Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are delighted to offer for sale this rare,large and atmospheric oil on canvas by the artist Wilfred Bosworth Jenkins, who has signed the painting Wilfred Jenkins in the lower right hand corner. The painting depicts a view of a slushy village street after snow, when the sun has sunk below the horizon and its fading glow is illuminating the road and showing the houses as silhouettes. The house to the right has light showing through its stained glass leaded windows. There is a figure standing on the pavement to the left, under an umbrella, and two figures in earnest conversation outside a house to the right of the street. This type of twilight painting is in a style much favoured by the artist.

This painting is very much in the style of Atkinson Grimshaw, a contemporary of whom the artist was and this is typical of his work. As Grimshaw has become increasingly more expensive, the work of Wilfred Jenkins has aroused a great deal of interest.

Wilfred Bosworth Jenkins was born in Stow on the Wold in Gloucestershire in 1857, the son of a chemist. By 1871 the family were living in Leeds, where in due course Wilfred opened a studio. In 1881, the census records show him living in Hunslet with his occupation as carver and gilder and aged 24. By 1891 he was listing himself as an Artist and Painter in oils. In 1897 he married Mary Dickie and by 1891 they were living in Muffit Lane, Birstal. He resided at 54 Cemetery Road, Beeston, Leeds by 1911, the year of the last available census. He died in Leeds in 1936.

He did not exhibit in London, but locally in Yorkshire. His biographical details are listed in The Dictionary of Victorian Painters by Christopher Wood and Painters in the Northern Counties of England and Wales by Dennis Child.

There are 7 of his paintings in the National Collection and 3 of these may be seen at Leeds City Museum and l at each of the following venues. Whitby Museum, Rotherham Museum, Trafford Council and the Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate.

Auction results achieved for works by this artist are available at artprice.com (158 listings), artnet.com (84), findartinfo.com and arcadja.com (84 each).

The only other 36" x 24" paintings by this artist that we have found in the last 20 years, were a pair sold by Christie's in 2000 for £12,075 including premium.

His record price in recent years was for a pair of scenes of Edinburgh 28" x 12", which achieved £8,500 at bonhams Edinburgh in 2008. In July 2015, a 24" x 16" reached £2,100 plus premium at Christie's and a 50" x 30" reached £7,834 plus premium at Sotherby's New York. In 2011 a 24" x 16" reached £2,000 at Bonhams and another 24" x 16" made £1,800 at Christie's in 2010.

The painting is newly framed in a 3 1/2" ornate, swept gilt frame and will be supplied wired and ready to hang.

Image size 35 1/2" x 23 1/2" - 90.15cm x 59.65cm

Frame size 42 1/2" x 30 1/2" - 108cm x 77.5cm

Medium Oils on canvas

Condition Very good condition. The canvas has been relined at some stage, so there is only very slight craquelure and no stretcher marks or paint loss. There has been some restoration in the past to the lower left hand corner. The frame is new.