Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) Amongst the flock signed and dated 'EA Hornel. 1917.' (lower right) oil on canvas 40.8 x 50.8cm (16 1/16 x 20in).
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (SCOTTISH 1864-1933) VOICES IN THE WOODLANDS Signed and dated 1913, oil on canvas 122cm x 152cm (48in x 60in) Presented by James Begg, Esq., 1915. Literature:A Paisley Legacy: The Paisley Art Institute Collection, Centenaries Catalogue, Paisley, 2015, p.36
Edward Atkinson Hornel (1864-1933) A young geisha in an interior signed and dated 'E. A . Hornel/94', oil on canvas 33 x 28cm Condition Report: Overall: 48 x 41cm Unlined. Craquelure. A little rubbing to the extreme top edge. Stretcher marks are visible to the right edge and lower right corner. Not examined under UV light, for a full report please contact the department.
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (SCOTTISH 1864-1933) THE FAN DANCE - THREE YOUNG JAPANESE ENTERTAINERS oil on canvas 64 x 77cm; 25 1/4 x 30 1/4in (framed) Property of a Gentleman, London Provenance Adam Gallery, London (purchased by the present owner in 1993)
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (SCOTTISH 1864-1933) BONNIE FEATHERS MAK' BONNIE BIRDS Signed and dated 1918, inscribed with title on label verso, oil on canvas 35.5cm x 25.5cm (14in x 10in)
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (SCOTTISH 1864-1933) EASTER EGG ROLLING Signed and dated 1906, oil on canvas 76cm x 91cm (30in x 36in) This charming early version of a favourite subject depicts two girls in Brighouse Bay, near Kirkcudbright, engrossed in an Easter game, presumably on Easter Sunday itself. Particular care is taken over the friends' companionable pose, as they clasp eggs in their hands and look out to check on the progress of their rolling. They are set within an idyllic Spring scene, into which the viewer is drawn from the brightly-coloured eggs of the foreground to the graceful curve of the bay in the distance.
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (SCOTTISH 1864-1933) A JAPANESE TEA GARDEN Signed and dated '94, oil on canvas 61cm x 41cm (24in x 16in) William Davidson (1861-1945) and thence by descent to the present ownerExhibited: The Scottish Arts Council, Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow, The Glasgow Boys 1880-1900, 5 July - 15 September 1968, no.65;The Scottish Arts Council, Glasgow Art Gallery, Mr Henry and Mr Hornel Visit Japan, 2 December 1978-14 January 1979, no. 81 (EH50), ill.p.48 and tour to Scottish Arts Council Gallery, Edinburgh, 3 February-11 March 1979, McLaurin Art Gallery, Ayr, 17 March-8 April 1979, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, 14 April-6 May 1979 and The Fine Art Society, London, 21 May-15 June 1979Literature:William Buchanan et al, The Glasgow Boys Part Two: The History of the Group and Illustrations, The Scottish Arts Council, Edinburgh, 1971, pp.62 & 65, pl.47 A Japanese Tea Garden is a beautiful and rare painting from Hornel’s landmark trip to Japan in 1893-94. Moreover, it comes from a distinguished private collection and has not been seen in public since it was shown in the Scottish Arts Council’s touring exhibition Mr Henry and Mr Hornel visit Japan of 1978-79.Hornel’s decision to travel to Japan, with his friend and fellow Glasgow Boy George Henry, was the culmination of a growing interest in the country, its culture and its art. As Jean Walsh has explained:“Henry and Hornel regarded Japan as the model society, one whose people embodied an enviable honesty, simplicity and spirituality, completely at one with their natural surroundings. The Boys admired what they saw as the external manifestation of this inner beauty and harmony in Japanese art.” (Jean Walsh, ‘A Reed Shaken by the Wind: From Kirkcudbright to Japan’, Roger Billcliffe et al, Pioneering Painters: The Glasgow Boys, Culture and Sport Glasgow and the Royal Academy of Arts, 2010, pp.58-59)Hornel himself explained the impetus behind the trip:“A reed shaken by the wind; to those acquainted even slightly with Japanese art the words express the spirit and motif of its dainty achievements. Japanese art, rivalling in splendour the greatest art in Europe, the influence of which is now fortunately being felt in all the new movements in Europe, engenders the desire to see and study the environment out of which this great art sprung, to become personally in touch with the people, to live their life and discover the source of their inspiration.” (E. A. Hornel, lecture for the Corporation Art Galleries, Glasgow, 9 February 1895, quoted by Walsh, op.cit., p.59)With financial support from the art dealer Alexander Reid and ship-owner and collector William Burrell, both of Glasgow, Hornel and Henry set sail from Liverpool in February 1893 and arrived in Nagasaki in April; they were to return to Scotland after eighteen months away. As Europeans, they were required by law to live in within the confines of the ‘Concessions’. However, by working as house agents for some time, they were able to gain access to wider aspects of the country and its residents. Hornel delighted in direct contact with Japanese culture and the trip proved to be a turning-point in his oeuvre. As can be seen in A Japanese Tea Garden, he revelled in the customs, clothing and decorative schemes that he witnessed. Richly evocative paintings, teeming with luminous colour and beguiling detail were realised in thickly applied oil paint, and met a triumphant reception when exhibited at Reid’s gallery La Société des Beaux-Arts in 1895. All but one of the forty-four works sold. The critic of the Glasgow Evening News exclaimed:“Though lust of the eye is his first and last consideration he has deigned to be more intelligible in form and incident than ever before; and to most people, we fancy, those scenes of a sunny and apparently happy land of tearooms, gardens, cherry blossoms…dancing girls, samisens and junks will have even a literary appeal…There is not in the collection a single picture commonplace or feeble. They are all without exception strong, original, impressive, balanced and complete.” (Glasgow Evening News, 25 April 1895). Such was the impact of the trip that Hornel returned to Japan in 1922 and established a garden in the Japanese style at his home, Broughton House in Kirkcudbright. A Japanese Tea Garden is also of note in regard to Hornel’s use of photography to inform his imagery. Antonia Laurence Allen has explained that the hair styles, profiles, the little table, lanterns and kakemono which appear in it were all popular features used in contemporary photographs of Japanese landscapes and interiors. (emails to Alice Strang of 3 and 29 April 2024).She continues:“He was more of a compositor, taking bits he wanted from a variety of photos he took or composed while out in Japan and those he purchased from commercial photographers, like Ogawa and Tammamura…He would have also seen Ogawa’s books. He knew the commercial photographers and he knew William Burton who worked with Ogawa on publications. Hornel and Henry joined the photo society of Japan in 1893 when they arrived and both Ogawa and Burton were members. Hornel certainly would have seen images by Ogawa that were published in Scenes from Everyday Life (1893) and Views of Tokyo in Collotype (1896). (Antonia Laurence Allen, op.cit.) Ben Reiss has elaborated further, stating:“There are direct links between poses in a good number of the photos and poses in lots of paintings, showing pretty conclusively that the photos he took or collected in Japan were crucial to his artistic success. You can go further, and state that it was really his exposure to photography in Japan that properly opened his eyes to the potential of the camera for his art (although he was using painting from photos before his trip).” (email to Alice Strang of 3 October 2023)A Japanese Tea Garden formerly belonged to William Davidson (1861-1945), a Glasgow-based businessman and great patron of the arts. His collection came to include work by ‘The Four’, namely Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, Frances Macdonald MacNair and James Herbert MacNair, as well as many of the ‘Glasgow Boys’ including George Henry, E. A. Hornel, W. Y. McGregor and E. A. Walton. David was a particular supporter of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and John Quinton Pringle. Many important works from this collection are now in the holdings of the Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow. Further works by Hornel from the 1893-94 trip to Japan can be found in public collections, including the National Galleries of Scotland, Fleming Collection, National Trust for Scotland, Yale Center for British Art, Aberdeen Art Gallery and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.We are grateful to Marianne Fossaluzza, University of Aberdeen, Antonia Laurence Allen, National Trust for Scotland and Ben Reiss, Historic Environment Scotland, for their help with our research.
Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) Picking cherry blossom signed and dated 'E A Hornel/1919' (lower right) oil on canvas 61 x 51.5cm (24 x 20 1/4in).
Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) Gathering bluebells signed and dated 'EAHornel/09' (lower right) oil on canvas 61.5 x 61.5cm (24 3/16 x 24 3/16in).
Edward Atkinson Hornel (Scottish, 1864-1933), At Play in the Wood, signed and dated 1917 l.l., titled and signed on W.B. Simpson, Glasgow Gallery label verso, oil on panel, 40 by 50cm, gilt frame. Provenance: with Ian MacNicol, Glasgow
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (SCOTTISH 1864-1933) EASTER EGGS Signed and dated 1901, oil on canvas (76cm x 63.5cm (30in x 25in)) Provenance: William Davidson (1861-1945) and thence by descent to the present owner; Lot 106 in the 1912 sale of Mr Hope Paterson, Esq., Viewforth, Stirling (sold for 78 guineas); Acquired from Ian MacNicol, Glasgow by William Davidson for his son, Cameron Davidson, in 1932. Note: William Davidson (1861–1945) was a Glasgow-based businessman and a great patron of the arts. His collection came to include work by ‘The Four’, namely Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, Frances Macdonald MacNair and James Herbert MacNair and many of the ‘Glasgow Boys’, including George Henry, E. A. Hornel, W. Y. McGregor and E. A. Walton. Davidson was a particular supporter of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and John Quinton Pringle. Many important works from his collection are now in the holdings of the Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow. Easter Eggs is an exquisite work, emerging now from an important private collection for the first time in its history. By 1901, Hornel was an established artist, and an internationally regarded one. By the end of the 1890s he had exhibited in cities as scattered as Barcelona and Philadelphia. Most notable of all, perhaps, was a travelling US exhibition which exposed the work of the Glasgow Boys to American audiences in St Louis, Cincinnati, Chicago and New York. 1899-1902 was a period of evolution in his work, and the moment in which he was able to access a broader appreciation from the buying public. His painting, though still heavily decorative and inventive in terms of structure and paint application, became more naturalistic than the innovative but challenging work of the 1880s and early 1890s. The children depicted have more finely drawn faces and his palette became more muted and rooted in reality. Critics and the public responded to these developments extremely favourably and he began to earn a good living. In Easter Eggs, the instantly recognisable broad handing of his characteristically dry pigment in mosaic-like strokes shows an artist in the full, confident stride of his mature style. Hornel utilised technological advancements to support his process, taking multiple staged photographs of children local to his home in Kirkcudbright to aid his compositional arrangements and as a source of reference. This approach enabled him to light his subjects just so, as well as ameliorating the difficulties inherent in trying to pose young children for any length of time in a studio setting. Then, the faces and physical details of his subjects would be rendered in the studio in smooth, precise detail, with the textured elements of the surrounding scene often then completed en plein air. This interesting, phased approach is evident in the different handling of both aspects of the composition. Our eyes, as viewers, take time to range over this richly varied terrain with its intricate frieze of flora in the background and the daringly minimal brushwork of the foreground. The whole effect is at once photographic and dreamlike. 1901 was the year Hornel acquired Broughton House in Kirkcudbright which one can still visit as a museum to this day. It was also the year that he was, upon nomination by his Glasgow Boy peers, elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy. To the anger of the Academy and consternation of his friends, Hornel declined the honour, stating in his letter of response, “I have been very happy as plain Hornel and I mean to remain such as far as these trumpery affairs are concerned.” Hornel, we can glean, was as single-minded in these matters as he was committed to his distinctive artistic vision. In a letter of 7 April 1932 from Ian MacNicol to Cameron Davidson, he stated about Easter Eggs: ‘I have dispatched to you today one oil painting ‘Easter Eggs’ by E. A. Hornel complete in case on the instruction of your father Mr Davidson & trust it will arrive in good condition. Will you please keep the packing case as it is not worth the expense returning, also when hanging the picture a good strong cord is as good as anything. The picture is a very good example of Mr Hornel’s work and a very appropriate present at this time of the year, Easter.’
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (SCOTTISH 1864-1933) THE YOUNG GOATHERD Signed and dated 1914, oil on canvasboard (51cm x 61cm (20in x 24in)) Provenance: Ian MacNicol, Glasgow
Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) Wild Blossoms signed and dated 'E.A.Hornel 1905' (lower left) oil on canvas 32.5 x 40.5cm (12 13/16 x 15 15/16in).
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (1864-1933) Le Printemps, 1916 Le Printemps, 1916 Huile sur toile, signée et datée en bas à droite. Dimensions : 41 x 51 cm « Springtime », oil on canvas signed and dated 1916. Scottish painter of landscapes, flowers and foliage with children, born in Victoria in Australia, he studied for three years at the art school at Edinburgh, and for two years in Antwerp under Charles Verlat. Peintre écossais associé à l'Ecole de Glasgow, né à Victoria en Australie, auteur de paysages, de fleurs et de feuillages avec des enfants, il étudie à l'école des Beaux-Arts d'Edimbourg et se perfectionne pendant deux ans à Anvers sous la direction de Charles Verlat. Scottish painter of landscapes, flowers and foliage with children, born in Victoria in Australia, he studied for three years at the art school at Edinburgh, and for two years in Antwerp under Charles Verlat.
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (1864-1933) « The Lily Pond », 1902 « The Lily Pond », 1902 Huile sur toile, signée et datée en bas à droite. Provenance : The Fine Art Society, New Bond Street London, Exposition août 1993. Etiquette au dos. Dimensions : 81 x 92 cm « The Lily Pond », oil on canvas, signed and dated 1902. Provenance : The Fine Art Society, New Bond Street London, August 1993. Scottish painter of landscapes, flowers and foliage with children, born in Victoria in Australia, he studied for three years at the art school at Edinburgh, and for two years in Antwerp under Charles Verlat. Peintre écossais associé à l'Ecole de Glasgow, né à Victoria en Australie, auteur de paysages, de fleurs et de feuillages avec des enfants, il étudie à l'école des Beaux-Arts d'Edimbourg et se perfectionne pendant deux ans à Anvers sous la direction de Charles Verlat. Scottish painter of landscapes, flowers and foliage with children, born in Victoria in Australia, he studied for three years at the art school at Edinburgh, and for two years in Antwerp under Charles Verlat.
Edward Atkinson Hornel (1864-1933) Edward Atkinson Hornel (1864-1933) 'Girls Among the Blossom' signed and dated 'Ea.Hornel 1910' l.r., oil on canvas 50.5 x 62cm Provenance: The collection of W Wright Allan Esq.; with Duncan Miller Fine Arts, London; Christie's, South Kensington, 16 April 2008, lot 86. Condition Report: overall: 70 x 80cm The canvas is unlined with a very small loss to the extreme bottom left corner. Unexamined out of glazed frame or under UV light, however appears to be in generally good order. Well presented.
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (Scottish, 1864-1933) Girl and Bluebells, Brighouse Bay 1919 oil on canvas signed and dated lower left: Ea Hornel 1919 - 49.5 x 75.5cm PROVENANCE: Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne Private collection, Victoria 1980 Thence by descent EXHIBITIONS: Spring Exhibition, Joseph Brown Gallery, 17 – 30 October 1979, cat. no. 60 (illus. in exhibition catalogue, as ‘On a Flowery Bank by the Sea')
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (SCOTTISH 1864-1933) WOMAN AND CHILD IN A GALLOWAY LANDSCAPE, 1891 oil on canvas, signed and dated (46cm (18in), 52cm (20 1/2in)) Provenance: Christie's, Scotland, 30th April 1992, lot 903. Literature: Smith B. 'Hornel: The Life and Work of Edward Atkinson Hornel', Edinburgh 1997, p.67, repr. col. pl. 25 (as 'Woman and Child, 1891'). Hornel's biographer, Bill Smith, has argued that this painting appears to confirm that Hornel had 'heard about, if not seen' the work of Paul Gauguin (1843-1903). (op.cit., p.68) He explains: 'In style it is very similar to the work being done by Gauguin and [Emile] Bernard at this time. It is a rather expressive painting. The pigment is very freely handled, the rich colour applied both in broad flowing brushstrokes and in small patches. In several areas Hornel has given the surface a textured appearance. The pose of the woman and the little girl standing on the treeless hillside, bound together in the blustery wind by the long white shawl-like material billowing over their heads, the dark meandering stream, the winding path and the curve of the horizon all combine to give the painting a wonderful flowing rhythm. The drama is heightened by the appearance of the moon just above the horizon and the pink glow of the sunset reflected in the clouds.'
Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) Pick-a-Back signed and dated 'E A Hornel/1912' (lower left) oil on canvas 54.5 x 21.5 cm. (21 7/16 x 8 7/16 in.)
Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) The Butterfly signed and dated 'E A Hornel 1927' (lower right) oil on canvas 61.5 x 51 cm. (24 3/16 x 20 1/16 in.) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) Amongst the blossom signed 'E A Hornel' (lower left) oil on canvas 55.9 x 22.8 cm. (22 x 9 in.) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (Scottish, 1864 - 1933) GIRL AND BLUEBELLS, BRIGHOUSE BAY, 1919 oil on canvas 51.5 x 77.0 cm signed and dated lower left: E A Hornell 1919 – PROVENANCE Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne Private collection, Victoria, acquired from the above in March 1980 EXHIBITED Spring Exhibition, Joseph Brown Gallery, 17 – 30 October 1979, cat. 60 (illus. in exhibition catalogue, as ‘On a Flowery Bank by the Sea’)
Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) Wearing Spring Garland signed and dated 'E A Hornel 1917' (lower right), inscribed on stretcher (verso) oil on canvas 64 x 77 cm. (25 3/16 x 30 5/16 in.) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) Lily pond with swans signed and dated 'E A Hornel 1902' (lower right) oil on canvas 117 x 101 cm. (46 1/16 x 39 3/4 in.) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) Brighouse Bay signed and dated 'E A Hornel 1913' (lower right) oil on canvas 93 x 77 cm. (36 5/8 x 30 5/16 in.) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) The Butterfly signed and dated 'E A Hornel 1927' (lower right) oil on canvas 61.5 x 51 cm. (24 3/16 x 20 1/16 in.) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) Burmese Girls signed and dated 'E A Hornel 1919' (lower right) oil on canvas 61 x 51 cm. (24 x 20 1/16 in.) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Edward Atkinson Hornel (British, 1864-1933) The Shepherdess signed and dated 'E A Hornel 1917' (lower right) oil on canvas 61 x 50.8 cm. (24 x 20 in.) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
*Edward Atkinson Hornel (1864-1933) La conversation, huile sur toile, signée et datée 93, 79x63 cm. Pour les lots précédés d’un *, la TVA de 7.7% est due sur l’entier du prix d’adjudication.
EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (SCOTTISH 1864-1933) BRIGHOUSE BAY Signed and dated, oil on canvas (51cm x 61cm (20in x 24in)) Provenance: Collection of Dugald McTaggart Lindsay.
