Joan Eardley, R.S.A.

Aitken Dott & Son, Edinburgh;
Anthony Rampton Esq.

Edinburgh, Aitken Dott & Son, Festival Exhibition, 1964, no. 28;
Edinburgh, The Scottish Arts Council, Joan Eardley Memorial Exhibition, 1964, no. 85

The board is sound. There appears to be a very minor surface scratch just upper left of centre. Due to the highly textured nature of the board and surface, this is likely to be intrinsic to the work. There is some extremely light surface dirt in places. Otherwise in good original condition and ready to hang. Ultraviolet light reveals no sign of retouching. Held in a simple gold painted wooden frame in fair condition.
"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."

During the 1950s another popular subject for Eardley was the beehives in the back garden area on the edge of the cliff at Number 1 The row, Catterline where she had a studio. Fiona Pearson suggests that "this sort of serial painting had something in common with Monet" (Fiona Pearson, Joan Eardley, 2007, p 56) Cottage and Beehives captures the dramatic landscape that so inspired Eardley, we see a glimmer of blue light breaking through the grey and stormy clouds and in the foreground a semi-abstract composition in black, grey and white with splashes of red of the cottage and beehives. There are close parallels with this painting to Beehives, Approaching Storm, c.1950s (Collection of The Royal Bank of Scotland).