KNOXVILLE, TENN. – An oil on canvas by William Oliver The Younger (France/UK, 1823-1901) sold for 28 times its high estimate when it brought $40,960 at Case Antiques Auctions’ January 30 sale. The 17¾-by-14½-inch oil on canvas was dated 1878 and sold on 62 bids. The painting features an elaborately dressed lady with a pink rose in her ear sitting before a man who is seen leaning in behind her, a cigarette in his hand. The result is an auction record for the artist, according to Askart. He exhibited often at the Royal Academy in London, British Institution and the Society of British Artists. Many of Oliver’s scenes feature women, typically in a singular portrait, though a seemingly related work titled “Spanish lovers” has come up for auction multiple times at Christie’s London: it features the same woman in the same attire with what appears to be a different man, though still holding a cigarette.

Watch for a full review of this sale in a future issue.