Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are offering for sale a large watercolour by the listed and highly collected artist O. Tilche, who has signed the painting in the lower left hand corner. As the artist renowned as an orientalist, the subject matter is somewhat unusual. The painting depicts a waterside view of a boatman sitting in his clinker built sailing boat doing some work to a sail. The sails are in the typical rust colour of a Norfolk Wherry. There are several other boats behind the bank to the left, and a windmill to the right.

O. Tilche does not appear to have exhibited his work, and the art reference sites cannot appear to decide whether he was Italian, German or British. Although there is no evidence of him being a British citizen in any of the census records in the UK, or any other UK records whatsoever, there are four newspaper advertisements from 1921 by an art dealer called Frank Pickles of Todmorden, Yorkshire, offering for sale, framed or unframed, watercolours from a selection of artists including O.Tilche. This rather makes a nonsense of dates which have been given online for him of 1821-1894.

However, according to Jeremy Wood's extremely useful book, 'Hidden Talents', he states he was a ' Painter in watercolour of desert and eastern scenes. This prolific artist usually painted small pairs of watercolours often showing Bedouins and camels in the desert or Nile scenes. He also painted under the name of 'A. Calvert'. He signed his work O. Tilche or with the initials on small sketches.'

Autction results for O. Tilche, (often referred to as Otto, but also as Oscar) can be found at artnet.com (10), findartinfo.com (31), plus 2 as A. Calvert, artprice.com (46) and arcadja.com (27). On 1st February, 2012, Christie's sold one of his paintings for £1,654.

The painting has been newly double mounted to complement and is framed in a 5/8 inch gilt frame to suit. It will be supplied with new brass hangers, new brass picture wire and will be ready to hang.

Provenance: Penns Gallery, Eastbourne

Image size: 18 7/8 x 9 inches - 48cm x 22.85cm

Frame size: 24 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches - 61.55cm x 36.2cm

Medium: Watercolours

Condition: Very good. The colours are strong and true and there is no foxing. The mounts are new and the frame is in very good condition.