Two works by Stanhope Alexander Forbes form a part of this sale, both of exterior settings with dwellings, though slightly different in style.
Sir Walter Raleigh's House at Mitchell, Cornwall depicts two figures, one a women and another a girl, walking towards the house as another figure peers through the window. The house is lush with lavender and flowers forming the entry to the house. This work is signed lower right and dated 1932 and 1941; it was exhibited at the Exhibition of Works by Eminent Living Arts, March-June, 1945, at Russell Cotes Art Gallery, Bournemouth.
Forbes’ other work, Evening on the Highway, is set slightly further back on a dirt road with two white dwellings in view. It is signed lower right and dated 1938.
Forbes was a prominent artist in his time and a founding member of the influential Newlyn School of painters. In fact, he was often called ‘the father of the Newlyn School’. Forbes was born in Dublin in 1857, the son of Juliette de Guise Forbes, a French woman, and William Forbes, an English railway manager, who was later transferred to London. He had an older brother named William, who was also railway manager.
French artist Henri Adolphe Laissement’s artwork The Dispute depicts what appears to be two members of the Catholic Church, identifiable by their red cassock and red biretta and zucchetto. The two are in conversation, the senior figure sitting with hands together and the other with arms extending towards another figure in the room, meanwhile another figure in black stands holding what looks to be a cup of tea.
The ‘dispute’ takes place in a grand and decadent room with gold detailing and an impressive clock on the mantelpiece. The artwork is signed lower left and inscribed ‘au docteur Desnos’.
Return from the Hunt by James William Cole is an impressive work of large proportions depicting huntsmen in a landscape with their horses and hounds. The hounds seem particularly delighted at their masters’ return. The work is an oil on canvas, signed lower left.
This Lady in Waiting by Charles Haigh-Wood is wearing a pair of long white gloves and a pink dress with frilled sleeves and collar. She pulls back a lace curtain and peers out the window in anticipation of someone’s arrival. A lover perhaps?
If you like what you see here be sure to check out lots at Boningtons, as a reminder their sale is taking place on 20 March.
