Lot 79

Private collection, New Zealand
Thence by descent

Remnants of a framing label verso listing the address of 17 & 18 Nassau Street, London. This was the historic home of James Bourlet & Sons, famous fine art packers, carvers, gilders, and picture frame makers active from the 19th through the 20th century.

RELATED WORKS:
Dorothea Sharp, Summertime, oil on canvas, 64 by 76.5cm, sold by Sotheby's, London, European & British Art, 7-14 July 2021, lot 78

Dorothea Sharp (1873-1955) was a pioneer of British Impressionism whose determination to become an artist led her to study at the Richmond School of Landscape Painting in 1894, despite her family's objections. Working mainly in oils, she developed a distinctive approach of sketching outdoors and completing paintings in the studio, a method that suited her vibrant style. A visit to Paris in 1900 exposed Sharp to the French Impressionists and American artists such as Frank Benson and Carl Frieseke, influences that shaped her bright palette and expressive brushwork. Back in England, she gained widespread popularity for her joyful scenes of children at the seaside, gathering flowers, and enjoying the outdoors. By the 1940s, she was one of Britain's most celebrated artists, exhibiting extensively and travelling widely across Europe and North Africa. Like Dame Laura Knight, Sharp became renowned for capturing the innocence of childhood through luminous colour and energetic brushstrokes.