Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are offering for sale this excellently detailed watercolour by the artist WILFRED KNOX, who has signed the painting with his pseudonym A. D. Bell in the lower left hand corner and dated it 1948. He has also entitled the painting verso in his own hand 'Near Dover'. The painting depicts a clipper ship, with the white cliffs of Dover in the background, and other shipping, some launches near the ship and further sailing vessels out to sea.

To quote Jeremy Wood's book Hidden Talents

'WILFRED KNOX' was a painter in watercolour, gouache and occasionally oil, of marines and landscapes, who was born in Handsworth, Birmingham in 1884. Little is known of his early life although Wilfred Knox had worked as an engineer and served in the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. He painted under contract for Frost and Reed but much of his work was painted for a local Birmingham dealer under the pseudonym of A. D. Bell. The subjects were mostly clipper ships, harbour scenes and landscapes with views in the West Country, Scotland, Ireland and Venice. Some early works of First World War fighter planes are known to exist but the Venice views in the manner of Frank Wasley, are among his most decorative and collectable work. At least one other artist painted under the pseudonym of A. D. Bell - Horace Hammond - but these pictures were mostly in the style of Birket Foster and quite easily distinguished from Knox. Wilfred Knox also used the pseudonym R. MacGregor and most of these pictures were clipper ships. A fictitious printed biography often found on the old frames of A. D. Bell paintings have for many years helped to hide the artists' true identities. Wilfred Knox died on 30th October 1966 at the age of 82. An exhibition of over 50 of his works was held by Harper Fine Paintings, at Poynton, Cheshire, in November 1987.'

This painting also bears the false biography on the back, as shown.

Auction results achieved by the works of Wilfred Knox can be found at artprice (100 listings), askart (155), artnet (75), findartinfo (108) and arcadja (67 ). We have included the total number of listing under Wilfred Knox, William Knox, as he is often catalogued, A. D. Bell, as well as A. David Bell and Arthur D. Bell, again often catalogued by auction houses. His works are regularly listed, under both Wilfred Knox and A. D. Bell, in Hislop's Guide to the UK Art Market.

The painting is mounted in a washlined mount, with new acid-free blue inner, to complement and is framed in a 1 1/2" swept gilt frame which suits it very well. It is ready to hang.

Medium Watercolours