Bidding on this item has ended.
William John Leech
CHERRY BLOSSOM
Lot 15
Price Realised:
€13,000
Estimate:
€10,000 - €15,000
William John Leech RHA, 1881-1968
CHERRY BLOSSOM
Oil on board, 18 1/2" x 15 1/4" (47 x 38.6cm), signed.
Leech portrays one flowering fruit tree, with finely depicted branches in dark umber, contrasting against the soft pink blossoms of s...
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Lot 15
William John Leech
CHERRY BLOSSOM
Lot 15
William John Leech
CHERRY BLOSSOM
Estimate:
€10,000 - €15,000
William John Leech RHA, 1881-1968
CHERRY BLOSSOM
Oil on board, 18 1/2" x 15 1/4" (47 x 38.6cm), signed.
Leech portrays one flowering fruit tree, with finely depicted branches in dark umber, contrasting against the soft pink blossoms of spring. This dominant upward shape, in the foreground, is set against the middle distance of a lush green meadow, painted in Leech's characteristic, broken brushstrokes. Houses in the distance could be those in Concarneau, as the building in the right hand corner, resembles the edge of the Convent, where Leech spent time recuperating from typhoid a few years earlier. This work could have been painted in 1910 when Leech, with his fiancee Saurin Elizabeth, rented a large house, overlooking the sea at Plage des Dames, on the outskirts of Concarneau.
Elizabeth had arrived in Paris in 1903, on a scholarship from the art school, attached to the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. Leech was in Paris before he moved to Concarneau to paint, arriving in the Brittany fishing town, at the same time, John Lavery happened to be there, when he met his future wife Hazel. Elizabeth and Hazel, would have had much in common, Elizabeth formerly from St. Louis, Missouri, and Hazel, from Chicago, Illinois, both trained artists. Elizabeth painted 'Spring' (illustrated in 'An Irish Painter Abroad', page 65) a scene similar to that painted by Leech, but without Leech's compositional focus. Leech exhibited a work, titled 'Spring' at the RHA in 1911, which, if it is the work illustrated, would suggest that the work was painted in Concarneau, in 1910.
Dr Denise Ferran
October 2021
CHERRY BLOSSOM
Oil on board, 18 1/2" x 15 1/4" (47 x 38.6cm), signed.
Leech portrays one flowering fruit tree, with finely depicted branches in dark umber, contrasting against the soft pink blossoms of spring. This dominant upward shape, in the foreground, is set against the middle distance of a lush green meadow, painted in Leech's characteristic, broken brushstrokes. Houses in the distance could be those in Concarneau, as the building in the right hand corner, resembles the edge of the Convent, where Leech spent time recuperating from typhoid a few years earlier. This work could have been painted in 1910 when Leech, with his fiancee Saurin Elizabeth, rented a large house, overlooking the sea at Plage des Dames, on the outskirts of Concarneau.
Elizabeth had arrived in Paris in 1903, on a scholarship from the art school, attached to the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. Leech was in Paris before he moved to Concarneau to paint, arriving in the Brittany fishing town, at the same time, John Lavery happened to be there, when he met his future wife Hazel. Elizabeth and Hazel, would have had much in common, Elizabeth formerly from St. Louis, Missouri, and Hazel, from Chicago, Illinois, both trained artists. Elizabeth painted 'Spring' (illustrated in 'An Irish Painter Abroad', page 65) a scene similar to that painted by Leech, but without Leech's compositional focus. Leech exhibited a work, titled 'Spring' at the RHA in 1911, which, if it is the work illustrated, would suggest that the work was painted in Concarneau, in 1910.
Dr Denise Ferran
October 2021
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In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
PLEASE BID EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.
In order to allow rival bidders the opportunity to respond to a late bid the following extensions will apply:
IF A BID IS RECEIVED WITHIN THE FINAL 45 SECONDS OF THE COUNTDOWN THE CLOCK WILL RESET TO 60 SECONDS.
At any point you can leave a maximum bid, representing the highest price you are prepared to pay for a particular lot. Bidding only advances when there is competition from a rival bidder. In that case the system bids on your behalf, only up to the maximum if required. All bids are relayed to you be email, along with notification if you have been outbid.
All maximum bids are confidential and not disclosed. The system will endeavor to purchase the lot for you for the least price. Bids are subject to buyer’s premium of 25% (incl vat), with no additional charges.
In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
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