Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are very pleased to offer for sale this very unusual still life oil painting on canvas laid to board by the artist George Skelton, who has signed the painting G. Skelton in the lower left hand corner and entitled it verso 'Witchcraft by Geo. Skelton Grimsby 1929'. The picture depicts a grouping of different sized witches balls on a carpet covered table, with an ornament of a Chinese elder. There is a large gold coloured witches ball hanging over the table. On the table is a red ball, a larger blue one and a mirrored one resting in a carved stand. The very clever thing about the painting is how the artist has captured the reflections of the ornament, the other witches balls and, most importantly a figure standing in the room.

Goerge Skelton was born in Caistor, Grimsby, Lincolnshire in 1855, the youngest son of a land owner. He worked as a bank clerk for the Yorkshire Bank from the late 1860s until the late 1890s, but by 1901 and in the census of 1911, he was living with his sister in law Eliza at Armathwaite, Abbey Park Road, Grimsby with a servant and living on his own means. This was a 9 roomed house, so he must have been comfortably off.

Presumably this gave him more time to devote to what was previously his hobby - painting. He recorded the buildings of Grimsby, many now demolished, and these drawings are in the hands of the North Lincolnshire Museums Service. There are also 8 of his paintings in the National Collection, all of them also in the hands of the N.L.M.S. These can be viewed at BBC - Your Paintings under the name of the artist. The N.L.M.S. also hold a portrait of George Skelton painted in 1913 by Thomas Kennington and this can be found on google images.

The painting has been newly framed in a 3 1/4" ornate black and gilt frame and will be supplied wired and ready to hang.

Image size 15 3/4" x 12 1/2" - 40cm x 31.75cm

Frame size 22 3/8" x 18 1/8" - 56.8cm x 46cm

Medium Oils on canvas laid to board

Condition Very good condition. There is no craquelure or paint loss. The frame is new