 2021- 6 February 2022, Garden Museum, London

£600-800

67 ✓

69 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Iris Barnamuae var Urmiensis”

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 51.5cm by 33cm (unframed)

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 79

£300-500

70 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Lilium Nanum”

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 33cm by 31cm (unframed)

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 115

£300-500

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Lilium Grayi”

Signed and dated 1992, pencil and oil on paper, 100.5cm by 56.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 93

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 119

£600-800

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Study of a Calla Lily (Zantedeschia Aethiopica)

Pencil and oil on paper, 58cm by 38.5cm (unframed)

£150-250

71 ✓

72 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Calanthe Tricarinata”

Signed, oil on paper, 52.5cm by 33.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 70

“The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 2021- 6 February 2022, Garden Museum, London

£500-700

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Epimedium Sempervirens” (plate 27, p.59)

Signed, oil on paper, 42.5cm by 32cm (unframed)

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 117

£300-500

73 ✓

74 ✓

75 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

A collection of thirteen illustrations intended for “Japonica Magnifica”

To include: “Trachelospermum Asiaticum”, “Calanthe Reflexa”, “Metaplexis Japonica”, “Amana Edulis”, “Corydalis Ambigua”, “Anemonopsis Macrophylla”, “Cliffs at Cape Ashizuri”, “Mt. Yufu”, “Flower of Trichosanthes Cucumeriods”, “Cryptomerias In a Mountain Landscape”, “Figure No. 44”, “Figure no. 23”, “Figure no. 24” (to one sheet) and a “Japanese Farm Stead”, all signed, pencil and oil studies, 48cm by 35cm each (13) (unframed)

Exhibited: “Flower of Trichosanthes Cucumeriods” (listed as “Flower and Leaves”)“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No .4

“Cryptomerias In a Mountain Landscape” (listed as “Mountains and Trees”) “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 5

“Cliffs at Cape Ashizuri” (listed as “Rocky Shoreline, Honshu”) “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 7

“Japanese Farm Stead” (listed as “Cottage in the Hills”) “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 8

“No. 44” (listed as “Alpine Zone Central Honshu”- “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 9

“Mt. Yufu” (listed as “The Mountain Habitat of Mongolia”) “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 55

“No 23 & 24” (listed as “Tribitaries of the Tenryu River”) “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 63

“Corydalis Ambigua” - “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 64 “Metaplexis Japonica” - “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 71

£800-1,200

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Frutilaria Persica”

Signed and dated 1998, pencil and oil on paper, 99.5cm by 54.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 94

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 75

£800-1,200

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Fritallaria Pallidiflora”

Signed and dated 1993, pencil and oil on paper, 86cm by 43cm

Exhibited : “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 56

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 72

“The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 2021- 6 February 2022, Garden Museum, London

£700-1,000

76 ✓

77 ✓

78 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Fritillaria Sewerzowii”

Signed and dated 1997, oil on paper, 72.5cm by 48.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 54

£800-1,200

79 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Paphiopedilum Barbatum”

Pencil and oil on paper, 62.5cm by 39.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 114

£1,200-1,800

80 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Paphiopedilum x Maudiae”

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 48.5cm by 30cm

Exhibited: “The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 2021- 6 February 2022, Garden Museum, London

£600-900

81 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“The Orchid Paphiopedilum”

Oil on paper, 37.5cm by 45.5cm

Exhibited: “The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 2021- 6 February 2022, Garden Museum, London

£500-800

“Orchid” (1994)

Signed and dated 1994, pencil and oil on paper, 57cm by 92.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 59

“The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 2021 - 6

February 2022, Garden Museum, London

£1,200-1,800

82 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

83 ✓ Raymond Booth (1929-2015) “Paphiopedilum”

Signed, pencil and oil on paper, 45.5cm by 33cm (unframed) £700-1,000

84 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Oncidium”

Signed, oil on paper, 37.5cm by 27cm

Exhibited: “The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 2021 - 6 February 2022, Garden Museum, London

£400-600

85 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Orchids and Roots” (1996)

Signed and dated 1996, pencil and oil on paper, 51.5cm by 59.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 60

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 43

“The Botanical World of Raymond Booth”, 1 December 2021- 6 February 2022, Garden Museum, London

£1,200-1,800

86 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Zygopetalum Hybrid” (1992)

Signed and dated 1992, pencil and oil on paper, 82.5cm by 52.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August9th September 2016, No. 103

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 42

£1,200-1,800

Signed and dated 1996, pencil and oil on paper, 63cm by 52.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August - 9th September 2016, No. 66

£1,000-1,500

87 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015) “Orchid”

Signed and dated 1993, oil on paper, 98.5cm by 52cm

88 ✓ Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“Orchid” (1993)

£1,200-1,800

“Catasetum

Signed and dated 1994, oil on paper, 80cm by 57cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, A Memorial Exhibition”, The Fine Art Society, London, 12th August9th September 2016, No. 67

“Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 61

£1,200-1,800

89 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

Pileatum” Pierre Courlet (1994)

90 ✓

Raymond Booth (1929-2015)

“The Slipper Orchids”

Signed and dated 1989, oil on board, 51cm by 28.5cm

Exhibited: “Raymond Booth, In the Wild”, The Fine Art Society, London, 02 May - 29 May 2017, No. 116

£800-1,200

End of Sale

The residual pictures from this collection will be sold in the British, European & Sporting Art Sale in March 2024

BRITISH, EUROPEAN & SPORTING ART

SATURDAY

Charlotte Conboy 01969 623780

charlotte.conboy@tennants-ltd.co.uk www.tennants.co.uk

For further information please contact: Guy Cooper 01969 623780 guy.cooper@tennants-ltd.co.uk www.tennants.co.uk

BUYERS’ INFORMATION

Buyer’s Premium

A Buyer’s Premium of 24% on the first £999,999 of the Hammer Price and 20% on the amount thereafter, plus VAT, is payable on each lot.

Condition Reports

We are happy to provide Condition Reports to Prospective Buyers, but would welcome your request as soon as possible, preferably at least 48 hours before the Day of Sale. A Condition Report is an honest expression of our opinion, not a statement of fact and is provided as a service to the Seller. We accept no liability for the opinions expressed in any Condition Report.

Caveat Emptor

The principle of caveat emptor applies to the sale of all goods sold at auction by us. Furthermore, we have no control over the condition of any item offered for sale.

Additional Images

Requests for additional images of items in the sale can made up to 48 hours before the Day of Sale.

Online Bidding

We offer an online bidding service via our own platform - Tennants Live Bidding at www.tennants.co.uk. Items purchased via this platform will be subject to an additional 1.5% commission charge plus VAT at the prevailing rate. We also offer online bidding via www.the-saleroom.com for prospective buyers who cannot attend the sale. Items bought via this platform will be subject to an additional 4.95% commission charge plus VAT.

By completing registration on www.the-saleroom.com and providing your credit/bank card details and unless alternative arrangements are agreed with us, you;

(a) authorise Tennants, if they so wish, to charge the credit/bank card given in part of full payment, including all fees, for items successfully purchased in the auction via www.the-saleroom.com; and

(b) confirm that you are authorised to provide these credit/bank details to Tennants through www.the-saleroom.com and agree that Tennants are entitled to permit the shipping of the goods to the card holder and card holder address provided in fulfilment of the sale.

We do not accept any liability for any losses, however arising, as a result of a prospective buyer’s use of www.the-saleroom.com. Use of www.the-saleroom.com is subject to separate terms and conditions which do not form part of these conditions.

Absentee Bidding

Whilst reasonable endeavours will be made to execute absentee bidding up to the Day of Sale, Tennants will not be liable for any default or neglect in connection with this service. All such arrangements therefore are made entirely at the Prospective Buyer’s risk.

VAT

Value added tax or any equivalent tax chargeable in the UK or elsewhere.

AML Due Diligence

We conduct appropriate Due Diligence checks to comply with current Anti Money Laundering regulations for any buyer exceeding the threshold of £8,000. We reserve the right to withhold the purchased lots until such checks have been completed.

Agency

We act as agents for the Seller, whose details remain confidential. If you buy at auction your contract is with the Seller, not us.

Picture Descriptions

The forename(s) (or asterisks where not known) and surname of the artist indicates, in our opinion, a work by the artist named.

The initials of the forename(s) and the surname of the artist indicates in our opinion a work of the period of the artist which may be wholly or in part his work.

The following terms apply in our determination of a picture description:

(a) “Attributed to” - is in our opinion probably a work by the artist.

(b) “Studio of” - is in our opinion a work from the studio of the artist which may or may not have been executed under his direction.

(c) “Circle of” - is in our opinion a work of the period of the artist executed under his immediate influence.

(d) “Follower of” - is in our opinion a work by a painter working in the artist’s style, contemporary or nearly contemporary, but not necessarily his pupil.

(e) “Manner of” - is in our opinion a work in a style related to that of the artist, but of a later date.

(f) “School accompanied by the name of a place or country and a date” - means that in our opinion the picture was executed at that time and in that location; e.g. Flemish School, 17th century.

(g) “After” - an artist is in our opinion a copy of any date after a work by that artist.

(h) “Signed and/or dated and/or inscribed means that in our opinion the signature and/or date and/or inscription” - are from the hand of the artist.

(i) “Bears signature and/or dated and or inscription means that in our opinion the artist’s name and/or date and/or inscription” - have been added by another hand.

Telephone Bidding

Requests for telephone bidding must be registered at least one hour prior to the close of the View Day. We will not accept requests on the Day of Sale. Telephone Lines are booked on a first-come, first-served basis and are subject to a minimum lot value of £500 for Fine Art Sales and £200 for all other sales.

(j) All references to signature, inscriptions and dates refer to the present state of the work.

(k) Dimensions are given height before width and do not include the frame

(l) Pictures are framed unless otherwise stated.

Droit de Suite/ Artists’ Resale Rights

All items in this catalogue that are marked with “✓” are potentially qualifying items, and the royalty charge (set out below) will apply if the Hammer Price is more than the UK sterling equivalent of €1,000. The royalty charge will be added to purchase invoices, and must be paid before items can be cleared. All royalty charges are paid to either the Design and Artists Copyright Society (“DACS”) or the Artists’ Collecting Society (“ACS”) by the auctioneers, and no handling costs or additional fees with respect to these changes will be retained by the auctioneer.

From 14 February 2006 United Kingdom art market professionals (which includes auctioneers) are required to collect a royalty payment for all works of art that have been produced by living artists, and those who have died within the last 70 years. This payment is calculated on qualifying works of art which are sold for a Hammer Price more that the UK sterling equivalent of €1,000 (the UK sterling equivalent will fluctuate in line with prevailing exchange rates). It is the responsibility of the Buyer to acquaint themselves with the actual Euro to UK sterling exchange rate on the Day of Sale. The actual qualifying threshold will be calculated by the “Artist’s Resale Right Service Hub” based on the “European Central Bank” reference rate published at 2.15pm on the Day of Sale and can be found on www.dacs.org.uk

The royalty charge for qualifying items which achieve a Hammer Price of more than the UK sterling equivalent of €1,000 is as follows:

Up to €50,000 – 4%

€50,000.01 to €200,000 – 3%

€200,000.01 to €350,000 – 1%

€350,000.01 to €500,000 – 0.5%

Exceeding €500,000 – 0.25%

For further information please visit www.dacs.org.uk or www.artistscollectingsociety.org. There is no VAT payable on this royalty charge.

Method of Payment

Payment is accepted online via our website. Card payments where the card holder is not present will only be accepted for transactions up to £500.

Payment can be made and purchases collected during the auction. All accounts must be settled within 14 days of the sale. Accounts not paid within 14 days will automatically be subject to an interest charge of 5% above base rate from the day of sale.

Collection

All purchases must be collected from our Leyburn offices, unless stated otherwise, within seven days of the Sale (Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm).

Despatch/Delivery

Buyers may appoint their own shippers or use one of our preferred suppliers for all UK deliveries and international shipping. Their contact details are as follows:

Bradleys Antique Packing Services Ltd 01325 281332 info@antiquepacking.co.uk

Carrs Carriers Ltd 01423 297088 01913 077024 07958 023028 carrscarriersltd@gmail.com

Mailboxes Etc 0113 242 8715 info@mbeleedscity.co.uk

In-House Shipping

For certain lots, we offer a packing and shipping service up to a total value of £5,000 (inclusive of buyer’s premium, VAT and any other associated charges). Prices start from £20 depending on the size and destination. Please note, we are unable to post items of a fragile nature. Items are fully insured and can be tracked from dispatch to delivery.

To obtain a quote for packing and shipping, please email shipping@tennants-ltd.co.uk or call 01969 623780. You will need to have paid your invoice in full, including delivery, before items are dispatched.

For full Terms of Business please refer to www.tennants.co.uk

subject to a buyer’s premium of 28.8% inclusive of VAT @

2023 AUCTION DATES

Saturday 16 September

Country House

Jewellery, Watches & Silver

Wednesday 20 September

Militaria & Ethnographica

Friday 22 September

Antiques & Interiors

Wednesday 27 September

Scientific & Musical Instruments, Cameras & Tools

Friday 29 September

Books, Maps & Manuscripts

Saturday 7 October

20th Century Design

Modern & Contemporary Art

The Harlequin Sale

The Raymond Booth: An Artist Immersed in Nature

Saturday 14 October

The Austria Sale: A Private Estate from Vienna

Friday 20 October

Antiques & Interiors

Wednesday 25 October

Stamps, Postcards & Postal History

Friday 3 November

Antiques & Interiors

The Auction Centre, Leyburn North Yorkshire DL8 5SG 01969 623780

enquiry@tennants-ltd.co.uk

www.tennants.co.uk