Charles Spencelayh

Harrogate, Ernest G. Barnard, where bought in 1952 by a private collector in whose family it remained until 2004;
Sotheby's, 26 March 2004, lot 75;
Private collection

London, Royal Academy, 1952, no.795;
Bradford, City Art Gallery, Jubilee Exhibition, 1954, no.412

Aubrey Noakes, Charles Spencelayh and his Paintings, 1978, p.49

STRUCTURE The canvas has been relined. There is a small surface abrasion near the upper left corner and a surface mark near the upper right corner, otherwise the work appears in good overall condition. ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT UV light reveals an opaque varnish. There are spots of retouching across the surface and areas of flecked retouchings in the lower left and right corners and about the butterfly in the lower centre. FRAME Held in a gilt plaster frame. Please telephone the department on 0207 293 5718 if you have any questions about the present work.
"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."

The model was Spencelayh's neighbour the thirteen-year-old Mary, daughter of J W Forth the police constable for Bozeat in Northamptonshire. 'One day when she popped into the house with a message from her parents, Charles was struck by the colouring of her scarf and green coat, and the upshot of this was that she spent the whole of her Easter holiday posing for him' (Aubrey Noakes, Charles Spencelayh and his Paintings, pg. 49). Noakes described Nature's Beauty, Known and Unknown thus 'the usual jumble of Spencelayh's 'props': the paintings within the painting; musical instruments, ceramics, pieces of sculpture, the odd book, stuffed birds, and gardening boots, as well as Mary. One critic remarked: 'It is almost a surrealist ensemble' (ibid p.49). The picture in the centre of Nature's Beauties, Known and Unknown is a print of Emily and Laura Anne Calmady by Sir Thomas Lawrence. The blue and white vase, the old boot and the violin appear in Spencelayh's greatest still-life A Part of my Stock in Trade of 1948.