{"id":33716,"date":"2026-10-07T12:56:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=33716"},"modified":"2026-10-07T12:56:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:56:19","slug":"a-couple-rescued-two-discarded-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-while-walking-their-dog-and-hung-them-at-home-for-years-after-discovering-they-were-original-louis-wain-works-the-pair-sold-at-auction-for-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=33716","title":{"rendered":"A couple rescued two discarded cat paintings from a skip while walking their dog and hung them at home for years; after discovering they were original Louis Wain works, the pair sold at auction for \u00a316,000"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134764023,imgsize-2440024,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg\" alt=\"A couple rescued two discarded cat paintings from a skip while walking their dog and hung them at home for years; after discovering they were original Louis Wain works, the pair sold at auction for \u00a316,000\" title=\"A couple rescued two cat paintings from a skip; years later, the Louis Wain works sold for \u00a316,000 (Image Credit: Rogers Jones Auctioneers)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"A couple rescued two cat paintings from a skip; years later, the Louis Wain works sold for \u00a316,000 (Image Credit: Rogers Jones Auctioneers)\">A couple rescued two cat paintings from a skip; years later, the Louis Wain works sold for \u00a316,000 (Image Credit: Rogers Jones Auctioneers)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>What looked like two unwanted paintings in a skip turned out to be worth thousands of pounds. A couple came across the two cat paintings while walking their dog and decided to rescue them rather than leave them behind.<!-- --> They took the works home, eventually gave them to their daughter-in-law and later hung them on their own walls, unaware of who had painted them. Years later, curiosity led them to investigate the pictures, and they discovered a connection to Louis Wain, the British artist renowned for his distinctive cat paintings. According to Rogers Jones Auctioneers, the paintings had been rescued from a skip and were recognised as genuine works by Wain by auctioneer and valuer Charles Hampshire.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>A lucky find during a dog walk<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"7\"\/>The paintings were not discovered in an antique shop or at a specialist art fair. They were sitting in a skip in Pembrokeshire. The couple spotted the two cat paintings while out walking their dog several years ago. Something about them caught their attention, so they decided to take them home. At first, there was no thought that they might be valuable. The couple reportedly thought one of the paintings could make a good gift for their daughter-in-law, who was fond of cats.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>The paintings were given to her and stayed in her home for about a year. She later returned them to the couple, who put them up in their own house. There they remained for several years. It was only much later that the pair began wondering about the artist behind the paintings.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>The Louis Wain connection<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>When the couple started researching the works, they came across the name Louis Wain. That discovery changed the story completely. Wain became famous in Britain for his unusual depictions of cats. <!-- -->His animals were often shown standing upright, dressed in human clothing or behaving like people. His illustrations appeared widely in newspapers, books and magazines, helping make his distinctive cat characters familiar to generations of people.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>The couple took their paintings to Rogers Jones Auctioneers, where their significance could be properly assessed. Charles Hampshire, an auctioneer and valuer at the firm, recognised the works as genuine paintings by Wain.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The works were sold at Rogers Jones' British &amp; European Fine Art auction on May 21, 2026&lt;br&gt;\" msid=\"134764081\" imgsize=\"2173364\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"The works were sold at Rogers Jones' British &amp; European Fine Art auction on May 21, 2026 (Image Credit: Rogers Jones Auctioneers)\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-2173364,msid-134764081\/the-works-were-sold-at-rogers-jones-british-amp-european-fine-art-auction-on-may-21-2026br.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The works were sold at Rogers Jones&#8217; British &amp; European Fine Art auction on May 21, 2026 (Image Credit: Rogers Jones Auctioneers)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Two original paintings<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>According to Rogers Jones Auctioneers, the first work was \u2018Blue Cat among the Flowers\u2019, a bodycolour painting. It was entered as Lot 43 in Rogers Jones&#8217; British &amp; European Fine Art auction, with an estimate of \u00a33,000 to \u00a35,000. The second was a more unusual double-sided work titled \u2018Psychedelic Cats\u2019 &amp; \u2018Deer in an Idyllic Landscape\u2019. It featured bodycolour and watercolour and was entered as Lot 44. Its estimate was \u00a34,000 to \u00a36,000.<!-- --> That put the combined estimate for the two paintings at between \u00a37,000 and \u00a311,000. But the auction results went beyond those expectations.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"29\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Both paintings beat their estimates<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>The works were sold at Rogers Jones&#8217; British &amp; European Fine Art auction on May 21, 2026. \u2018Blue Cat among the Flowers\u2019 eventually sold for \u00a36,600. The double-sided painting performed even better. \u2018Psychedelic Cats\u2019 &amp; \u2018Deer in an Idyllic Landscape\u2019 reached \u00a39,400. Together, the two paintings brought \u00a316,000. <!-- -->The result also made them two of the auction house&#8217;s notable sales for May. The double-sided Wain work ranked third among the firm&#8217;s top 10 lots for the month, while \u2018Blue Cat among the Flowers\u2019 came seventh.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Why Wain&#8217;s cats became so famous<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>Wain&#8217;s appeal came from his unusual way of portraying cats. He gave them human-like expressions, poses and personalities, turning ordinary domestic animals into characters that seemed to have their own little worlds. <!-- -->His work became closely associated with cats in popular British culture, and his reputation has remained strong long after his death.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"41\"\/>Interest in his life and work has also continued in recent years, including through the 2021 film The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy. That history gave the two paintings found in the skip a significance their owners could not have known when they first picked them up.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>A skip-side discovery worth \u00a316,000<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>The couple&#8217;s find is a reminder of how easily valuable artwork can be overlooked. When they first saw the paintings, they were simply discarded objects sitting in a skip. They rescued them because the paintings caught their attention, not because they knew they were by a well-known artist.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"49\"\/>For years, the works remained in their home without attracting much attention. Only later did research reveal their true identity. After authentication and auction, the two paintings went from being unwanted objects to \u00a316,000 worth of Louis Wain artwork. It was an ordinary dog walk that led to the discovery, but the couple ended up taking home two original works by one of Britain&#8217;s best-known artists of cats.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/uk\/a-couple-rescued-two-discarded-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-while-walking-their-dog-and-hung-them-at-home-for-years-after-discovering-they-were-original-louis-wain-works-the-pair-sold-at-auction-for-16000\/articleshow\/134763858.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A couple rescued two cat paintings from a skip; years later, the Louis Wain works sold for \u00a316,000 (Image Credit: Rogers Jones Auctioneers) What looked like two unwanted paintings in a skip turned out to be worth thousands of pounds. A couple came across the two cat paintings while walking their dog and decided to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"A couple rescued two cat paintings from a skip; years later, the Louis Wain works sold for \u00a316,000 (Image Credit: Rogers Jones Auctioneers) What looked like two unwanted paintings in a skip turned out to be worth thousands of pounds. A couple came across the two cat paintings while walking their dog and decided to [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":2,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":5,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-couple-rescued-two-cat-paintings-from-a-skip-years-later-the-louis-wain-works-sold-for-16000-.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}