Lot Description
John Duncan Fergusson (1874-1961)
After Dinner
signed and inscribed 'No III After dinner./J.D. Fergusson/16 Piccadilly Place/Edinburgh' (on a label attached to the backboard)
oil on board, laid on board
10 7/8 x 13¾ in. (27.6 x 35 cm.)
Painted in 1902.
Special Notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.
Provenance
Dr T.J. Honeyman.
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Lot Notes
Abandoned crockery, a crumpled table cloth and a set of coffee cups suggests Fergusson meant the viewer to feel as if they have invaded this private scene, interestingly, the action has already taken place. The intimacy of the painting is further enhanced by the lack of space within it. The culinary objects are piled up on the piano which dominates the background.
Fergusson employs a limited palette, dominated by the glossy black of the piano, and explores the tonal ranges of the neutral colours.
This early still life, with its rich creamy paintwork and focus on the juxtaposition of dark and light shows the influence of the Old Masters, particularly the still lifes of Manet and Velasquez. Unlike painting a landscape, when creating still-lifes an artist can arrange the items in exactly the way he chooses, and it is obvious from the present work that Fergusson has taken particular care to position the items so that he can explore the challenges of the composition. Similar compositions with rich dark backgrounds and thickly painted linen cloths are also characteristic of Peploe's work of the early 1900s.
Dr T. J. Honeyman was for many years the curator of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow and was also a partner in the firm of Alexander Reid and Lefevre. In 1950 Honeyman wrote Three Scottish Colourists Peploe Cadell Hunter.
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