Lot 239: Terence Cuneo , British 1907-1996 On the Ffestiniog Railway (The Pass Track) oil on canvas

signed and dated l.r.: . CUNEO./JUNE 1964; titled on artist's label attached to the reverse of the frame oil on canvas

114 by 138.5 cm.; 44¾ by 54½ in.

Acquired directly from the artist by the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways

Born in London on 1υst November 1907, Terence Tenison Cuneo began his career as an illustrator for magazines and periodicals, before graduating to works in oil in 1936. During the Second World War he worked for the War Artists Advisory Committee, providing illustrations for wartime installations and events. Famed for the honour of being appointed official artist to the coronation of Her Majesty the Queen, Cuneo received commissions from across the board, but he became most famous for his passion for engineering subjects. His skill and accuracy in depiction, and his eye for composition gives his paintings a life and energy that surges from the two-dimensional canvas. Many of Cuneo's works contain his trademark mouse (sometimes lifelike, sometimes cartoon like), and many people enjoy scouring his paintings to find one hiding behind a wheel or amongst the steam on the tracks. Cuneo's work has been used in every conceivable manner, from book jackets and model railway catalogues to posters and jigsaws and even Royal Mail postage stamps. Works can be found in many museums and galleries, including Guildhall Art Gallery and the Royal Institution. Founded in May 1832, The Festiniog Railway Company is the oldest surviving in the world and was constructed to transport slate from the quarries of Blaenau Ffestiniog to the coastal town of Porthmadog. The scene depicts the locamotives Merddin and Linda passing at Tan-y-Bwlch, the regular passing station from 1873 to 1939 and then again from 1958. This painting is thought to have been commissioned by the Company Chairman, Alan Pegler, a friend of Cuneo's and the driving force behind the restoration of the railway from 1954. The first public passenger train left Porthmadog on 23 July 1955, extending to Tan-y-Bwlch in 1958 to resume the route depicted in this painting.