Sarah Bowdich Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Sarah Bowdich Art Value Price Guide

Jun. 29, 2021
ATTRIBUTED TO SARAH BOWDICH (BRITISH 1791-1856)
Est: £500 - £700
ATTRIBUTED TO SARAH BOWDICH (BRITISH 1791-1856) ATTRIBUTED TO SARAH BOWDICH (BRITISH 1791-1856) Study of a gudgeon inscribed Gudgeon (lower centre); with the artist's monogram SB (lower right) watercolour and bodycolour over pencil, heightened with silver and gold, unframed 14 x 19 cm (5 1/2 x 7 1/2 in) Sarah Bowdich (nÃ©e Lee) (1791-1856) was an author, naturalist, illustrator, traveller and collector. She represents an important exception to the rule that in the 19th Century women played a secondary role in their contribution to and authorship of scientific publications before 1851. She was the wife of the celebrated African explorer Thomas Edward Bowdich (1791-1824), and together they explored West Africa studying the local culture and natural history. After her husband's sudden death from fever in 1824, Sarah was left penniless and set about making a career from her study and illustrations of natural history. Returning to London, in 1825 she completed her husband's last work on Madeira, adding many of her own additions on the fish, birds and plants. In 1826 she began working on her greatest achievement and the one for which she is best known, The Freshwater Fishes of Great Britain. The work included 48 original hand painted watercolours depicting fish. It took her ten years to complete during which time she carefully drew and painted each fish fresh from the water. She wrote, 'Every drawing has been taken from the living fish immediately it came from the water it inhabited so that no tint has been lost or deadened.' Only 50 copies were published between 1828 and 1838 and she drew and hand coloured every illustration adding ground fish scales and gold and silver pigment to convey the natural sheen of the fish, which is still visible today. She illustrated approxiamately 2,400 plates and provided each fish with a full scientific description. She went on to publish numerous books on natural history, breaking through obstacles for women in science and paving the way for scientific research and illustration by women in the years to come. The present work, study of a Gudgeon, is a version of her illustration, plate 15. in her publication The Fresh-water Fishes of Great Britain, drawn and described by Mrs T. Edward Bowdich. It is signed with her monogram SB rather than her full signature, indicating that this was a working study that was not included in one of the 50 finished books.
Chiswick Auctions
Dec. 08, 2018
Bowdich fish watercolor, Gudgeon
Est: $1,500 - $2,000
Bowdich, Sarah (1791-1856). Gudgeon. Original watercolor and gouache over pencil, heightened with silver and gold. From The Freshwater Fish of Great Britain London: Ackermann & Moyes, 1828-1836. Signed lower right S Bowdich del. 11 3/4" x 13 3/4" sheet, 21" x 23" framed A beautiful painting from ONE OF THE RAREST BOOK ON FISHES, LIMITED TO ABOUT 50 COPIES, 47 SUBSCRIBER'S ARE RECORDED, AND ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF NATURAL HISTORY WORKS TO BE ILLUSTRATED BY ORIGINAL WATERCOLOURS. Originally issued in 11 parts, in 22 installments from 1828 to 1836.
Arader Galleries
Dec. 08, 2018
Bowdich fish watercolor, dace
Est: $1,500 - $2,000
Bowdich, Sarah (1791-1856). Dace. Original watercolor and gouache over pencil, heightened with silver and gold. From The Freshwater Fish of Great Britain London: Ackermann & Moyes, 1828-1836. Signed lower right S Bowdich del. 11 3/4" x 13 3/4" sheet, 21" x 23" framed A beautiful painting from ONE OF THE RAREST BOOK ON FISHES, LIMITED TO ABOUT 50 COPIES, 47 SUBSCRIBER'S ARE RECORDED, AND ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF NATURAL HISTORY WORKS TO BE ILLUSTRATED BY ORIGINAL WATERCOLOURS. Originally issued in 11 parts, in 22 installments from 1828 to 1836.
Arader Galleries
May. 22, 2012
BOWDICH (SARAH)
Est: £20,000 - £25,000
The Fresh-water Fishes of Great Britain. Drawn and Described by Mrs. T. Edward Bowdich, first edition, letterpress title, preface leaf, list of subscribers, each plate with 2pp. of explantory text, 44 ORIGINAL WATERCOLOURS, over a pencil base, each with manuscript caption and signature of Bowdich, MANY HEIGHTENED WITH GOLD AND SILVER, one plate with 3 small ink outline illustrations of fish (numbered 45-47, signed), interleaved with tissue guards and blank leaf after each plate, off-setting onto tissue guards, modern green crushed half morocco gilt, t.e.g. [Westwood & Satchell, p.39; Nissen ZBI 157], large 4to (text 350 x 275mm, plates 375 x 275mm.), for the Authoress, and R. Ackermann, 1828[-1836, watermarked between 1827 and 1836]
Bonhams
Jul. 11, 2008
ATTRIBUTED TO SARAH BOWDICH (1791-1856, BRITISH)
Est: £600 - £800
ATTRIBUTED TO SARAH BOWDICH (1791-1856, BRITISH) Pair of Watercolours Fish Studies 8" x 5 1/2" and 6 1/2" x 6 3/4" (2), (mounted by unframed)
Keys Fine Art Auctioneers
Apr. 07, 2004
BOWDICH, Sarah (1791-1856). The Fresh-water Fishes of Great Britain. Drawn and described by
Est: £22,000 - £28,000
BOWDICH, Sarah (1791-1856). The Fresh-water Fishes of Great Britain. Drawn and described by Mrs T. Edward Bowdich. London: Printed by J. Moyes for the authoress and R. Ackermann, 1828[-1836]. 11 parts in one volume, 4° (345 x 280mm). Letterpress title, 1p. 'list of subscribers', 2pp. preface, 2pp. of explanatory text for each of the 44 ORIGINAL WATERCOLOURS, over a pencil base, each with manuscript caption and signature in ink, 3 folded, many heightened with gold and silver, 3 small outline pen and ink drawings on a single sheet with accompanying leaf of letterpress description, 1p. letterpress list of subscribers bound in at the end. (9 watercolours with the artists' signature shaved or bound in, 2 watercolours with very light spotting, the watercolour of the 'Shad' slightly shaved into the image.) Contemporary green morocco gilt, covers elaborately panelled in gilt, spine gilt in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in the second, the others with all-over repeat decoration of stylised flowers and foliage, gilt turn-ins, comb-marbled endpapers, g.e. Provenance: Purchased from Beeleigh Abbey Books, Maldon, in 1986. ONE OF THE RAREST BOOK ON FISHES, LIMITED TO ABOUT 50 COPIES, AND ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF NATURAL HISTORY WORKS TO BE ILLUSTRATED BY ORIGINAL WATERCOLOURS. Mrs. Bowdich was evidently no mere drawing-room dilettanti when it came to natural history. She was the almost constant travelling companion of her first husband, the African explorer Thomas Edward Bowdich (1791-1824). After his tragic early death in 1824 she completed and published his account of their voyage to Madeira and Africa in 1825, as well as the present work. Mrs Bowdich's Fresh-Water fishes was instigated in the early 1820s by Lord de Tabey and the publisher William Pickering who planned a volume on British Ichthylogy to be edited by Jerdan. A prospectus was issued. The project floundered when Lord Tabey became ill, and the project was handed over to Sarah Bowdich. Mrs. Bowdich notes in her preface that in the interest of verisimilitude she has drawn only from life either at life size or half size, noting the colours of the fish as soon as possible after their removal from the water. In the case of the Trout the rapid fading of its rainbow colours evidently necessitated the services of an expert angler to secure a constant supply of fish, whilst Mrs. Bowdich worked feverishly on the bank. The subscribers' list notes 47 names receiving 50 copies. The work was issued in 11 parts, in 22 installments from 1828 to 1836. Some copies have the three pen and ink drawings on three separate sheets with the letterpress text on pasted-on slips, but in this copy the drawings are on one single sheet, immediately followed by the explanatory text on a second sheet. Of the 50 copies, 20 are recorded in the modern census, however this present copy is unrecorded. Nissen ZBI 157; Westwood and Satchell 39.
Christie's
Nov. 13, 2003
BOWDICH, SARAH.
Est: £3,000 - £5,000
DETAILED DESCRIPTION Five original watercolour drawings of fish. English, early to mid-nineteenth century Visible area 260 x 335mm., captioned and signed at foot, mounted
Sotheby's
Jun. 13, 2002
BOWDICH, Sarah (1791-1865). The Fresh-water Fishes of Great Britain. Drawn and described by Mrs T. Edward Bowdich. London: Printed for the authoress and R. Ackermann, 1828[-1836].
Est: $29,800 - $44,700
11 parts in one volume, 4o (340 x 262mm). Letterpress title, 2pp. preface, 2pp. of explanatory text for each of the 44 ORIGINAL WATERCOLOURS, over a pencil base, each with manuscript caption, most signed by Bowdich, many heightened with gold and silver, 3 small outline pen and ink drawings on a single sheet with accompanying leaf of letterpress description bound in after the watercolours, 3 watercolours folded, 1p. letterpress list of subscribers bound in at the end. (21 watercolours with the artists' signatures shaved or trimmed, endpapers lightly spotted.) Contemporary green morocco gilt, by J. Wright, covers with wide gilt dentelle borders, spine gilt in six sections, gilt edges. Provenance : Duke of Sussex (contemporary pencil note on front free endpaper 'The Duke of Sussex's subscription copy 12.12.0') - Sale 11th August 1844. ONE OF THE RAREST BOOK ON FISHES, LIMITED TO 50 COPIES. Mrs. Bowdich, wife and travelling companion of the African explorer Thomas Edward Bowdich, notes in her preface that in the interest of verisimilitude she has drawn only from life either at life size or half size, noting the colours of the fish as soon as possible after their removal from the water. In the case of the Trout the rapid fading of its rainbow colours evidently necessitated the services of an expert angler to secure a constant supply of fish, whilst Mrs. Bowdich worked feverishly on the bank. The subscribers' list notes 47 names receiving 50 copies, the Duke of Sussex being the principal patron and subscriber. Many copies have the 3 pen and ink drawings on separate sheets with the letterpress text pasted on, but in this copy they are on two separate sheets. Nissen ZBI 157; Westwood and Satchell 39.
Christie's