Items Similar to Tombstones in a country graveyard

Gordon Bennett - Gordon Bennett - Contemporary Oil, The Graveyard

Pamela Chard - Pamela Chard (1926-2003) - 20th Century Oil, The Graveyard

Unknown - Framed Late 19th Century Oil - All Saints Churchyard

Isaac Charles Goetz - Graveyard by Isaac Charles Goetz - Gouache on paper 39x53 cm

Oil on Board Halloween feature "Midnight in the Church Cemetery"

David Gentleman - Garden

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 10

Unknown
Tombstones in a country graveyard
1940-1950

Name: Tombstones in a country graveyard
Brand: Unknown
Price: 1537.24 CHF
Availability: InStock

$1,915.38

£1,400

€1,647.13

CA$2,630.48

A$2,944.03

CHF 1,537.24

MX$35,917.35

NOK 19,513.29

SEK 18,516.91

DKK 12,299.98

Shipping

Retrieving quote...

The 1stDibs Promise:

Authenticity Guarantee,

Money-Back Guarantee,

24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

British, c. 1940-50 Tombstones in a country graveyard With a study of two herring verso Signed in initials with brush handle lower right, ‘R.M.’ Oil and graphite on board 30.3 x 37.3 cm.; (within frame) 45 x 51.5 cm. Provenance: Private Collection, United Kingdom. Looking inward from the periphery of a country graveyard, haphazard cruciform tombstones skilfully absorb the eye to a distant church beyond. Sinking at angles into autumnal earth, the moss-licked tombstones emerge half from shadow in glorious tones, elongating the picture plane with an uncanny intensity. A fluted stone column is one such vertical form which altogether swell the bounds of the image, impressing the metaphorical weight of the monuments as deteriorating remnants of the dead. Muddy graves are grown over with vegetation; some are ornamented with vases or urns which stand poignantly empty; a modest wooden crucifix is planted into the soil. Yet the charming visual decay of this dynamic composition alleviates the conspicuous memento mori symbolism. An attractive palette of deep purple and pink pigments tempers the spiritual weight of the scene, which is lightened by a bright foreground of long grass and overgrowth, delicately shaped in fine outline. Loosely worked foliage offsets the austere geometry of the abundant tombstones, and speaks to the pictorial assurance of the unknown artist. Painted on a section of board, the work is signed ambiguously with a brush handle to the bottom right in initials ‘R.M.’. With more levity than the graveyard scene painted recto, the panel is painted to the reverse with a study of two herring. Although neither signed nor dated, the work is of a characteristically British style which can be approximated to c. 1940-50. The quickly modelled foliage of the upper left trees inherits the loose strokes typical of the Bloomsbury group, while the finely applied lines of the church window, column and central leaves possess a precision more familiar to the architecture of John Piper and Graham Sutherland. The existence of an unrelated work verso, depicting two herring resting on parchment paper in a dissimilar style and without the same initials, would suggest a younger artist at work, repurposing a support medium to experiment with their developing style. The somewhat tentative signature in initials would support this. It is likely that the work is that of a known artist of the 20th century, whose authorship is confused by the development of a distinct mature style later in their career.

Creation Year:
1940-1950
Dimensions:
Height: 11.93 in (30.3 cm)Width: 14.69 in (37.3 cm)
Medium:
Oil
Movement & Style:
Post-War
Period:
1940-1949
Condition:
The work is in good and stable condition. A minor loss to the upper left and linear mark from a previous frame.
Gallery Location:
Maidenhead, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: British, c. 1940-19501stDibs: LU2820215585432

More From This Seller

View All

Woodland scene with a body of water

By John Nash

Located in Maidenhead, GB

British, 1954, Manner of John Nash (1893-1977) Woodland scene with a body of water Watercolour and graphite on paper, mounted to card Signed indistinctly and dated lower left 34.1 x...

Category

1950s Post-War Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Woodland scene with a body of water, 1954

$1,915

Cinder

Located in Maidenhead, GB

Joel Tomlin (b. 1969) Cinder, 2004 Oil on linen Signed and titled verso 183 x 157 cm. Provenance: Joel Tomlin; MW Projects, London, 2004; Permanent Collection, Saatchi Gallery; Chri...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil

Joel Tomlin
Cinder, 2004

$7,114 Sale Price

$7,524

Study for Mr and Mrs R. H. Butler and Their Daughters

By Bernard Fleetwood Walker

Located in Maidenhead, GB

Bernard Fleetwood-Walker RA RWS (1893-1965) Study for Mr and Mrs R. H. Butler and Their Daughters, c. 1932 Graphite, coloured graphite and wash on paper, mounted to card 64.5 x 74.5 cm.; (within frame) 87.4 x 91.8 cm. Provenance: The artist’s studio, 1965 (no. 525); Private Collection, United Kingdom. Dated to c. 1932, the present drawing belongs to a series of preparatory studies for Mr and Mrs R. H. Butler and Their Daughters (1932), a large family composition...

Category

1930s Post-War Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Located in Douglas, Isle of Man

David Gentleman 1930- R.D.I. , is an English artist born in London, attended Royal College of Art. His works frequently compose of London urban landscapes and this picture seems...

Category