7th Dec, 2022 11:00
Modern Art & Design
179
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Harold Knight (1874-1961)
Portrait of Mary Monteath, 1933
signed (lower left), titled and dated (upper)
oil on canvas
49 x 39cm.
Provenance:
Mary Lindsay (née Eady), Lady Monteath (1905-1994) was the wife of Sir David Taylor Monteath (1887-1961). David Monteath was a British civil servant, working at the India Office in London, who was the last Permanent Under Secretary of State for India and Burma. Mary Monteath was the niece of Harold Knight. Knight painted the current work as a wedding present in 1933.
In Oxford University botanical gardens, beside the river Cherwell, there is a bench with a faded plaque, on it inscribed: "In memory of Jane Tomkinson and Mary Monteath". This bench is an important landmark as it plays a crucial part in Philip Pullman's trilogy, His Dark Materials. In the years since the bench appeared in the trilogy's final novel, The Amber Spyglass, it has grown into the rich literary fabric of Oxford and many tourists and fans visit the site.
Sold for £4,500
Estimated at £2,000 - £3,000
Harold Knight (1874-1961)
Portrait of Mary Monteath, 1933
signed (lower left), titled and dated (upper)
oil on canvas
49 x 39cm.
Provenance:
Mary Lindsay (née Eady), Lady Monteath (1905-1994) was the wife of Sir David Taylor Monteath (1887-1961). David Monteath was a British civil servant, working at the India Office in London, who was the last Permanent Under Secretary of State for India and Burma. Mary Monteath was the niece of Harold Knight. Knight painted the current work as a wedding present in 1933.
In Oxford University botanical gardens, beside the river Cherwell, there is a bench with a faded plaque, on it inscribed: "In memory of Jane Tomkinson and Mary Monteath". This bench is an important landmark as it plays a crucial part in Philip Pullman's trilogy, His Dark Materials. In the years since the bench appeared in the trilogy's final novel, The Amber Spyglass, it has grown into the rich literary fabric of Oxford and many tourists and fans visit the site.
The frame is contemporary to the picture. The frame has some knocks, scuffs and scratches. Signs of display, wear and use. Slight crazing to the paint surface in places, but otherwise seems ok. Please note we have not removed the picture from the frame to examine.
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Auction: Modern Art & Design, 7th Dec, 2022
