Joan Eardley painting resurfaces at charity shop, later sells for £29,500
A long-lost painting by Scottish artist Joan Eardley, titled 'Summer Fields,' was discovered in an English charity shop and subsequently sold for £29,500. The proceeds from the sale were donated to medical research.
Why it matters
The story highlights the cultural value of art and the potential for significant charitable contributions through unexpected discoveries.
A landscape painting by Scottish artist Joan Eardley, which disappeared into private ownership after leaving a Scottish gallery in 1961, has been found in an English charity shop. The painting later sold for £29,500, with all the money going towards medical research in the UK. The oil painting, titled Summer Fields, was found when a charity shop manager in the East Midlands accepted a dark canvas as part of a house clearance donation. A damaged paper label on the back of the frame offered a clue. It read: “Summer, Joan, Exhibited, The Scottish Gallery.” The shop staff contacted The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh. A search of its historical records confirmed the painting's identity, 64 years after it was first sold.Uncovering the paper trailAfter receiving the enquiry from the East Midlands charity shop, Tommy Zyw, director of The Scottish Gallery, checked the gallery's handwritten sales books and old daily records.
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