Lot 250

Rubbing to gilding on frame, small cracks repairs consistant with age
No visable repairs, however this item has not been black lighted
Cracks to paint work consistant with age
Overpainting in places
Signed clearly to the bottom right corner
Note: This item has not been taken off the wall, thus the back has not been inspected


The opinions expressed in the condition reports are a guide only and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Prospective buyers are encouraged to inspect articles for sale at our pre-sale viewing where Leonard Joel staff are available for advice.
Leonard Joel makes no guarantee of the originality of mechanical or applied components. Absence of reference to such modifications does not imply that a lot is free from modifications.

Sotheby's, Paintings from the Collection of John Schaeffer, Sydney, 25/08/2003, Lot No. 11. Prior to that purchased from descendants of the artist in the U. K. Exhibited: H. Septimus Power 1878 - 1951 A Retrospective Trevor Bussell Fine Art Gallery Sydney April 1985 cat. 38. Power received his first training as an artist in Melbourne and working with Hans Heysen in Adelaide. He then studied at Julien's Academy in Paris under Jean Paul Laurens who had also taught Rupert Bunny. However it was in England that Power's skills were first widely recognised. Settling in London he was soon in demand as a society portraitist as well as for animal painting and landscape and he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy. In 1915 he was appointed an Australian Official War Artist on the Western Front whilst George Lambert served in Palestine and Egypt. From 1921 he divided his time between England and Australia until 1940 when he returned permanently to Melbourne. As his student and biographer Max Middleton relates 'He had known some of the more colourful personalities such as Sickert Augustus John Orpen Sargent and Frank Brangwyn who had been at the height of their powers during the years which he spent overseas (The Art of Septimus Power Rigby Adelaide 1974 p. 8). He spoke also of the influence of the great Spanish impressionist Sorolla y Bastida whose bravura style captivated many London artists in the 1920s. These influences are clearly seen in the glamour confident brushwork and striking colour scheme of the present work a portrait of Miss Josie Truscott painter at the Cowes Hotel on Phillip Island Victoria