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A Flower Stall
MESSAGE:
A copy of Waterhouse's 1880 canvas "A Flower Stall" is being offered for sale on
eBay this week. The seller has not provided dimensions and has ascribed the picture to "Circle of John William Godward". The frame is probably 19th Century, although the canvas stretcher looks more recent. The picture is more likely to be a direct copy of JWW's original in the Laing Art Gallery rather than a study for it, as there are no obvious differences in the composition, and the handling of paint falls short of Waterhouse's style, even for oil studies. Having said that, the signature bears at least some resemblance to his, and the colours are pretty good.
RESPONSES:
Interesting find Stb.
As far as I'm aware Reeves did not market canvas until 1971. The seller calls it a Reeves canvas and this could be what is stamped on the back of the Canvas.
Looks like the painting has been resized by forcing the stretcher out to the size of the frame. The nails tacking the canvas appear to be new.
The signature ends in a double t and double e. It doesn't appear to be an attempt to copy JWs signature.
It does look to be well produced work, in thin paint. There is an ok level of skill in the work but it is nothing like JWs style, the colouring seems faithfull.
Godward spent most of the 1900 to 1920 period in Rome. The seller is probably pointing towards pre 1909.
I have no idea of the value of an unattributed copy, so have no idea if this is good value.
Cheers
Neil
Although various members of the Reeves family traded as artists' suppliers from the 18th Century onwards, they operated under the name of "Reeves and Son" from 1827, and were producing marked canvases by 1848. (Herbert Draper was using their canvases in the early 20th Century). The second line of the stamp on the reverse of the eBay canvas begins with "ST", which may refer to Reeves' outlet in St John's Wood which operated from 1896-1900. This would be too late for the picture to be a study by Waterhouse for his larger 1880 canvas, but would support it being an early copy of "A Flower Stall" by a competent amateur artist.
Stb thanks for the information about Reeves, both as canvas providers and their outlet location in St John's Wood.
Is it possible that one of St Johns Wood Art School students may have done it? This would account for the quality of work and make it far more interesting, with JW having been involved in the school. Though I think appropriating in this way might have been unacceptable in the 1890s (we still have controversies over appropriation in Australia).
How very interesting ... Thanks so much, StB and Neil. :)
It was only a speculation of mine that the "ST" printed on the back of the canvas may have read "ST JOHN'S WOOD". It could just as easily say something like "STRETCHED CANVAS" which would then remove the constraints of when and where the canvas was actually produced. I would imagine that the St John's Wood Art School would have the students draw from life models or casts, not make reduced copies of an oil painting which in the 1890s was presumably still in private ownership (John Lamb bequeathed "A Flower Stall" to the Laing Art Gallery in 1909). Hobson (1980) makes no mention of the original painting being exhibited elsewhere after it's acquisition in 1909, or of it being reproduced anywhere in colour. Having said that, the painting was reproduced in colour (10x7.5in) using its alternative title "A Grecian Flower Market" in "Modern Masterpieces of British Art" (Amalgamated Press Ltd 1930/1). The wooden stretcher for the eBay picture looks more 1930s than Victorian, and the painting itself does not look very large, so it is more likely that the copy was painted at around this date directly from the book, and not from the original in Newcastle.
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