Bonhams 1793 : Samuel John Peploe, RSA (British, 1871-1935) Still Life, Roses and Chinese Blue 54.5 x 50 cm. (21 5/8 x 19 3/4 in.)

EXHIBITED:
Loaned to London, The Fine Art Society, Three Scottish Colourists, February-April 1977, cat. no. 39
Loaned to London, The Fine Art Society, Masterpieces of the Scottish Colourists, October-November 1989 (as Still Life with Roses)
Loaned to London, The Fine Art Society, The Scottish Colourists, 19 June-21 July 2000, cat. no. 28 (as Still Life, Roses and Chinese Jar)

This archetypal still life, painted circa 1924, features the motifs for which Peploe became most celebrated: roses (often pink) in a Chinese vase, fruit, crockery and drapery. These objects, occasionally augmented by a fan or mirror, were explored in seemingly endless permutations as the artist famously sought to paint 'the perfect still life'. His compositions were meticulously planned and executed, exploring the balance between naturalism and design for which the Colourists were renowned. Peploe's compositions create a dialogue between object and space, colour and tone, and this example employs prominent geometry and stylised form in the flower heads and folds. Post-1920, Peploe's still life work features more subtle colour and chalky tones, here enlivened by the warm lilac drape and yellow passage to the left edge. The dramatic dark plane is also characteristic of this period, stressing the two dimensions of the picture plane in which the artist contrives space through pattern and line.