Richard Royce Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

A portait of the first Allied airship to perform a bombing raid from the sky by a celebrated artist whose work hung on the Titanic. Watercolor and ink on heavy wove watercolor paper, 10 5/8 x 15 inches (270 x 380 mm). Signed in black watercolor in the lower right image area. In very good condition with minor surface soiling on the verso. Titled "Verdun" in pencil on the verso in the artist's hand. Adhered on the verso to matboard at the extreme margins with non archival tape. Presented handsomely in a simple, period maple frame. Titled, dated, inscribed and initialed by the artist on a label on the frame back. Born in Cambridge in 1898 and educated at Southsea School of Art, Norman Wilkinson is known for his graphic art, specifically his British Railway poster images, and also for something quite incredible; Wilkinson revolutionized the art of naval camouflage. Having been assigned to submarine patrols in Dardanelles, Gallipoli, and Gibraltar during WWI as a member of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, Wilkinson was deeply troubled by the unprecedented success the German submarine fleet had torpedoing British ships. He hoped to find a solution to this gaping vulnerability, and in a lightning bolt moment, he had an epiphany that would change everything. Wilkinson says in his autobiography, A Brush With Life (Seeley, 1969), that he realized a ship could be painted to hide its shape against the sea and sky. In his own words, Wilkinson states that the hull of a ship could be camouflaged "not for low visibility, but in such a way as to break up her form and thus confuse a submarine officer as to the course on which she was heading." After some preliminary testing, the theory Wilkinson called "dazzle camouflage" was accepted by British Admiralty and Wilkinson was placed in charge of the naval camouflage unit. The unit, which was headquartered in the basement of the Royal Academy of Arts, consisted of Wilkinson and about two dozen "camoufleurs;" they were artists, students, model makers and consultants, including a zoologist. The dazzle schemes were tested on models and then distributed to artists who were stationed at the docks, where the ships would be painted. At the end of the war Wilkinson was formally declared the inventor of dazzle camouflage and awarded for his contribution. Wilkinson went on to enjoy a long and celebrated career as a painter of maritime scenes, naval vessels, and warships. He served as the president of the Royal Institute of Painter in Water Colours (RI) from 1936 until 1963 (having been elected a member in 1906); he was elected Honourable Marine Painter to the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1919, and he was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the Royal Society of Marine Artists, and the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour. In 1918 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and a Commander of the Order (CBE) in 1948. In January 1920 he was appointed knight (chevalier) of the Belgian Order of the Crown. Among the many notable points of interest regarding Wilkinson's career is that his painting Plymouth Harbour, which was commissioned by Cunard White Star Lines for the first class smoking room of the RMS Titanic, was lost at sea when it perished with the ship. Wilkinson had also created a comparable painting entitled The Approach to the New World, which hung in the same location on the Titanic's sister ship, the RMS Olympic...

Mariusz Szalajdewicz (b. 1974) Studied at the Faculty of Architecture at Warsaw University of Technology, where he mastered the drawing skill. Architect and urbanist, illustrator. ...

French School 19th Century Episode of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, a cantonment of soldiers during the siege of Paris Pen and brown ink on paper 15 x 23 cm Annotated on the lower...

English School, 18th century Pen and black ink with gray wash on cream laid paper, 9 1/4 x 5 inches (238 x132 mm). 1/4 inch repaired loss, top center, to the left of the figure’s h...

STEVEN SPURRIER (1878-1961) Charlie Chaffinch Signed; inscribed beneath the mount: Charlie Chaffinch. Sampsons Circus No.4 Faber & Faber Pen and ink, framed 17 by 9.5 cm., 6 ¾ by 3 ¾ in. (frame size 34 by 24.5 cm., 13 ½ by 9 ¾ in.) After an apprenticeship to his silversmith father, Spurrier studied art and became a freelance magazine illustrator contributing to such magazines as The Graphic, Illustrated London News and the Radio Times. He also produced posters for theatrical productions and illustrated books. From 1913 he exhibited his paintings at the Royal Academy, a favourite theme being circus performers. During the First World War he worked with the Admiralty developing dazzle camouflage...

Mariusz Szalajdewicz (b. 1974) Studied at the Faculty of Architecture at Warsaw University of Technology, where he mastered the drawing skill. Architect and urbanist, illustrator.

REX JOHN WHISTLER (British 1905-1944) The Plain Gangster Inscribed with title Pen, brush and ink Framed 20 by 16.5 cm., 8 by 10 ½ in. (frame size 39 b...

An early Devonshire landscape, ex-collection West Collection of British Watercolors & the Fine Art Society, London. Circa 1800 Ink and brown wash on paper, 7 1/8 x 10 1/4 inches (...

Named "My House by the River", this drawing by the masterful artist Frank Girard was created with Chinese ink, pigments, and watercolors on Arches p...

This drawing by Frank Girard is created with pigments and ink, on 300g/m2 neutral white paper. It is not framed. Through drawings, the masterful French a...

Martin Eder untitled work on paper executed in ballpoint pen with traces of watercolor. Ohne Titel Arbeit auf Papier, ausgeführt in Kugelschreiber mit Spuren von Aquarell. 2007

GEORGE DU MAURIER, ARWS (1834-1896) Scientific Accuracy Ada: “What horrid things black-beetles are, Miss Grimm! The kitchen is full of t...