Items Similar to Life Kindled of a Fiery Birth - British art 1913 landscape oil painting
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 16
Edward Steel Harper JnrLife Kindled of a Fiery Birth - British art 1913 landscape oil painting1913
1913
About the Item
This superb 1913 late Pre-Raphaelite spring landscape oil painting is by noted Birmingham artist Edward Steel Harper Junior. The title, Life Kindled from a Fiery Birth is from Swinburne's epic poem `Tristram of Lyonesse` (1882), see more details below biography. The hilly landscape is covered in vibrant yellow flowering gorse bushes that indeed appear like fire. There is also the blue of spring bluebells and trees coming into leaf in the background. Harper's landscapes in oil show his experimentation with the ‘wet white’ technique, a method used by the Pre-Raphaelite artists where white flake is spread with a palette knife onto canvas and colour then applied with sable brushes. This stunning painting is housed in a hand made brass or copper Arts and Crafts frame, which Harper would have made himself at the Birmingham School of Art. An altogether fantastic example of Harper's work.
Signed with characteristic ES [harp] ER, in part to distinguish himself from his father, who shared the same initials, and dated 1913. Signed and inscribed upon a partially fragmented label on the backboard.
Provenance. Somerset estate.
Condition. Oil on canvas, 30 inches by 24 inches and in good condition.
Frame. Housed a repousse brass or copper Arts & Crafts frame, probably designed and made at the Birmingham School of Art, 43 inches by 35 inches and in good condition. Harper studied at the Birmingham School of Art where a keen focus upon methods and materials was encouraged, especially in wood and metal. Harper was to become a proficient metalworker and an equally accomplished woodworker. Some of his more ambitious compositions have frames like this one: evidently original, carefully executed and made to complement the picture itself so that the Arts & Crafts ethos of thoughtful design and skilful manufacture in perfect harmony can be shown to good effect.
Edward Steel Harper Jnr (1878-1951) was a landscape and portrait painter from Birmingham. He was son of Edward Steel Harper Snr who was Director of the Life Academy, Municipal School of Art, Birmingham 1880-1919. He was one of three children who all became professional artists. He was Honorary Secretary and Professor of Anatomy at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA), Director of the Life Academy at Birmingham School of Art (1880-1919) and Art Critic for the Birmingham Post. Harper studied at the Birmingham School of Art where a keen focus upon methods and materials was encouraged, especially in wood and metal. Harper was to become a proficient metalworker and an equally accomplished woodworker. Some of his more ambitious compositions have frames like this one: evidently original, carefully executed and made to complement the picture itself so that the Arts & Crafts ethos of thoughtful design and skilful manufacture in perfect harmony can be shown to good effect. Such endeavours must have kept him busy as he is known to have painted over 2000 pictures in a exhibiting career that lasted 17 years. Elected member of the RBSA in 1915, Harper later became Art Master of Wolverhampton Grammar School until he retired in 1942. Of the 2000 pictures he painted during his lifetime, his major works include Woods by the Shore and The Breath of Spring, both of which were exhibited at the RBSA and were purchased by Birmingham Art Gallery. Harper exhibited from 1920 to 1937, at a number of leading venues, including the Royal Academy, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, as well as the RBSA. His works are in major galleries throughout the UK including Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
Tristram of Lyonesse is a long epic poem written by the British poet Algernon Charles Swinburne, that recounts in grand fashion the famous medieval story of the ill-fated lovers Tristan and Isolde (Tristram and Iseult in Swinburne’s version). It was first published in 1882 by Chatto and Windus, in a volume entitled Tristram of Lyonesse and Other Poems. Swinburne himself considered Tristram of Lyonesse to be the crowning achievement of his poetic career (quoted by Harrison, p. 96). The poem consists of 4488 rhyming pentameters and is divided into ten different sections: one ‘Prelude’ and nine ‘Cantos’.
- Creator:Edward Steel Harper Jnr (1878 - 1951)
- Creation Year:1913
- Dimensions:Height: 35 in (88.9 cm)Width: 43 in (109.22 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU853113194402
About the Seller
5.0
Platinum Seller
These expertly vetted sellers are 1stDibs' most experienced sellers and are rated highest by our customers.
1stDibs seller since 2018
398 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: <1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Ships Heading to Sea - Dutch 17th century Old Master marine art oil paintingLocated in London, GBThis fantastic Dutch Old Master marine oil painting is by noted Dutch marine artist Abraham Storck. Painted circa 1670 the composition is a number of ships heading out to sea, their ...Category
1670s Old Masters Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Wooded Landscape with Diana Hunting - 17thC Old Master French art oil paintingBy Jean François MilletLocated in London, GBA original large French Old Master oil on canvas which is by Millet (1642-1679) and was painted circa 1675. This large canvas is in good clean condition and depicts a wooded landscap...Category
17th Century Old Masters Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Travellers near Ruins in a Landscape - Dutch Old Master art figural oil paintingBy Pieter WouwermanLocated in London, GBThis lovely Dutch Old Master oil painting is attributed to artist Pieter Wouwerman. Painted circa 1660 it is figurative landscape with horseback travellers and their dogs in the foreground approaching ruins on their left. Beyond is a river snakes through the landscape, beneath the fading light of approaching dusk. There are some superb details making this an excellent Dutch Golden Age oil painting...Category
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil
- River Landscape - British 1920's art Bath landscape oil painting female artistBy Margaret Maitland HowardLocated in London, GBThis lovely British 20th century river landscape oil painting is by noted female artist Margaret Maitland Howard. The location may be Bath but needs more research. The composition is a tranquil river landscape with a man fishing from a boat in the foreground, a bridge and buildings beyond. A neo classical building stands on the right bank...Category
1920s Realist Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Dedham Watermill - British 19thC art landscape oil painting Constable countryBy Frederick Waters WattsLocated in London, GBThis lovely oil painting, circa 1850, is by Frederick Waters Watts (1800-1862), a highly desired landscape painter from the 19th century. The painting titled "Dedham Watermill" is in...Category
19th Century Impressionist Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Feeding Chickens by a Farm in Summer - Scottish Victorian landscape oil paintingBy Alexander FraserLocated in London, GBThis lovely Victorian landscape oil painting is by noted Scottish artist and prolific exhibitor Alexander Fraser. Painted circa 1870 it is a farm landscape with a mother and child fe...Category
19th Century Realist Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil
You May Also Like
- Diana Nemorensis - 19th Century NeoClassical Oil Painting of Roman GoddessBy Max NonnenbruchLocated in Gerrards Cross, GB‘Diana Nemorensis’ by Max Nonnenbruch (1857-1922). The painting – which depicts the Goddess Diana of the Woods beside Lake Nemi – is signed by the artist and presented in a fine gol...Category
Late 19th Century Pre-Raphaelite Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Diana Nemorensis - 19th Century NeoClassical Oil Painting of Roman GoddessBy Max NonnenbruchLocated in Gerrards Cross, GB‘Diana Nemorensis’ by Max Nonnenbruch (1857-1922). The painting – which depicts the Goddess Diana of the Woods beside Lake Nemi – is signed by the artist and presented in a fine gol...Category
Late 19th Century Pre-Raphaelite Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Oil Painting of Trees by Pre-Raphaelite George Howard, 9th Earl of CarlisleLocated in London, GBGEORGE HOWARD, 9th EARL OF CARLISLE (1843-1911) A Line of Trees Oil on panel Framed 26.5 by 36.5 cm., 10 ½ by 14 ½ in. (frame size 37 by 47.5 cm., 14 ½ by 18 ¾ i.) Provenance: La...Category
Late 19th Century Pre-Raphaelite Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Gathering Cockles - Pre-Raphaelite Figures in Landscape Oil by John Edward BrettBy John Edward Brett ARALocated in Marlow, BuckinghamshireSigned and dated figurative oil on canvas by English Pre-Raphaelite painter John Edward Brett. In 1896 John Brett and his wife Mary went to Paris, the first time the artist had been ...Category
1890s Pre-Raphaelite Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- George Howard, Earl of Carlisle - BritishPre-Raphaelite Landscape OilLocated in London, GBGEORGE HOWARD, 9th EARL OF CARLISLE (1843-1911) Lanercost, Cumbria Oil on canvas Framed 25 by 35.5 cm., 10 by 14 in. (frame size 37 by 47 cm., 14 ½ by 18 ½ in.) Provenance: Lady Cecilia Howard, daughter of George Howard, 9th Duke of Carlisle, and thence my descent George James Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle was an aristocrat, Liberal politician, artist. He was a friend and important patron to a number of artists in the Pre-Raphaelite circle, being particularly close to Burne-Jones. As well as Naworth Castle near Carlisle and Castle Howard...Category
Late 19th Century Pre-Raphaelite Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Landscape of Summer At Lake George, NYBy John Henry HillLocated in Fredericksburg, VAJohn Henry Hill was a distinguished landscape painter and engraver of the American Pre-Raphaelite tradition. A lifelong resident of West Nyack, New York, John Henry Hill was influenc...Category
Mid-19th Century Pre-Raphaelite Landscape Paintings
MaterialsWatercolor, Paper
