Lot 262: Mary Hayllar (fl. 1880-1885)

For a good Boy signed and indistinctly dated 'Mary Wells/1880' (lower left) oil on canvas 161/4 x 111/2 in. (41.3 x 29.2 cm.) PROVENANCE with Christopher Wood, London, from whom acquired by the present owner in 1989. EXHIBITION A Struggle for Fame, 1994, cat. p. 61. Ladies of the Brush, 1994-5, no. 21. The Pursuit of Leisure, 1997-8, no. 59. The Defining Moment, 2000-1, no. 20. NOTES Mary Wells, n‚e Hayllar, was one of the four artistic daughters of James Hayllar (see lot 100). An example by each is included in this sale: that of Edith, lot 104, Kate, lot 263 and Jessica, lot 267. Mary was perhaps the least prolific, and only exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1880 to 1885, mainly still lives and child subjects. After her marriage to Henry Wells in 1887 she seems to have given up painting, and borne several children, each of whom found ready employment as models by their aunts. Mary was highly accomplished however, and like her sisters, she delighted in recording the domestic life of the Berkshire countryside, as lived at her parents' house, Castle Priory, Wallingford. Tables laid with an enticing looking tea are a leitmotif found in all their work. We are grateful to Christopher Wood for his help in preparing this entry.