Charles Walter Simpson

Lot 1044 Charles Walter Simpson (1885-1971) watercolour and gouache, Gulls on sea cliffs, 20.5 x 28in. Estimate £600-800 Descriptionsprovided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do notinclude condition reports. The absence of a condition statementdoes not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completelyfree from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a conditionreport on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placinga bid. All transactions are governed by Gorringes Conditions ofSale.

Charles Walter Simpson (1885-1971) Riderless Horses after Beechers, Grand National signed 14 x 21in. Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Gorringes Conditions of Sale.

CHARLES WALTER SIMPSON, R.I. (BRITISH, 1885-1971) Pytchley Hounds signed 'Charles Simpson' (lower left) watercolour 14 1/8 x 20¼ in. (36 x 51.5 cm.) Lot Notes Pytchley Hall, built circa 1580 for Sir Euseby Isham was takenover by John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer in 1752. The 1st Earl wasresponsible for starting a hunting club that became the PytchleyHunt and the pack of hounds he transferred from the family seat atAlthorp became the Pytchley Hounds. Charles Simpson turned towards equestrian painting following thesuccess of his friend Sir Alfred James Munnings and collaboratedwith author Guy Paget illustrating a number of books on hunting andcountry pursuits. Fellow artist Dame Laura Knight once commented ofSimpson 'he was so prodigal with paint he could be traced by thecolour left on the bushes!'.

114.5 by 152.5cm., 45 by 60in. signed l.l.: Charles Simpson oil on canvas PROVENANCE Sir Julien Cahn 1st Bt. remaining at Stanford Hall until 2000 CATALOGUE NOTE The present work, painted circa 1937, is one of Simpson's largest and most accomplished hunting portraits. The principle subject of the work, Sir Julien Cahn came from a distinguished hunting family whose crest was a fox's head. He was master of the Burton Hunt from 1926 to 1935 and the Woodland-Pytcheley from 1935 to 1937 before becoming master of the Fernie, the setting for the present work, in 1937. He was a man of considerable and diverse talent; Chairman of the National Birthday Trust Fund, Knight Commander of the Order of George I (Greece) and a member of the Légion d'Honneur. He was also an accomplished cricketer captaining teams which toured Jamaica, Argentina, Canada and New Zealand. Apart from his sporting exploits he was a great lover of musical theatre and had a Wulitzer organ installed at Stanford Hall, which remains in use to this day. His prowess is clearly reflected in the present work as he is portrayed with an effortless command and presence. Stanford Hall was a Palladian mansion begun by William Smith of Warwick in 1703 for Sir Roger Cave and completed by other members of the Smith family. Pevsner described it as 'the finest and most fully documented house of its date in the county'. The sweeping parkland leading down to the river attests to this appraisal. Charles Simpson was born into a military family and would have followed the family tradition had it not been for a riding accident in his youth. He decided he would make his way as an artist and studied at the Bushey School of Art and the Atelier Julian in Paris. He also joined the Newlyn colony of artists where he was influenced by John Noble Barlow. Simpson had worked with Munnings in the early 1900s and it is possible it was he who led Munnings to Newlyn in 1911. Apart from his equestrian subjects Simpson developed into an outstanding bird painter, exhibiting his work at the Paris Salon in 1923, before winning a gold medal at the exhibition of sporting paintings associated with the Paris Olympics the following year.

Charles Walter Simpson, R.I., R.O.I. (British, 1885-1971)
In the paddock
Signed, oil on canvas,
50 x 61cm (19 3/4 x 24in).

Additional Notes:
Simpson studied at the Lucy Kemp Welsh School of Art at Bushey, as well as the Atelier Julian in Paris. Around 1900 he was to be found horse painting in Norfolk with his friend Alfred Munnings, but on the latter's advice he moved to be amongst the group painting at Newlyn and later Lamorna, where he spent much of his life. As proficient in landscape as well as hunting and racing scenes, he also illustrated several books and wrote and illustrated three himself on hunting subjects.