Lot 268: William Gowe Ferguson (1632-1695)

Still life of dead birds on a stone ledge
oil on canvas
31 1/2 x 27 in. (80 x 68.6 cm.)
in a George III gadrooned bolection frame

Little is known of Ferguson's early life, although it is probable that he was born in Scotland. His style is so Dutch in influence that it would seem likely that he studied in the Netherlands, and indeed some of his pictures are known to have been given the false signatures of Jan Weenix and Cornelis van Lelienbergh. By 1660 he was in the Hague and and in 1681 he married Sara van Someren of Stockholm in Amsterdam. He specialised in finely painted still lives of game and fowl and achieved considerable success. Although it is not known where Ferguson died, the inclusion of works by him in sales in 1692 and 1693 would suggest that he spent his last years in his native land.

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