Portrait Of A Lady Arranging Flowers British 1940's Art Oil Paintingcirca 1940
£4,591 per item
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Item details
Height
121.92 cm
Width
96.52 cm
Depth
5.08 cm
Wear conditions
Good
Wear conditions
Excellent
Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.
Good
May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.
Average
Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.
Apparent Wear and Tear
Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.
Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.
Description
This superb British portrait oil painting is attributed to circle of Festus Kelly. Painted circa 1940 it is a half length portrait of an elegant lady in a light blue dress, pearls and her dark hair up behind her head. She is arranging gorgeous orange chrysanthemums in a vase and is turning to gaze at the artist/viewer with a slight smile. She is against a simple background which makes her really standout. The palette of blue and orange is very vibrant. The sitter is unknown but she bears an uncanny resemblance to Wallace Simpson! This is a lovely portrait really capturing the stylish glamour of the 1940's
Provenance. Yorkshire estate.
Condition. Oil on canvas. Image size 40 inches by 30 inches and in good condition.
Frame. Housed in an ornate gilt frame, 48 inches by 38 inches and in good condition.
Sir Gerald Festus Kelly P.R.A. (9 April 1879 – 5 January 1972) was a British painter best known for his portraits. Gerald Kelly was born in London, educated at Eton College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge and later lived and studied art in Paris. James McNeill Whistler was an early influence. Kelly travelled much, visiting Spain, America, South Africa and Burma. In 1920 he married Lilian Ryan, who became his model for a celebrated series of portraits. These were exhibited under the title Jane, followed by a roman numeral that corresponded to the year of exhibition. Other sitters included T. S. Eliot, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Somerset Maugham, whom he painted eighteen times. Maugham, a lifelong friend of Kelly, wrote an introduction to a catalogue (1950) of an exhibition of Kelly's work. Maugham regularly portrayed Kelly in his works, as Lionel Hillier in Cakes and Ale, as Frederick Lawson in Of Human Bondage and as O'Malley in His Excellency presenting him as "the young Irish painter called O'Malley", and dedicating Ashenden to him. He became a favourite painter of the Royal Family. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1930, was the Academy's keeper 1943-45 and President, 1949-54. Kelly held a number of official positions, such as his membership of the Royal Fine Arts Commission, 1938-43, and was knighted in 1945. The artist John Napper worked as his assistant.
Kelly died in Exmouth in 1972. He is represented in many public collections, including the Tate Gallery, which holds seven works.
Condition report:
Good
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- Selling at Vinterior since 2025
- Ships from London, United Kingdom
Cancellations and Returns
Last updated: 24th March 2025
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