Sir Winston Churchill, K.G., O.M., F.R.S., HON. R.A.

The Artist's studio
Miss Arabella Churchill
Sale, Sotheby's London, 19th May 1982, lot 142, where acquired by the present owner

David Coombs, Churchill: His Paintings, The World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, 1967, cat. no.19, illustrated p.95;
David Coombs with Minnie Churchill, Sir Winston Churchill's Life Through His Paintings, Chaucer Press, London, 2003, C19, p.87, illustrated fig.155.

The following report has been kindly prepared with the assistance of Stuart Sanderson, or Stuart Sanderson Paintings Conservation, 69 Rylett Crescent London W12 9RP. Original canvas, there is a tiny pin hole visible in the top left quadrant, 4cm. in from the left edge and 10cm. from the top edge. The work has recently benefited from a light clean to remove traces of a blooming varnish, and the surface is free of dirt and loose particles of mould, but some fine spots are still visible on very close examination. There is a very slight, minor spot of isolated craquelure visible to the foot of the table in the foreground and on the back of the oval chair. This is only visible upon very close inspection, and does not detract from the overall appearance of the work. There is a tiny surface abrasion in the upper right hand quadrant and a horizontal line running along the bottom edge, which appears to correspond to the Artist's underpainting. Ultraviolet light reveals a minor area of fluorescence and probable retouching in the bottom right hand quadrant, just to the right of the chair, measuring approximately 5cm. in length, with further very minor traces visible in the top left and right corners. Housed in a thick, ornate plaster frame. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

‘Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end, or almost to the end, of the day’ (Sir Winston Churchill, Painting as a Pastime, Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ltd., Aylesbury and London, 1949, p.13).

We are grateful to David Coombs for his kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

Churchill was a frequent visitor to Sir Philip Sasoon’s house at Lympne, using these holidays as necessary respites from the stress of political life, but also as an opportunity to focus on writing his war memoirs and to paint. For him painting provided a relief: he needed to engage alternative parts of his mind through pursuits which required focus and concentration in order to silence the thoughts which occupied the majority of his days. He felt this was a truly essential and important part of maintaining his mental sharpness, and the joy he discovered from taking up this interest and vocation is clearly evident:

‘Just to paint is great fun. The colours are lovely to look at and delicious to squeeze out. Matching them, however crudely, with what you see is fascinating and truly absorbing. Try it if you have not done so- before you die. As one slowly begins to escape from the difficulties of choosing the right colours and laying them on in the right places and in the right way, wider considerations come into view. One begins to see, for instance, that painting a picture is like fighting a battle; and trying to paint a picture is, I suppose, like trying to fight a battle. It is, if anything, more exciting than fighting it successfully. But the principal is the same’ (Churchill, op. cit., p.19).

Churchill depicted a few scenes at Port Lympne including The Terrace of Sir Philip Sassoon's House, Port Lympne, Kent and The Dining Room at Sir Philip Sassoon's House, Port Lympne both of which are part of the National Trust Collection at Chartwell. A descendent of the Rothschilds through his mother’s side, Sassoon was a prominent social entertainer, politician, and an important patron and collector of the arts. Churchill was amongst a group of notable figures of the day who were welcomed to the Lympne retreat,  including Charlie Chaplin, David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, T. E. Lawrence, Royalty Prince of Wales and Mrs Simpson, Lord Louis Mountbatten, and Giles Lytton Strachey. The environment was one of warmth and welcome, and one that encouraged intellectual debate over cups of tea, as society notables crossed paths with the several artists such as Glyn Philpot, Rex Whistler, and Jose Maria Sert, who were commissioned to work in the house. In the present work, Churchill captures the inviting nature of this space, the glow of the sitting room visible through the arched hallway door drawing us in, the comfortable chairs and books, the casual display of flowers, inviting us in to sit and while away the evening.

The house itself was designed by Herbert Baker in 1912, and in 1918 Philip Tilden began work on the extensive Italian style gardens. Sassoon was so impressed and pleased by Tilden’s work that he recommended the architect to Churchill, who in turn commissioned him to modernise and expand the family home in Chartwell, Kent.