Henry Newrick is available to value your antique art

Henry Newrick is available to value your art. Photo / Paul Brooks

Henry Newrick is the director of Heritage Art Auctions in Whanganui. He is also the author of New Zealand Art Auction Records published in 1973. An updated version is in production.

In an arrangement with Midweek, if you have any paintings, watercolours, prints, engravings, etc, and are not sure what they are worth in today's market, you are invited to email Henry (Henry@HenryNewrick.com) with details of the artwork you want valued.

For this he requires the artist's name; type of work (oil, watercolour, print, etc); size and, if possible, a photo.

If you don't have an email address you may post the information to: Henry Newrick, Heritage Art, PO Box 4085, Whanganui, 4541. When sending an inquiry please include a contact phone number in case he has any questions. All inquiries will be acknowledged and some of the more interesting ones will be published in this column.

In the meantime here are the answers to four recent inquiries he received.

Q. Judith wrote saying that she has a watercolour of a lake scene signed D.K. Richmond, dated 1934, and wondered if it had value.

A. The artist is Dorothy Kate Richmond who lived from 1861-1935 so this is a very late work when she was 73 years old. Richmond has always been a popular artist and in today's market its sale value would be $2000-$3000.

Q. John posted an inquiry. He has an oil painting of a whare alongside a river. It measures 23cm deep x 60cm wide and is in an oak frame.

A. The artist is George de Ritz whose real name was Henry Garratt. His works do not come to auction very often and the last recorded sale was in 2015. His paintings are considered average and generally sell for around $150-$200. They may fetch a bit more in today's buoyant market.

Q. Patrick enquires about a painting by Francis McCracken called Still Life with Flowers. He is thinking of selling but doesn't know much about the artist or the work's value.

A. Francis McCracken was born in Northern Ireland in 1879, arriving in New Zealand in the early 1900s. He died in 1959. This is a large watercolour measuring 78cm x 56cm. It was painted in 1936 during the height of McCracken's career. Based on the size of the work and his current prices I would estimate it as being worth around $8000-$10,000 in today's market.

Q. Susan has sent in a photo of an early New Zealand oil painting showing a river and mountains. It is initialled HWK and she wonders if it is worth anything. The size is 30cm x 45cm.

A. We can tell her that the artist is Henry William Kirkwood (1854-1925) and that the painting is worth $500-$750.

Finally, if you'd like a FREE PDF copy of Henry's original New Zealand Art Auction Records, with artist biographies, just join the Heritage Art mailing list at www.HeritageArtNZ.com and you will be sent a download link.