Skip to main content

This auction has ended. View lot details

You may also be interested in

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

Lot 84AR,W

Edward Burra
(British, 1905-1976)
Vase of Leaves 105.4 x 73.6 cm. (41 1/2 x 29 in.)

28 May 2014, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

£60,000 - £80,000

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Modern British & Irish Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

Edward Burra (British, 1905-1976)

Vase of Leaves
watercolour
105.4 x 73.6 cm. (41 1/2 x 29 in.)
Executed 1957-9

Footnotes

Provenance
With The Lefevre Gallery, London

Exhibited
London, The Lefevre Gallery, Watercolours by Edward Burra, 7-30 May 1959, cat.no.2 (ill.b&w)

Literature
Andrew Causey, Edward Burra, Complete Catalogue, Phaidon, Oxford, 1985, cat.no.262 (ill.b&w)

The 1950s were a period of change for Edward Burra as the family moved from Springfield Lodge, a large early Victorian house on the outskirts of Rye, to Chapel House which commanded stunning views over the levels of Romney Marsh. Many of the artist's earliest landscapes and outdoor studies had been produced at the former residence and a change of location provided new opportunities despite the death of his father in 1957. By 1955 Burra had struck out in an entirely new direction and was producing a highly original yet unexpected group of still lifes.

Dating to between 1957-9, Vase of Leaves is semi-abstract in style as it displays a botanically identifiable plant (a laurel) whose properties have to a certain extent been simplified. The work, as with other examples from the period, is characterised by an intensity of colour which gives a liveliness to the composition. It has been noted that these still lifes sometimes appear like flowers from a dream or seen under the influence of drugs, taking on an almost lifelike quality in some instances. In the present work the foliage spills out and dominates the foreground almost as if it is growing and moving towards us the viewer.

Additional information

Bid now on these items

Laurence Stephen Lowry R.A.(British, 1887-1976)Five Figures 26.5 x 18.2 cm. (10 3/8 x 7 1/4 in.)

Laurence Stephen Lowry R.A.(British, 1887-1976)People at the Beach 31.3 x 40.4 cm. (12 3/8 x 16 1/8 in.)

Fred Yates(British, 1922-2008)Still Life with Flowers

Fred Yates(British, 1922-2008)Vase of Flowers

John Bellany C.B.E., R.A., H.R.S.A., L.L.D.(Lon)(British, 1942-2013)Bouquet in a Floral Jug (unframed)

John Bratby R.A.(British, 1928-1992)Two Sunflowers

Philip Sutton R.A.(British, born 1928)Still Life

Anne Estelle Rice(American/British, 1887-1959)White Cyclamen

Joan Gillchrest(British, 1918-2008)Hyacinths Towards Zennor

Mary Fedden R.A.(British, 1915-2012)Still Life with Eggcup

Mary Fedden R.A.(British, 1915-2012)Still Life with Drawers

Bryan Pearce(British, 1929-2007)Fruit Bowl

Peter Collis R.H.A.(Irish, 1929-2012)Still Life with Blue Jug

Geoffrey Key(British, born 1941)Chinese Vases II

Tessa Newcomb(British, born 1955)The Evening after the Visit

Mary Newcomb(British, 1922-2008)Orange Winged Butterfly

Mary Newcomb(British, 1922-2008)Butterfly

Mary Newcomb(British, 1922-2008)Yellow Butterfly

Tessa Newcomb(British, born 1955)Our Field

Mary Newcomb(British, 1922-2008)Fishing Boat

Alan Lowndes(British, 1921-1978)Cap d'Antibes

Mary Fedden R.A.(British, 1915-2012)Oasis Pella, Jordan

Mary Fedden R.A.(British, 1915-2012)Gone Fishing

Alan Furneaux(British, born 1953)The Bay of St Michael's Mount