Oil on Canvas, Wildflowers and Chestnut Leaves in Green Vase

This oil painting from 1939 is a still life of an autumn bouquet in a dark green vase. Large chestnut leaves in ochre and gold fan out across the upper half, and between them sit white daisies, small pink blossoms, pale umbels and a cluster of white berries. A few fallen leaves lie on the tabletop in the foreground. The composition is tall and generous, with the leaves reaching almost to the edge of the canvas.

The palette is warm and low-key: deep browns and near-black in the background and table, with the golden leaves and pale flowers standing out against it. The paint is worked in visible brushstrokes, with thicker, more tactile paint on the leaves and flower heads, and the weave of the canvas shows through in the background. The grey, mottled tone behind the bouquet gives the surface a soft, aged atmosphere.

The painting is signed and dated in dark paint at the lower left, with initials and “‘39”. It is oil on canvas, offered unframed with the canvas on its stretcher, so it can be hung as it is or framed to suit. The surface has the darkening, fine craquelure (most visible in the vase) and light surface wear you would expect from a painting of this age. [Condition: please confirm in person, including any paint losses, canvas tension, the stretcher and the back.]

With its autumn colours and old-master mood, it works well in a dining room, hallway or study, or leaned on a sideboard or mantelpiece.

Size: 74cm Height x 63cm Width