This sumptuous Scottish oil painting is by noted artist Robert Hope. It was most recently part of the Paisley Art Institute Collection, formerly held by the Paisley Museum and Art Galleries. It was exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1919 and painted close to this date. The painting is a seated portrait of a woman in profile in a garden. She is holding up a golden apple to a beautiful peacock on the wall behind her. She is wearing a stunning golden dress with blue sash and her auburn hair is up in a bun. The peacock's tail is draped behind her and he is looking back at the golden apple. Yet it is the golden apple that is the focus of attention for the peacock, woman and viewer, an apple selected from red and gold apples in the nearby basket and perhaps offered up to the peacock. The Scottish painter delivers a beautiful exercise in iridescent colours echoing from the woman’s dress, golden with blue sash, to the peacock tail and body colour. The bold brushwork on the whole painting is superb and the vibrant colours are magnificent. This is a stunning painting with excellent provenance from the Royal Scottish Academy 1919 and the Paisley Art Collection and a superb example of Robert Hope's work.
Signed lower left.
Provenance Exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy 1919 no. 225 entitled The Golden Apple.
Paisley Art Institute Collection, formerly held by the Paisley Museum and Art Galleries.
Presented by Alexr. Hope & Isobel Hope Henry, 1937
This stunning, large portrait oil painting is attributed to Spanish Old Master Claudio Coello who is considered the last great Spanish painter of the 17th century. It has formerly been the property of Lady Beatrice in Sidmouth and is labelled verso. Painted circa 1680, the portrait is three quarter length and is of a young noble woman in a very sumptuous, ornate red dress with bows, beads, jewels, lace and heavy embroidery on it as well as red and white feathers coming from her hair. One hand is by her chest and the other reaches out to, maybe, a purse on a table, very similar to her earrings. Next to that is a bound red book and beneath that one can clearly see sheet music. Perhaps this is to indicate her love of music or singing. She gazes straight at the artist/viewer in a very confident manner, sure of her place in the world. The details and colouring are just superb, given the painting is from the 17th century and this is a rather special Spanish Old Master portrait.
Unsigned.
Provenance Labelled verso, 'Portrait by Coello, Property of Lady Beatrice K??, Colematon Cottage, Sidmouth'
This lovely British Edwardian Impressionist portrait oil painting is by noted artist Charles Henry Sims. Painted circa 1910, the young child in the painting is Alan Sims, the artist's son. He is sat in long grass and looking at a bird's nest on the ground, possibly a sky lark's. Alan's vibrant auburn hair is in strong contrast to the muted but gorgeous palette of greens and browns of the grasses and bushes around him and the silvery sky behind. One can sense the wonderment of the young child as he gazes at the eggs in the nest. The impressionist brushwork and heavy impasto in the painting are superb. This is a fantastic example of Sims' work and of the wonders of childhood.
Signed lower right.
Provenance. In artist’s family. Alan Sims was the grandfather of previous owner.
On November 20th 2025, World Children's Day will be celebrated,
marking the adoption of the Rights of the Child by the United Nations.
Pgysical and psychological care and protection, eduction and time to
play are some very basic children's right and our choice of paintings
reflects these.
Harold Harvey (1874-1941) - Cornish Family in an Interior
This superb British figurative interior oil painting is by noted Newlyn school artist Harold Harvey. Painted circa 1912 the composition is a Cornish family, bathed in golden light, seated around a table having a simple meal. The mother, dressed in a yellow shawl and standing next to her husband is passing a plate to her son. The two younger children, sat in the bay window, are drinking their tea. The wall paper is also yellow with flowers and the children's hair gleams like gold. There are some lovely little details such as a gold fish in a bowl on a nearby dresser and bellows hanging by the fire surround. The British Impressionist brushwork and impasto are superb. This is a really warm and intimate portrayal of a family and a lovely example of Harvey's earlier work with good provenance.
Signed lower left.
Provenance Harry Miller, Johannesburg, South Africa; By descent to his daughter, Pera Lee Helena Miller Chiofolo; By gift to her son Richard Chiofolo; Bequest to Douglas Yoder; Private collection, Florida, 2006
Arthur Alfred Burrington (1856-1924) - Children in a School Room Interior
This superb, large British Victorian oil painting is by noted Newlyn and Menton artist Arthur Alfred Burrington. It was painted circa 1890 when Burrington was most likely in Newlyn, having been encouraged to visit by his good friend Stanhope Forbes. The setting is a school interior where several children of a variety of ages have abandoned their books and teacher at the table to watch a Punch and Judy show through the window. The scene is painted in the muted palette of the Newlyn School with wonderful use of light, particularly on the table and through the window. A lovely Newlyn school painting with great detail and colouring and an excellent example of Burrington's work from that period.
Maria Louisa Angus (1863-1934) - Out of Mischief
This absolutely charming exhibited British Victorian oil painting is by female artist Maria Louisa Angus. Painted in 1891, it was exhibited at the Royal Academy that same year. The composition is an interior scene with two young girls on a sofa, looking at a picture book and keeping 'out of mischief' as it is entitled. The room holds an exotic mix of oriental objects and a gorgeous umbrella plant in a gleaming terracotta pot. The girls themselves are sat on a beautifully detailed fur throw, looking at a book, with a marine painting on the wall behind them. The brushwork and colouring are superb and the pink of the older girl's dress is picked up throughout the room. A really lovely painting by a very talented Victorian female artist.
Signed and dated M.L. Angus 1891 lower left.
Provenance Exhibited at the London, Royal Academy, 1891, no. 841 entitled Out of Mischief.
Anonymous, sale, Doyle, New York, May 20, 1998, lot 161, illustrated. Private collection, Newport, Rhode Island.
World Kindness Day falls on 13th November every year and started in 1998. It is an international
day of awareness that highlights and encourages people to do simple acts of kindness that
positively impact people and communities, but every day is a good day to be kind.
We are marking World Kindness Day with this lovely painting of a dog guarding a baby. Animals
are so empathic and loyal and can teach us humans so much.
Henry Turner Munns (1832-1898)
Portrait of a Baby with Dog
This charming British Victorian genre oil painting is attributed to noted exhibited artist Henry Turner Munns. Painted circa 1870 the composition is of a baby by a hearth, asleep in a basket and being guarded by a little terrier dog. The child looks so innocent and the dog so earnest in its duties. The colouring, details and light are superb. An excellent example of a Victorian genre oil painting.
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Claudio Coello (1642-1693)
