WHYTE'S IMPORTANT IRISH ART MONDAY 27 MAY 2019 AT 6PM

35A William John Leech RHA ROI (1881-1968) FLOWERS IN A VASE, STILL LIFE oil on canvas signed lower left 24.25 by 28.75in. (61.6 by 73cm) Provenance: Given by the artist to Hector and Hanni Davey on their wedding in 1937; Thence to their daughter; Her sale, Christie’s, 17 May 2002, lot 21; Whence purchased by the present owner Exhibited: National Portrait Society, London, 1937, as ‘Still Life in a Studio’; ’William John Leech, An Irish Painter Abroad’, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October to December 1996, catalogue no. 81 Denise Ferran (National Gallery of Ireland Exhibition Catalogue, Dublin, 1996, p. 242) comments on the present work, ‘The naturalistically painted mauve tulips, with upright heads and strong leaf-shapes, add colour to the white, grey and black tones of The Daily Telegraph and Vogue Pattern Book on the pine tabletop. On the tabletop is a label from a painting inscribed with W.J. Leech’s name at the top, as if it were printed text within the image. There is just a hint of Georges Braque in the decorative use of lettering and in the label which alludes to collage and tromp l’oeil. Leech was so particular about the surface quality of his canvases and his materials that he did not experiment with mixed media. He remained a traditional artist, using traditional materials. This is a typical Leech composition, seen from a high viewpoint, the petal shapes becoming decorative pink and red arabesque forms, not simply pretty flowers in a vase. Hints of the lily heads in the Secret Garden and of Aloes near Les Martiques are embodied in this study. There is also a suggestion of Duncan Grant’s Tulips, 1911 (Southampton City Art Gallery), in the decorative handling of the tulip motif.’ Additional note: Leech gave this painting to Hector and Hanni Davey on their wedding in 1937. The Davey’s were friends and neighbours in 20 Abbey Road where Leech lived with May Botterell. See Denise Ferran An Irish Painter Abroad pages 262 and 263 for further details on the Davey’s. All the items on the table alluded to May and Bill’s daily lives together, the Daily Telegraph, the Vogue Pattern Book from which May and Hanni used patterns for their fashionable clothes, the artist label, certifying that it is from her friend Bill Leech and of course the ever present tulips, May’s favourite flowers when they were in season. Dr Denise Ferran, April 2019 €50,000-€70,000 (£43,100-£60,340 approx.) Click Here for Large Images & To Bid Lot 35A