496 - Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe, RA,

Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe, RA, British 1901-1979- Studies of ducks; pencil, pen, ink, watercolour, and bodycolour on paper, varioudly inscribed 'going under', 'Eider Duck, June 9th / Scourie Bay. / Resting on the shingle of the Beach', 'Paler T[?] / Olive green' and 'Duck and Drake on the / Pebbles with 4 oyster catchers', 22.2 x 13.5 cm. ARR. Provenance: with Martyn Gregory, London [VH 424F]. Note: Tunnicliffe was a hugely prominent and influential wildlife artist, celebrated for his accurate depictions of birds and other animals observed from his home on Anglesey Island, where he lived from 1947 until his death. He was particularly well-known for his illustrations for titles such as 'Tarka the Otter' (1927), various Ladybird books, and the RSPB magazines. The present work is characteristic of Tunnicliffe's oeuvre, as birds formed the principal focus of his artistic output. Here, he appears to be studying the movements of ducks, depicting them in a variety of poses, including standing, swimming, and diving beneath the water. A comparable, more finished study of Eurasian teal ducks in a range of positions sold at Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh, on 14 May 2026, lot 409 (£3,048).