A COLLECTION of artworks depicting scenes of Devon quadrupled their estimate at an auction in Cambridge recently.

Consisting of 20 pictures in total, art auctioneers Cheffins sold the collection for a total of £57,000, with many of the works set to return to Devon soil.

The paintings came from the collection of the late Martin Beaver, whose family originated from Whitchurch, Devon, and who collected these pictures over a series of many years. Dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, the paintings on offer included 17 watercolours and three oils from some of the most well-regarded Devon artists, including William Payne, Francis Towne, Nicholas Matthew Condy and John Nixon.

The highest price paid on the day was for Francis Towne’s ‘View of Fingle Bridge, Drewsteington’, which sold for £8,500 — over four times its lower estimate of £2,000. Francis Towne is currently in demand with his work now featuring in major global collections, including the Tate, the Louvre, the Rijksmuseum and the British Museum.

Other highlights on the day were an auction record for the artist William Payne with ‘Penny Cross Church, Devon’, selling for £6,500 against its estimate of £200 to £300 and an oil painting from Nicholas Matthew Condy of a scene of shipping on the Tamar which sold for £3,600.

Brett Tryner, associate of Cheffins, said: ‘These pictures were created in the golden age of British watercolours and Devon’s stunning scenery continues to attract artists from all over the country as much today as in the 18th century and we are pleased to see that many of these works will be returning to the county from which they originated.’