Items Similar to Maxwell Armfield - 20th Century British Theatrical watercolour
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 12
Maxwell Armfield, RWSMaxwell Armfield - 20th Century British Theatrical watercolour1915
1915
About the Item
MAXWELL ARMFIELD, RWS.
(British 1882-1972)
Costume Design for Geranos
Signed l.l.: MAXWELL ARMFIELD, inscribed u.l.: Costume, PHEONIX CEREMONY/ IAN (?) VALO as DAVID, and further inscribed u.r.: GERANOS
Watercolour and pencil
Framed
37.5 by 31 cm., 14 ¾ by 12 ¼ in.
(frame size 65 by 58 cm., 25 ½ by 23 in.)
Provenance:
The Estate of the late Peter Farley, theatre designer.
The Geranos is the most famous dance of Greek antiquity. Probably Minoan in origin, legend says it was invented by Theseus, who danced it for the first time in Delos after the rescue of seven youths and seven maidens from the Labyrinth.
Born at Ringwood, Hampshire, of Quaker parents, his father being a milling engineer, Armfield studied at the Birmingham School of Art under Arthur Gaskin and Joseph Southall who taught him the tempera technique he was to practice for the rest of his life. In September 1902, after visiting Italy at the suggestion of Gaskin, he went to Paris, enrolling at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere and sharing a studio with three other students – Norman Wilkinson (also from Birmingham), Keith Henderson and the sculptor Gaston Lachaise. Returning to London the following year, he embarked on the series of one-man exhibitions that were henceforth to mark his career, showing first at Robert Ross’s Carfax Gallery (1908, 1912) and subsequently at the Leicester Galleries and elsewhere, as well as contributing regularly to the RA, NEAC and RWS.
In 1909 Armfield married the writer Constance Smedley, with whom he was to work closely until her death in 1941. They became involved in theatre productions when they lived in Minchinhampton and had staged the Gloucestershire Historical Pageant of Progress. This led to the formation of the Cotswold Players, which toured village halls, seeing themselves very much in the medieval tradition of travelling players. In early 1915 they moved to Glebe Place, Chelsea where they founded the Greenleaf Players which involved striking costumes and highly choreographed rhythmic movements. Later that year they took they moved to New York, taking the Green Leaf Players with them where it became part of their intensely active and successful seven-year spell in America.
Armfield was not only a painter but a prolific illustrator and versatile decorative artist, while being deeply involved in theatre, music, teaching and journalism and writing some twenty books, including poetry, accounts of his foreign travels and such textbooks as the much-acclaimed Manual of Tempera Painting (1930). He was also a tireless researcher in occult religions and passionately interested in the formal and philosophical basis of art. Armfield designed his own house at Ibsley, on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire. During this period, he and Constance helped found the New Forest Group of Painters.
He is represented in the collection of the British Museum and many provincial and overseas galleries.
- Creator:Maxwell Armfield, RWS (1882 - 1972, British)
- Creation Year:1915
- Dimensions:Height: 14.77 in (37.5 cm)Width: 12.21 in (31 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:
Maxwell Armfield, RWS
Born at Ringwood, Hampshire, of Quaker parents, his father being a milling engineer, Armfield studied at the Birmingham School of Art under Arthur Gaskin and Joseph Southall who taught him the tempera technique he was to practice for the rest of his life. In September 1902, after visiting Italy at the suggestion of Gaskin, he went to Paris, enrolling at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere and sharing a studio with three other students – Norman Wilkinson (also from Birmingham), Keith Henderson and the sculptor Gaston Lachaise. Returning to London the following year, he embarked on the series of one-man exhibitions that were henceforth to mark his career, showing first at Robert Ross’s Carfax Gallery (1908, 1912) and subsequently at the Leicester Galleries and elsewhere, as well as contributing regularly to the RA, NEAC and RWS. In 1909 he married the writing Constance Smedley, with whom he was to work closely until her death in 1941. In 1915 they left for an intensely active and successful seven-year spell in America. Armfield was not only a painter but a prolific illustrator and versatile decorative artist, while being deeply involved in theatre, music, teaching and journalism and writing some twenty books, including poetry, accounts of his foreign travels and such textbooks as the much-acclaimed Manual of Tempera Painting (1930). He was also a tireless researcher in occult religions and passionately interested in the formal and philosophical basis of art. He is represented in the collection of the British Museum and many provincial and overseas galleries.
About the Seller
4.9
Vetted Seller
These experienced sellers undergo a comprehensive evaluation by our team of in-house experts.
Established in 2004
1stDibs seller since 2018
50 sales on 1stDibs
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Banbury, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Cupid Sleeping - 18th Century British watercolour by Richard Westall RABy Richard WestallLocated in London, GBRICHARD WESTALL, RA (1765-1836) Cupid Sleeping; from a poem of Mrs Robinson - The Duchess of Devonshire Discovers the Sleeping Cupid Watercolour on paper, oval 36 by 44.5 cm., 14 ¼ by 18 in. (frame size 55 by 66 cm., 21 ¾ by 26 in.) Exhibited: London, Royal Academy, 1792, no.448. Richard Westall was bon in Reepham, near Norwich. Initially apprenticed to a London silver engraving he began studying at the Royal Academy Schools from 1785 and exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy between 1784 and 1836. Westall became an Associate member of the Royal Academy in 1792 and a full member in 1794. Westall painted in both oil and watercolour, his works being romantic and neoclassical in style. He contributing to both Boydell’s Shakespeare Gallery and Fuseli’s Milton Gallery and was also a prolific book illustrator of both fiction and poetry including works by Sir Walter Scott and Byron, whose portrait he also painted. For a time he was also art master to the young Princess Victoria. This is probably Westall’s 1792 Royal Academy exhibit (no.448). The subject was inspired by the poem Cupid Sleeping by the poetess-actress Mary Darby Robinson, which had been published in the previous year. The poem was dedicated to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and the picture show the Duchess discovering the sleeping cupid who she then relieves of his bow and arrows. Mrs Robinson was not only the Duchess’s protégée but also the first public mistress of the Prince of Wales. William Nutter’s engraving of Westall’s picture was also dedicated to the Duchess of Devonshire. Close in a woodbine's tangled shade, The blooming god asleep was laid; His brows with mossy roses crown'd; His golden darts lay scatter'd round; To shade his auburn, curled head, A purple canopy was spread, Which gently with the breezes play'd, And shed around a soften'd shade. Upon his downy smiling cheek, Adorned with many a "dimple sleek," Beam'd glowing health and tender blisses, His coral lip...Category
1790s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor
- Oliver Messel - Costume Design for Caesar and Cleopatra, 1945By Oliver MesselLocated in London, GBOLIVER MESSEL (1904-1978) Egyptian Costume Design for Caesar and Cleopatra - 1945 Signed l.r.: Oliver Messel Watercolour and chalks heightened ...Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor
- 20th Century British Theatre Costume Design by John DronsfieldBy John DronsfieldLocated in London, GBJOHN DRONSFIELD (1900-1951) Costume Design Signed l.l.: Dronsfield Watercolour and pencil Unframed 42 by 34 cm., 16 ½ by 13 ½ in. (mount size 61.5 by 53 cm., 24 ¼ by 21 in.) John...Category
Early 20th Century Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor
- 20th Century British Theatre Costume Design by John DronsfieldBy John DronsfieldLocated in London, GBJOHN DRONSFIELD (1900-1951) Boy with Whip and Top Signed l.r.: Dronsfield Watercolour Unframed 40 by 33 cm., 15 ¾ by 13 in. (mount size 59.5 by 51 cm., 23 ½ by 20 in.) John Marsd...Category
1930s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor
- The Duet - A 1930s Theatrical Illustration by British artist John DronsfieldBy John DronsfieldLocated in London, GBJOHN DRONSFIELD (1900-1951) The Duet Watercolour and pencil Unframed, in mount only 32.5 by 26 cm., 12 ¾ by 10 ¼ in. (mount size 45.5 by 39 cm., 18 by 15 ¼ in.) John Marsden Dron...Category
1930s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor
- Oliver Messel - Costume Design for Vivian Leigh in Caesar and Cleopatra - 1945By Oliver MesselLocated in London, GBOLIVER MESSEL (1904-1978) Blue Costume Design for Vivian Leigh in Caesar and Cleopatra - 1945 Signed l.r.: Oliver Messel Watercolour and chalks heightened with white and gold pain...Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor
You May Also Like
- Mode Drawing : Fall Elegant Dresses - Original watercolor & Gouache drawingBy Rosy Andreasi-VerdierLocated in Paris, FRRosy ANDREASI-VERDIER (1934-2015) Mode drawing : Fall Elegant Dresses Original gouache and watercolor drawing Bears the "Rosy Andreasi Verdier&qu...Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor, Ink, Gouache
- Old Testament Scene with Angel 1813 Large Grisaille Drawing on Paper SignedLocated in Stockholm, SEOne of the characters in this scene is a mature man, kneeling with his head bowed and hands clasped near his chest in a gesture of supplication. His posture conveys a sense of humili...Category
Early 19th Century Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsMahogany, Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
- Quiet Contemplation: Rural Serenity in Hagborg's WatercolorBy August HagborgLocated in Stockholm, SEThe artwork we present is a rare watercolor by the distinguished Swedish artist August Hagborg, painted in the later part of his career between 1910 and 1920. This watercolour is a departure from Hagborg's often-seen beach scenes with mussel pickers and instead offers a glimpse into a serene, pastoral moment. The scene is set against a timber house, with a man and a woman standing alongside, their gazes directed away from the viewer, which invites contemplation about the story behind their distant stares. Watercolors by Hagborg are rare, making this piece particularly special. Its fine details suggest a mastery of the medium, likely honed over the years of his extensive career. A written letter from Göteborgs Konstmuseum, dated to the 1940s, suggests a later date for this piece. August Hagborg, born on May 26, 1852, in Gothenburg and passed away on April 30, 1921, in Paris, was a renowned figure in the art world. His education at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm from 1871 to 1874 placed him among peers who would rise to prominence, such as Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn. Moving to Paris in the fall of 1875, Hagborg initially painted within the costume genre before finding his niche in coastal landscapes that garnered him accolades and recognition. Hagborg's success was punctuated by his 1879 painting...Category
1910s Realist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor
- Portrait. 1966. watercolor on paper, 35.5x30 cmLocated in Riga, LVPortrait. 1966. watercolor on paper, 35.5x30 cm Dzidra Ezergaile (1926-2013) Born in Riga. School years alternate with summer work in the countryside...Category
1960s Realist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor, Paper
- Coach and horses at full speed, Paris, Boulogne-sur-SeineLocated in Stockholm, SEThis small watercolor painting by Anna Palm de Rosa, titled "Coach and horses at full speed, Boulogne-sur-Seine," is a vibrant and dynamic piece that captures a moment of speed and elegance from the past. The scene is set in what was known then as Boulogne-sur-Seine, now Boulogne-Billancourt, prior to its name change in 1926. The artwork is only like a postcard and depicts a horse-drawn carriage in full gallop, stirring up a cloud of dust along the gravel path. This sense of motion is further emphasized by one of the ladies on the carriage, who is seen clutching her hat, a detail that adds a personal touch to the scene and underscores the speed at which they are traveling. The artist's ability to capture such a fleeting moment, with the horses' hooves barely touching the ground and the dust cloud swirling around, is a testament to her skill and the liveliness of her compositions. Anna Sofia Palm...Category
Late 19th Century Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor, Postcard
- 19th Century Loch Tay Scottish LandscapeBy Aaron Edwin PenleyLocated in Soquel, CAMasterful Scottish watercolor landscape of Loch Tay with boats and small figures on the short by Aaron Edwin Penley (English, 1826-1897)....Category
1870s Realist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Watercolor
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Early 20th Century British Artists
The Rescue
The Rescuers
British Realist
Italian Painters Early 20th Century
L Costume
Live Edge Frames
Greek Antiquity
Italian Costume Drawings
Theatrical Costume
British Overseas
Antique Tempera Painting
Music Player
British Figurative Sculptor
Greek Costume
Greek Village
Chelsea House Framed
Robert Mills