Darnley Fine Art

English School Lower Chedworth 20th Century Oil on board, signed lower right Image size: 19 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches (49.5 x 59.5 cm) Original frame In this painting, the winding countr...

Leighton Hall Woollatt Sculpture Gallery with Madonna and Child 1905 - 1974 Oil on canvas, signed, titled 'Painting of a Antique Cast' from the Royal Academy Schools and dated '28 Ju...

Oil on canvas Image size: 17 x 21 inches (43 x 53 cm) 18th Century Carlotta frame Provenance Private Country Estate When depicting John the Baptist artists often added an outer ga...

Studio of Sir Peter Lely Diana Oil on canvas Image Size: 38 x 50 inches (96.5 x 127 cm)  Ornate auricular frame Provenance The collection of Mr Campbell Private Estate Mary II (16...

Norman Wilkinson Tower of London Oil on canvas, signed lower left, dated June 1960 on verso Image Size: 23 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches (59.6 x 44.5 cm) Original gilt frame Provenance Tryon ...

John Shelley Fennys Lane 1938-2020 Oil on board, signed and dated '1968' on verso Image Size: 35 1/2 x 27 1/2 inches (90 x 69.8 cm) Original frame Provenance The artist, whom exhibi...

Evelyn de Morgan Study of a Standing Female Nude 1855 - 1917 Black chalk and pastel on grey paper Image size: 12 ½ x 19 inches (48.2 x 31.7 cm) Pre-Raphaelite style frame Provenance J.S. Mass & Co., Ltd., London, J.X. Reynolds & Co., Ltd. Once she had graduated from the Slade School of Art, Evelyn continued to draw every day for the rest of her life. Her drawings are enlightening not only for their skill and subject matter, but also for their ability to teach us her working process. From loose compositional sketches, Evelyn swiftly progressed to detailed life studies for the figures in her paintings. Choosing to draw mainly on a grey wove paper in pencil and pastel, Evelyn produced hundreds of figure studies. Her rigorously-examined double studies of clothed and nude figures are particularly fascinating and underline the artist’s obsession with the human form and her desire for accuracy. A deep understanding of anatomy is obvious in this drawing and looking at the work you feel as though you can reach out and feel the muscle and bone under the skin, that you could feel the pulse of life through the soft skin. Evelyn de Morgan Born into a landowning family, from an early age Evelyn De Morgan, née Pickering, demonstrated a precocious artistic talent and a passionate desire to pursue a career as an artist, writing in her diary on her seventeenth birthday ‘Art is eternal, life is short… I have not a moment to lose’ (Evelyn De Morgan’s Diary, 30 August 1872, De Morgan Foundation Archive). Her maternal uncle, the artist John Roddam Spencer-Stanhope encouraged her talents and accompanied her on her first formative journeys to Italy where she discovered the Renaissance masters, particularly Botticelli. Overcoming initial parental opposition, Evelyn enrolled at the newly formed Slade School in 1873, one of the first women to do so. The Slade revolutionised women’s artistic education by allowing female students to study the nude from life alongside their male counterparts. Whilst at the Slade she began to submit work under her middle name Evelyn, rather than her Christian name Mary, as its gender ambiguity offered a chance for her work to be judged on its own merit. One of her tutors, Edward Poynter...

Oil on board, signed lower right Image size: 14 1/4 x 16 inches (36 x 40 1/2 cm) Hand made frame Joan Fairfax Whiteside was a prodigious artist and illustrator. Born into an eminent...

Oil on canvas, signed lower right 11 4/5 x 12 9/10 inches (30 x 32 cm) Gilt frame Nora Summers was a British painter, printmaker and photographer who grew up in an engineering family. She studied at Bristol School of Art before progressing on to the Slade School in London where she developed under the teaching of Henry Tonks from 1907-1910. Her work was often characterised by its serene, still quality, here her landscape captures a forest scene as a poignant documentation of the moment- a fleeting memory, frozen in time. She was predominantly shown in the NEAC as well as the Walker Art Gallery. Summer’s contemporaries were captivated by her striking look and modernist style, many of whom used her as a muse for some of their works such as Augustus John, Henry Lampard, and Walter Russel. After meeting her husband Gerald Summers at Slade, the two honeymooned in Italy where they both worked closely on topographical paintings and etchings of Italian...

Gouache on board, signed lower right and titled bottom left Image size: 20 1/2 x 18 inches (52 x 46 cm) Art Deco frame Designed in 1907 for W.D & H.O Wills, advertising Capstan Navy Cut Tobacco & Cigarettes. The text that accompanied this painting on the original poster read 'Capstan Navy Cut, Tobacco and Cigarettes in three grades of Strength'. This original artwork features a young boy and sailor stood together on a pebbly English beach. The boy stands to attention with a toy gun...

Oil on copper Image size: 15 x 10 1/2 inches (38 x 26.5 cm) Period style hand made frame This landscape depicts the area surrounding the Tivoli waterfalls in Italy. Thanks to its proximity in Rome, which lies some 30 km to the Southwest, Tivoli has long been a destination for artists. The Italian landscapists whose work was so coveted by Grand Tourist collectors—Claude, Gaspard Dughet and Salvator Rosa—all sketched there, while the Northern Italianates, including Cornelis van Poelenburgh...

Subscription and first edition lithograph in stock Full plate: 218 Presented in an acid free mount

Subscription and first edition lithographs in stock Full plate: 196 Presented in a acid free mount

First Edition lithograph Full plate: 120 Presented in a acid free mount

First edition lithographs in stock Full plate: 118 Presented in a acid free mount

First Edition lithograph Full plate: 98 Presented in a acid free mount

Subscription and first edition lithograph in stock Full plate: 94 Presented in a acid free mount

Available in the First Edition lithograph Full plate: 90 Presented in a acid free mount We only sell the original 19th century lithographs by David Roberts, please read the informa...

First edition lithograph in stock Full plate: 79 Presented in a acid free mount Modern hand-coloured lithograph for the first edition of David Roberts’ The Holy Land available. Pub...

Subscription and first Edition lithographs Full plate: 77 Presented in an acid free mount Original hand coloured subscription edition and modern hand-coloured lithograph for the fir...

British School Oil on Canvas Image Size: 31 inches x 25 3/4 inches (79 x 65.5 cm) Original gilt frame Gathered along a riverside are two fishermen turned in conversation, one of who...

G R Neale Oil on Canvas, Signed and dated ‘1933’ lower right Image Size: 13 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches ( 34.3 x 24.1 cm) Hand made ebonised and gilded frame Accentuated by the works golden tones, the painting is a duality of strength and stillness. Explored through the compositions stoic stone lion; angled to gaze just out of frame; in contrast with the draped ochre curtain of the piece’s background. Reeves and Sons...

Portrait of Lady Mansfield of Ringwood Oil on Canvas Image size: 25 x 30 inches (63 x 76 cm) Original carved & gilded frame POA Provenance Descended through the Family Estate Born in Poland in 1760 to the 2nd Earl of Mansfield and his wife, Elizabeth Mary Murray would later come under the care of her uncle, William Murray (1st Earl of Mansfield) at Kenwood House in Hampstead. David Murray (2nd Earl of Mansfield) was set to inherit the title and full wealth of his uncle, including Kenwood House. Lady Mansfield’s second cousin would soon join her at Kenwood, where they would be raised together and featured in multiple portraits of the time. Her younger sister, Henrietta, is seen in a separate portrait done by Thomas Hudson as well. At the age of 25 she married George Finch-Hatton, an English aristocrat and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1772-1784. Gazing out at the viewer, Lady Mansfield wears a decorated dress, with an abundance of pearls and lace, and a transparent gold lined veil surrounding her right shoulder. The excess of luxurious fabric matches another Hudson portrait of another Lady Mansfield, with the lace detailing and complementary bodice. The depiction of this Lady Mansfield epitomizes the style of portraiture in the 18th century, such as the styles Hudson’s pupils Joshua Reynolds, Joseph Wright, and Peter Toms. From Hudson’s travels to the Low Countries and Italy, he no doubt brought back artistic inspiration from the international pieces he encountered. Thomas Hudson Hudson was a celebrated 18th century portrait painter. Born in Devon in 1701 he studied under the artist Jonathan Richardson and married his daughter, against Richardson’s wishes. He had many artistic friends including William Hogarth and Francis Hayman and travelled with them in Europe in 1748. He also visited Italy with the sculptor Louis-François Roubiliac in 1752. Hudson’s style of portraiture proved so successful that for a decade from 1745 to 1755 he was London’s most popular portrait painter and made a fortune painting the cream of London society and members of the Royal Family. He was also a talented teacher, perhaps too good, as subsequently a number of his former assistants overtook him in popularity including the artist Joshua Reynolds. Hudson retired in the late 1750’s and died in Twickenham in 1779. His most notable works include portraits of King George II and George Friedrich Handel and his “Portrait of a Nobleman in Van Dyck dress.” Many of Hudson’s works may be seen in art galleries. These include the National Portrait Gallery, the National Maritime Museum, the Tate Gallery, the Foundling Museum and the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery. His works are also in Museums across the world...

Portrait of Lady Mansfield of Ringwood Oil on Canvas Image size: 25 x 30 inches (63 x 76 cm) Original carved & gilded frame POA Provenance Descended through the Family Estate The y...

Horace Mann Livens 1862 - 1936 Littlehampton Watercolour, gouache, and black chalk on paper, signed and dated '10' lower left Image size: 11 ¼ x 15 inches (28.5 x 38 cm) Acid free mo...

Front Elevation of The Great Temple of Aboo Simbel First edition lithograph Full plate: 169 Presented in a acid free mount £2,600 Scroll down for more information. Roberts reached A...

Portico of The Temple of Dendera Subscription or First Edition in stock Full plate: 161 Presented in an acid free mount £2,000 Scroll down for more information.

General View of the Island of Philae, Nubia Subscription and first edition lithographs in stock Full plate: 151 Presented in a acid free mount £2080 Scroll down for more information....

THE POOL OF BETHESDA- JERUSALEM Subscription and first edition lithographs in stock Full plate: 12 Presented in a acid free mount £1,200 Published by F.G. Moon & Son, London 1842-49. Subscription edition were coloured during production and First edition are modern hand-coloured lithograph, that was printed a few years after the subscription edition David Roberts. We have both Subscription and First Edition lithographs in stock. The subscription edition was printed on a fine paper, hand coloured and then stuck on card. The first edition was printed on a more coarse paper and not coloured by hand. These ones we colour to match the subscription colouring. Each lithograph is sold in mint condition and in an acid free mount. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information, or if you are looking for another David Roberts lithograph...

David Roberts R.A. 1796 - 1864 CALVARY - HOLY SEPULCHRE First Edition lithograph Full plate: 26 Presented in a acid free mount Modern hand-coloured lithograph for the first editi...

David Roberts R.A. 1796 - 1864 VIEW FROM UNDER THE PORTICO OF THE TEMPLE OF EDFOU, UPPER EGYPT First edition lithograph available Full plate: 157 Presented in an acid free mount We have in stock a full set of the David Roberts lithographs...

Brockenhurst Gardens Ernest Arthur Rowe Watercolour, signed lower left and dated 1900 bottom left Image Size: 12 x 18 3/4 inches (46 x 30.5 cm) Original Victorian frame Provenance Dowdeswell and Dowdeswell The collection of C. Buttersworth Sale, Bonhams, London, 10th June 1998, lot 63 Exhibited Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour, as 'Relics of the Civil Wars, Compton Wynyates', no.1 This watercolour is one of Rowe's few pictures of Brockenhurst park garden in the New Forest, Hampshire. Here Rowe exemplifies the garden's splendour through his deliberate low positioning within the composition. As well as the scenes mirrored...

Tetouanoui Man Albert Charles Dequene Pastel on paper, signed and dated 1933 lower left, titled upper right Image size: 23 x 18 inches (58.4 x 45.7 cm) Hand made ebonised and gilded ...

Youthful Thoughts Armand Point Oil on canvas, signed and dated 1889 lower left Image size: 18 1/4 x 25 3/4 inches (46.4 x 65.4 cm) Framed Provenance Private collection, France The p...

Sketch of a Man in Profile 17th Century French School Ink on paper Image Size: 10 1/2 x 7 inches (26.5 x 17.5 cm) Framed Provenance The estate of Joseph McCrindle Christies Old Masters and British Pictures and Old Master Drawings Sale 12th December 2008 This highly worked picture shows us a man depicted in profile is seen interacting with a scene that extends beyond the boundaries of the paper's composition, the pen strokes intricately portraying the man's face, rendering a detailed, textured complexion. He points his left hand out to something in the distance, with a look of almost alarm. The artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (1609-64) did a series of oriental head studies. The exotic headgear that he wears and this type of oriental head studies, had its principal source was of course Rembrandt, who etched many similar heads during the 1630s. In the seventeenth-century Western European imagination, the turbaned figure represented the epitome of alterity: the Ottoman Turk. Ottoman costume...

Sketch of Finkel Stephen Andrews Born 1956 Ink on paper, signed bottom right Image size: 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches ( 23.5 x 31.5 cm ) Original Frame Andrews, a friend of American direct...

Sketch of Marlon Brando Stephen Andrews Born 1956 Ink on Paper, signed bottom left Image size: 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches (23.5 x 31.5 cm) Original frame Andrews, a friend of American ac...

Philip Byrne 20th Century Tettenhall Church Yard Ink on paper, signed and titled bottom left Image size: 11 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches (29.5 x 21 cm) Hand made frame Philip Byrne, an artist...

Philip Byrne 20th Century The Quarry Ink on paper, signed and dated bottom left Image size: 11 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches (29.5 x 21 cm) Hand made frame Philip Byr...

Philip Byrne 20th Century Excavators at the Local Sand Quarry Ink on paper, signed, titled and dated bottom left Image size: 11 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches (29.5 x 21 cm) Hand made frame Phi...

Philip Byrne 20th Century The Abattoir Ink on paper, signed bottom left Image size: 11 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches (29.5 x 21 cm) Hand made frame Philip Byrne, an artist who studied at the W...

A R Phillips 20th Century Cathedral View Gouache on board, signed and dated 1946 bottom right Image Size: 12 1/2 x 13 inches (30 x 32.5 cm) Handmade framed This painting, originally...

Benjamin Robert Haydon 1786 - 1846 Sketch of Three Figures Pen and ink on paper, Image size: 9 3/4 x 7 3/4 inches (25 x 20 cm) Acid Free mount, original frame Provenance Private Col...

Under the Pier Philip Byrne Ink on paper, signed, titled and dated bottom right Image size: 11 x 14 1/2 inches (28 x 12 cm) Hand made frame Philip Byrne, an artist who studied at th...

Preparing to Sail C. Rex James Oil on canvas on board Image size: 17 1/4 x 21 1/2 inches ( 54.5 x 43.5 cm) Original frame This painting by James captures a serene scene of several y...

Sailor Smoking a Pipe Arthur David McCormick Oil on canvas Image size: 19 x 25 1/2 inches (48 x 65 cm) Contemporary frame Arthur David McCormick (1860–1943) was a notable British illustrator and painter, renowned for his landscapes, historical scenes, naval subjects, and genre scenes. Born in Coleraine, County Londonderry, he pursued his education at the Royal College of Art in London from 1883 to 1886. McCormick’s career was marked by his contributions to various illustrated magazines, including the English Illustrated Magazine and the Illustrated London News. He participated in significant expeditions, such as Sir Martin Conway’s journey to the Karakoram Himalayas in 1892 and Clinton T. Dent’s expedition to the Caucasus Mountains in 1895. His illustrations from these travels were featured in Conway’s book “Climbing and Exploration in the Karakoram-Himalayas” (1894) and his own publication “An Artist in the Himalayas” (1895). Throughout his career, McCormick illustrated nearly thirty books, focusing on travel and adventure themes. Some of his notable works include illustrations for Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tales of Mystery and Imagination” (1905) and Henry Newbolt’s “Drake’s Drum and Other Songs of the Sea” (1914). He was also a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy from 1889 to 1938. Navy Cut Sailor Work...

Lord Strathnairm's Arab Charger Gourlay Steell Oil on canvas, signed lower right Image size: 39 x 44 1/8 inches (99.1 x 112.1 cm) Handmade frame POA Provenance Commissioned by Field...

Oil on canvas, signed bottom right Image size: 20 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches (53 x 62 cm) Original gilt frame Provenance Artist’s Estate Robert Deborne Robert Deborne was born in 1870 in...

After Sir Peter Lely 1618 - 1680 Anne Hyde, Duchess of York; King James II Pencil, ink and white chalk on paper, Image size: 10 x 8 inches (25.5 x 20.5 cm) Original frame This work,...

After Robert Walker 1599 - 1658 Portrait of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), bust-length, in armour Oil on canvas Image size: 24 x 29 inches (61 x 73 cm) Original carved gilt frame This...

Studio of Adriaen Isenbrandt 1510 - 1551 The Virgin and Child Enthroned Oil on oak panel, wax seal verso Image size: 10 3/4 x 8 inches (27 x 20.5 cm) Contemporary style frame (image below) POA Provenance Collection of Mrs Marianne Hudson Mary, holding Jesus in her arms, is centrally positioned against a gold detailed architectural backdrop, reflecting the traditional iconography of the enthroned Virgin and Child. This composition suggests the theme of “Maestà” or “Majesty,” emphasising the figures religious significance. In the painting from the studio of Adriaen Isenbrandt, the artist masterfully infuses the scene with rich symbolism and hidden meanings that reflect the cultural and religious context of the period. The infant Christ, seated on the Virgin Mary’s lap, is draped in a delicate, translucent white garment that symbolises his purity. In his hand, he clutches a piece of coral, a multifaceted symbol representing immortality, youth, and health. Notably, coral was also a common teething tool during that era, adding another layer of contemporary relevance. A scarlet-headed blackbird, native to South America, perches gracefully on Christ’s outstretched finger. This bird is a potent symbol of creation and protection, enhancing the divine narrative of the scene. Mary, with a tender and loving gesture, caresses Christ’s back while gazing adoringly at her son, underscoring her role as the nurturing mother of God. Mary is centrally positioned within an architectural alcove, which subtly suggests a heavenly halo without explicitly depicting one. The alcove’s niches, traditionally used to emphasise the importance of sculptures, further highlight her significance. She is adorned in a voluminous red gown, with the undulating folds of the fabric accentuated by white highlights. The red colour of her dress symbolises maternal qualities, while the iridescent blue undercoat, visible in certain areas, signifies sanctity and purity due to its rarity and expense at the time. Moreover, Mary is depicted as the epitome of contemporary Medieval...

Oliver Messel 1904 - 1978 Portrait of a Young Man Oil on canvas, signed and dated 'Oliver Messel 1930' (on the stretcher) Image size: 30 x 25 inches (76.2 x 63.4 cm) Original frame Oliver Messel was born to Leonard and Maud Messel, née Sambourne, on the 13 January 1904 and was the youngest of three children. The family moved to Nymans, the Messel family home in Sussex, from nearby Balcombe in 1915. The house remained in the family until 1953 when it was bequeathed to the National Trust, following a fire in 1947 which destroyed a large portion of the house. The Messels originated from a line of German Jewish bankers on Leonard’s side, however, both family lines boast a number of artistic influences, including Maud’s father. Maud was brought up at 18 Stafford Terrace, Kensington (now known as the Linley Sambourne House Museum), amongst collections of antique porcelain and eighteenth-century furniture, and with a host of artistic visitors such as Henry Irving and Oscar Wilde. Oliver’s own upbringing appears to be influenced by his mother's, as the Messel family were also affiliated with artists and writers and were keen collectors of art, filling their home with textiles, paintings and collections of European and Asian fans from travels abroad. It was amongst such treasures that Oliver, Anne and Linley spent their childhood, in addition to the beauty of Nyman’s extensive gardens. Oliver was schooled at Eton but rather than going up to university was encouraged by family friends, gallery owner Archie Propert and painter and sculptor Glyn Philpot, to attend art school. In 1922 he enrolled at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, where he studied under Henry Tonks. Here, he met the artist Rex Whistler with whom he remained firm friends until Whistler’s death in WW2. Upon leaving the Slade in 1924 Oliver was apprenticed to the studio of portrait artist John Wells, where he learnt various Old Master painting techniques, and met artists such as Jacob Epstein, Augustus John and William Orpen. Whilst at the Slade Oliver developed his interest in Papier Mâché masks, a pastime popular amongst many art students at the time. Whilst apprenticed to artist John Wells several of Oliver’s masks were exhibited at the Claridge Gallery, London, alongside pieces by Whistler and other young artists. These were seen by Serge Diaghilev, director of the Ballet Russes, and Charles B. Cochran, a theatrical producer, both of whom made Oliver offers of work. His first job in the theatre was creating masks for the Ballets Russes’ Zéphyr et Flore, 1925, designed by the French artist Georges Braque, followed by numerous musical revues for Cochran, including Wake Up and Dream!, 1929, with music by Cole Porter. It was during these revues, working with Porter and Noel Coward, that Oliver also began to design headdresses and costumes. In 1932 he was rewarded with his first full commission to design both costume and sets for Helen!, directed by Max Reinhardt. The production design is still celebrated today for its innovative approach and ground-breaking ‘white on white’ aesthetic, which referenced ‘Greek temples, Rococo drapes, Baroque colonnades and Louis XIV carousels’. The success of Helen! led to further offers within the theatre including Reinhardt’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Old Vic in 1937, starring Vivien Leigh as Titania and Robert Helpmann as Oberon, the Jean Cocteau play The Infernal Machine in 1940, and Christopher Fry’s translation of Jean Anouilh’s Ring Round the Moon, 1950. One of Oliver’s best-known productions during this period was the Russian ballet The Sleeping Beauty, performed by Sadler’s Wells Ballet in 1946 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Encompassing over 200 costumes and four set changes, Oliver’s romantic designs were celebrated for bringing colour back to post-war London, and variations on his designs are still used today. Additional designs for the ballet included Comus in 1940, for which he was released from war duties, and Homage to the Queen, choreographed by Frederick Ashton and performed in 1953 for the Queen’s coronation. His first opera was in 1940 for Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Royal Opera House, followed by a series of productions at the newly founded Glyndebourne Opera House in Sussex, for which Oliver also designed the proscenium arch. He triumphed in 1956 designing a season of four different productions for their Mozart bicentennial, also providing illustrations for the programme covers. His popularity also spread beyond theatre to film, were he worked on over eight different feature films including Romeo and Juliet, 1936, directed by George Cukor. During a three-month research trip to Italy Oliver collected over 3,000 reference images including postcards of artwork by Piero della Francesca, Giovanni Bellini and Leonardo da Vinci, along with prints and photographs of textiles and architectural features. A production of Gabriel Pascal’s Caesar and Cleopatra, 1946, starring Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains, was celebrated for Oliver’s ability to recreate the opulence and luxury of ancient Egypt under the constraints of wartime rationing. Such was his skill that Vivien Leigh in a letter to Oliver declared that “I have of course told Pascal that nobody in the world must do the costumes except you.” He was later nominated for an Academy Award for his work on his final film Suddenly, Last Summer, 1959; an adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ American Southern Gothic mystery. Having started his artistic career as a portrait apprentice, capturing the faces of family and friends, Oliver continued to develop this practice until the end of his life.  His style is said to have been influenced by Glyn Philpot, the Messel’s family friend who encouraged Oliver from an early age in his pursuit of art and design. His most prolific period came in the 1950s during which he produced over 50 portraits, which were shown in exhibitions in New York, London and Barbados. The exhibitions included both well-known faces and anonymous sitters captured on Oliver’s travels, and a number of these works have entered private collections. He continued to paint after moving to the Caribbean in 1966, capturing society figures and the rich and famous including fashion designer Carolina Herrera and Bianca Jagger. His style remained unchanged throughout his career, using the same soft painterly strokes and subtle palette as in his theatre designs. By far his greatest contribution in addition to theatre and film was Oliver’s interior and architectural designs. Another, much celebrated commission included Rayne shoe shop in Old Bond Street, where he created jewel-like interiors using the same practice of scaled models as his set designs. Other notable interior designs include those for Norwich and Bath Assembly Rooms, Flaxley Abbey in Gloucestershire, Rosehill Theatre in Cumbria and the Reader’s Digest offices in Paris. However, upon moving to Barbados in 1966, Oliver embraced a new career envisioning architectural concepts for private houses, hotels and public buildings, utilising his experience with interior design to furnish them with bespoke items of furniture and textiles. His first project was Maddox, the deserted eighteenth-century plantation house bought by himself and his partner Vagn Riis-Hansen in 1964. The existing building and gardens were remodelled to Oliver’s designs embracing an inherent theatricality with views out to sea. These were framed by terraces and verandas which extended out from the living rooms creating what is often referred to as a Caribbean style of ‘indoor-outdoor’ living. For the woodwork he used a shade of green that is now known as ‘Messel green’ and often associated with the island of Barbados. Oliver was born into a wealthy family; he travelled extensively and was exposed to art and culture from a young age. A privileged youth, his name is often mentioned amongst the ‘Bright Young Things’, for whom costume parties at country houses and jaunts to Europe on a whim became a thing of fable. This informal group included people such as Cecil Beaton (a life-long friend whom Oliver first met at Eton), Lord Berners, Noel Coward, John Betjeman, Harold Acton, Nancy Mitford, Edith Sitwell, Stephen Tennant...

Reginald Brill 1902 - 1974 Oil on board Image Size: 8 ½ x 10 ½ inches (21.6 x 26.7 cm) Original gilt frame This humorous painting captures the artists perspective of 'A long Day' wi...

An Abandoned Journey 20th Century British School Oil on canvas Image size: 24 x 24 inches (61 x 61 cm) Hand made frame The composition of this painting, featuring a red and white do...

Rotherhide Davie Oil on board Image size: 7 1/4 x 26 3/4 inches (18.5 x 68 cm) Hand made frame This oil painting offers a captivating glimpse into Rotherhithe, a historic area in So...

Albert Charles Dequene Fouta Djallon woman with crest headdress Pastel on paper, signed lower right & dated '32' Image size: 19 3/4 x 18 inches (50 x 46 cm) Hand made ebonised and gi...

Georges-Antoine Rochegrosse French 1859 - 1938 The Palace Courtyard Oil on canvas, signed lower left Image size: 26 ¾ x 19 ¾ inches (68 x 50 cm) Ornate orientalist gilt frame (Image ...

European School 16th Century Carved Frame Fruit wood Remnant's of pigment can be found on the carving.

James McIntosh Patrick 1907 - 1998 Braemar Castle Oil on board, signed and dated 1937 bottom right Image size: 31.5 x 47.5 inches (80 x 121 cm) Hand made frame £ Provenance Commissi...

Venetian Frame 17th Century Gilt carved wood Sight size: 30 x 26 cm (The middle being the largest size) Exterior size: 52 x 47 cm Due to the curves of...