Reynolds, Romney and Delacroix works headline Sloane Street Auctions sale

Sloane Street Auctions will offer portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds and George Romney, plus a pen-and-ink study by Eugène Delacroix, at a June 19 sale in London with combined top estimates of £130,000. The sale leans on strong provenance and rare Old Master material as the auction house builds its profile in a market once served by Christie’s South Kensington.

Why it matters: - Sloane Street Auctions is positioning the sale as a source of high-end Old Master and 19th-century works with documented provenance. - The top lots carry combined estimates of up to £130,000. - The auction also signals the house’s push to fill a niche left after Christie’s South Kensington ended.

What happened: - Sloane Street Auctions will sell important portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds and George Romney on June 19 in London. - The auction includes a pen-and-ink study by Eugène Delacroix. - Live online bidding is available through Sloane Street Auctions.

The details: - Sir Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Ralph Sheldon dates to 1777 and is a 30 x 25in oil on canvas. - The Reynolds portrait has provenance to the Knoedler Gallery Summer Exhibition in London in June 1913. - The Reynolds work is estimated at £50,000-80,000. - George Romney’s portrait of Anne Evelyn aged 20 dates to 1788 and is also a 30 x 25in oil on canvas. - The Romney portrait comes in a period carved and gilded frame. - The Romney work has passed through the collections of the 3rd Earl of Liverpool and The Hon. Henry Berkeley Portman, then by descent through the Portman family. - The Romney portrait is estimated at £30,000-50,000. - Delacroix’s Two studies of wild felines is a pen and ink drawing measuring 4 x 5¼in. - The Delacroix sheet bears the artist’s studio stamp at lower right. - The drawing was sold at Delacroix’s studio sale in Paris on February 17-29, 1864, to Gustave Arosa. - The Delacroix work later passed through several collections before acquisition by dealers Jacques Mathey or Galerie Neuville & Vivien in 1947 or later. - The Delacroix drawing is estimated at £10,000-15,000.

Between the lines: - The auction house is leaning on strong provenance, recognizable names and museum-quality presentation to draw collectors. - Owner Daniel Hunt framed the sale as part of Sloane Street Auctions’ role after the demise of Christie’s South Kensington. - Auctioneer Hugh Edmeades has a direct tie to that former market, having served as Christie’s South Kensington’s former chairman.

What's next: - Bidding will take place at the June 19 auction, with results likely to show how demand tracks for well-provenanced British portraiture and French Romantic drawing. - Sloane Street Auctions says it will continue offering rare objects across categories including Old Masters, European furniture, Impressionist art, modern and contemporary art, photography and private sales.