PAINTING

Measuring 9 x 6 cm. With 'Mrs.. Byam Shaw' in larger type in centre, with '62, Addison Road, W.' in bottom left-hand corner, and '2nd. Wednesday &| 2nd. Thursday' diagonally in top left-hand corner. On aged paper, with the address '21 Wilton Street | S. W. 1 | Wednesday' in ink at head, and '88 Brook Green' in pencil on the reverse. A pencil name and telephone number ('Vic. 3583') have been erased.

8 pp, 12mo. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed to 'Dear Ernest'. He begins by congratulating Gye on his promotion and 'on going to Tangier - a delightful spot'. It is however 'very sad' that Gye's 'guiding hand over our destinies will no longer be there in the Office'. He thanks Gye for his 'kindness' and 'sympathy': 'My path has lain along uneventful ways and it has been an untold solace to feel you did not despise those who had mearly [sic] to 'stand & wait''.

The seven items in fair condition, on lightly-aged paper and with the last two with wear to extremities. ONE: 15 June 1929; on letterhead of Lansdowne House, Lansdowne Road, Holland Park. 1 p, 4to. Accepting a dinner invitiation. 'I wish we did not meet so seldom, and after this long gap I hope we shall see each other more often'. TWO: 10 January 1931; on letterhead as One. 2 pp, 12mo. He is 'going to work in Paris a good deal this year - and shall often have occasion to take unfinished - or finished - things - pictures drawings - small sculpture to & fro between here & Paris'.

12mo, 3 pp. On bifolium. Clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. She has 'finished the brown drawing of elves, & birds singing', and, as she is going into the country for a few days, will leave it, 'in a portfolio', at Stratton St. She asks him to 'kindly take care of it', as he has been 'good enough to do with the others. It is, as you know, a very careful & highly-finished drawing'. She asks him to have 'the delicacy of the lines reproduced, & the drawing of the limbs of the little elves, etc. very carefully & exactly rendered, otherwise the drawing wd.

Dimensions of card 14.5 x 11 cm. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Cloudy print of landscape on recto of second leaf, signed in pencil 'R Macaulay Stevenson'. Neat pen inscription on recto of first leaf: 'My dear brother-artist Sassoon and dear Madame Sassoon this is just from Stansmore and myself to wish you a Merrie Christmas and a Happy New Year | [signed] R Macaulay Stevenson | Kirkcudbright | Yuletide 1934'.

On one side of piece of thick wove paper, 36 x 28 cm. The design is clearly and neatly drawn, coloured in orange, gold, red, blue, brown, black, grey and pink. The banner, casting a grey shadow, is shown tied by ribbon with black, yellow and red stripes onto a spearheaded flagpole, with carved horizontal branch. The banner has a bright red ground, and is of irregular rectangular shape (curved outer lower corner), with gold tassels along the lower edge.

The collection is in very good condition, containing four items of autograph correspondence from Ruszkowski to Shaw, all signed 'Zdzis'. One: Autograph Letter Signed. Undated. 8vo, 3 pp. Expressing his extreme disappointment with 'the proposed arrangement of the double-page and the suggested treatment of the illustrations. 'Nearly one third of the drawing [sic] is left out and alters the sense of the theme. Each illustration is composed to stress the situation and can't be mutilated at the will to suit the arrangement at the page.

8vo, 68 + [i] pp. In original grey printed boards. Page of advertisements at rear. On aged paper, in worn binding with staining from tape along spine. Last signature and rear board detached. Ownership inscription of 'T A Pope' on front board, and stamp and shelfmark of the Hawkesyard Priory Library on front free endpaper. Scarce in original boards.

On piece of good quality art paper, 15 x 19 cm. In good condition, in grey card frame. Shows a cheery Acton in profile, drawn in grey and black. Signed in ink on drawing 'b.g.b. | 82', with 'Sir Harold Acton at the Arts Club 20.I.82' in pencil at foot. On the reverse of the drawing Bagnall has written 'Brian Bagnall | Sir Harold Acton at a private view of Russell Forman paintings Arts Club 20.I.82'.

The five posters, presumably produced for the classroom, are scarce, with no reference to them on the internet or elsewhere. They are attractively painted in a bold and vivid panoramic frieze style. Each carries a single illustration showing two (counting the Cabot brothers as one) explorers in front of groups of men, with a merged background behind them.

Portrait: 34.5 x 20 cm. Laid down on a piece of paper of the same size. Good: a little dusty and with unobtrusive 1.5 cm closed tear to left margin, and minor traces of previous mounting on reverse. Very good reproduction, on photographic paper of a complex, ghostly scene in a moonlit graveyard, with a number of supernatural figures among the graves. Decorative border with elongated skeletons.

4to, [xiv] + 479 + [Appendix:] 56 + [Index:] [lxxx] pp. Uncut, in original quarter-binding of grey paper boards and green cloth spine, with chipped red paper label, gilt, 'CATALOGUE OF BRITISH PORTRAITS'. Internally sound and tight on aged paper, apart from detached half-title and flyleaf. In worn boards, with closed tears to hinges. Ownership inscription of 'F. Walker' on flyleaf, and armorial bookplate of Captain Neville Rodwell Wilkinson, Ulster King of Arms and Principal Herald of All Ireland, on front pastedown.

4to, 2 pp. 46 lines. Clear and complete. Good, on aged paper. He thanks her for putting the commission of 'Mr Proger' his way, discussing the circumstances. 'Just 3 days before I received his letter, while Molly & I were making some sort of order in the Augean Stable which is my lower studio, workshop & general storage place I came across this little panel (a view of Burleigh) which I had thrown asside [sic] as a dud.

Landscape 12mo. 12 lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on aged paper, in envelope addressed by Lamb to Inglis. On 'seeing the picture after that long interval' he was 'not ashamed of it', but 'when it was new my friends used to rag me about my "Morgue" pictures', there being 'a few others of similar gruesome import'. Now that he is 'far past youth' he is 'painting mostly scenes of sweetness & serenity'. He is sorry that she is 'denied the priviledge [sic] I have enjoyed all these sinister times', that of being able to paint.

12mo, 1 p. Fair, on aged paper folded twice. He has 'no idea where the Graphotype Company "hail from" & cannot find out', despite making enquiries.

On eight pieces of 8vo paper, one of which has ha d a 3 cm horizontal strip cut away at the foot (not affecting the image). On a variety of different paper types, all wove. Good, on aged paper. Attractive images, ranging in height from 7 to 9 cm, of four women and four men, all clearly belonging to the eighteenth-century middle-classes. Executed in black ink using both pen and brush. Not full silhouettes: in some cases the hair is picked out in white. One of the images, of a young woman with curls and a bow, treated twice in slightly different styles.

12mo, 22 pp (followed by final blank leaf). Stitched pamphlet. Text clear and complete. On discoloured and worn paper. 152 'ouvrages d'arts' arranged in alphabetical order under the names of the artists, from 'François Alewaters, peintre à Malines' and 'Henri Adams, à Malines' to 'G. P. Wuyts, de Lierre' and 'L. Zwitzer, de Malines'. Preliminary notice headed 'Police du Salon'. Scarce: no copy on WorldCat or COPAC.

12mo, 2 pp. Bifolium. Written out in one hand, and signed 'Bradley & Co' in another. Addressed to 'W. F. Stocks Esqre | Glen Elwy | St Asaph. | Flint[shire]'. Thirteen lines. Text clear and complete. On foxed and lightly-aged paper. Giving the firm's 'charge for receiving unpacking & delivering pictures to the R.A. or other London Exhibitions' and for 'collecting repacking & forwarding', as well as the dimensions of pictures for which these charges apply.

12mo, 2 pp. 15 lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on aged paper. Providing a 'recommendation as a teacher' for his correspondent, 'in the neighbourhood of Leamington'. 'My observation of the progress you have made, during your studentship at the Royal Academy enables me to state, that, you are, in my opinion fully competent to undertake the teaching of the elementary branches of art'. From a small archive of Walter F. Stocks's correspondence.

12mo, 1 p. Ten lines. Clear and complete. On bifolium with mourning border. Fair, on aged and discoloured paper. Endorsing the application of Walter F. Stocks for 'the vacant professorship of landscape painting in Queen's College'. Stocks 'has been an exhibitor at the Royal Academy for many years' and Calderon 'has admired his paintings on our walls'.

12mo, 2 pp. Twenty lines. Text clear and complete. In bifolium. On aged and discoloured paper, with small closed tears along central fold lines of both leaves. A reference, 'bearing testimony to your perfect efficiency as a teacher of landscape painting possessing, as you do, the first and greatest requisite, namely a power to sketch beautifully from nature, your success should not be short of great. [last word underlined]' Apologises for not answering sooner, caused by 'the loss of your card'. From a small archive of Walter F. Stocks's correspondence.

All three letters 12mo: the first of three pages, and the last two one page apiece. Texts clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Letter One: Sir Henry Vansittart Neale will be pleased to allow Grundy 'a look at his pictures' at Bisham Abbey. Gives directions. Discusses Grundy's letter in the Daily Express, complaining about the 'crowding out' of pictures at the Royal Academy.

16mo, 1 p. Bifolium. Eight lines. Text clear and complete. On stained, aged paper. An uncommon autograph, written in a distinctive stylised hand in purple ink. Reluctantly announcing his inability to go on 'the Barge trip', which he had looked upon 'as the pleasantest excursion of the year, & alas & alas (not that a lass has any thing to do with my engagement) I shall be unable to be with you'.

12mo, 2 pp. First leaf of letter only. On worn aged paper, with slight loss and chpping to extremities. Docketed by Melville in red at head of first page with date 'Feby 1829'. Begins 'Sir Thos. Lawrence presents his Compts to Captn. Melville Grindlay, [...]'. Thanking Grindlay for the gift of 'his Works from the Scenery and Architecture of India; and from the Sculpture in the Cave Temples of Ellora'. Lawrence has 'received great pleasure from the frequent inspection' of the works. Ends abruptly, at foot of second page, 'and very particularly, from the view <...>'.

On one side of piece of paper, irregularly-cut from bottom of letter, and measuring approximately 3.5 x 11 cm. Lightly-aged, spotted and creased, with thin strip from mount adhering to the left. Reads 'Yours sincerely, | [signed] Kate Perugini | 24th. Oct.'

12mo, 2 pp. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He is sending a cheque for thirty-five pounds for 'Skirving's picture of my mother with which I am well pleased', which he 'got from the Hall porter at the Reform'. Reports that the picture 'has been exposed to a very serious risk of entire destruction, the plate-glass having been shivered to pieces in the packing case. Wonderful to say, the damage done is confined to the dark & unimportant parts of the drawing'. When Grahame 'heard the broken glass rattling in the Box', he had 'no hope of the picture being sound'.

4to, 2 pp. Twenty-three lines of text, clear and complete. In fair condition, creased and lightly-worn. With stamped envelope addressed by Flint. In reply to a question from Carpenter ('I very, very freqently receive letters such as yours') Flint writes: 'Dont worry about not receiving art instruction in painting because I never had a lesson in my life.' He believes he inherited the skill he 'started with', but constant study of the works of masters & constant practice have brought me (with the aid of a kindly Providence) to my present position'.

8vo, 1 p. Nine lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged and lightly-spotted paper, lightly-creased and with small closed tears at edges of central crease. From the context of other items in the same collection, this letter relates to an 'Artists general Benevolent Banquet' (for which Dollman was acting as steward). Hassall writes that the previous year he 'got into trouble through giving subscriptions to stewards of other society's than the R[oyal]. I[nstitution].', so that 'if there's to be an R. I. table this year I must support it for all I'm worth'.

8vo: 4 pp. Wih four pages of illustrations on art paper, the first being a full-page photographic portrait of Frink by Peter Collins. Stapled. In original blue printed wraps. Good, on lightly-aged paper. No copy on COPAC.

8vo: paginated 3-38. Four full-page reproductions of Miller's paintings. In original yellow printed wraps. On brittle, aged paper, with the body of the book detached from the wraps, which are worn and with one corner at front creased. Title taken from front wrap. One of 950 numbered copies, signed by the publisher on the final page (beneath 'Publisher's Addendum') 'Bern Porter | 25 South St | Houlton Maine | Copy # 296'. Shifreen &Jackson A37a. Uncommon. Apart from the British Library, COPAC only lists copies at Cambridge, Manchester, Oxford and Bristol.