Dipping my toe in the water

Do you remember my last blog-post about bidding at an auction? I decided that I needed to believe in my hunches and the next time I spotted a picture that gave me a tingle down the spine, I'd be braver and bid higher.

Last Friday at Willingham Auctions my art-antenna crackled into action . . .

I spotted these serious looking women:


This beautifully composed oil painting:


and this rather gorgeous chair:


So I left three commission bids with the auctioneer (because once again I had to be somewhere else on the auction day, and it makes me consider very very carefully what price I'm prepared to pay).


So what happened.

The serious women are in fact Xenia Noelle Lowinsky and her sister Ruth Lowinsky portrayed in two wood engravings by Eric Gill. I got very excited and almost lost my head and put in a huge bid to make sure I got them . . . but sensibly I did a few minutes research and found the same prints for sale at various galleries for fairly modest prices. So, Xenia (prison reformer and gardener) and Ruth (society hostess, food writer and grandmother of herb growing expert Jecka McVicar) were bought by someone who out-bid me by quite a lot and paid a lot more than the prices online!

The chair has also gone to someone else, I had no idea what it might be worth but the estimate was so low it was worth a modest punt! I'm very pleased that I spent some time enjoying looking at the beautiful needlepoint upholstery while it was in the sale room. At the end of the day someone else wanted it more than I did – and I think they got an absolute bargain!


But . . . Gosh! I successfully bid for the painting by Katherine Fryer. I don't usually consider buying oil paintings but I liked this so much I rushed off to find out who the painter was – and do you now what? She's also an accomplished printmaker! You can see some of her wood blocks here; she studied at Leeds College of Art, last year they published a tribute on their web site to celebrate her 100th birthday.

I collected the 'The Pond' from the auction house this afternoon; I could see that someone had tidied the picture up and had replaced the paper tape around the edges – but they had carefully left the original label visible:

WAKEFIELD CITY ART GALLERY
W. R. A. E. 1935
ARTIST: K. M. Fryer
TITLE: "The Pond"
Price: £4 . 4 (4 guineas)

Katherine May Frier was born on 26 August 1910, she had left Leeds College of Art in 1931, so this is a painting from the start of her long career as an artist.


And, look! there's another painting on the other side of the canvas . . .


You need to turn the canvas upside down to see it . . .


The account of her life on the Leeds College of Art web site mentions that Katherine's reminiscences of her time in Leeds recall soot-clad buildings – she used to wonder how the French Impressionists were able to create brightly coloured canvasses from urban scenes. Is this abandoned picture one of her attempts to do just that? Did she cast it aside and then use the reverse of the canvas to paint this picture of a still pool on the edge of a wood, looking out over the green fields?

So, Katherine Fryer's painting "The Pond" is now propped up on a chair in my studio; it's a picture I will spend time enjoying – the repeated geometry of the fence, it's reflection in the water, the dark against light/light against dark patterns, and the symphony of shades of green, I can imagine dipping my toe into the cool water.

In 2000 she held a solo show of called 'One Point of View', and said that "she will continue to draw and paint for as long as she is able to do so" – in her early 20s, when she painted "The Pool" she didn't know her career as an artist and an inspirational teacher would be so long. Perhaps you know her? I'd love to find out more about her work.

Celia
x

A cordial treasure

Last week, while Terry was staying with us, I took her shopping in the nearby village (or town, if you're a local) of Clare; one of those picture book villages with houses with doors opening right onto the market square and lots of little shops. We popped into Clare Antiques Warehouse for a mooch around – it's one of those places where dozens of dealers have their pitch, it's a treasure trove of stuff.


Of course we both ended up buying things! Terry pointed out to me a pretty bright teal-blue vase, she must have known that it would fit perfectly into my house – it's just the right size for arranging a few flowers from the garden.


I browsed along a shelf of books and one caught my eye, it looked familiar . . . and then I remembered why. A couple of months ago, when I was doing some research about a painting on which I placed a (too low) auction bid, I'd read about the artist Roger Nicholson on the blog Quad Royal, and this was the very book pictured in that post – the cover and inside pages were illustrated by Roger Nicholson in 1954.


The National Federation of Women's Institutes Home Made Wines, Syrups and Cordials; the edition I found is the 15th reprint dated 1962 – which proves it's not only a very prettily decorated book, but a popular and useful one too.


The chapter headings are delightful and obviously the work of an artist with a light and easy touch.


The text is full of the sort of snippets of advice and information that give a whole new dimension to gardening and country walks.


I think some of the recipes will soon become old favourites!


This is a little culinary gem, not rare or in mint condition (some pages have extra notes and recipes hand-written by a previous owner) – it was just waiting for me to give it a new home.


Celia
x

Auctions . . . not just about buying stuff

Last Friday I went along to my favourite auction house to view the lots coming up for sale on Saturday; it was probably the best collection of lots I've seen for a long time and the rooms were crowded with people talking excitedly and making notes.

I'd spotted five things in the on-line catalogue, that I wanted to look at and maybe to leave commission bids for – once again I wasn't able to go to the auction and to bid in person, but this focuses the mind and prevents snap purchases so it's no bad thing!

The five lots were:
• A wooden framed over-mantle mirror
• Five woodblock prints by Hiroshige from the "100 views of Edo" series
• An oil painting of two ceramic jugs by Manuel Blesa
• A silver bracelet by Georg Jensen
• An oil painting of a farmyard by Roger Nicholson

I quickly crossed off the mirror – it was the wrong size for our fireplace. On to the Hiroshige prints, the estimate of £80 seemed too low and I smelled a rat, so I'd done some homework and checked the size of the original prints – these prints were slightly smaller, looked brand new but were printed from woodblocks . . . mmmm? The labels on the back of the frames said they were purchased at the Kyoto Arts Centre – I've been there and they sell reproduction copy prints, skillfully done but not original Hiroshiges. I was tempted, but crossed them off my list (they went for £85).

Now I was down to the final three . . . the Manuel Blesa painting was delightful, serene and beautifully painted, framed in a very Spanish heavy black frame it would look perfect in our dining room once I get the walls repainted . . . I checked with the auctioneer – there was a reserve of £250, I wouldn't be getting a bargain but the painting was worth at least that. I crossed it off my list. (It sold for £340, there's no way I'd have gone that high but I could see why someone paid that much.)

I asked the auctioneer to open one of the secure cabinets so I could look at the bracelet, I'm not an expert on Jensen but I really like his designs and want to learn more. I wish I'd done more homework before I looked at this . . . the lovely 'Seed and Pod' design was much more attractive in real life than in the catalogue photo, the workmanship was top quality – I loved the clever little lock on the catch. I was only going to bid if the reserve was low – at £250 it wasn't. As I walked away I overheard a confident dealer list the things he wanted to check out including the bracelet . . . I wasn't alone in spotting a quality piece (the Jensen 'Seed and Pod' bracelet sold for £440!)


I had one lot left on my list . . . the painting by Roger Nicholson; I usually only consider buying original prints but this painting really caught my eye – there was something special about it.


Before I went to the auction rooms I did a bit of research about the painter – Roger Nicholson was a highly skilled artist and designer. He is better known for his textile designs in the 1950s and the V&A Museum has a large collection of his designs. I wanted this painting but I was in a cautious mood, the estimate was only £50. I wrote down a very modest commission bid, handed it into the auctioneer and drove home.

The Roger Nicholson painting sold for £240.

I didn't get the painting (but I learned a lot).


Celia
x

Meeting an artist and her tiger

Some of you will be readers of The Cottage Smallholder, if so you'll know that Fiona has been battling with ill health over the past year and her wonderful blog has become her window on the outside world and a necessary source of income. I got to know Fiona before her energy began to wane, she lives a short drive across the wiggly Suffolk/Cambs border; and as a treat before I faced major surgery, we had a fabulously fun day out at Audley End Estate a couple of summers back.

We've always wanted to go out on another jaunt together; two weeks ago I was pleased that Fiona felt she was well enough for a trip to Willingham Auctions. You can read more about what we got up to on Fiona's blog, but I can now reveal that one of the commission bids I left with the auctioneer was successful.

I'm now the owner of this etching . . .

Handwritten under the picture in pencil it reads:
State II Trial proof No 8. La Pursuite
Orovida 1917

So who was Orovida? I confess I hadn't heard of her, but as soon as I found out who she was I started to get excited . . .


Meet Orovida Camille-Pissarro, the only child of Lucien Pissarro and his English wife Esther, and Grand-daughter of Jacob-Abraham-Camille Pissarro. Yes, that's the French Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro!

Here's Orovida as she saw herself – in a self-portrait painted when she was 24 years old, you can see the portrait in the Pissarro family archive in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

Orovida was born in Epping in Essex in 1893 and she was taught to paint in the French Impressionist style by her father Lucien and then in 1913 she became a pupil of Walter Sickert. She looks like a determined woman, doesn't she? Formidable perhaps? She turned her back on her family's heritage and became fascinated by the art of India, Persia and Japan; in her early 20s she dropped her family name and signed her art 'Orovida' and began to produce decorative and illustrative work. Her mother was worried about her daughter becoming artist with all the attached insecurity of income and wanted her to study music instead, but Orovida apparently persuaded her by studying etching which could lead to becoming an illustrator. Even though she was passionate about Eastern art she never travelled to Asia, all her inspiration came from museums and the animals in London Zoo, in particular she loved Mongolian horses and Indian tigers.

So, what a treat! I've stumbled upon one of Orovida's beloved tigers in an etching from 1917 when she was 23 and trying to walk her own path, leaving the weight of a famous father and artist mega-star grand-father behind.

Photograph of Orovida from the Stern Pissarro Gallery, London.

In her later years she returned to oil painting and painted colourful pictures of children and families as well as her beloved horses and cats – big and small. She died in 1968, I wonder what it was like to meet her? I'm very pleased to have met one of her prints.

Lot number 1618 . . .

Well here we are at Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers, this their new auction house – it's built from straw bales, yes – it really is!


And, no, that's not my red jag!

Apologies for the fuzzy photos - I took them furtively with my phone.


I had been told that the auction proceeds at a pace of 120 to 150 lots per hour, so doing some maths I was aiming for 3pm-ish to see the oil painting come under the hammer. Something made me set out early, I had to put petrol in the car and there might be hold up on route; I arrived at about 2.10pm and lingered in the car to listen to the heated row at the end of The Archers on Radio 4.

When wandered in to the auction room the bidding had already reached Lot 1575! So I settled down on a chair in the corner and waited as the hammer went down over and over again.


I tried to record a little movie of the moment the bidding got to Lot 1618, but the camera in my phone cut out too early, so this is roughly what happened . . .

Auctioneer: "Lot 1618 an oil painting by Elena Gaussen Marks of two standing nudes . . . I'm starting at £200 . . . Any bids in the room? . . . Sold for £200 (bang!) Lot 1619 . . ."

So that was that, the auctioneer didn't say he had a commission bid and I'd put a reserve on of £200 . . . had it really sold or not?

I queued up and asked at the kiosk (I was beginning to assume it hadn't and was ready to carry the painting to my car and bring it home) – but it had! Hurrah!

So I've just about got my money back and have a framed Sheila Robinson linocut for free! Result!

Now I have to get down to work – after I've made a cup of tea of course!

B.O.G.O.F.

On Friday I went for a scout around my favourite auction – this isn't a stuffy serious fine art auction house, it's a treasure house of all sorts of stuff and has a friendly atmosphere (if you've never been to an auction this is a good place to start).

It's easy to get distracted, I spotted a lovely carpet, but I tried to be focused. I usually take a good look at the pictures and prints, one day something really interesting is going to turn up. On Friday I spotted a signature I recognised . . .


I skipped off to the auctioneer's office to check in the catalogue for the estimated price but found no mention of a print by Sheila Robinson. I asked the auctioneer about the print, he pointed to the lot number and explained it was included with the large oil painting next to it on the shelf – 'the nudes?!' 'Yes, the nudes – they're apparently by a well known artist'.

My heart sank, I didn't want to buy a massive oil painting of a Life Class and if it was by someone really well known I couldn't afford to make a bid. My Mum lives near the auction house, so I checked on her computer and found that the painter of 'the nudes' was a noted portraitist, but then again I really wanted that print by Sheila Robinson. So, on my way home I returned to the auctioneer's office and filled out a 'Commission Bid' form – we had things to do on Saturday so unfortunately I couldn't bid in person – I put down the price I'd be happy to pay for the print alone, a B.O.G.O.F. (buy one get one free), it was a gamble . . .


. . . which paid off! This morning I collected both pictures from the auction house, they're bigger than I remembered! It was a tight fit getting them into my car.

Here's the Sheila Robinson print, I think the date is 1985*, two years before she died and is marked 1/Artist's Proof. Sheila was an innovative printmaker who often printed from cut cardboard as well as lino; she worked as an illustrator and designed stamps and posters, inspired by her mentor Edward Bawden. Later she taught printmaking at the Royal College of Art. I love the confidence of the cut lines and the colours she's used.



What about that oil painting? Here's a sneaky look at the corner – subtle colours and a light touch . . .


Here's the signature . . .


Elena Gaussen Marks, she is still working as a portrait painter in London as Elena Gaussen, there's a water colour study of a similar composition on her web site. What I've found out about her is an intriguing story – for 34 years she was married to Leo Marks, if you haven't heard of him you will probably know a poem he wrote.

There are things I like about the painting – the soft colours of the background and the memories it resurrects in me of hours and hours of life classes at art school. And, in finding out more about the painter, I've discovered the amazing life story of Leo Marks . But 'the nudes' are for sale . . .


. . . let me know if you'd like to make me an offer, I'll let you know if I put them into another auction**.

POSTSCRIPT
* I asked the Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Walden if they had any information about the Sheila Robinson Print. They have one in their collection dated 1963 – I can now see that is the date on this print. It is called 'Leaves' and the gallery staff are almost certain that Edward Bawden had the same print framed and hanging in his house.

** The nudes oil painting will be for sale in this auction on 22 September 2010.

Bargain hunt

I love auctions and often surf through online catalogues to see if there's anything worth viewing and perhaps bidding for. Last week I spotted a lot which definitely got me interested and after visiting the auction rooms I was determined to bid – but I would be on the road up to Liverpool on Saturday! I'd have to put in a 'commission bid' and trust the auctioneer to bid for me. I've never done this before, I cautiously filled out the form and hesitated over the price to put as my limit. The upper estimate might not be enough but I didn't want to pay too much.

On Sunday evening I checked the auction web site, the price realised for 'my lot' was below the figure I'd put on the form – I must have won!!!! Hurray!!!! So on Monday I collected my bargain buy . . .


. . . a couple of tatty old picture frames . . .

containing two Japanese woodcuts :-) I'm chuffed to bits! (it doesn't take much)


The first one is by . . .


Hiroshige! Well, probably it's Hiroshige II (1829 - 1869) or Hiroshige III (1842 - 1894) – not the main man Ando Hiroshige (now that would be amazing). Hiroshige II was the talented pupil of Ando Hiroshige who became his master's adopted son and married his daughter. When the couple divorced Ando Hiroshige's daughter married another pupil of the master who took the name Hiroshige III. The confusing thing is that all three artist's signatures are very similar! Lot's more research is needed!
see below

In the background of this print is a crowd standing on a bridge watching a firework display. I love the woodgrain texture across the night sky and the sense that the crowd is brightly lit from behind.


In the foreground a woman (I think?) crouches in a covered barge – why is she hiding? I wish I could read Japanese and translate the title! It's so clever how the hair is printed first in a translucent dark grey and then a solid black. That little wisp of hair at her temple is so cute, is it to show she is slightly dishevelled? And the way the fabric pattern is printed is gorgeous.


The second print is a bigger puzzle. There is a note on the mount saying it is by Yoshichika – an artist I can find little about. Prints I've found purporting to be by him have a signature which don't match this . . .


The scene of sumptuously dressed ladies walking by a river in which there are half naked men, is cheeky and extremely decorative. I'll have to get the title translated and find out what it's all about! There is so much going on in the design, the detail in the fabric patterns is awesome – amazing skilled work.


A bargain!


Postscript: 18 December 2008
This is what I've discovered so far:

The first print is most likely to be by Hiroshige II, the apprentice and adopted son of Ando Hiroshige. He carried on the master’s great themes and scenes and produced high quality work but not designs of great originality. The signature, mid right, is definitely ‘Hiroshige’ but this was used by all three ‘Hiroshiges’ at some point in their careers. However the style of the signature panel and the lozenge seal seem to be that of Hiroshige II 1829-1869.
The subject is a popular one for printmakers: watching fireworks on the Ryogoku Bridge and from pleasure boats on the river below. Beautiful women in the pleasure boats is another favourite. My hunch is that this is the central panel of a large triptych, as this is is the central part of the boat. Stylistically I would think this dates from about 1860. Each of the three prints would have the title and signature and stand alone as a design – of course the chance of all three images staying together and in good condition for 150 years is slim so a complete set would be far more valuable! But it’s a lovely image by a well known printmaker. I would guess the title refers to the Ryogoku Bridge, pleasure boats, beautiful women, fireworks, or something of that ilk!

The other print, showing a grand lady and attendants beside a river is supposed to be by Yoshichika. But I can’t find out much about him – his signature is shown lower left but I haven’t been able to check this against an authenticated print. I found a reference to an artist called Ichi Yoshichika 1787 – 1872 and a note saying nothing more is known about him!
But I love the depiction of different textile designs and the ‘Onna norimono’ or noblewoman’s palanquin
great reference for one here. The title of the print, top right, might refer to a woman by name with her attendants and bathers. Or it may refer to a well known story of the time.

With a bit more delving I hope to find out more!

Postscript 20 June 2017
While watching an excellent programme about Japan on TV last night, I was inspired to search on google for more information about the 'Horoshige' print. I know that the image must be part of a triptych and depicts people watching fireworks of Ryogoku Bridge. To my surprise in google images I spotted this!

from risdmuseum.org

Enjoying the evening cool with fireworks, Ryogoku Bridge (Ryogoku noryo ohanabi)

Utagawa Hiroshige
Japanese, 1797-1858
Yamadaya Shojiro, publisher
Japanese
Enjoying the evening cool with fireworks, Ryogoku Bridge (Ryogoku noryo ohanabi), 1847-1852
Polychrome woodblock print
Plate: 37.3 x 24.3 cm (14 11/16 x 9 9/16 inches)
Gift of Marshall H. Gould 46.293.11B

So the mystery is solved, I have one third of a  Utagawa Hiroshige's triptych