CHANGE OF FORTUNE FOR UNDERVALUED ARTIST
A
LMOST 80 years aſter he died in poverty the work of
a renowned Scotish artist is to go to auction with an estimated value of up to £350,000.
The Cheval Glass, painted by Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell, has been in the possession of George Watson’s College in Edinburgh since it was donated in the 1950s.
However as the demand for Cadell’s work has grown in recent years the burden of insuring and securing the work of art has prompted the school to sell it.
Cadell, who is renowned for his depictions of the elegant New Town interiors of his native Edinburgh, was the son of a surgeon and brother of well- known actress Jean Cadell.
He studied in Paris at the Academie Julian, where he was influenced by the French avant-garde artists, and quickly built a reputation for himself as a colourist. However, despite wide-spread critical acclaim he found it increasingly difficult to make a living selling his paintings during the depression of the 1930s and died in poverty in 1937.
Now, The Cheval Glass is to be sold at Sotheby’s forthcoming auction of Scottish Art in London on 18 November with an estimate of between £250,000 and £350,000.
“The value of this work has increased beyond all measure since it was donated to the School in 1958. The Governing Council
72 July 2015
“Te value of this work has increased beyond all measure since it was donated to the School in 1958. Te Governing Council considered the matter thoroughly and came to the conclusion that they could not justify holding on to such a valuable work, given the cost of insurance and security that ownership
involves.” :Mr Melvyn Roffe
considered the matter thoroughly and came to the conclusion that they could not justify holding on to such a valuable work, given the cost of insurance and security that ownership involves,” said Mr Melvyn Roffe, Principal of George Watson College. Proceeds of the sale will go to the George Watson’s Family Foundation which provides bursaries for pupils from less well-off families to attend the school.
“This sale will enable us to invest in the future of dozens of pupils who will now be helped to come to Watson’s. The School is committed to using its assets prudently to fulfil its primary objective which is the education of children – and to enable as many children as possible to benefit from that education. A proportion of the proceeds will also be used to start a fund to buy other artwork for educational and decorative purposes at the School.”
The Cheval Glass dates from a series of interiors painted by Cadell at the height of his powers between 1913, when he moved to 130 George Street in Edinburgh, and 1915, when he was sent to serve on the French front.
In each, a woman stands before a mirror or mantelpiece in a stylish drawing room, wearing the fashionable costume of the day. Her reflection, visible in the mirror, amplifies her elegant figure.
The model for this work was Miss Bertia Don Wauchope, Cadell’s muse for at least 15 years and a society lady of independent means who chose to pose for the artist because she wanted to. The studio’s stark, modern colour scheme of violet-painted walls and floor painted glossy black was a reflection of the dramatic and glamorous modernism of Cadell’s art.
Jane Oakley, Sotheby’s Scottish Art specialist, said: “With its sophisticated composition and fluid brushwork, this stunning painting epitomises a high point in the achievements of the Scottish Colourists and in the work of Cadell. The work comes from an accomplished series of interiors featuring the artist’s favourite model and in recent years these pictures have fetched record prices at auction.”
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