"long-lost" painting by Cornish artist Alfred Wallis could fetch £30,000 at auction

It will be the first time the painting has appeared on the open market.

Author: Ellie RobsonPublished 27th Aug 2025

The untitled artwork, which has been in a private collection for nearly 90 years, will go under the hammer at Roseberys in London next month with an estimate of £20,000-£30,000.

Wallis (1855-1942) was born in Devon and worked as a fisherman before turning to painting in the 1920s, becoming known for his naive style and maritime subject matter.

The artist's biographer Matilda Webb has suggested the untitled work going under the hammer shows the Firth of Forth, with the Forth Rail Bridge in the bottom left.

Wallis would have seen the bridge in 1894 when he was working on the St Ives fishing fleet, which sailed up and around the British coast, before travelling east along the Forth and Clyde Canal and then the Firth of Forth.

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