John William Godward - The Time of Roses

signed J.W. Godward and dated 1916 (lower left)
oil on canvas 30 1/2 by 30 1/2 in. (painted within a circle)
The Time of Roses is among Godward's most successful compositions. Every square inch of the picture plane contributes to this beautiful image of a Grecian woman in a sinuous draped gown, perched on a small chaise that is draped in a leopard's pelt. She holds a small pair of shears in one hand and a single white rose in the other –typically a symbol of honor and integrity and, in some cases, remembrance. As in all of his masterpieces, no element is spared the artist's meticulous, and even obsessive, attention to detail. Formally, the roundel lends itself perfectly to the seated subject and the careful arrangement of horizontal and vertical elements activate the whole composition. In discussing this painting, Vern Swanson adds that "the artist's deft handling of tonal and analogous color harmonies creates an effective image" (Swanson, p. 112). A painting such as this leaves no doubt that Godward was a master of his craft. Painted in 1916, one cannot help but wonder to what The Time of Roses alludes. While Europe and the rest of the world are in the grips of a war more devastating and on a greater scale than any other in recorded history, here sits Godward's dream-like beauty, contemplating her flower with sobriety. Her passive grip on the blades, the white rose that seems to stand in opposition to the arrangement of crimson, yellow and pink flowers, the discarded stem with blemished leaves, and of course the slain feline upon which she rests, all conspire to create a deeply meditative composition. He is presenting his archetypal woman as a transcendent hero and an allegory of peace. At this time, Godward maintained his practice in Italy. While he may have rejected the Futurist Manifesto that was written seven years prior, or not appreciated the beauty of works by his contemporaries, such as Monet in Giverney painting his late Waterlilies, Godward was well aware of what was happening in European art circles and the avantgarde. His reputation for being exclusively concerned with the creation of harmonious images and appealing to classical notions of beauty may be sound when faced with much of his output, but The Time of Roses presents an allegorical image that straddles symbolism and classicism. Not to be dismissed as an escapist vision of serenity and simplicity, here Godward has effectively married his technical mastery to compelling comment.

Edmund Blair Leighton - Ribbons and Laces for very pretty faces

signed E. BLAIR LEIGHTON and dated 1902 (lower left) oil on canvas 42 by 22 in. Though Leighton may be best known for his medieval compositions, he also painted a large number of nineteenth century costume pieces which share similar subject of male female interaction and romantic gesture. When one looks at Leighton's body of work as a whole, it is clear that he captures a certain quality that reaches the core of human emotion. Despite differences in time, the subject of love and romance are the same and universal. Like Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Leighton paid tremendous attention to the detail and historical accuracy of his work. He had an extensive collection of original eighteenth century costumes, instruments, and weaponry that he made good use of in his studio. It must be said that a key element in both his medieval and eighteenth century costume paintings was a careful representation of clothing styles and fabrics. If Leighton could not find an original piece that suited him, his wife would work with a seamstress in an upstairs room recreating a replica from original dress patterns. He must have found these costumes very beautiful and had a true passion for painting them. A particularly good example of this is Ribbons and Laces for Very Pretty Faces which was a very popular work after it left the artist's studio. In this painting alone, Blair Leighton utilizes nineteen different types of fabrics: from lace to silk, embroidery to velvet, some quilted and all painted with fine detail, skill, and dedication. In the present work, three woman stand at a doorway dressed in the most magnificent of gowns examining a selection of beautiful textiles and ribbons. The brunette appears to be as taken with the seller as with the wares he offers, while the youngest leans on her sister's arm, gazing off, having lost interest in the finery she is too young to appreciate. Ribbons and Laces for Very Pretty Faces is a veneration of beauty, not only of woman and fabrics, but of young adulthood as well. The copyrights for this work were purchased by the Berlin Photographic Company shortly after it was painted and the image was reproduced by them before 1905 in fine quality prints for public consumption. AUTHENTICATION We would like to thank Kara Ross for providing this catalogue entry and kindly confirming the authenticity of this lot which will be included in her forthcoming catalogue raisonné.

Frederick Morgan - Willing Helpers

signed Fred Morgan (lower left)
oil on canvas
38 1/2 by 26 in.

Charles Burton Barber - Once Bit, Twice Shy

signed C. Burton Barber and dated 1885 (lower right) oil on canvas 36 1/4 by 28 1/4 in. London, Royal Academy, 1885, no. 1120 London, Royal Academy, Summer Exhibition, 1886 The present work is one of Burton Barber's characteristically charming works of children and dogs. In his short life (he died at 49), the artist earned great popularity over his twenty-eight years of exhibitions at London's Royal Academy even drawing the attention of Queen Victoria who requested the artist paint the royal dogs. In particular, Once Bit, Twice Shy drew great acclaim upon its first exhibition in 1885. The Academy Notes considered the composition, hung among the works of less remarkable landscape artists, "a highly humorous incident not to be missed" (Blackburn, p. 16). The Times elaborated, naming Once Bit, Twice Shy "the most amusing picture in the Academy... It is a doubtful experiment to make an elaborate joke on canvas, but if the jokes are as good as this one there is much to be said for them" ("Royal Academy," p. 4). Set in a well appointed interior, a young girl sits neatly dressed in white pinafore over a vibrantly blue silk dress, foxterrier puppy in arm, one hand tucked under his chin while the other holds a silver spoon, digging deep into a mustard pot. The humorous tension of the moment was easily understood and appreciated by contemporary viewers. As a Royal Academy visitor explained: "the dog, as the title implies, has had the same experience before, and once is enough. But its young mistress has no idea of paying any attention to random protests, and is proceeding with perfect calmness to her duty. The contrast between her tranquil indifference and the ludicrous horror depicted on the face of the puppy is a pictorial triumph" ("Royal Academy," p. 4). Parents are rarely (if ever) present in Burton Barber's subjects, yet in the present work the carafe, empty wine glasses, and discarded cloth napkin suggest they have recently left the room —leaving their young daughter to her experiments. Despite the girl removing the puppy's belled collar, adult attention may not be avoided for long. In the darkened room, with its deep brown wood furniture and richly patterned carpet, light bounces across the tablecloth and spills over the girl's glossy auburn hair and the puppy's white coat, suggesting a door that has been reopened. Burton Barber's contrasting light effects adds to the theatricality of the scene, while his brilliant ability to capture the psychology of this subjects is evidenced in the detailed expression of the wary puppy and his tense posture as well as the young girl's studied, downward gaze and sweet if determined smile. Outside of the exhibition galleries, Once Bit, Twice Shy, like many of Burton Barber's mpositions, was likely well known through the wide distribution of prints and chromolithographs that were sold of his works.

James Jebusa Shannon - Portrait of a Girl

Shannon established a highly successful London portrait studio in the late nineteenth century and by the 1900s was considered by many a rival to John Singer Sargent. His expressive, painterly style and bold use of color effectively
captured the personality and fashion of his sitters. Though a mirror was an object common to artist's studio, Shannon employed it to unusual effect: he placed the glass behind him so that sitters could watch the progress of the painting (Brian Stewart and Mervyn Cutten, The Dictionary of Portrait Painters in Britain up to 1920,
Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1997, p. 418).

Sussex, Littlehampton, from the Pier in the 1890's

Auction houses in duel under the sun

[Edwin Lord Weeks's 'Promenade on an Indian Street'] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/artsales/8429185/Auction-houses-in-duel-under-the-sun.html# Eighteen million dollars (£11.2 million) of art and jewellery goes up for auction in Dubai this month as Bonhams and Christie’s go head to head in a duel under the sun.

Flowering of the private sponsor

[Roses in a Vase by Henri Fantin-Latour] At a time when the public funding issue for museums has never been more critical, the leading London art dealer Richard Green has announced that he is sponsoring three museum exhibitions. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/artsales/8444045/Flowering-of-the-private-sponsor.html#

Edward Lear - There was an Old Man on some rocks, who shut up his wife in a box

from 'A Book of Nonsense', published by Frederick Warne and Co., London, c.1875