James Charles (1851-1906)
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James Charles (1851-1906)

Darby and Joan

Details
James Charles (1851-1906)
Darby and Joan
indistinctly signed with monogram and dated '1893' (lower left)
oil on canvas
30¼ x 32 in. (78.1 x 81.3 cm.)
Provenance
with The Fine Art Society, London, from whom acquired by the present owner in 2000.
Exhibited
London, Royal Academy, 1882, no. 450.
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

The origins of the appelation 'Darby and Joan' are unclear, although for much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the phrase was used to humorously describe a husband and wife of advanced years and humble background who were overly attached and never happy out of each other's company.

This is a relatively early work for Charles, and an example of the French inspired 'square brush' technique that began to be seen on the walls of the Academy in the early 1880s. Having trained initially at the RA schools, Charles completed his studies in Paris at the Académie Julian. He exhibited in both London and Paris, and in addition to the Royal Academy supported the New Gallery, and the New English Art Club. According to Graham Reynolds he was one of the first to practise plein-air painting in England. Reynolds considers 'his unpretentious and often charming studies of country life in England have never attained the reputation they deserve'.

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