A portrait painting of a prominent Manchester industrialist is being sold at auction in the Cotswolds next week.
The picture of Samuel Radcliffe Platt was painted by Edward John Gregory and depicts him on the deck of his steam yacht, Norseman, on which he sailed when he officially opened the Manchester Ship Canal on New Year’s Day 1894.
Platt was chairman of engineering firm Messrs Platt Brothers & Co, a leading textile machinery manufacturer based at Hartford Works in Oldham. He was also Chairman of the Works Committee of the Manchester Ship Canal.
Art specialist at Wotton Auction Rooms in Gloucestershire, Toby Lennox-Hilton said: “This is an impressive portrait and depicts Samuel Radcliffe Platt on the deck of his yacht. It was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1892, and then at The Paris Exhibition in 1900. It was also featured in The Graphic on May 21st, 1892.
“This painting was originally larger, and included the ship’s captain steering the yacht, which is still seen on the reverse. It was possibly cut down due to damage to the picture.”
The painting (lot 219) carries an estimate of £2,000 – £3000 and goes under the hammer at Wotton Auction Rooms in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, on Tuesday, September 16th when it will feature in the Autumn Quarterly Fine and Curated Sale.
