OLIVER CLARE
British, 1853-1927
A Pair of Still-Life Paintings: Grapes, Rasberries, Apples, Plums, Peaches and Strawberries
Oil on artist's panel | each signed lower right "Oliver Clare"
12" H x 15 1/4" W x 1 5/8" D [frame]
8 1/2" H x 11 3/4" W [panel]
A fine matched pair of still-life paintings by Oliver Clare, the renowned Victorian era painter of still-life scenes known for his complex arrangements of fruits in naturalistic settings. Each is exquisitely detailed in his typical manner with intricate brushwork and fabulous rendering of the surfaces of both the fruit and foliage. They are hung in beautifully detailed giltwood frames and protected under glass.
Born to the still-life artist George Clare in 1853, Oliver Clare and his brother Vincent both pursued a very distinct and individual specialization in unusually precise, intricately detailed and finely finished still-life scenes, mostly of fruit and flowers. Together with his brother, Oliver studied under his father and developed heavily on the intricate textured stippling techniques of George Clare; he is generally considered to be the best painter from the Clare family. He exhibited extensively at the Royal Society of Birmingham Artists, showing no less than eighteen paintings there over the course of his career. While he spent most of his life in Birmingham, he spent the late 1870s and early 1880s living in London where exhibited between 1873 and 1883 at least two paintings the Royal Society of British Artists (Suffolk Street) and one at the Royal Academy. He further exhibited at the the Walker Art Gallery of Liverpool and the Manchester City Art Gallery.
Artist Listings & Bibliography:
- E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. III, p. 1062
- A Dictionary of Artists who have exhibited works in the Principal London Exhibitions from 1760 to 1893, Algernon Graves, Kingsmead, 1973, p. 54
- Dictionary of British Art, Vol. IV, Victorian Painters: The Text, Christopher Wood, 1995, p. 100
Condition Report: In "estate-found" condition, as we did not want to disturb the very old sealing of each painting verso and found the surfaces to be in remarkably good condition. Note that one scene has loss along the edge where the frame would have rubbed - this should be repositioned to cover the rubbing with the frame as was originally intended, but to do so would require opening the seal on the back of the painting. We are happy to do this upon request. Minor rubbing, cracking and loss to the frames, each in overall very good condition. Ready to place.
ref. 503RCM06Q
