The Red Necklace

Painted between 1916 and 1919, The Red Necklace is representative of Ben Nicholson’s earliest still lifes, and is an extremely rare example of the paintings he produced at this time.

The present work represents the very beginning of a theme that would appear throughout Nicholson’s oeuvre: the still life. Nicholson’s application of white pigment, denoting reflected light, and the slightly off-centre composition are reminiscent of his father, William Nicholson’s most characteristic techniques. As he himself stated, 'But of course I owe a lot to my father - especially to his poetic idea and his still-life theme. That didn't come from Cubism, as some people think, but from my father - not only from what he did as a painter but from the very beautiful striped and spotted jugs and mugs and goblets, and octagonal and hexagonal glass objects which he collected. Having those things throughout the house was an unforgettable early experience for me' (Ben Nicholson quoted in N. Lynton, op. cit., p. 12).

The Red Necklace marks an intriguing point in Nicholson’s career, as he explored the academic still life genre so mastered by his father, before moving into the abstraction of his later work. Retaining the iridescent handling of light and spatial arrangement so characteristic of William, Ben’s addition of the dangling red necklace provides an informal and original touch of visual interest, suggesting a departure from the pure influence of William's formal still-lifes. A painting by William Nicholson entitled The Silver Casket, 1916 (private collection) also features a red beaded necklace in the lower right corner of the composition, and it is likely that this necklace is the same one that hangs down into the composition of the present lot.

Commenting on the painting, Norbert Lynton describes the ‘jug on a table in front of a curtain and, hanging just in front of that, a fringed shawl and a long necklace, all done in a smooth manner that explains Ben Nicholson’s later reference to some of his early paintings as ‘slick and Vermeer” (ibid). The scene is certainly reminiscent of Dutch Golden Age domestic interior scenes. The Red Necklace is one of only three surviving still lifes from this time, another example of which is Striped Jug, 1914 (Leeds University Art Collection).

We are very grateful to Rachel Smith for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.