A stylistically typical yacht painting by Jamie Medlin - the contemporary Cornish artist responsible for such works as "Falmouth Sunbeams" and "Cannes, 2006" - sold for a record figure at Christie's on November 21.
The London sale featured Medlin's 30 x 40 inch oil painting entitled "The triumphant return of the J-class to British waters: the Solent, 18-21 July 2012", which sold to an anonymous bidder for £127,250 ($202,820), far exceeding its £50,000 ($75,000) estimate.
 Medlin's record breaking maritime oil on canvas |
The painting, which showcases Medlin's talent for almost photo-realistic detail, figures four yachts, the largest of which is a British 1933 J-class. The yacht is pictured with the wind filling its red, white and blue sail; racing through the Solent's cerulean swell to victory.
Sarah Reynolds, a maritime specialist at Christie's, told the Portsmouth News: "What was particularly striking about this image was the light on the spinnaker and the sort of boldness of the image.
"To be able to paint in that style requires a lot of time and work, more generally modern marine artists paint in a more impressionistic style."
Medlin's previous highest grossing painting, "Mariquita racing to windward during the Pendennis cup, 2010", sold at Christie's in London for £49,250 ($78,576) in November 2011, just within its £50,000 ($79,774) high estimate.
Wednesday's sale price therefore represents a 158.4% increase on Medlin's world record in 12 months.
