Edward Reginald Frampton (British, 1872-1923) watercolor and tempera on board drawing, "St. Cecilia," before 1918. According to the British art critic and writer Aymer Vallance, Frampton began his career as a designer of painted glass windows (other biographies state that he likely learned from his father, the stained glass artist Edward Frampton, 1845-1928). Vallance goes on to say that Frampton's artistic influences were the primitive Italian painters, the English Pre-Raphaelites, the French Symbolists and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. In the article, he describes Frampton's process, "...In picture panels he occasionally uses a tempera background, though he does not actually employ an egg medium. Neither again does he use tube pigments with oil, but powder colours with beeswax, with a spirit vehicle, preferably of petroleum, with copal or shellac. His method is to paint the whole composition in monochrome to begin with, the ultimate colours being applied but lightly, and more in the nature of glazes than anything else. Moreover, he prefers to employ his pigments unblended and not in any continuous expanse, but rather in a series of minute strokes, say of blue, for example, with pure rose-pink touches inserted between the blue when a mauve effect is desired——a process barely distinguishable from that of the ultra-modern Pointillistes. Thus strangely do extremes meet, and the old order, changing, gives place to the new." Insights from Guest Contributor – Music Journalist/Author, Alan Light: This watercolor and tempera on board drawing, dated pre-1918, would be a significant piece on its own. Edward Reginald Frampton (British, 1872-1923) painted in a flat, stately style and was influenced by French symbolism as well as the primitive Italian painters and the English Pre-Raphaelites. But the obvious reason for Christine McVie’s interest in this specific painting is the subject: Saint Cecilia, a 3rd century martyr in Rome, is the Patron Saint of Music and Musicians in the Roman Catholic Church and is frequently depicted playing the organ, McVie’s signature instrument. Frampton painted her several times—prior to this version (which was exhibited at London’s Royal Academy in 1917, the Paris Salon, 1923, and the Fine Art Society, London 1925), he portrayed Saint Cecilia in 1899 and again in a frequently reproduced version circa 1904. PROVENANCE Julian Hartnoll Fine Art, London LITERATURE Vallance, Aymer. “The Paintings of Reginald Frampton, R.O.I.” International Studio, Volume 66 (1919): pp. 66-77, illustrated p. 71. EXHIBITED Royal Academy, London; Paris Salon, 1923; Fine Art Society, London 1925 PLEASE NOTE THIS LOT IS LOCATED IN LONDON, UK, AND THE WINNING BIDDER MUST COORDINATE THE SHIPPING ARRANGEMENTS DIRECTLY.
EDWARD REGINALD FRAMPTON (1870-1923) CHRIST IN MAJESTY oil on canvas 139cm x 76.5cm (frame size 167.5cm x 101cm) Note: Edward Reginald Frampton was an English painter known for his distinctive blend of medievalism and symbolism. Born in London, Frampton was influenced by his father, a stained-glass artist, and this impact is evident in his use of flat, decorative forms and vibrant colour schemes reminiscent of stained-glass windows.Frampton’s work often depicted religious or allegorical subjects, characterized by serene, contemplative figures, often set against idyllic landscapes. His style drew heavily from the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and French Symbolist art, especially Puvis de Chavannes. Many of his paintings, such as The Passing of Summer and The Vision of St. Joan of Arc, exemplify his focus on purity, spirituality, and timeless beauty.Although Frampton exhibited at venues like the Royal Academy and became widely admired during his lifetime, his career was cut short when he died unexpectedly in 1923. Today, his work is recognized as part of the broader British Symbolist movement.
Edward Reginald Frampton, ROI (British, 1873-1923) 'Or in a clear-wall'd city on the sea Near gilded organ pipes, her hair wound with white roses, slept St.Cecily, An angel look'd at her' signed 'E Reginald Frampton' (lower left) oil on canvas laid to panel 94 x 40cm (37 x 15 3/4in).
Edward Reginald Frampton ROI, RBA (1872-1923) Study for the hands of Saint Cecilia inscribed and dated upper right 'S CECILIA / 1900' pencil on brown paper 13 x 21.5cm Provenance: The artist's estate; Sarah Colegrave Fine Art, London, from whom acquired by the present owner The present drawing is a study for the 1904 painting of the sleeping Saint Cecilia which is in a private collection. Framed 31.5 x 40cm
EDWARD REGINALD FRAMPTON, R.O.I., R.B.A. (BRITISH, 1870-1923) The Passage of the Holy Grail to Sarras oil on canvas 48 1/4 x 60 1/4 in. (122.7 x 152.9 cm.)
Edward Reginald Frampton, ROI (British, 1873-1923) 'When the sun to Westward sinks and bathes all things in Gold' signed and dated 'Reginald/Frampton.96.' (lower left); further signed and inscribed 'When the sun to Westward sinks/and bathes all things in gold./£20.00/EReginald Frampton/110 Buckingham Palace Road/London SW' (on old label affixed to the reverse) oil on canvas 72.4 x 101cm (28 1/2 x 39 3/4in). For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Edward Reginald Frampton ROI RBA, British 1870-1923- ''Saint Christopher''; oil on canvas, signed, 153x122cm Exhibited: London, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, 1912, No.111 Provenance: Private collection, London; Victorian Pictures, Drawings and Watercolours, Christie's London, 3 June 1999, lot 83; Impressionist and Nineteenth Century Art, Christie's London, 25 June 1998, lot 322
oil on board, signed lower left, 25.5 x 18 cm (10 x 7 ins), with Institute of Oil Painters label to verso, dated October 1904, giving the date, artist's name and address, price and exhibition number, framed and glazed - Quantity (1)
Edward Reginald Frampton, R.O.I., R.B.A. The forest at night pen and black ink, watercolour and metallic paint on vellum laid down on board, unframed 9 ½ x 6 ¾ in. (24.2 x 17.2 cm.)
Edward Reginald Frampton, R.O.I., R.B.A. A maiden enthroned; and A maiden in her bedchamber pencil and watercolour on paper, unframed 11 x 7 ¼ in. (27.9 x 18.4 cm.); and 12 ¼ x 6 in. (31.2 x 15.3 cm.) (2)
EDWARD REGINALD FRAMPTON (1872-1923) Elaine, the Lady of Shallott signed ‘E Reginald Frampton’ (lower left, in a cartouche) oil on canvas 25 x 15 in. (63.5 x 38 cm.)
Edward Reginald Frampton (1872-1923) >Study in blue and pink<br>signed 'E. Reg. Frampton' (lower left) and further signed and inscribed '"A Study in Blue & Pink"/ E Reginald Frampton/110 Buckingham Palace Road London./SW/Price/£6.6.0' (on a label on the reverse) >oil on canvas laid onto panel<br>13 ¼ x 10 in. (33.7 x 25.4 cm.)
Edward Reginald Frampton, R.O.I., R.B.A. (1872-1923) The Nativity signed 'E Reginald Frampton' (lower right) oil on canvas 42 1/8 x 28 in. (107 x 71.1 cm.)
EDWARD REGINALD FRAMPTON (1870/72-1923, BRITISH) Signed and dated 1900 Oil on Panel "Boats in Sunshine, Blakeney" (see inscription verso) 9 1/2 " x 7 1/2 "
Edward Reginald Frampton, R.O.I., R.B.A. (1870-1923) The Nativity signed 'E Reginald Frampton' (lower right) oil on canvas 42 1/8 x 28 in. (107 x 71.1 cm.)
Edward Reginald Frampton (1872-1923) THE OPEN ROAD lithograph in colours, 1923, condition B/B+; not backed and thirteen other London Transport posters 40 x 50in. (102 x 127cm.) (14)
Bambino del Neve (Snow Baby) signed 'EReginaldFrampton' (lower right), also inscribed on old lables on the reverse and dated Tempera 27 x 21.5cm (10 5/8 x 8 7/16in).
Edward Reginald Frampton (1870-1923) Our Lady of Promise (La Madonna di Promessa) signed and inscribed 'Our Lady of Promise'/E. Reginald Frampton 1 Brook Green Studios Brook Green London W14 £600.00' oil on canvas 50 x 46 in. (127 x 117 cm.)
Edward Reginald Frampton (1873-1923) Girls near a village on a summers day Signed and dated 98 Oil on board 32 x 18cm; 11½ x 7in Some gilding marks around the sight edge, otherwise good
Edward Reginald Frampton (1872-1923) Study of a head signed, inscribed and dated 'Study of a head E Reginald Frampton 1915. (lower right) pencil 11 x 7½ in. (28 x 19 cm.)
The Annunciation signed 'E Reginald Frampton' (lower right) and further signed and inscribed 'E Reginald Frampton/1. Brook Green Studios/W14/ANNUNCIATION £250.00.' (on the reverse) pencil, watercolour and bodycolour 37 3/8 x 15 3/4 in. (94.5 x 40 cm.); in the original frame
PROPERTY OF A LADY ST CECILIA 38x63cm.; 15x25in. signed and dated 1899 oil on canvas laid on panel NOTE St Cecilia is believed to have lived in the 2nd or 3rd century as a chaste bride and Christian Martyr. Apocryphal tales relay that an angel watching over her placed crowns of lilies or roses on her brow, and an early account of her life refers to music played on her wedding day. She is often depicted with her attributes of flowers and musical instruments, in particular the organ (she is the patron saint of music). She and her husband were later imprisoned and executed. Tennyson's word-painting in The Palace of Art, and the ambivalence of much of the Christian symbolism pertaining to St Cecilia (musical instruments also being interpreted as having erotic associations) seems to have been particularly inspiring to Pre-Raphaelite artists. Rossetti illustrated this passage for Moxon's important illustrated edition of Tennyson's poems (1857) in a typically intense and sexually charged ink drawing. The particular passage reads: 'Or, in a clear wall'd city on the sea Near gilded organ pipes, her hair Wound with white roses, slept St Cecily; An angel look'd at her.' Later Pre-Raphaelite artists visualised St Cecilia as a more passive figure, for example softly dreaming to the heavenly music of the angels in Waterhouse's St Cecilia of 1895. Frampton is known to have painted St Cecilia on a number of occasions and exhibited versions at the Royal Academy in 1911 and 1917. The 1905 depiction (sold Sotheby's, June 1993) is a classic portrayal of St Cecilia with its castle architecture, flowers and angelic visitation. Rudolf Dircks, writing in the Art Journal in 1907, commended Frampton's painting and stated that 'In St Cecily, have we not a precise and sympathetic interpretation of the lines of Tennyson -- in which the full, poetic beauty is apprehended pictorially?' The present, earlier painting, represents an important stage in Frampton's development of a subject that was to prove central to his art. The picture is an unusual interpretation of the subject without the usual view of the sea from the towered battlements. However, the presence of the angels and the inclusion of the organ at the centre of the composition makes Frampton's subject clear.
PROPERTY OF A LADY ST CECILIA measurements note 38 by 63 cm., 15 by 25 in. signed and dated l.l.: E. REGINALD FRAMPTON/ 1899 oil on canvas laid on panel NOTE St Cecilia is believed to have lived in the 2nd or 3rd century as a chaste bride and Christian Martyr. Her attributes are flowers, since an angel watching over her is said to have placed crowns of lilies or roses on her brow, and musical instruments (she is the patron saint of music) particularly the organ as an early account of her life refers to music played on her wedding day. She and her husband were later imprisoned and executed. Tennyson's word-painting in The Palace of Art, and the ambivalence of much of the Christian symbolism pertaining to St Cecilia (musical instruments also being interpreted as having erotic associations) seems to have been particularly inspiring to Pre-Raphaelite artists. Rossetti illustrated this passage for Moxon's important illustrated edition of Tennyson's poems (1857) in a typically intense and sexually charged ink drawing. The particular passage reads: 'Or, in a clear wall'd city on the sea Near gilded organ pipes, her hair Wound with white roses, slept St Cecily; An angel look'd at her.' Later Pre-Raphaelite artists visualised St Cecilia as a more passive figure, for example softly dreaming to the heavenly music of the angels in Waterhouse's St Cecilia of 1895. Frampton is known to have painted St Cecilia on a number of occasions and exhibited versions at the Royal Academy in 1911 and 1917. The 1905 depiction (sold Sotheby's, June 1993) is a classic portrayal of St Cecilia with its castle architecture, flowers and angelic visitation. Rudolf Dircks, writing in the Art Journal in 1907, commended Frampton's painting and stated that 'In St Cecily, have we not a precise and sympathetic interpretation of the lines of Tennyson -- in which the full, poetic beauty is apprehended pictorially?' The present, earlier painting, represents an important stage in Frampton's development of a subject that was to prove central to his art. The picture is an unusual interpretation of the subject without the usual view of the sea from the towered battlements. However, the presence of the angels and the inclusion of the organ at the centre of the composition makes Frampton's subject clear.
PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN STONE WALLS DO NOT A PRISON MAKE, NOR IRON BARS A CAGE measurements note 89 by 54.5 cm., 35 by 21 1/2 in. signed l.l.: Reginald Frampton oil on canvas NOTE The title of Frampton's painting is taken from the fourth verse of the poem To Althea, from Prison, written by the Elizabethan poet Richard Lovelace (1618-1657/8) while incarcerated in the Gatehouse Prison in Westminster for his 'Kentish Petition' (in which he voiced support for the Royalist cause) to the House of Commons in 1642. Lovelace's works were neglected for almost a century but were reassessed when lyrics of his were included in Thomas Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry in 1765. To Althea continues: Minds innocent and quite take That an hermitage; If I have freedom in my love, And in my soul am free; Angels alone, that soar above, Enjoy such liberty. The beautiful Althea, dressed in a flowing robe of crimson lined with gold, approaches the prison of her beloved who reaches out though the iron grille to take a rose-bud from her fingers. The impregnable oak doors have long-since been locked and tender blooms have sprung up over the threshold; blushing campions and blue irises, trailing briar roses and delicate tulips. Althea's costume, with long sweeping sleeves, is similar to that worn by the Pilgrim of Love in a series of important pictures by Burne-Jones which includes Love and the Pilgrim (Tate Britain) and The Pilgrim at the Gates of Idleness (private collection). Frampton had been much impressed by Burne-Jones' work which he had seen at the New Gallery in various exhibitions. The son of a stained glass designer Frampton spent his formative education at Brighton Grammar School where his fellow pupil was the talented and tragic Aubrey Beardsley. He later attended Westminster School of Art before spending a period in his father's studio as an apprentice. It was here that he developed a flat and decorative style which owes much to early Italian art and also the paintings of artists like Puvis de Chavannes and Burne-Jones. He favoured romantic, religious and symbolist figurative subjects often depicting beautiful maidens in flowing gowns, painted in a rich style 'sedulously wrought to the smallest, but never indifferent details.' (Rudolf Dircks, 'Mr E. Reginald Frampton', Art Journal, 1907, p. 295) Frampton followed in his father's footsteps, producing designs for stained-glass well into the twentieth century. He also undertook several important commissions for decorative schemes in churches in Hastings, Ranmore and Southampton. His work was shown at the Royal Academy, the Art Worker's Guild and the New Gallery. His work was also appreciated in Europe following the successful exhibition of his work at the annual Paris Salons. His richly decorative scheme which reflects the advances of the Arts and Crafts Movement, can be seen as embodying the exotic medievalism which had swept the continent in various guises for several decades. Frampton was a consummate colourist, whose meticulous use of pigments created an effect which recalls the work of the Early Italians. Aymer Vallance described Frampton's working method in an article of 1918, 'Neither again does he use tube pigments with oil, but powder colours with beeswax, with a spirit vehicle, preferably of petroleum, with copal or shellac. His method is to paint the whole composition in monochrome to begin with, the ultimate colours being applied but lightly, and more in the nature of glazes than anything else. Moreover, he prefers to employ his pigments unblended and not in any continuous expanse, but rather in a series of minute strokes, say of blue, for example, with pure rose-pink touches inserted between the blue when a mauve effect is desired - a process barely distinguishable from that of the ultra-modern Pointillists. Thus strangely do extremes meet, and the older order, changing, gives place to the new.' (Aymer Vallance, 'The Paintings of Reginald Frampton', The Studio, 1918, p. 77)
A Maiden holding a Book and Flowers signed and dated 'E. Reginald Frampton 1901' (lower left) oil on canvas 23 x 81/4 in. (58.4 x 21 cm.) PROVENANCE Anon. sale, Christie's, New York, 23 February, 1989, lot 465, when acquired by the present owner. NOTES Frampton was the son of a stained-glass artist, and his flat, schematic style clearly owes much to his father's work in that medium. He was also the exact contemporary of Aubrey Beardsley: both attended Brighton Grammar School where for theatrical productions Beardsley designed the programmes and Frampton the scenery. He studied at Westminster School of Art and assisted his father for seven years before spending lengthy periods of time undertaking study in France and Italy. The early Italian masters, Puvis de Chavannes and Burne-Jones all influenced him deeply. This picture is typical of the easel paintings he produced on religious and symbolist themes. The subject is unclear, the attributes of book and flower being too generic to aid specific identification. Although both are found in depictions of the Annunciation, this picture appears too secular in tone to suggest that subject. In addition to executing several decorative schemes for churches in the South of England, Frampton exhibited regularly at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the Royal Society of British Artists, the Tempera Society, and the Art Worker's Guild, as well the more established venues of the Royal Academy, the New Gallery and the Paris Salon. A memorial exhibition was held at the Fine Art Society following his death in 1923.
Campa Rossa, Italy signed 'E. R. Frampton' (lower right) and inscribed and signed 'Campa Rossa Italy ER Frampton' (on the reverse) oil on board 81/2 x 10 in. (21.6 x 25.4 cm.).
Miniature broadsheets (one-sixteenth of double crown size): 163 x 116 mm. 12 leaves. Wove paper by Edmeads & Pine (E & P watermark in folios 5, 10 and 11). 21 RELIEF AND WHITE-LINE ETCHINGS BY BLAKE, PRINTED IN GREEN AND COLORED BY THE ARTIST. The first four plates outlined in red; occasional letters strengthened by pen, several words on pl. 27 and pl. 54 in blue ink, no doubt by Blake. COLLATION: (plate numbering as adopted by Bentley in the more standard order of Songs of Innocence and of Experience ): 1r blank, 1v pl. 2 frontispiece The Piper, 2r pl. 3 title, 2v blank, 3r pl. 4 Introduction, 3v blank, 4r pl. 5 The Shepherd, 4v pl. 9 The Little Black Boy, 5r pl. 10 TLBB continued, 5v pl. 54 The Voice of the Ancient Bard, 6r pl. 18 The Divine Image, 6v pl. 26 A Dream, 7r pl. 6 The Ecchoing Green, 7v pl. 7 TEG continued, 8r pl. 27 On Anothers Sorrow, 8v pl. 25 Infant Joy, 9r pl. 8 The Lamb, 9v pl. 22 Spring, 10r pl. 23 Spring continued, 10v pl. 11 The Blossom, 11r pl. 24 Nurse's Song, 11v pl. 12 The Chimney Sweeper, 12r pl. 16 A Cradle Song, 12v pl. 17 ACS continued. The plates printed in pairs by folio imposition on separate, aligned leaves. They measure 123 x 77 mm and slightly smaller and show text, decorative borders and pictorial illustrations. (Short split in extreme top inner blank corner of folio 1.) BINDING: early-19th-century half sheep and marbled boards, seven sets of triple fillets across the spine, SONGS tooled vertically on lettering piece in second compartment, original wove endpapers, evidence of earlier stabbing, (rebacked, original backstrip laid down, corners worn). Preserved in a late-19th-century cream fabric jacket, finely embroidered by Mrs Reginald Frampton (according to the 1925 sale catalogue). Lola F. Frampton, the wife of painter Edward Reginald Frampton (c. 1870-1923), was a trained book designer and embroiderer. Her work was exhibited at the 1914 Leipziger Buchgewerbe-Austellung. PROVENANCE: apart from the binding, there is no other evidence of early provenance -- [Sotheby's 20 November 1899, lot 116, to Quaritch] -- Edward J. Shaw, J.P. of Walsall, sold at Sotheby's 29 July 1925, lot 159 to Walter T. Spencer -- [American Art Association, 14 April 1926, lot 75 to W. Clarkson -- Edwin Grabhorn, gift from his father Dr J.W. Robertson -- [John Howell-Books 1963, catalogue 34, no. 98] -- ?duPont (Howell catalogue slip) -- purchased from Warren Howell 1978. BLAKE'S FIRST BOOK OF ILLUMINATED PRINTING. It and the subsequent color-printed and illuminated productions of his mystical and prophetic works -- from Thel to Jerusalem -- are indisputably the finest illustrated books in all of English literature. They are "livres d'artiste" avant la lettre, but fuse the content of text and pictures to a far greater degree. This extraordinary physical integration is achieved through relief etching of the copper plates, a process of Blake's own invention that combines two 15th-century techniques: xylography (illustration and text on the same woodblock) and metalcuts (relief engraving). Much of the desired artistic effect, however, needed to be accomplished by careful inking, printing, and watercoloring. How he managed all this and at the same time efficiently organized multiplication to publish commerical (albeit small) editions, is analyzed in fascinating and brilliant detail in Joseph Viscomi's monumental Blake and the Idea of the Book (Princeton University Press, 1993). Known as copy J, this is ONE OF THE FOUR RECORDED COPIES OF THE EXTREMELY EARLY GREEN-INK IMPRESSION (the others being I and X, and copy F of Songs of Innocence and Experience combined after Blake), immediately following the black-ink impression (known in two copies: U and untraced V, T being a forgery), and preceding the main print run of brown-ink impressions (16 copies: A-H, K-M, the newly discovered Z, and B - E of Innocence and Experience combined by Blake). Other brown-ink impressions were pulled in 1795 (2 copies: N and J of Songs combined after Blake) and 1802 (3 copies: O, R/Y now separated, and P of Songs combined after Blake). The designation "brown" is here used generically; the colors range to tints that have been variously described as golden-brown, orangish-brown, reddish brown, pale orange, raw sienna, yellow ochre, etc. The full complement of plates for the early impressions of Songs of Innocence is 31 (copies U, V lacking one, I, F, A-E, F lacking 4, G and H). After Songs of Experience came out in 1794 Blake transferred three plates (34-36) -- and less consistently another (28) -- from Innocence to Experience ; thus, copies K and E have 28 plates; L, M, Z and B - D 27 plates). The later impressions are naturally without plates 34-36, but they include pl. 26 again. Copy X of the green-ink impression survives with only 12 plates on 6 leaves; it was perhaps once complete. Berland copy J has 21 plates; Viscomi has demonstrated that 8 other plates from its run were used by Blake to make up Huntington copy E of the combined Songs of Innocence and Experience (plts. 13/14, 20/21, 15/34, 35/36), while the leaf containing the two plates 19/53 appears to be lost. He comments in n. 6 to ch. 24 of his recent study: "Innocence copy J, however, may not have existed as an autonomous copy in 1806; that is, the eight green impressions in Songs copy E may have come from a loose pile of green impressions and not have been "extracted" from a copy. The impressions of copy J were never stabbed, and their history is unknown before 1899 ( BB 407 [i.e. Bentley's Blake Books p. 407]). That they were finished in watercolors is not a sign that they were collated or issued, since such impressions were routinely colored in small editions and before collation. They were probably loose impressions that Tatham [the executor, who provided a home for Blake's widow and continued to market his works] inherited after Mrs Blake died. To describe copy J, then, as "incomplete" may be misleading, because the impressions that together are called "copy" J may have remained in the studio late and possibly never collated or sold by Blake as a copy." However, something is known about copy J's history before 1899: it survives in a near-contemporary binding, which unquestionably belongs; and it does show stab-holes. In addition, Innocence in copy E of the combined Songs also has stab-holes -- two sets of them even, the earlier of which appearing to match copy J's -- while Experience in the same copy seems to be without any. Copy E 's provenance goes back to Blake's faithful patron, Thomas Butts, who mostly provided for the artist's support until 1811. Butts bought his combined Songs from Blake in 1806. It may therefore be safely assumed that BLAKE CONSTITUTED COPY J HIMSELF AS IT SURVIVES TODAY. Copy X is the only other green-ink impression left in private hands, but it has just six leaves. The impressions of the relief-etched copperplates and the watercoloring in the Berland copy are of the highest quality, and ITS CONDITION IS IMMACULATE. Bentley p. 407; Keynes 34H; Keynes & Wolf p. 14; Viscomi, op. cit. ch. 24 and passim.
![BLAKE, William (1757-1827). Songs of Innocence. [London:] William [and Catherine] Blake, 1789.](https://stageimg.invaluable.com/housePhotos/christies/93/134493/H0027-L00148725.jpg)
