Lot 16: Arthur J. Elsley Oil Painting Entitled "Help Needed"

Name: Arthur J. Elsley Oil Painting Entitled "Help Needed"
Brand: Worthington Galleries
SKU: 063487ab13
Price: 2000 USD

Est: $10,000 USD - $25,000 USDSold:

Worthington GalleriesGallatin, TN, USDecember 03, 2017

Item Overview

Description

Remarkable Original Oil Painting by the celebrated prominent British Artist Arthur John Elsley (British, 1861 – 1952) | Entitled "Help Needed" | Oil on Canvas | Signed in Lower Right by the Artist “Arthur J. Elsley” | Circa 1890 | Housed in a gold wooden frame | Dimensions: 36.5″ x 28.25″ Arthur John Elsley (1860–1952) was a British painter of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, famous for his idyllic genre scenes of playful children and their pets. He achieved great popularity during his life and much of his work appeared in calendars, magazines and books. Elsley was born in London, one of six children of John Elsley, coachman and amateur artist, and Emily Freer. Elsley’s father had exhibited at the British Institution Exhibition in 1845 but later in life contracted tuberculosis which forced him into early retirement. When only eleven years old, Arthur was turning out proficient animal studies made during frequent visits to the London Zoo in Regent’s Park. At age fourteen, he enrolled in the South Kensington School of Art (later the Royal College of Art). At about this time his eyesight became permanently damaged by a bout of measles. Elsley took up the post of probationer at the Royal Academy Schools in 1876. here he was influenced by Frederick Pickersgill (Keeper of the Royal Academy), Edward Armitage (Professor of Painting), John Marshal (Professor of Anatomy), and Henry Bowler (Professor of Perspective). A large number of his paintings were inspired by sketches made on frequent cycling trips around the countryside. In 1878 he exhibited his first picture, entitled “A Portrait of an Old Pony” at the Royal Academy. He remained with the Academy Schools until 1882 and then began accepting commissions to do portraits of children and dogs, with an emphasis on horses. Many of his portrait commissions came from the Benett-Stanford family of politicians living at Preston Manor in Brighton—some works are still exhibited there. His first known published work was a line engraving entitled “April Floods In Eastern Counties” printed in “Young England” magazine in 1885. Elsley was friendly with the English painters Solomon Joseph Solomon and George Grenville Manton, sharing a studio with the latter in 1876. Through Manton Elsley met Frederick Morgan, a popular painter of children. In 1889 Elsley moved into Morgan’s studio, an arrangement that led to a good working relationship – Morgan having difficulties with painting animals, an area in which Elsley excelled. Elsley was awarded a silver medal in the Crystal Palace exhibition of 1891 for his painting “The Bailiff’s Daughter of Islington”. In 1892 his painting “I’se Biggest” was published, and later had to be re-engraved to satisfy public demand. The painting was of a young girl comparing her height with that of a large St. Bernard dog. The Illustrated London News printed one of Elsley’s paintings, Grandfather’s Pet as their Christmas choice for 1893. On 11 November 1893 Elsley married Emily “Emm” Fusedale, his second cousin who had modeled for him for ten years. They had one child, Marjorie, born in 1903, and who posed for many of his subsequent paintings. After his marriage Elsley set up his own studio, but continued his painting relationship with Frederick Morgan. After the death of Charles Burton Barber (1845–1894), Elsley became his natural successor as the foremost painter of children and their pets. Relations between Elsley and Frederick Morgan were permanently soured when Morgan accused Elsley of using his ideas. After this Elsley became bolder in his compositions, often depicting scenes with multiple figures, all from individual sitters visiting his studio. Hardly ever leaving his studio, the outdoors components of his paintings were from sketches he had made earlier and magazine images. It was thought that these indoor painting methods aggravated his already faulty vision. The First World War severely reduced Elsley’s output of paintings – he produced only 4 paintings from 1915 to 1917, one of which, a portrait of his daughter Marjorie, was exhibited at the Royal Academy. He contributed to the war effort by working on bomb-sights in a munitions factory, straining his already poor eyesight. By the early 1930s he was able only to carry out woodworking and gardening. Arthur John Elsley died at home in Tunbridge Wells on 19 February 1952. At the height of his career from 1878 to 1927, Elsley exhibited 52 works at the Royal Academy. However, many more were shown at exhibition halls throughout the country: The Royal Society of British Artists, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, French Gallery, Dudley Gallery and Crystal Palace in London; The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; The Institute of Fine Art, Glasgow; Manchester City Art Gallery; The Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham; Nottingham Castle Museum; Victoria Art Gallery, Bath; The International Exhibition in Cork Ireland (1902–03). His prints were used commercially by many firms such as calendars by Thomas D. Murphy Co., Sunlight Soap, Brook’s Sewing Cottons, Peek Freans biscuits & cakes; and Bibby’s Quarterly (an illustrated journal of country and home life). Currently Elsley’s work can be seen at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth, in the collections of “Hartlepool Museums and Heritage Service”, at Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight, Liverpool, Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital in Liverpool and the “Royal Pavilion Art Gallery and Museum”, Preston Manor, 194 Preston Road, Brighton.

Dimensions

36.5″ H x 28.25″ W

Artist or Maker

Arthur John Elsley

Medium

Oil on Canvas

Date

1890

Condition Report

Very Good +

Literature

Christies has estimated the valued of a similar Elsley painting coming up for auction at $70,000 to $100,000. See http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/paintings/arthur-john-elsley-here-he-comes-6104741-details.aspx?from=salesummery&intObjectID=6104741&sid=6d9167d7-f865-4097-8309-2e563f132703. In May of this year, Sotheby's estimated the value of two other oil paintings by Arthur Elsley at between $40,000 and $60,000, and another between $70,000 to $100,000 respectively. See http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/european-art-n09648/lot.82.html and http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/european-art-n09648/lot.83.html

Notes

Dogs and Children are Arthur J. Elsley's favorite subjects. His first painting to feature a dog was Victims, exhibited at the Royal Academy 1891, which showed a girl placing a small white kitten on a dog’s back while a boy tries to pull the dog along. This was followed by I'se Biggest, shown at the Royal Academy in 1892, featuring a child standing on tip-toe atop a thick book, comparing her height with that of the dog. Elsley continued to paint these good-natured dogs throughout his career, and they appear in more than thirty of his paintings. Elsley would study the dogs and take source photographs in preparation for each composition and was particularly renowned for his ability to paint dogs’ paws well, a difficult task. In Here He Comes, the well-rendered paws are centrally placed in the composition, where a lesser artist of the era would have hidden them behind some obstruction instead. Despite the fact that these dogs usually stand only three feet high at the shoulder, St. Bernards are always portrayed in Elsley’s work as gentle giants, with their massive bone structure dwarfing the children in his paintings. Elsley helped reinforce the breed's reputation for being dignified, trustworthy, caring, wise and particularly devoted to children. Here we see the large animal as both a guardian and patient teacher, watching over both her small puppies as they learn to climb the well-appointed stairs of the orangery and the young girl who helps as well. Elsley was among the most beloved and commercially sought after artists of late Victorian England. His idealized depictions of the lives of children and animals appealed to the middle and upper classes of society, and his work also gained popularity through chromolithographic reproductions. Reproduction rights to Elsley’s work were so eagerly sought after that print companies often competed to buy the copyright to his paintings. His paintings were routinely reproduced for use in color calendars published by the American firm Thomas D. Murphy Company, soap advertisers, as well as for the cover of publications such as Bibby's Quarterly. The present composition was purchased by the Murphy Company after its completion, and dispatched from England by boat en route to their headquarters in Red Oak, Iowa. While in transit, the boat on which the picture was sailing was sunk by a German U-Boat, and Elsley painted a replica of the composition from a reference photograph he had made of the original work. After the work reached the Murphy Company, a reproduction of the painting was used in a calendar printed in 1921, where it was seen by the wife of the painting’s first owner. She liked the image so much that she hung the reproduction on the wall, where it remained until her husband surprised her at Christmas with the original painting to hang in its place.

Payment & Shipping

Payment

Accepted forms of payment: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Other, Paypal, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Worthington Galleries provides in-house shipping at additional costs. We will separately invoice all winning bidders for packing, shipping, handling, and insurance costs. Please contact us to make shipping arrangements. WE GUARANTY ALL ITEMS SHIPPED IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS! If for whatever reason a winning bidder chooses not to use our in-house shipping, we will be happy to provide names of carriers and shippers. Should Purchaser choose to use a third-party shipper, Purchaser agrees that packing and shipping is done solely at the purchaser's risk and that the Purchaser will pay for all packing expenses, materials, carrier fees and insurance charges. Worthington Galleries will have no liability for any loss or damage to shipped items. Items must be paid for in full before they will be shipped. Any shipping estimates given are only estimates and cannot be construed as the final shipping cost. All property should be removed from the auction site premises at the auction's conclusion unless prior arrangements have been made with Worthington Galleries. Purchased items not picked up or shipped within ten business days of the auction will be assessed a storage fee of $10.00 per day. If the purchaser fails to have their item(s) removed from the Auction Site 30 days after the auction, Worthington Galleries reserves the right to take possession of the item(s) and dispose of them at their discretion to recoup storage costs.

Auction Details

Christmas End of Year Museum & Gallery Deaccession - Session 3

Worthington Galleries

December 03, 2017, 01:00 PM CST

112 Public Sq, Gallatin, TN, 37066, US

Explore This Auction

Terms

Live bidding may start higher or lower

Buyer's Premium

$0 - 500:20.0%

$501+:23.0%

Bidding Increments

From:	To:	Increment:
$0	$99	$10
$100	$499	$25
$500	$999	$50
$1,000	$2,499	$100
$2,500	$4,999	$200
$5,000	$9,999	$300
$10,000	$19,999	$500
$20,000	$499,999	$1,000
$500,000+		$5,000

Extended Bidding

5 minutes/bid

Terms & Conditions

Payment: All Sales Are Final. We accept the following forms of payment: Cash (In House Only), American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashier's Check, Visa, and Wire Transfer. All winning bids must be settled by the end of sale. If we do not hear from you within 5 business days from the auction date, a credit card may be charged through invaluable. Purchaser is responsible for all bank fees incurred for wire transactions. Payment may be made by cash (In House Only), wire transfer, certified funds, credit card or other form approved by Worthington Holdings, LLC ("Worthington Galleries") in writing. We reserve the right to require payment by wire transfer or certified funds. Payments from outside the United States and Canada should be made by wire transfer. Credit cards will not be accepted for international transactions. Checks may take up to three weeks to clear and be verified. Buyers not known to us presenting a check must provide a "letter of guarantee" from a bank officer on original stationery to Worthington Galleries. This letter should state an exact amount of funds guaranteed and should be presented to the cashier at time of registration. Credit arrangements must be made by the Friday prior to the day of auction so bank statements or letters of guarantee can be verified. We reserve the right to not issue a bidder number or to withhold merchandise if appropriate credit has not been established. Worthington Galleries reserves the right to hold all merchandise until receipt of funds is verified. A $50.00 service charge will be assessed when a check fails to clear the purchaser's bank. In addition to this returned check administrative fee, late payment fees may be assessed. We require cash, cashier's check or wire transfer to replace the returned check and any service fees.

Shipping: Worthington Galleries provides in-house shipping at additional costs. We will separately invoice all winning bidders for packing, shipping, handling, and insurance costs. Please contact us to make shipping arrangements. If for whatever reason a winning bidder chooses not to use our in-house shipping, we will be happy to provide names of carriers and shippers. Should Purchaser choose to use a third-party shipper, Purchaser agrees that packing and shipping is done solely at the purchaser's risk and that the Purchaser will pay for all packing expenses, materials, carrier fees and insurance charges. Worthington Galleries will have no liability for any loss or damage to shipped items. Items must be paid for in full before they will be shipped. Any shipping estimates given are only estimates and cannot be construed as the final shipping cost. All property should be removed from the auction site premises at the auction's conclusion unless prior arrangements have been made with Worthington Galleries. Purchased items not picked up or shipped within ten business days of the auction will be assessed a storage fee of $10.00 per day. If the purchaser fails to have their item(s) removed from the Auction Site 30 days after the auction, Worthington Galleries reserves the right to take possession of the item(s) and dispose of them at their discretion to recoup storage costs.
Buyer's Premium: A buyer's premium will be applied to the purchase price of all items as listed below. (The "Sales Price" is the hammer price plus the buyer's premium, plus applicable convenience payment fees, plus applicable taxes). All bidding at auction and all purchases will be in U.S. Dollars.

Condition and Descriptions: Worthington Holdings, LLC ("Worthington") has endeavored to accurately describe all items being sold. All items are sold as is, where is, with all faults. There are no warranties or representations of merchantability, of fitness, nor of any other kind, express or implied. All items are available for your examination prior to bidding. Your bidding will signify that you have examined the items as fully as desired, or that you have chosen not to examine them. Please note that photographs may have had size modifications for display purposes, or been trimmed to exclude framing, matting, and wide blank margins. Also, imperfections from the photography process can include reflections and variations in color due to digital processing. Worthington shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear, imperfections or aging. Any condition statement, written or verbal, is given as a courtesy to the client, and is only an opinion. It should not be treated as a statement of fact. Written and oral descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, materials or any other feature of items being sold. Our goal is to provide prospective bidders with accurate and detailed information. We recommend prospective bidders examine all items in which they have an interest. If you require absolute certainty in all areas of authenticity, and the results of your evaluation leave uncertainty in your mind, we recommend you not bid on the item in question. Estimates provided are our opinion of the price that a willing buyer would pay for the property at auction. These estimates are neither a representation nor a prediction of the actual selling price that will be realized at auction. All sales are final. No statement written or oral made by the auctioneer or a representative of Worthington shall be deemed a warranty or assumption of liability by Worthington or by any seller represented by Worthington. Worthington reserves the right to withdraw any property before the sale. The preview for the sale will be one day before the sale, or by appointment.

Your bid is a contract: In bidding on any lot offered, the bidder indicates acceptance of these Terms and Conditions of Sale. Title of each lot passes when the auctioneer says, "Sold". The bidder is responsible for knowing on which item(s) he or she is bidding. If unsure, the bidder should inquire, or not bid. When becoming the winning bidder at auction, you have affected a contract and will be expected to pay for items in which you were evidenced to be the successful bidder. After the item is sold, any loss by fire, theft, breakage, or any other cause is the sole responsibility of the purchaser. Merchandise must be packed and transported by the purchaser at his own risk and expense.

Taxes: Purchases may be subject to 9.25% Tennessee sales tax unless the Tennessee Department of Revenue Blanket Certificate of Resale form is completed and provided, along with a copy of the resale certificate from your state and received prior to time of purchase. International buyers are responsible for tariffs, taxes, or assessments of shipped items to the buyer's country.

Shipping

Get Invaluable on Your Phone

Download the app via text link to get instantly notified if you’re outbid and receive auction reminders so you never miss out!

Bid On-the-Go!

Download the Invaluable app and never miss an auction from your iOS or Android device.

As the world's leading online auction marketplace, thousands of auction houses use Invaluable to deepen relationships with millions of clients around the world. Stay connected to the things you love with curated items and auctions sent to your inbox.

You can unsubscribe at any time. View ourPrivacy Policy.