Wednesday, September 4, 2013

110. A Figure Study by Charles Shannon

The firm of Abbott and Holder will exhibit some twentieth century watercolours and drawings at their premises in London's Museum Street (No. 30). The exhibition opens at 12 p.m. on Saturday 7 September, and the show closes on 5 October. The works have been on view already since Saturday 31 August, however, nothing will be sold before the actual exhibition opens.

On show are works by Edward Ardizzone (a sketch for The Festival of Britain, 1951), Max Beerbohm (a drawing of Lord William Nevill), Dora Carrington (a pencil portrait of Ralph Partridge, nude, seated in an armchair, 1921), Augustus John (a composition study), and other works by the likes of Paul Nash, Ronald Searle, Walter Sickert, and Stephen Tennant.

Listed as number 68 is a drawing by Charles Shannon. It is a figure study in red and black chalks, signed and dated, 1911 ('11x16 inches. Framed: 18.5x22.5 inches'). The price is £1600.


Charles Shannon, Figure study (1911)
The drawing depicts three figures: a bending figure, feet wide apart, probably male, dressed in a long sleeveless shirt; a bending topless female figure, and a smaller, seated female figure. The larger studies seem to be for field workers, such as harvesters.

The catalogue says: 'Nothing will be sold before the exhibition opens'.