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THE PROPERTY OF THE EXECUTORS OF F.B.C. BRAVINGTON DECEASED Charles Bravington (1910-2000) had developed an interest in the work of William Nicholson when he studied architecture with Kit, the artist's son, at Trinity College, Cambridge. He went on to build houses in Tufton Street, Westminster, and in several country villages outside Henley-on-Thames. He married Joan Douglas, but the union ended in tragedy when she died very suddenly after a minor operation only a year later. After the Second World War, in which he drove an ambulance, private architecture commissions were scarce, and in 1948, he decided to devote his time to painting. He had been a friend of the sculptor John Skeaping, and was taught by Clifford Hall, amongst others. His pictures were exhibited in a number of shows at Arthur Tooth and Sons in London. During his lifetime he was a great philanthropist, supporting over 40 charities, and especially those devoted to the care of children. In addition to his painting, he also enjoyed playing the classical guitar and had learned to dance Flamenco. He was also a keen linguist, who spoke German, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese. Charles Bravington acquired many of his pictures direct from galleries and the sale rooms, several of these works having been purchased from Christie's throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In June 1988 he sold Sports on S.S. Cedric in these Rooms for the world record price of £82,500, a sum which was not exceeded for Nicholson's work for over a decade.

Sir William Nicholson (1872-1949)

Silver teapots

Details

Sir William Nicholson (1872-1949)
Silver teapots
signed with an initial 'N' (lower left)
oil on canvas
13½ x 17 in. (34.3 x 43.2 cm.)
Painted in 1938

Provenance

Anon. sale; Christie's, 13 July 1964, lot 371 (360 gns.), where purchased by the present owner.

Exhibited

London, Marlborough Fine Art, Sir William Nicholson, March 1967, no. 26.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

We are grateful to Patricia Reed for providing us with the catalogue entry for this and following lots by Sir William Nicholson:

The composition of a silver teapot and a hot water jug on crumpled white tissue paper, or heavily starched linen, was enlarged to include a tray and cutlery in the painting Silver (Tate Britain). The similarities between the two works are remarkable. It is interesting to note how the artist has slightly reorientated the hot water jug in the Tate picture to create an even more taxing exercise in perspective. This first work is perhaps the more successful resolution to the problem. The Tate painting was exhibited at London, Matthiesen Gallery in 1938 as no. 71 Silver on a white cloth, and described as painted in 1938; the two works are contemporaneous.
P.R.

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