Chalice with Flowers

Details

David Jones, C.H. (1895-1974)
Chalice with Flowers
pencil, coloured crayon, watercolour and bodycolour
30¾ x 22½ in. (78 x 57.2 cm.)
Executed circa 1950.

Provenance

Purchased by the present owner at the 1979 exhibition.

Exhibited

London, Anthony d'Offay, David Jones 1895-1974, May - June 1979, no. 32.

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 17.5% on the buyer's premium.

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Lot Essay

This drawing is from Jones' final series of still-lifes, executed circa 1950, which he considered amongst his favourite works. Others in this group include Mehefini (National Museum of Wales, Cardiff) and Flora in Calix-Light (Kettle's Yard, Cambridge).

Behind the decorative floral arrangement and its setting is a rich network of religious symbols and hidden meanings. The slightly open window takes on the form of a cross, the vase in front of it a Communion cup before an altar, whilst the flowers themselves have been individually selected for their metaphorical significance. The roses' thorny stems, for example, are a deliberate nod towards the Crucifixion.

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