Items Similar to Portrait of Lady Sewing in an Interior - Scottish 40s Pointilliste oil painting
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 17
Murray McNeel Caird UrquhartPortrait of Lady Sewing in an Interior - Scottish 40s Pointilliste oil painting1948
1948
About the Item
This superb Scottish 1940's portrait oil painting is by noted artist Murray Urquhart. He has been described by one of his sons as obsessed with painting, to the exclusion of most other things in his life. Painted in 1948 it is a Pointilliste painting, a style he much admired of the French artists, having studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. The composition is of a woman in a red dress, sitting in a chair by a stove, the door open to warm her. She is sat at a table and is concentrating on sewing on her lap with sewing items on the table. The curtains are drawn behind her. The palette is of rich and warm autumnal colours and the brushwork is pointilliste in style. This is a beautiful Scottish 1940's painting and an excellent example of Urquhart's work.
Signed and dated Murray Urquhart 1948 lower left.
Provenance. Auction chalk marks verso.
Condition. Oil on canvas, 24 inches by 20 inches unframed, in good condition and unlined canvas.
Frame. Housed in an ornate frame 31 inches by 27 inches and in good condition.
Murray McNeel Caird Urquhart (24 April 1880 – 12 April 1972), commonly known as Murray Urquhart, was a Scottish painter and book illustrator. He was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists. His son, Brian Urquhart, played a significant role in the founding of the United Nations. Urquhart was born in Kirkcudbright, Scotland. His parents were Helen Crokat McNeel (née Caird) and Dr. Andrew John Urquhart, a minister in Portpatrick, Wigtownshire. His maternal grandfather was Alexander McNeel Caird who was the procurator fiscal of Wigtownshire. His father died four months before Murray's birth and his mother died two weeks after Murray’s birth. Following his parents' death, he was initially brought up by his grandparents in Portpatrick. He was later taken in by his spinster aunt, Sarah Urquhart, in Edinburgh. Murray initially studied at the Merchiston Castle School, and briefly became a law student. He then enrolled at the Edinburgh School of Art (now the Edinburgh College of Art). In 1903, he subsequently moved on to study at the Slade School of Art and the Westminster School of Art. There, he was tutored by artist Walter Sickert. Next, he attended the Académie Julian in Paris, where he was tutored by J.P. Laurens for two years. Urquhart was a watercolorist in the classic British tradition, specializing in landscapes. He also painted landscapes, portraits, and animals in oil. He was known for landscapes with a pointilliste technique. He was inspired by the French impressionists, but did not care for the work of Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, or Pablo Picasso. He firmly believed he would be "one of the world’s prominent painters". He exhibited his paintings at the Lefevre Gallery, London Portrait Society, the New English Art Club, the Royal Academy of Arts, the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts, the Royal Hibernian Academy, the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, the Royal Society of British Artists, and Walker’s Galleries. At the same time as his career as a painter took off, he began working as an illustrator for the children's book publisher T.C. & E.C. Jack in 1907. Urquhart was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1914. He also became an active member of the Society of Somerset Artists, becoming a vice-president in 1944 and later Chairman of the group in 1949. He was dubbed “the century’s least successful painter" by his son, as “he neglected, however, to make any effort to sell his pictures.” However, after his death, many of his paintings came up for auction in London and realized respectable sums. The record price for Urquhart's paintings at auction is $13,318 for The Travelling Circus which was sold at Christie's South Kensington in 2007. Urquhart was a spiritualist who said he could talk to ghosts. In April 1911, Urquhart married schoolteacher Bertha Rendall in Bridport, Dorset. Their first child, Andrew, was born in April 1914, followed by their second, Brian, in February 1919. Brian recalled, My father was single-minded to a fault. Painting took absolute priority in his life, and his wife and children—not to mention national events and international disasters—were all secondary. He painted during daylight hours wherever he happened to be. What he did for money remained a mystery, except that we evidently had very little of it and lived in a primitive farm cottage without electricity or running water. In 1925, Urquhart left his wife and children, riding away on his bicycle with his easel and paintbox. He never saw Bertha again. Two years later, he married his cousin; although he never officially divorced Bertha. He lived outside of London where his two sons from his prior marriage would visit for ten days each year. In the early-mid 1930s he and his new wife lived in Kent, and later moved to Kensington, Somerset, and a retirement home in Alton, Hampshire. He died in 1972 at Hindhead, Surrey at the age of 91.
- Creator:Murray McNeel Caird Urquhart (1880 - 1972, British)
- Creation Year:1948
- Dimensions:Height: 27 in (68.58 cm)Width: 31 in (78.74 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU853113078062
Murray McNeel Caird Urquhart
He exhibited at the Royal Academy; Royal Society of British Artists; Royal Hibernian Academy; Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts; Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours.Murray Urquhart was the son of Dr Andrew Urquhart, Oakley, Kirkcudbright. His mother, who died two weeks after Murray’s birth, was the daughter of Alexander McNeel Caird, Procurator Fiscal for Wigtownshire.
About the Seller
5.0
Platinum Seller
These expertly vetted sellers are 1stDibs' most experienced sellers and are rated highest by our customers.
1stDibs seller since 2018
402 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Portrait of Woman in Red Hat - American 50s art Post Impressionist oil paintingBy David L SwaseyLocated in London, GBThis captivating post-Impressionist portrait is by American artist David L Swasey circa 1953. The painting depicts a seated woman, turning to look at the artist with stunning blue ey...Category
1950s Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Post Impressionist Portrait of a Girl -Jewish 1920's art oil painting applesBy Alfred LomnitzLocated in London, GBThis superb Post Impressionist portrait oil painting is by noted Jewish artist Alfred Lomnitz. Lomnitz was born in Germany and Jewish by denomination. He emigrated to England in 1933...Category
1920s Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings
MaterialsOil
- The Lesson - Portrait Interior - British Victorian art oil painting readingLocated in London, GBThis lovely British Victorian oil painting is by noted artist John Eaton Walker. Painted circa 1855 it is portrait in an interior of a beautiful young woman in a yellow satin dress. ...Category
19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings
MaterialsOil
- The Soldier's Farewell - Scottish Victorian art Interior portrait oil paintingBy Robert Gemmell HutchisonLocated in London, GBThis lovely Scottish interior genre oil painting is by noted Scottish artist Robert Gemmell Hutchison. Painted circa 1890 Hutchison painted several versions of this scene of a young ...Category
19th Century Realist Interior Paintings
MaterialsOil
- La Marquesa De Escombreras - French 19thC art female portrait oil paintingBy Jules Elie DelaunayLocated in London, GBThis superb French Victorian portrait oil painting is by noted French society painter Jules-Elie Delaunay. Painted in 1883 it is a three-quarter length profile portrait of the Marquesa de Escombreras. Her full name was Trinidad Maria Piedad Fulgenico de Aguirre. She was born in 1824 in Cartagena, Spain, the seventh and last child of Jose de Aguirre, a retired naval officer. On October 22nd 1843 she married Frenchman Hilarion Roux (1819-1898) who was a banker from Marseille who settled in Cartegena in January 1843. After her marriage she was known as Trinidad Roux. Hilarion Roux had arrived in Cartagena first to trade silver. He quickly became one of the main lead industrialists in Catagena then in the Mediterranean area. The couple later lived in France again, in Marseille and later in Paris, where Trinidad died in 1905 aged 81. Interestingly there is no similar portrait of her husband. In this superb painting, the Marquesa, aged about 60 in reality, is wearing a black off the shoulder dress...Category
19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Grandma and Grand Daughter in an Interior - British 40's Portrait oil paintingBy Anthony DevasLocated in London, GBThis lovely British interior portrait oil painting is by noted British artist Anthony Devas. Painted circa 1940 the painting is of a seated grandmother and grand daughter in a lovely...Category
1940s Realist Portrait Paintings
MaterialsOil
You May Also Like
- Wlodzimierz Zakrzewski (1916 1992) Polish Oil Painting Mid Century Portrait LadyLocated in Cirencester, GBOriginal oil painting by Polish born painter Wlodzimierz Zakrzewski (1916-1992) and depicting Elvezia Ratti in her home in Milan Italy. Włodzimierz Zakrzewski (Petersburg 1916 - War...Category
Mid-20th Century Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Modernist coffee Barcelona Spain oil on canvas paintingBy Ignacio Gil SalaLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaIgnacio Gil Sala, was a painter, bohemian character, adventurous and intrepid traveler who knew how to capture his eyes to that world with his painting. A...Category
1980s Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Mid 20th century 1950's Portrait of Stylish Lady Seated by Fireside Large OilLocated in Cirencester, GloucestershireArtist: Francis Wynne Thomas (1907-1988), signed Painter and art teacher born in Bromley, Kent. He was an architectural graduate from Cambridge University but went on to study art at Heatherleys (193-34) under Frederick Whiting. Title: Portrait of a Stylish Lady...Category
Mid-20th Century Post-Impressionist Interior Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- Ibiza scene Spain oil on canvas painting landscapeBy Ignacio Gil SalaLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaIgnacio Gil Sala, was a painter, bohemian character, adventurous and intrepid traveler who knew how to capture his eyes to that world with his painting. After starting his artistic ...Category
1980s Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- Self portrait oil on cardboard paintingBy Jordi CurosLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaJordi Curos - Self-portrait - Oil on cardboard Oil measurements 55x46 cm. Frameless. Jordi Curós Ventura (Olot, Girona, March 4, 1930) is a Spanish painter. He trained at the Olot ...Category
1970s Fauvist Portrait Paintings
MaterialsOil, Cardboard
- Jelle Troelstra, Portrait Of A Seated Woman, Oil PaintingLocated in Cheltenham, GBThis early 20th-century oil painting by Dutch artist Jelle Troelstra (1891-1979) depicts a seated woman wearing a floral top and dark grey dress. With eyes closed and hands held upo...Category
1910s Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Vintage 40s Art
Classic Portrait
Vintage 40s Style
Vintage Children Portraits
Vintage Childrens Portraits
Dior 1948
1919 Portrait
Little Vintage Interiors
40s French Art
1944 Portraits
Vintage Child Portrait
A Vintage Vice
Portrait 1903
Mother In Law
Vintage Interior French Doors
Lady With Child
Picasso Portrait Woman
1940s British Painting