Lot 158: Alexander Johnston (1815-1891)

Sabbath
signed and dated 'Alex Johnston. 1857' (lower right)
oil on canvas
34 3/4 x 45 1/4 in. (88.3 x 114.9 cm.)

London, Royal Academy, 1857, no. 483 (as 'Sabbath. "On this day, embosom'd in his home, etc." - Graham's Sabbath').

Art Journal, 1857, p. 173.

The Art Journal commented: 'The scene is the home of a Scottish farmer, whose family, with himself, are assembled at the breakfast table, and he is in the act of asking a blessing. The heads and features are warm, lifelike, and rich in colour, insomuch as to support themselves in the proximity of powerful reds and yellows'. Johnston exhibited for fifty years at the Royal Academy between 1836 and 1886. He also supported the British Institution and the Society of British Artists. Although born in Edinburgh, and educated at the Trustees Academy, Johnstone rarely exhibited in Scotland.

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