Lot 121: Ernest Procter , 1886-1935 a buddist family oil on canvas

signed l.r.: ERNEST PROCTER oil on canvas

measurements note 182 by 152 cm., 72 by 60 in.

The Fine Art Society, London, Dod Procter RA 1891-1972, Ernest Procter ARA 1886-1935, 1973, no. 44

PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN
A Buddhist Family was painted soon after 1919 when Ernest and his wife Dorothy 'Dod' were commissioned to supervise a major decorative scheme for the Kokine Palace in Rangoon for the Honourable Lim Ching Tsong, a rich Chinese merchant living in Burma. The commission was accepted partly because the Procters saw travelling to Burma as an adventure but also because they needed money. Tsong had promised them a team of Burmese, Chinese and Indian artists to work upon their designs, payment of one hundred pounds per week plus the use of a house and a car. The Procters departed from England on Christmas Eve 1919 and they both enjoyed the voyage, despite the rough seas in the Bay of Biscay. Unfortunately when they arrived, the house they had been promised was little more than a hut made of reeds and it was only after much persuasion that Tsong provided them with accommodation opposite the Palace, which was a little less basic but far from ideal. Dod liked the fact that there were palm trees in the garden but was less pleased by there being no electricity. Relations with Tsong deteriorated and before long Dod found him almost impossible to work for, 'he is like a great big child, rather.' (Dod Procter RA 1891-1972, Ernest Procter ARA 1886-1935, exhibition catalogue for the Laing Art Gallery, 1990, p. 12). The Procter's payments were also not forthcoming and Tsong reduced the fee to just twenty-pounds plus their hotel bills. Although Ernest started to give lessons in painting to the wealthy Burmese and ex-patriots of Rangoon, at only one pound per lesson the Procters realised that their adventure was not going to make them rich. They both fell ill with fever and suffered from the climate but the sights and sounds of Burma enchanted them and made their trip bearable. They both developed a deep affection for and interest in the Burmese locals and made a number of significant depicts of village families. They returned to Britain in mid-December 1920, leaving behind the ardours of the Kokine Palace decorations but taking with them a vast number of subjects that they wished to paint. This large painting probably depicts a scene in Mandalay rather than Rangoon, of the people who lived along the Irrawady river. The children are gathered on the banks of the river, accompanied by saffron-robed monks from the temple which can be seen in the background. The statue of Chinthe (the much loved Buddhist leogryph and guardian lion of Burma) is similar to the large statues that stand at the entrance to the Hill Temple at Mandalay. The carved toy water-buffalo that the youngest child casually dangles from his hand, is testament to the artistry of the Burmese people who so impressed the Procters. Dod painted a similar picture in 1920 entitled Washing Place on the Irrawady which perhaps depicts the same family.