Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are delighted to offer for sale this beautifully executed oil painting on canvas by the renowned artist John Mogford, who has signed the painting indistinctly in the lower left hand corner and entitled it verso on the stretcher 'Ben More from Ulva'. The name of the artist appears on the original frame, with the letters RI, which dates the painting to pre 1883, when the ROI was awarded.

The painting depicts the outline of Ben More in the centre background, silhouetted against the sky. Ben More is the only Munro, a peak of more than 3,000 feet, on the Scottish island of Mull. Ulva is a smaller island off the coast of Mull and in the foreground on the painting is a small bay below the cliffs which are composed of basalt columns from early volcanic activity and are known as 'The Castles'.

There is a small fishing boat drawn up on the shore, with two fishermen and another fisherman carrying a net is approaching the boat, with a woman carrying a wicker basket on her shoulder, presumably for fish.

John Mogford was born in 1821 in London, although from a Devonshire family. Mogford is a well known name in that part of the country. His father Thomas painted watercolours of architectural subjects. John studied at the School of Design at Somerset House under Dyce and then at the Royal Academy Schools in Kensington.

In July 1844, he married Frances Olivia Danby, the daughter of the artist Francis Danby ARA at St. George, Hanover Square. In his early years as an artist, he supplemented his income by restoring old oil paintings, which gave him a greater knowledge of the methods used by past artists.

His specialisation was coastal scenes with rocks and cliffs, as in this painting, which obviously found favour with the public as his fortunes improved to the point where he and his wife could afford a servant and a house at 17 Park Road, Haverstock Hill, London NW.

He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1846-1881 and at the British Institution from 1847. He also exhibited 292 works at the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour of which institution he was elected an Associated Member in 1866 and a full Member in 1867. From 1846-1885 he exhibited a total of 392 paintings at London exhibitions according to Graves Dictionary. He was elected a Member of the Royal Oil Painters Institute in 1883.

His paintings became very popular even as far away as Australia, where he was 1st Prize at the Sydney International Exhibition in 1879 and Sydney Art Gallery holds an example of his work.

He died in 1885 and his studio sale was held at Christie's in February 1886.

There are five of his oil painting in the National Collection (see artuk.org) at the National Museums Liverpool and the galleries in Oldham, Bradford, Sunderland and the City of London Corporation.

Auction records for works by this artist are available at artprice.com (193 listings), artnet.com (110), findartinfo.com (66) and arcadja.com (58). His paintings, both oils and watercolours, achieve prices into the thousands of pounds.

The painting is framed in its original 3 1/2" reeded gilt frame and will be supplied wired and ready to hang.

Image size: 21 1/2" x 11 1/2" - 54.55cm x 29.15cm

Frame size: 28 1/2" x 18 1/2" - 72.35cm x 47cm

Medium: Oils on canvas

Condition: Excellent condition. The canvas is clean and taut and has no repairs or paint loss. There is some fine craquelure mainly in the upper sky and slight stretcher marks consistent with age. The original frame is in good condition for its age.