Discovery and Sale of Lost Joan Eardley Painting
A "long lost" painting by Joan Eardley, renowned for her portrayals of Glasgow street children and the Aberdeenshire fishing village of Catterline, has been sold for £29,500 after being found in a charity shop.
Staff at the East Midlands charity shop became intrigued by the artwork upon discovering a faded label on its back linking it to The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh.
The gallery confirmed the piece as Summer Fields by Eardley, which has since been sold to a private collector specializing in Scottish art.
The charity shop preferred to remain anonymous, but Tommy Zyw, director of The Scottish Gallery, stated that this sale was the largest single transaction in the charity's history and will support medical research.
Joan Eardley, born in England in 1921 and relocating to Scotland during her teenage years, is celebrated for her depictions of Glasgow's street children and the coastal landscapes of Catterline. She passed away at age 42 in 1963.
Zyw described Eardley as "a star who continues to rise as her audience grows and more and more people engage with her subject and her life and work."
Summer Fields, painted circa 1961, captures the "dying sunset spilling across the corner of a Catterline field."
Identifying the Painting: 'Something Special'
Zyw explained that the gallery frequently receives inquiries from painting owners seeking valuations. Often, these turn out to be framed posters or works by family members, but occasionally they encounter something "very, very special."
"This is just what happened with this remarkable painting which was sent to us from a charity shop in the East Midlands,"
He recounted that the shop manager discovered a small dark oil painting while sorting items from a house clearance.
On the back of the painting, there was a fragment of a label with only a few legible words.
"One was 'summer', one was 'Joan' and one was 'The Scottish Gallery' and as soon as we picked up the phone our interest was piqued - could this be a long lost Joan Eardley painting?"
The painting was then stored at a shop worker's home until it could be collected and transported to the gallery by an art carrier.
Authentication and Exhibition: 'Quickening Pulse'
Zyw described his reaction upon unwrapping the painting.
"My pulse was quickening as I was unwrapping the bubble,"
"As soon as the bubble wrap was lifted from the painting's surface I knew exactly what it was - it just had to be a Joan Eardley painting."
"The same way you are familiar with your family members or best friend's handwriting - the handling of the paint, the way it was presented all spoke instantly of the great master Joan Eardley."
He also used the label information to verify the painting's provenance.
"I was able, given those small fragments of information, to look up its original sale in our historic daybooks and I could find that the sale written in scrolling script in these old ledgers was the sale of Summer Fields in May 1961.
"And so that was the final seal of approval to authenticate this painting and to start its journey back to public display."
The painting was cleaned before being exhibited at the British Art Fair in London in September 2025 and subsequently at The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh's New Town in October.
Zyw noted the painting attracted many visitors, including the original charity shop manager who appreciated seeing it in a new context.
Final Sale and Future of the Painting
Summer Fields eventually caught the attention of a collector, and the charity was "over the moon" with the sale.
"It was something they were all extremely excited about, from the shop manager who first found it, to higher up in head office, they've all followed this journey with great excitement,"
"We are in touch with lots of art connoisseurs, art lovers and people looking for that one special painting to add to their art collection, and the painting is now with a great lover of Scottish art, particularly post-war art, and so it is now happily hanging in somebody else's home for the next chapter in this painting's story to unfold."
