George Clare, Still Life with Grapes, Damsons & Raspberries, 1880s, Oil Painting

Description

An original 1880s oil painting, George Clare, Still Life with Grapes, Damsons & Raspberries.A delectable still life in oil by … more An original 1880s oil painting, George Clare, Still Life with Grapes, Damsons & Raspberries.A delectable still life in oil by the celebrated Victorian painter of flowers, nests and fruit George Clare (c.1830–1890).George Clare is the eldest of a dynasty that includes his sons, Oliver and Vincent, who worked in a similar style. Little is known about Clare's artistic training, but in both his subjects and his stippling technique it is believed that he was influenced by the elder English still life painter William Henry Hunt (1790– 1864) (whose naturalistic depictions of fruit, flowers, and birds' nests earned him the nickname ‘Bird’s Nest’ Hunt).Clare initially worked in the decorative arts as a japanner while honing his skills as a painter—in particular, it seems, his ability to work with high precision and fine detail, as well with a sense of the decorative in colour, texture and composition. This combination of traits aligns Clare's work with that of Pre-Raphaelite artists, whose work championed truth to nature whilst also being consciously crafted.Inscribed on the reverse, 'Ge: Clare, Moretonhampstead, Devon', this still life dates from the period around 1881 when George Clare was living in Court Street in the Dartmoor town of Moretonhampstead.Oil on canvas on stretchers. Presented in a swept gilt frame with gilt liner.Image size: 13.9 x 21.4cm. Frame size: 23 x 30.5cm. Signed: Signed lower right and verso. Inscribed: Inscribed verso. Height: 23cm (9.1″) Width: 30.5cm (12″) Condition: In excellent, clean condition. Evidence of minor repair to the moulding on the frame in places. Please see photos for detail. Presented: Framed. less