Lot 317: John William Ashton EASTERN GATE

Artwork by John William Ashton, Eastern Gate, Made of Etching. Possibly signed below the matte, although never examined out of the frame. Condition is good as shown, see photos. Ashton was born on 20 September 1881 in Clifton, York, England, the son of James Ashton, an artist. The Ashtons migrated to Adelaide, South Australia, and he was educated at Prince Alfred College from 1889-1897. Upon graduating, Ashton entered the life of an artist. In 1900, he left for England to work, and spent 1902-1903 at the Académie Julian in Paris. Ashton had some of his works accepted by the Royal Academy of Arts, London, and the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français, and returned to Adelaide in 1905. The sale of his work, "Boulevard Montparnasse, Paris", to the National Gallery of South Australia enabled him to marry May Millman, on 31 January 1906 at Christ Church, North Adelaide. After holding exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide, in 1908, he won the Wynne Prize for landscape.