A painting by Captain Scott’s only son has sold for a £15,000 at auction — double the initial estimate.
Sir Peter Markham Scott, whose explorer father sailed to the Antarctic on the Dundee-built RRS Discovery, was renowned for his conservation work, ornithology and painting.
The work, Barnacle Geese Against a Stormy Sky, was bought by an unnamed UK-based bidder as part of the Ornithology, Zoology and Voyages sale at Chiswick Auctions.
The painting, which is oil on canvas, measures a striking 2.4m wide and 900mm tall.
Scott is known for his highly technically skilled painting and is credited with designing the Western Approaches ship camouflage scheme, the project which disguised the appearance of ship superstructure during the Second World War.
Rhydian Williams, books and works on paper specialist with Chiswick Auctions, said: “It was very competitive with bidders in the room, online and on the telephone.
“There was lots of interest from across the UK and abroad.
“What I find most stunning about it is the sheer size. What also struck me is that it’s like a photograph taken from a plane.
“The fact that it’s cut off at the top and bottom really gives that feeling of movement. He was a highly skilled painter.”
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Sir Peter, who died in 1989, was named after Sir Clements Markham, who organised the National Antarctic Expedition that took Captain Scott and the RRS Discovery to the Antarctic.
He painted and exhibited successfully throughout his life and became president of the Society of Wildlife Artists and the Nature in Art Trust.
He also tutored many artists, including Paul Karslake, and designed the panda logo for the World Wildlife Fund, an organisation he helped found.
He was knighted in 1973 for his conservation work.
He was just two years old when Captain Scott died in Antarctica, but in his father’s last letter to his mother, he wrote: “Make the boy interested in natural history if you can, it is better than games.”
The painting dates from 1939 and was exhibited in the Natural History Museum in London in 1990.
The painting was expected to fetch between £6,000 and £8,000.
