Lot 80: Edwin Harris, RBSA (British, 1855-1906) Spring Flowers

Edwin Harris, RBSA (British, 1855-1906)
Spring Flowers signed and dated 'Edwin Harris./1903' (lower left)oil on canvas66.5 x 76.5cm (26 3/16 x 30 1/8in).

Provenance: Private collection, UK. Exhibited: Birmingham, Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, Autumn Exhibition, 1903, no. 42, where probably acquired by the family of the present owners. Literature: Roger Langley, Edwin Harris 1855-1906, An introduction to his life and art, Truro, 2008, p. 48.The present lot is an important late example of Harris's work. Although Harris had not lived in Newlyn since 1895, the influence of the time he spent there painting cottage interiors is still evident. The work makes an interesting comparison with another 1903 work, Mending the nets, where a seated female figure converses with a fisherman while busy at her task. In the present lot, the fisherman has been replaced by a second female figure. The artist has used many of the same props in both works, such as the wheel-backed chair, the stool, and the engraving on the wall.