FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) STILL LIFE OF RANUNCULUS IN A BLUE AND WHITE VASE Signed, oil on board 44.5cm x 36cm (17.5in x 14in)
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) STILL LIFE WITH PINK ROSES IN A BLUE JUG Signed, inscribed ‘Roses’ verso, oil on board 37cm x 45cm (14.5in x 17.75in) Lyon & Turnbull, Fine Paintings, 1st December 2011, lot 195 where acquired by the present owner F. C. B. Cadell, like his fellow Scottish Colourist S. J. Peploe, was a master of the still life genre, as can be seen in Still Life with Pink Roses in a Blue Jug. Here, Cadell’s boldness of composition, bravura application of oil paint and combination of strong and subtle colours come together to create an image of dynamism and poise.Cadell lived – and liked to paint – a stylish lifestyle and his still lifes are full of suggested narratives centred on a celebration of beauty - often conveyed by way of attractive cut flowers in boldly coloured vessels - and on the enjoyment of sophisticated past-times, such as those which would necessitate a be-ribboned black fan.During the 1920s, Cadell’s practice progressed from the bright palette, tight technique and suppression of volume of the works made during his first years at 6 Ainslie Place in Edinburgh’s New Town at the start of the decade, to a broader, more expressive technique and a greater sense of volume as seen in the present painting. Close attention is paid to elements such as the flower heads, shown from two angles and whose radiating petals Cadell has depicted in gently graduated tones of pink. These are contrasted with the bold green of stem and leaf and are placed against dense black and blue. The strongly realised blue jug, completed with two dabbed brushstrokes to convey a reflection in its glazing, contrasts with the more freely depicted fan in front of which it is positioned. The fan’s ribbon winds its way down to the lower left corner of the composition and ends in deft, spare brushstrokes which are more suggestive than illustrative. Swathes of the white tablecloth are left empty, whilst certain passages verge on the abstract with a focus on paint application and strength of colour. Notions of depth and perspective are played with as only an artist of great skill, experience and confidence could achieve. Still Life with Pink Roses in a Blue Jug encompasses Cadell’s painterliness, his swagger and boldness, and his enduring appreciation of the beautiful.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) THE BLUE JUG Signed, inscribed verso ‘Still life (the blue jug), Cadell, 6 Ainslie Place, Edinburgh’, oil on canvas 61cm x 51cm (24in x 20in) Joseph Kent Richardson (1877-1972)Portland Gallery, London where acquired by the present owner in 1994Exhibited:National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, F. C. B. Cadell 1883-1937, April-May 1942 and tour to Glasgow Art Gallery (lent by Joseph Kent Richardson)Literature: Tom Hewlett, Cadell: The Life and Works of a Scottish Colourist 1883-1937, London 1988, illustrated p. 94, pl. 85 (as ‘The Red Chair’). It was with paintings like The Blue Jug that F. C. B. Cadell truly earned his status as a Scottish Colourist. Its brilliance of colour, not least in the red chair which is central to the overall image, the dynamism of its cropped and asymmetrical composition and its deft manipulation of perspective, all show him working at the height of his powers.Having made his name as an artist in pre-World War One Edinburgh, Cadell was de-mobilised from active service in the Spring of 1919. Shortly afterwards he moved to 6 Ainslie Place in Edinburgh’s New Town, a magnificent Georgian town house across the road from his childhood home at number twenty-two. The decoration and furnishing of his impressive new quarters became the subject of and inspiration for a new era in his work. As Alice Strang has explained:‘He painted his front door bright blue to annoy his neighbours…On the first floor, he repeated the lilac walls and the highly-polished black painted floorboards of his…[pre-war]…George Street studio. He added a brilliant lapis lazuli-coloured fire surround within the cream marble mantelpiece in the front drawing room. On the ground floor, walls and woodwork, including shutters, were painted in dark blue, green and brown above a light grey floor, whilst an impressive Robert Adam-style eagle overmantel partnered the black marble mantelpiece in the dining room. (Alice Strang, F. C. B. Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011, p.39)A striking element of these dazzingly modern interiors was the red chair seen in the present work, one of at least three that Cadell painted in this manner which became prominent props in key works of the 1920s. Here we see him exploiting its linear potential to the full, having positioned it at an oblique angle to the canvas surface and setting it before a plain, black background, against which its wooden struts sing in contrast. The seat of the chair is used as a novel alternative to a tabletop on which to assemble some of the artist’s most effective still-life objects; the lilac and green fabric, draped over the chair’s back and seat, draws the viewer’s eye from upper centre to lower left of the image, whilst the trio of blue jug, orange and lemon forms a brilliantly coloured focal point. Depth, height and the space beyond the canvas are all realised or hinted at with great skill.As Alice Strang continues:‘The cropped composition, flat application of paint and use of increasingly brilliant colour in these …works were in contrast to Cadell’s pre-war interiors which are characterised by a looser handling…[and]…a cooler palette…After the war, Cadell was no longer attempting to capture images of fashionable society, but instead was concerned with an almost abstract concept of space and perspective. This marked change is thought to have been encouraged by Cadell’s new surroundings…[and]…by his close collaboration with Peploe immediately after the war.’ (op.cit., p.40) Given how closely Cadell and his friend and fellow Scottish Colourist, S. J. Peploe, were working during this period – and indeed living as Peploe’s home was some five minutes’ walk away from Ainslie Place in India Street – it is no surprise to see Peploe also enjoying the structural and colour potential of a red painted chair, as seen in contemporary works such as Still Life with Tulips and Oranges in the collection of Abbot Hall, Kendal. However, it was Cadell who really exploited the prop to the full, and paintings of his in public collections in which a red chair features prominently include Aspidistra and Bottle on Table and The Blue Fan in the National Galleries of Scotland, as well as Still Life and Rosechatel and Studio Interior in The Hunterian, University of Glasgow. It can be argued that Anne Redpath’s used of brightly painted chairs in her work of the 1940s, such as The Indian Rug (Red Slippers) (National Galleries of Scotland) and Still Life, the Orange Chair (The Fleming Collection) exemplifies the impact that Cadell’s boldness of the 1920s, as seen in The Blue Jug, had on the next generation of Scottish artists.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) IONA, NORTH SHORE Signed, inscribed ‘Absorbent Ground / Never varnish / G. W. Service Esq / Myrtle Park.’ on the reverse, oil on board 37cm x 45cm (14.5in x 17.5in) Acquired from the Artist by George W. Service, Glasgow, and thence by descent to the present owner. Iona, North Shore epitomises the inspiration Cadell found on the Hebridean island of Iona, as well as his friendship with the Glasgow shipowner George W. Service (1864-1940), who acquired the painting from the artist and from whom it has descended to the present owner.Cadell visited Iona for the first time in 1912 and returned regularly until at least 1933. Its gentle light, natural beauty and expansive views provided endless subject matter for his paint and watercolour brushes. He made the most of its ever-changing weather conditions and varying topography during trips that could last from between three and five months over the spring and summer. Initially he stayed at the St Columba Hotel, but later he rented various cottages, most frequently Cnoc cúil Phàil which is set looking over the Sound of Iona to Mull.Congenial outdoor working conditions and the company of friends such as fellow Scottish Colourist S. J. Peploe from 1920, resulted in joyous images of Iona’s natural environment, architectural features and the islanders’ way of life. Cadell was particularly drawn to the North End of the island, as seen in Iona, North Shore. It is a classic image of the island’s famed white sand beaches, through which varied rock formations emerge, the inviting blues and greens of the sea and the beckoning of island views beyond.As in the present painting, Cadell often worked on easily transportable boards measuring 15 x 18 inches. He came to adopt a technique deployed by his friend, the artist John Duncan, of using an absorbent white ground. As a result, many of Cadell’s Iona paintings carry the carefully inscribed legend on their reverse of ‘Absorbent Ground Never Varnish’; in this case, it is accompanied by the inscription ‘G. W. Service Esq Myrtle Park’, presumably applied by the artist when it was acquired by his longstanding patron.Cadell met Service during his first trip to Iona and he became one of his most significant supporters. As Alice Strang has explained: ‘The widowed Service came each year with his eight children and their nanny. They often rented the farmhouse at Traighmòr, although as it was not large enough to accommodate all of them his sons had to sleep in a tent on the grass at the front of the house. Service would don his tartan dress jacket for the night of his annual purchase of paintings by Cadell…He often bought several paintings at a time…which he hung in his homes in Glasgow and Dunbartonshire.’ (Alice Strang, F C B Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011, pp.79-80)The importance of Service to Cadell is borne out by the frequency with which he appears in the artist’s ‘Register of Pictures’ (on loan from a private collection to the National Galleries of Scotland) between 1913 and 1930, which Cadell maintained to record works which he sold or gave away. As well as his Iona purchases, Service’s patronage extended to commissioning portraits of some of his children and acquisitions from exhibitions on the mainland, such as those mounted by the Society of Eight in Edinburgh. Service’s support sometimes formed the backbone of Cadell’s income, for example when he purchased fourteen works in 1921 for a total of £725, which was 40% of Cadell’s recorded total sales of £1,786 for the year. Service also helped to establish Cadell’s posthumous reputation, not least by lending three of his paintings to the landmark Exhibition of Scottish Art mounted at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1939.Iona paintings and watercolours by Cadell can be found in numerous public collections including those of the National Galleries of Scotland, Aberdeen Art Gallery, the Hunterian Art Gallery (University of Glasgow) and McManus Museum & Art Gallery, Dundee.
Property from a Distinguished British Collection Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell, R.S.A., R.S.W. 1883 - 1937 Studio Interior, 130 George Street signed FCB Cadell (lower left) oil on canvas unframed: 76.5 by 63.5cm.; 30 by 25in. framed: 101.5 by 89cm.; 40 by 35in. Executed circa 1910.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL (SCOTTISH 1883-1937)THE SPANISH LADYOil on canvasSigned and dated 1910 (lower left)152.5 x 102cm (60 x 40 in.)ProvenanceBourne Fine Art, London, 1986Sale, Christie's, Scotland, 11 December 1986, lot 226 (indistinctly dated)Compare with a similar picture of Lady Lavery, The Three Scottish Colourists T.J. Honeyman, Harris, 1977, pl. no. 12
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA RSW (British, 1883-1937) The House by the Sea, Sound of Iona signed 'F.C.B. Cadell' (lower left) oil on canvas, laid to board 37.5 x 44.5cm (14 3/4 x 17 1/2in).
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA RSW (British, 1883-1937) Iona signed 'F.C.B. Cadell' (lower left), titled, inscribed and signed 'IONA/by F.C.B. Cadell/Absorbent ground. NEVER varnish./F.C.B. Cadell' (verso) oil on panel 38.1 x 45cm (15 x 17 11/16in).
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA RSW (British, 1883-1937) Lunga from Iona signed in pencil 'F.C.B.Cadell' (lower left) watercolour 18 x 25.5cm (7 1/16 x 10 1/16in).
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) PINK AND GOLD Signed, oil on canvas 102cm x 76cm (40in x 30in) Presented by Miss M. K. Muir McKean, 1932. The Scottish Colourist F C B Cadell’s Pink and Gold epitomises the celebration of feminine elegance and a sophisticated lifestyle for which he is renowned. Even its title is the essence of modernity, focussing on the high notes of colour within the image, namely his sitter’s headscarf, floral accessories and the gilt of the mirror in which they are reflected.Having trained in Paris and Munich, Cadell made his name in pre-World War One Edinburgh with paintings such as Reflections (Glasgow Life) and The Black Hat (Edinburgh Museums & Galleries). They featured fashionable ladies in the stylish interiors of the capital city’s New Town, often depicted in the artist’s own impressive studio at 130 George Street.Pink and Gold reveals how Cadell’s work developed following his move in 1920 to an imposing residence at nearby 6 Ainslie Place. He took great pains over the decoration and furnishing of his new quarters. The distinctive lilac of the painting’s background reveals it to have been created on the first floor, where front and back drawing-rooms were linked by double doors and he brought painted black floorboards up to a high polish. Cadell revelled in the original features of the house, such as the white marble mantelpiece glimpsed in Pink and Gold, its colour used to signify a feminine space in the vocabulary of Georgian architecture.During a landmark trip to Venice in 1910, Cadell’s imagination was captured by experiencing the city in mirror image in its watery surroundings. This led to an interest in reflections that became a defining characteristic of his work. Set to the centre-right of the background of Pink and Gold, the mirror reveals the space in front of the sitter, almost to where Cadell must have been positioned at his easel, its cropping also hinting at the room beyond. Furthermore, the device of the mirror allows Cadell to present his model in two poses, one looking directly at the viewer, the other seen in profile gazing beyond the realm of the canvas.The present painting also shows how Cadell’s practice progressed from the bright palette, tight technique and suppression of volume of the works made during his first years at Ainslie Place. Portrait of a Lady in Black (National Galleries of Scotland) defines this phase, which gave way to lower-toned works such as The Embroidered Cloak (Ferens Art Gallery) and then to the calmer atmosphere, more gentle palette and broader technique apparent in Pink and Gold. Cadell devoted decades to exploring an idealised portrayal of womanhood. Although his favoured model, Miss Bethia Hamilton Don Wauchope, sat for him for over fifteen years, his images of elegant, modish ladies – most often dressed in black, with carefully chosen luxurious accessories from broad-brimmed hats, glinting gold-hoop ear-rings and long white gloves – are not about the identity of a specific sitter. In Pink and Gold, Cadell contrasts his model’s fair complexion with the darkness of her outfit. The delicate defining of her facial features matches the treatment of the diaphanous nature of her headscarf as it falls over her back. In addition, freely-painted passages, such as the realisation of her be-gloved hands, verge on the abstract.Pink and Gold was presented to Paisley Art Institute (PAI) in 1932, by Miss Margaret Kathleen Muir MacKean (1879-1969) of Auchenlodment House, Elderslie and of the town’s soap then starch manufacturing family. They were leading citizens of Paisley, not least its artistic circles, with her uncle James Anderson Dunlop MacKean (1849-1932) becoming an Honorary President of the Institute. As a major collector, J. A. D. MacKean gave several important works to the PAI’s holdings, including George Henry’s The Banks of Allan Water: Spring, Autumn and Winter series (lots 76, 77 and 78).It is believed that Miss MacKean inherited Pink and Gold from her uncle, who died in the year of her gift. At the same time, her father William Muir MacKean gave Henry’s Beauty and the Beast to the PAI, whilst one of her other uncles, Major Norman MacKean, presented George Pirie’s The Hen Roost (lot 89); perhaps all three were given in memory of their recently deceased relative.Our thanks are due to Colin C. MacKean, Miss MacKean’s first cousin once removed and PAI’s current Treasurer, for his help with our research.
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell R.S.A., R.S.W.(Scottish 1883-1937). Oil on Textured Paper Shoreline Iona. Signed F.C.B.Cadell lower right. Gilt framed under glass 64 x 50 cm.
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell, RSA RSW, Scottish 1883-1937 - Old Houses, Inverkeithing; pencil and watercolour on paper, signed and dated lower right 'F.C.B. Cadell / 1902', bears old label inscribed attached to the reverse of the backing board 'Old Houses, Inverkeithing / £8 [?] 8 / F.C.B. Cadell / 22 Ainslie Pl', 34.4 x 24.3 cm Provenance: with Doig, Wilson, & Wheatley, Edinburgh (according to the label attached to the reverse of the frame); private collection Note: Cadell was one of the four central members of the Scottish Colourist group, along with Samuel Peploe (1871-1935), John Duncan Fergusson (1874-1961), and Leslie Hunter (1877-1931). He was best-known for his evocative, colourful depictions of the Scottish landscape, particularly the blue seas from the coasts of Iona, and his city views, including the present watercolour which depicts the historic town of Inverkeithing in Fife, nearly 10 miles northwest of Edinburgh. The first solo exhibition of Cadell's work was put on at Doig, Wilson, & Wheatley, Edinburgh, in 1908.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) JACK AND TOMMY: THE HEALTH INSPECTION Signed with initials and dated '15, charcoal and watercolour 33cm x 25.5cm (13in x 10in) By direct descent from the Artist to the present owner The Health Inspection, A Couple in Conversation and Kilted Soldier and Lady come from Cadell’s celebrated Jack and Tommy series of works on paper of 1915, in which he captured aspects of life in the army and navy during his military training.Cadell joined the 9th Battalion, The Royal Scots in 1915 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 5th Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders two years later. The only one of the four Scottish Colourists to see active service during World War One, he was posted to the French front, was wounded twice and was awarded the General Service and Victory medals. As Alice Strang has explained about the Jack and Tommy series:“About fifty were shown in the Society of Eight’s exhibition of 1916, whilst twenty were published by Grant Richards, London, in 1916 in a book entitled Jack and Tommy. These witty, quickly executed images, depicting solders and sailors on duty and on leave, had titles such as ‘Delicate Banter’, ‘Their Lordships’ and ‘Tommy and the Flapper’. The brisk, economic brush-and-ink technique of these drawings seems to have been based on illustrations Kees van Dongen made in the early 1900s, for journals such as L’assiette au beurre and Gil-Blas. Of the £100 Cadell made in sales from the exhibition, he donated almost half to the Scottish Branch of the Red Cross.” (Alice Strang, F. C. B. Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011, p.35)When reviewing the 1916 exhibition, the critic of The Studio declared:“The novelty of the Society of Eight Exhibition in their galleries in Shandwick Place, was a series of clever cartoons of soldiers and sailors…These bold sketches, in which, with a minimum of line in black, with sometimes a dash of colour introduced, a marvellous completeness of effect is produced.’ (The Studio, vol.LXVII, 1916, p.59)Further works from the Jack and Tommy series are to be found in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland.Our thanks are due to Kerry Watson, National Galleries of Scotland, for her help with our research.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL, R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) JACK AND TOMMY: KILTED SOLDIER AND LADY Signed with initials and dated '15, charcoal and watercolour 33cm x 26cm (13in x 10.25in) By direct descent from the Artist to the present owner The Health Inspection, A Couple in Conversation and Kilted Soldier and Lady come from Cadell’s celebrated Jack and Tommy series of works on paper of 1915, in which he captured aspects of life in the army and navy during his military training.Cadell joined the 9th Battalion, The Royal Scots in 1915 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 5th Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders two years later. The only one of the four Scottish Colourists to see active service during World War One, he was posted to the French front, was wounded twice and was awarded the General Service and Victory medals. As Alice Strang has explained about the Jack and Tommy series:“About fifty were shown in the Society of Eight’s exhibition of 1916, whilst twenty were published by Grant Richards, London, in 1916 in a book entitled Jack and Tommy. These witty, quickly executed images, depicting solders and sailors on duty and on leave, had titles such as ‘Delicate Banter’, ‘Their Lordships’ and ‘Tommy and the Flapper’. The brisk, economic brush-and-ink technique of these drawings seems to have been based on illustrations Kees van Dongen made in the early 1900s, for journals such as L’assiette au beurre and Gil-Blas. Of the £100 Cadell made in sales from the exhibition, he donated almost half to the Scottish Branch of the Red Cross.” (Alice Strang, F. C. B. Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011, p.35)When reviewing the 1916 exhibition, the critic of The Studio declared:“The novelty of the Society of Eight Exhibition in their galleries in Shandwick Place, was a series of clever cartoons of soldiers and sailors…These bold sketches, in which, with a minimum of line in black, with sometimes a dash of colour introduced, a marvellous completeness of effect is produced.’ (The Studio, vol.LXVII, 1916, p.59)Further works from the Jack and Tommy series are to be found in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland.Our thanks are due to Kerry Watson, National Galleries of Scotland, for her help with our research.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) JACK AND TOMMY: A COUPLE IN CONVERSATION Signed with initials and dated '15, pen and ink and watercolour 35cm x 25cm (13.75in x 9.875in) By direct descent from the Artist to the present owner The Health Inspection, A Couple in Conversation and Kilted Soldier and Lady come from Cadell’s celebrated Jack and Tommy series of works on paper of 1915, in which he captured aspects of life in the army and navy during his military training.Cadell joined the 9th Battalion, The Royal Scots in 1915 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 5th Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders two years later. The only one of the four Scottish Colourists to see active service during World War One, he was posted to the French front, was wounded twice and was awarded the General Service and Victory medals. As Alice Strang has explained about the Jack and Tommy series:“About fifty were shown in the Society of Eight’s exhibition of 1916, whilst twenty were published by Grant Richards, London, in 1916 in a book entitled Jack and Tommy. These witty, quickly executed images, depicting solders and sailors on duty and on leave, had titles such as ‘Delicate Banter’, ‘Their Lordships’ and ‘Tommy and the Flapper’. The brisk, economic brush-and-ink technique of these drawings seems to have been based on illustrations Kees van Dongen made in the early 1900s, for journals such as L’assiette au beurre and Gil-Blas. Of the £100 Cadell made in sales from the exhibition, he donated almost half to the Scottish Branch of the Red Cross.” (Alice Strang, F. C. B. Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011, p.35)When reviewing the 1916 exhibition, the critic of The Studio declared:“The novelty of the Society of Eight Exhibition in their galleries in Shandwick Place, was a series of clever cartoons of soldiers and sailors…These bold sketches, in which, with a minimum of line in black, with sometimes a dash of colour introduced, a marvellous completeness of effect is produced.’ (The Studio, vol.LXVII, 1916, p.59)Further works from the Jack and Tommy series are to be found in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland.Our thanks are due to Kerry Watson, National Galleries of Scotland, for her help with our research.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) THE EDGE OF THE WOOD Signed, oil on board 45cm x 37cm (17.75in x 14.5in) Alex. Reid & Lefevre, Glasgow Exhibited: Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh: F. C. B. Cadell, 22 October 2011-18 March 2012 Cadell painted landscapes throughout his career, including several of the wooded terrain around Auchnacraig in Mull in the late 1920s. This painting can be related to his friend and fellow Scottish Colourist S. J. Peploe’s studies of trees at Calvine, Perthshire which he made during the summer of 1933. It may also reveal an awareness of the work of the Canadian Group of Seven artists, who showed to great acclaim in the British Empire Exhibitions in Wembley in 1924 and 1925.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) MULL FROM THE NORTH END OF IONA Signed and dated '14, oil on canvas board 38cm x 46cm (15in x 18in) Acquired from the Artist by George W. Service, Glasgow and thence by descent to the present owner Mull from the North End of Iona is a rare example of a pre-World War One painting of the Hebridean island which was to become a mainstay of inspiration for the rest of Cadell’s career. Furthermore, it was acquired from the artist by his great patron, the Glasgow ship-owner George W. Service and has not been exhibited in public since then.Cadell visited Iona, off the west coast of Scotland, for the first time in 1912. He returned in the summers of 1913 and 1914, before serving with the 9th Battalion, The Royal Scots and the 5th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. As Alice Strang has explained:“The ever-changing light conditions on Iona, the effect of sunshine on the shallow water along the beaches of dazzling white sand, the intensity and range of colour of the surrounding sea, sky and land, the complexity of its rock formations and wide range of views within and beyond the island, inspired Cadell time after time and he returned to Iona most summers until about 1933.” (Alice Strang, F. C. B. Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011, p.19).As seen in this painting, Cadell’s early Iona works were executed with glossy, creamy oil paint with freely applied and often short brushstrokes. The technique is more expressive than the more precisely realised images of the post-war years. To the fore are the subtle tones of pink and lilac which provided the foundation of Cadell’s distinctive palette, whatever the genre, and even informed the decorative scheme of his New Town studios in Edinburgh’s George Street and Ainslie Place. Touches of blues and greens express sunshine breaking through cloud, the differing depths of the sea and vegetation amongst rocks and sand. It was during these pre-war visits that Cadell fell in love with Iona. Whilst on active service, his friend and fellow Scottish Colourist S. J. Peploe wrote to him: “When the war is over I shall go to the Hebrides, recover some virtues I have lost. There is something marvellous about those western seas. Oh, Iona. We must all go together next summer.” (Letter from S. J. Peploe to F. C. B. Cadell of 2 August 1918, quoted in Strang, op.cit., p.77). Indeed, Cadell took Peploe there in 1920 and the latter also returned for regular summer visits for the rest of his life, often choosing to paint in the beautiful North End, as Cadell did in the current work.Cadell met George Service, who summered on Iona with his eight children and their nanny, during his first trip to the island in 1912. Service became one of Cadell’s greatest supporters and appears frequently in the artist’s Register of Pictures, which he maintained between 1907 and 1930 to record works which he sold or gave away and which is on long-term loan to the National Galleries of Scotland. As Strang continues:“Service would don his tartan dress jacket for the night of his annual purchase of paintings by Cadell…He often bought several paintings at a time, mainly, but not exclusively of Iona…which he hung in his homes in Glasgow and Dunbartonshire.” (Strang, ibid., pp.79-80) Mull from the North End of Iona has descended directly from Service to the present owner.
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA RSW (British, 1883-1937) Ben Cruachan across the Sound of Mull signed 'F.C.B.Cadell' (lower right), inscribed and initialled 'Absorbent Ground - never varnish - F.C.B.C.' (verso) oil on panel 38 x 45cm (14 15/16 x 17 11/16in).
◆ FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) VENICE Signed and inscribed 'Venice', inscribed on the backboard 'G. W. Service Esq' and 'Venice 1910', oil on panel (40.5cm x 33cm (16in x 13in)) Provenance: The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh George W. Service Esq, Glasgow A trip to Venice in 1910, sponsored by his school friend and politician, Sir Patrick Ford, proved to be a turning-point in the career of the Scottish Colourist F. C. B. Cadell. As Alice Strang has written: ‘Venice’s beauty and grandeur, seen in mirror image in her watery surroundings, prompted an interest in reflections that became a defining characteristic of Cadell’s work. His technique became much freer and he adopted a brighter palette. Initial conservative paintings of church interiors gave way to vigorous, rich images of Venice, such as the patrons of Florian’s Café in St Mark’s Square…and views across the lagoon.’ (Alice Strang, F. C. B. Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, 2010, p.17) Venice is one such work, likely to have been painted on the spot on its modestly-sized board, which was easy to transport when on the hunt for picturesque scenes to capture in paint. It bears a label on the reverse from the celebrated artists’ supplies merchant Emillio Aickelin of Via 22 Marzo in the city. In this case, Cadell was probably based on the Riva degli Schiavoni, looking south at the boats seen at full sail in the Canale di San Marco and over to the Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore, with the campanile outlined to the left thought to be that of the island’s church. Working at speed and with fluency, Cadell applied thick brushstrokes to his support, with the zig-zagged reflections a passage of particular verve. Terracotta dominates his palette, with areas painted ‘wet on wet’ used as a method by which to quickly combine tones in a lively expression of form, such as the billowing of the sail fabric and the prows of the boats. On his return to Edinburgh, Patrick Ford chose six Venetian paintings in return for his support, acquiring others as his patronage of his friend’s career continued; three were presented to the National Galleries of Scotland in his memory in 2014 (acc.no.s GMA 5517-9). Venice works were included in Cadell’s solo exhibition at The Scottish Gallery in the capital not long after the trip, as well as at the New Gallery, Edinburgh in 1913 and in Society of Eight exhibitions of 1925 and 1926 (see Cadell’s Register of Pictures 1909-1930, on loan to the National Galleries of Scotland GMA AL/15/6). Venice formerly belonged to Cadell’s great collector, the ship-owner George Service. The men met during Cadell’s first visit to the Hebridean island of Iona in 1912, with Service eventually acquiring some 150 of his works. We are grateful to Kirstie Meehan, Archivist, National Galleries of Scotland, for her help in researching this work.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) CATHEDRAL ROCK LOOKING TOWARDS EILEAN ANNRAIDH Signed, pencil and watercolour (17cm x 24cm (6.75in x 9.5in))
◆ FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) CASSIS, LE PORT Signed, oil on panel (44cm x 36cm (17.25in x 14in)) Provenance: Acquired in Glasgow between the Wars by the present owner's father-in-law Unseen in public since it was acquired by a private collector in Glasgow between the wars, Cassis, le Port, by the Scottish Colourist F. C. B. Cadell, captures the vibrancy of one of the south of France’s most beautiful waterfronts in a scene which remains virtually unchanged today. Cassis, le Port dates from the heyday of Cadell’s career, in the early 1920s. Following de-mobilisation after service in World War One, he bought an imposing property, 6 Ainslie Place, in Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town. He decorated and furnished it in great style and it became the setting for and subject of many of his most celebrated paintings. His work of the period came to be characterised by cropped compositions, the flat application of paint and the use of increasingly brilliant colours, all of which he explored with his New Town neighbour, friend and fellow Scottish Colourist S. J. Peploe. Cadell’s studio-based practice was enriched by working out of doors during the summer months, often on the Hebridean island of Iona, but in 1923 and 1924 he travelled to Cassis; on the latter visit he was accompanied by Peploe, his wife Margaret and their sons Willy and Denis. As Alice Strang has explained: ‘By the mid-1920s Cassis had become popular with artists. It was a small seaport, set in front of a ridge of limestone hills topped by a castle, with a picturesque, working harbour, charming side-streets and brilliant light.’ (Alice Strang. F. C. B. Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011, p.42). Writing from the Hotel Panorama in Cassis in 1923, Cadell explained the attractions of the area to his patron George Chiene: ‘I find this part of France most interesting to paint. The light is wonderfully brilliant even fierce – the weather is superb – Basking…This place has several points in common with Iona. The colour and formation of headlands etc and to some extent the sea…instead of, as in Iona, painting against time and trying to get finished before the next squall of rain, I can work as long as I feel disposed on one thing.’ (Letter of 19 March 1923, private collection on loan to the National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, GMA AL/16) This sun-drenched image shows the harbour from the north side, possibly from the Place de Grand Carnot, looking north-east. Revealing his avant-garde credentials, Cadell placed the paving on which he stood in the very frontal plane at the lower left of the canvas. It gives way to the brightly-coloured boats moored alongside, which lead the eye over the water to the run of harbourside buildings behind which distant hills can be glimpsed. Dappled reflections, the barest suggestion of figures and throughout the brilliant Mediterranean light contribute to an overall sense of holiday bliss. Cadell exhibited and sold his paintings of Cassis to great success. His Register of Pictures, in which he recorded sales and gifts of his work, details ten in 1923, purchased by key patrons including J. J. Cowan Esq and Miss Jane Rough of Edinburgh, for prices from £30 to £50 each (the Register is on long-loan to the National Galleries of Scotland GMA AL/15/6). In 1924, a Cassis oil was sold at the Royal Glasgow Institute for £76 and the following year purchases from the Society of Eight exhibition included those by Lord Blanesburgh of London and G. W. Service of Glasgow (for between £8 and £12); in 1926 Cadell staged exhibitions of his work in 6 Ainslie Place, finding buyers for Cassis works in his upstairs neighbour, Arthur Ramage (£20) and Mrs Christina Hague of Edinburgh (£25). Such is the enduring importance of Cadell’s paintings of Cassis that they can be found in several public collections, namely The Fleming Collection (The White Villa, Cassis, acc.no FWAF/RF124) and Kirkcaldy Galleries (Cassis, acc.no.KIRMG:232); moreover they were a significant feature of the Cadell retrospective exhibition mounted by the National Galleries of Scotland in 2011 (see cat.no.s 43-46). We are grateful to Kirstie Meehan, Archivist, National Galleries of Scotland, for her help in researching this painting.
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell, R.S.A., R.S.W. 1883 - 1937 Interior signed F.C.B. Cadell (lower left) watercolour and pencil on paper unframed (window): 23 by 15cm.; 9 by 6in. framed: 40.5 by 30cm.; 16 by 11¾in.
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA RSW (British, 1883-1937) Elizabeth aged 6 1/2 years signed and titled 'F.C.B.Cadell' (lower edge), indistinctly inscribed and signed 'To/Mr Thm Qua-- Wood/from/F.C.B.Cadell' (on original frame backboard) pencil 34 x 27cm (13 3/8 x 10 5/8in).
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell, R.S.A., R.S.W. 1883 - 1937 Peggy in White signed F.C.B. Cadell (lower right) oil on canvas unframed: 61 by 61cm.; 24 by 24in. framed: 78 by 78cm.; 30¾ by 30¾in. Executed circa 1914.
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell, R.S.A., R.S.W. 1883 - 1937 Ben More from Iona signed F.C.B. Cadell (lower left); also signed F.C.B. Cadell, titled and inscribed (on the reverse) oil on board unframed: 37 by 45.5cm.; 14½ by 17¾in. framed: 54.5 by 61cm.; 21½ by 24in.
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell, R.S.A., R.S.W. 1883 - 1937 Still Life with Anemones signed F.C.B. Cadell. (lower left); also signed F.C.B. Cadell., titled and inscribed (on the reverse) oil on panel unframed: 44.5 by 37cm.; 17½ by 14½in. framed: 61 by 53.5cm.; 24 by 21in. Executed in 1931.
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell (1883 - 1937) Watercolor on Paper, Signed, Measures ( 5.5 x 9 inches ) w/frame ( 12.5 x 14 inches ) Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA was a Scottish Colourist painter, renowned for his depictions of the elegant New Town interiors of his native Edinburgh, and for his work on Iona. From October 2011 - March 2012 the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art held a major solo retrospective of Cadell's work, the first since that held at the National Gallery of Scotland in 1942. Francis Cadell (possibly pronounced "Caddle") was born in Edinburgh, the son of a surgeon and was educated at the Edinburgh Academy. His sister was Jean Cadell, a well-known actress. From the age of 16 he studied in Paris at the Académie Julian*, where he was in contact with the French avant-garde* of the day. While in France, his exposure to work by the early Fauvists*, and in particular Matisse, proved to be his most lasting influence. After his return to Scotland, he was a regular exhibitor in Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as in London.
◆ FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) STILL LIFE (THE TULIP) Signed, signed and inscribed verso, oil on board (36cm x 43cm (14in x 17in)) Provenance: Acquired by Mrs R A Workman from the 1923 Leicester Galleries exhibition Portland Gallery, London Private Collection, U.K. Exhibited: The Leicester Galleries, London, Paintings by S. J. Peploe, F. C. B. Cadell and Leslie Hunter, January 1923, no.38 (as 'Tulips') Note: F. C. B. Cadell, like his fellow Scottish Colourist and close friend S. J. Peploe, was a master of the still life genre. As seen in Still Life (The Tulip) and Still Life with Tulips, he created images of arresting beauty by way of carefully chosen, arranged and depicted props, including favoured and highly-coloured flowers, fruit and ceramics. These paintings illustrate the significant development in Cadell’s practice after demobilisation and moving to 6 Ainslie Place in Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town in 1920. Moreover, it was with works from this period that he established his reputation as one of Scotland’s most important artists of the twentieth century. Cadell decorated and furnished his magnificent quarters with aplomb and celebrated its interiors and objects d’art in images characterised by a new firmer technique, flatter rendering of form and use of saturated colour. As Alice Strang has explained: This marked change is thought to have been encouraged by Cadell’s new surroundings, by his close collaboration with Peploe immediately after the war, by his interest in the Art Deco movement, and possibly in response to the squalor of the trenches. (Alice Strang, F. C. B. Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011, p.40) Cadell and Peploe had met in Edinburgh by 1909 and these two paintings pay testament to the closeness of their friendship, especially in the early 1920s; Peploe lived a short distance away from Ainslie Place, in India Street. At this time both were drawn to the visual possibilities of tulips, the only flower which continues to grow after being cut. This phenomenon gives rise to the graceful arabesques of their stems which Cadell depicted so deftly. The forms of the flower heads, the layering of their petals and the dense colouring of their leaves also provided an inspiring source of silhouette, colour and mark-making. Still Life (The Tulip) is an image of extraordinary modernity; its tight handling, brilliant palette and suppression of volume embody the Art Deco style before the exhibition from which that term was derived was mounted in Paris in 1925. It may be set before a wall on the ground floor of Ainslie Place, which Cadell is known to have painted dark blue, green and brown above a light grey floor. The internal framing device around the jug is believed to be an empty white frame, of the type which Cadell often used for the presentation of his work. The cropped, asymmetric composition sets up a striking relationship between tulip head and fruit, whose brilliant colour stands out against the dark background and tabletop. As Strang has continued: There are precedents in Art Deco painting and the lacquer work of Jean Dunand, but these still lifes are really Cadell’s own creation and count among the most remarkable paintings in British art of the period. (Strang, op.cit., p.41) A label on its reverse reveals that Still Life (The Tulip) was included in the key exhibition, Paintings by S. J. Peploe, F. C. B. Cadell and Leslie Hunter (working title Three Scottish Artists) held at the Leicester Galleries in London in 1923. It was organised by A. J. McNeill Reid, son of the Glasgow-based dealer Alexander Reid and did much to secure the artists’ standing in the English art world. Cadell showed thirty works, of which he recorded the sale of five, for a total of £180, all to Alexander Reid, in his Register of Pictures (1923 no.s 8-12, Private Collection on long-loan to the National Galleries of Scotland).
◆ FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) STILL LIFE WITH TULIPS Signed, inscribed verso, oil on canvas (51cm x 61cm (20in x 24in)) Provenance: Acquired in 1943 from Dowell’s Ltd, Edinburgh and thence by descent to the Executors of the Late Mrs Anne Walker Note: F. C. B. Cadell, like his fellow Scottish Colourist and close friend S. J. Peploe, was a master of the still life genre. As seen in Still Life (The Tulip) and Still Life with Tulips, he created images of arresting beauty by way of carefully chosen, arranged and depicted props, including favoured and highly-coloured flowers, fruit and ceramics. These paintings illustrate the significant development in Cadell’s practice after demobilisation and moving to 6 Ainslie Place in Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town in 1920. Moreover, it was with works from this period that he established his reputation as one of Scotland’s most important artists of the twentieth century. Cadell decorated and furnished his magnificent quarters with aplomb and celebrated its interiors and objects d’art in images characterised by a new firmer technique, flatter rendering of form and use of saturated colour. As Alice Strang has explained: This marked change is thought to have been encouraged by Cadell’s new surroundings, by his close collaboration with Peploe immediately after the war, by his interest in the Art Deco movement, and possibly in response to the squalor of the trenches. (Alice Strang, F. C. B. Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011, p.40) Cadell and Peploe had met in Edinburgh by 1909 and these two paintings pay testament to the closeness of their friendship, especially in the early 1920s; Peploe lived a short distance away from Ainslie Place, in India Street. At this time both were drawn to the visual possibilities of tulips, the only flower which continues to grow after being cut. This phenomenon gives rise to the graceful arabesques of their stems which Cadell depicted so deftly. The forms of the flower heads, the layering of their petals and the dense colouring of their leaves also provided an inspiring source of silhouette, colour and mark-making. Still Life with Tulips bears a price of £65 on its reverse and overflows with Cadell’s confidence and sophistication. He now revels in the reflective glaze and voluptuous qualities of the blue jug, this time set against the lilac walls of the first floor at Ainslie Place. A tablecloth and black fan with winding ribbon (a prop which Peploe also favoured) add to a sense of a cultured lifestyle. Spatial layering is complex and successful, from the cropping of the lemon in the foreground suggesting the wider space existing beyond the confines of the canvas, to the progression of green tea bowl, to lemon to blue and white oriental vase. Tulip heads are seen straight on and in profile, stems and petals overlap each other and their companions, whilst shadow is subtly implied by way of clearly visible brushstrokes. The lighting is soft, the palette combines gentle tones with pure brilliance and each item contributes to an overall sense of balance.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) MULL FROM IONA Signed, inscribed verso 'G. W. Service', oil on board (37cm x 44.5cm (14.75in x 17.5in)) Provenance: George W. Service, Glasgow Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh, Fine Paintings, 3 December 2008, lot 128, where acquired by the present owner Exhibited: Royal Academy of Arts, London, Exhibition of Scottish Art, 6 January-11 March 1939, no. 597 (lent by George Service, incorrectly catalogued as pastel) Note: This painting was one of eight works by Cadell shown in the landmark exhibition of Scottish art held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1939; it was one of three lent by the shipowner George Service. Its entry in the catalogue read: 'A summer scene. Looking from fields in Iona across the Sound to Mull.'
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) THE JETTY Signed, watercolour (14cm x 22cm (5.5in x 8.75in)) Note: It has been suggested that the location depicted in this work is in Rosneath, Argyll and Bute.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) AUCHABHAICH CROFT, IONA (NIGHTFALL IONA) Signed, oil on board (38cm x 45cm (15in x 17.5in)) Provenance: T. & R. Annan & Sons Ltd, Glasgow Private Collection, Glasgow Literature: Philip MacLeod Coupe, Paintings of Iona: Cadell and Peploe, privately published 2014, repr.col. p. 46, pl. 28 Note: MacLeod Coupe also illustrates in his book a photo of the existing cottage in 2009 with a view of the Ross of Mull and the Paps of Jura in the distance. Note: Whilst serving in World War One, Cadell wrote to his fellow Scottish Colourist S. J. Peploe: When the War is over I shall go to the Hebrides, recover some virtues I have lost. There is something marvellous about those western seas. Oh, Iona. We must all go together. (quoted in Alice Strang et al, S. J. Peploe, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2012, p.24) True to his word, Cadell introduced Peploe to the Hebridean island, off Scotland’s west coast, in 1920 and they returned there most summers for the rest of their lives. Cadell first visited Iona in 1912, possibly because it was owned by his friend Ivar Campbell’s uncle, the 9th Duke of Argyll. He may also have been encouraged to do so by the fact that his friend John Duncan began painting there in 1903, followed by James Paterson and William Caldwell Crawford. As Alice Strang has explained: Iona has many attractions for the artist…It is low-lying, so the light reflected from the surrounding sea intensifies the colours of the white sand beaches and the green of its pastures. The light shining through the shallow waters at the edge of the shore creates brilliant colours of emerald green, blue and violet. In addition, the light and weather change frequently, as the prevailing winds cause a quick succession of cloudy then clear intervals. Iona is known for its geological diversity and there is a wide variation of colours in its rock formations; the red granite of the Ross of Mull is easily visible across the Sound on the east coast, as is the mountain of Ben More. There are also numerous views beyond Iona, particularly from the north end towards Staffa and the Treshnish Islands. On the island itself the main architectural features are the Abbey, the Nunnery and related buildings, the village and scattered crofts. (Alice Strang, F. C. B. Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011, p.77) In 1903 Duncan moved to Edinburgh from America, where he had been teaching art at the Chicago Institute. A visit to Iona helped him to plan for the future and ‘he started by making a vow to devote his time to the realisation of spiritual art and to gather the crops of his imagination rather than let them rot in untended fields.’ (John Kemplay, The Paintings of John Duncan A Scottish Symbolist, Rohnert Park, 1994, p.43). Duncan played a key role in the Celtic Revival which blossomed in the 1890s and Iona provided the setting for some of his most important Symbolist works, which celebrated Celtic mythology; it was also where he is reported to have encountered Gaelic fairy-folk for the first time. Such was the inspiration that the island afforded Duncan, that he was to work there, on and off for forty years, often at the same time as Cadell and Peploe. Duncan’s Cathedral Rock from the North End of Iona (Lot 156) shows a view made famous by the more well-known images of the scene by his Scottish Colourist friends. Cathedral Rock is part of the headland at the extreme north-east corner of the island and is the location of some of its most dramatic geology. The view shown is out to Eilean Annraidh, Staffa and Mull. Auchabhaich Croft first appears in Cadell’s Register of Pictures (Private Collection on long-loan to the National Galleries of Scotland) in 1914 (work no.30), presumably painted during his trip to the island the preceding year. It is one of the crofts situated north of the village and Cadell was to paint it on many occasions, not least as it was not far from Cnoc cùil Phàil, the croft on which he most frequently stayed after the War. The buildings depicted nestled within Auchabhaich Croft, Iona (Lot 153) still exist, albeit extended in various directions. A T. & R. Annan & Sons Ltd label on the painting’s reverse gives it the title ‘Nightfall Iona’ and the image appears to capture the gentle light of the gloaming, as evening falls over the peaceful scene, with its reach to the Paps of Jura in the distance. Mull from Iona (Lot 157) leads the eye from a patchwork quilt of fields across the Sound to the neighbouring island, with particular attention paid to the tumult of weather conditions played out across the sky. This painting formerly belonged to Cadell’s great patron, the shipowner George W. Service, who holidayed on Iona. He reportedly donned a tartan dress jacket for the night of his annual purchase of work by Cadell and appears regularly in the artist’s Register of Pictures from 1913 until 1927. Service would often make multiple acquisitions at a time, usually but not exclusively images of Iona, commissioned portraits of some of his children and supported the artist’s sales in exhibitions such as those mounted by the Society of Eight in Edinburgh. His support sometimes formed the backbone of Cadell’s income, for example when he purchased fourteen works in 1921 for a total of £725, which was 40% of Cadell’s recorded total sales of £1,786 for the year. Two years after Cadell’s death, Mull from Iona was one of three works lent by Service to the landmark Exhibition of Scottish Art mounted at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Peploe was nearly fifty years old when he first painted on Iona. He was thus able to approach its visual possibilities with the experience of a mature artist and was particularly drawn to the natural beauty of the north end and the views from it. Treshnish Point from Cows Rock (Lot 154) was painted in this area; its dramatic composition sees the beach and protruding rocks occupy all but the upper fifth of the image. Peploe’s technique uses the materiality of oil paint to convey a sense of the texture of sand and weathered rocks, around which inviting paths meander. Between the alluring blue of the sea and the active sky can be glimpsed the west end of Eilean Annraidh in the middle distance and Treshnish Point on the horizon. A closely related painting by Peploe, Iona, Grey Day, is in the collection of Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums.
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell (1883 - 1937) watercolour on paper, Signed, Measures ( 12 x 8.5 inches ) w/frame ( 13 x 17 inches ) Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA was a Scottish Colourist painter, renowned for his depictions of the elegant New Town interiors of his native Edinburgh, and for his work on Iona. From October 2011 - March 2012 the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art held a major solo retrospective of Cadell's work, the first since that held at the National Gallery of Scotland in 1942. Francis Cadell (possibly pronounced "Caddle") was born in Edinburgh, the son of a surgeon and was educated at the Edinburgh Academy. His sister was Jean Cadell, a well-known actress. From the age of 16 he studied in Paris at the Académie Julian*, where he was in contact with the French avant-garde* of the day. While in France, his exposure to work by the early Fauvists*, and in particular Matisse, proved to be his most lasting influence. After his return to Scotland, he was a regular exhibitor in Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as in London.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) A RIVER LANDSCAPE AT DUSK Signed, oil on board (18cm x 23cm (7in x 9in)) Provenance: Given by the artist to his patron George Lyall Chiene and thence by descent to the present owner in 1964
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) MULL FROM IONA Watercolour (17cm x 27cm (6.75in x 10.5in)) Provenance: Purchased from the artist by Mrs Margaret Brownlee, Edinburgh The Fine Art Society Ltd, Edinburgh and London, 1977 Thomas R. Callan, Ayr, 20 November 2010, lot 197 from where acquired by the present owner
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) ON THE SHORE, IONA (THE SOUND OF IONA), c.1922 Signed lower right, watercolour and pencil (17cm x 24cm (6.75in x 9.5in)) Provenance: Duncan R. Miller Fine Arts, London, from whom acquired by the present owner in 2001 In this work, the viewer joins the seated figure in the foreground in gazing out to boats on the strait between Iona and neighbouring Mull. The steam emerging from the funnel of the larger vessel is particularly well conveyed.
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) WHITE SANDS, NORTH END, IONA Signed, watercolour (16.5cm x 24cm (6.5in x 9in)) Provenance: Mrs Euphemia Ritchie, Iona This work formerly belonged to the artist Mrs Euphemia Ritchie, wife of the metal worker and jewellery designer Alexander Ritchie. Their shop, Iona Celtic Art, was in the grounds of Iona's Nunnery and the couple were the only resident artists on the island during the first half of the twentieth-century (see Jessica Christian and Charles Stiller, Iona Portrayed: The Island through Artists' Eyes 1760-1960, The New Iona Press, Inverness, 2001, p. 53). They became good friends with Cadell, who occasionally stayed with them in their house, Shuna, in the village. Mrs Ritchie appears in Cadell's 'Register of Pictures 1917-30' from 1914 until 1926 as both a purchaser and recipient of his work, the former recorded in black ink and the latter in red (the register in on loan to the National Galleries of Scotland from a private collection).
◆ FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) THE STEADING, c.1927 Signed, oil on board (37.5cm x 45cm (14.75in x 17.75in)) Provenance: Aitken Dott & Son Ltd, Edinburgh Christie's London, 16 March 1925, lot 123, sold for three guineas to 'Middleton' Christie's Scotland, 7 December 1989, lot 466 The Fine Art Society, London from whom acquired by the present owner in 2001 Exhibited: The Fine Art Society, London, The Scottish Colourists: Cadell, Fergusson, Hunter, Peploe, 19 June - 21 July 2000, no. 4 (repr. col.) In contrast to his Edinburgh-based studio practice, Cadell also enjoyed working outdoors in locations around Scotland and France. The steading in this work is thought to be in the village of Auchnacraig on the east coast of Mull, which Cadell visited for the first time in 1927 on the way to Iona. The village and its surroundings appear in a series of at least four extant paintings (see Tom Hewlett and Duncan Macmillan, F. C. B. Cadell: The Life and Works of a Scottish Colourist 1883-1937, Lund Humphries, Farnham, 2011, p. 94). Duncan Macmillan has identified an engagement with the work of Paul Cézanne in Cadell's Auchnacraig tree landscapes, praising their 'free handling and also an interest in light that over-rides local colour' (op.cit., p. 181). This painting is viewed from a distance and through trees in an ambitious composition in which Cadell revels in the effects of sunshine and shadow across stonework and grass. Layers of paint, applied with visible, varying brushstrokes, build up sophisticated colour and tone combinations, as well as rhythmic surface texture. Dabs of yellow are particularly effective in conveying flower heads in the foreground, whilst Cadell's enjoyment of applying and manipulating his creamy paint is clear. The result successfully communicates the strength and warmth of light and the beauty of the sun-dappled scene depicted.
◆ FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) IONA, EAST BAY - THE LITTLE ISLAND AND MULL Signed, signed, titled and inscribed verso, oil on board (38cm x 45cm (15in x 17.75in)) Provenance: Given by the artist to Miss Jessie Service and thence by descent Sotheby's Gleneagles, 5 September 2001, lot 1385, from where acquired by the present owner This idyllic sun-lit scene shows a view of the White Strand at the north-east of Iona, which was one of the artist's favourite places to work. Looking north, we can see Cows Rock, the Strait of Storm between Iona and the small island of Eilean Annraidh and beyond to Mull. Cadell revels in the textures and weathering of the exposed and seaweed-strewn rocks in the foreground, which emerge from the pure white sand for which Iona is celebrated. The eye is led along the curve of the bay and across the sea in which Cadell captures tones of turquoise and emerald depending on the depth of the water. His preferred high horizon is crowned by a sky which hints at the fast-changing Hebridean weather, about which Philip MacLeod Coupe has explained: 'The low-lying terrain of Iona is often bathed in bright sunshine when the weather is stormy over the high mountains of Mull...In these conditions the colour of the sea is generated by sunlight reflected from the white sandy base of the shallow waters of the Sound and is independent of the dark sky. This effect is surprising and very beautiful.' (Philip MacLeod Coupe, Paintings of Iona: Cadell and Peploe, privately published, Malvern, 2014, p.79). Cadell gave this painting to Miss Jessie Service, a sister of his great patron, the ship-owner George W. Service, who summered with his family on Iona. The men met during Cadell's first visit to the island in 1912, with Service eventually acquiring some 150 of his works and donning 'his tartan dress jacket for the big night when he had his annual buying spree' (as related by Jessica Christian and Charles Stiller, Iona Portrayed: The Island through Artists' Eyes 1760-1960, The New Iona Press, Inverness, p. 62). Jessie herself came to purchase paintings by Cadell and appears in his 'Register of Pictures', which he maintained between 1907 and 1930 to record works which he sold or gave away. The entries numbered 49 to 51 in October 1924 are described as '3 Oils 18" x 15" Iona (£25 each) £75 Miss Jessie G. Service, 11 Kensington Gate, Kelvinside, Glasgow' (the register is on loan to the National Galleries of Scotland from a private collection).
