Bessie MacNicol

Sir Thomas Dunlop, Bt.;
Craibe Angus & Son, Glasgow;
Sale: Christie's, Scotland, 27 April, 1989, Lot 632;
Fine Art Society, London;
Sale: Sotheby's Gleneagles, 20 August 1996, Lot 1175;
Private Collection

Glasgow, Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow Girls, 24 Aug - 21 Oct 1990

Jude Burkhauser, Glasgow Girls: Women in Art and Design 1880-1920, 1990, pp.195-6, 232, 233, illus. pl.309;
D. MacMillan, Scottish Art in the 20th Century, 1994, p.26, illus. pl.12

The canvas has been relined. There is some evidence of old abrasions to corners but this work is otherwise in good clean condition. Held in a decorative gold composite frame with some minor losses.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Bessie MacNicol was born in Glasgow and studied at the Glasgow school of Art and later in Paris at the Academie Colarossi.  On her return to Glasgow she established herself painting portraits and maternal subjects.  In 1899 she married and moved to a larger studio in Hillhead, formally occupied by Sir David Young Cameron.  It was there that she began to work on larger canvases and it was in this studio that she painted Vanity.  In 1902 she was one of the principle exhibitors at the first show of the Glasgow Society of Artists.  As she was approaching major recognition she died tragically young during childbirth.

Vanity is painted in the tradition of European nudes established by Titian and Tintoretto who painted the recumbent female placed in conjunction with a figure, window or mirror. It can most notably be compared with Velasquez's Rokeby Venus painted in 1650 (National Gallery London).