Footnotes

Provenance
With Redfern Gallery, London, where acquired by
Sir Oswald Birley
With Mario Amaya, New York, 1979, where acquired by
Mr Robin Duff, from whom probably acquired by
Mr Peter Farley

Exhibited
London, Redfern Gallery, Figure-Pieces, Portraits, Landscapes and Flower-Pieces by Glyn Philpot, 4-27 November 1937, cat.no.11
London, The Fine Art Society, Spring '86, April-June 1986, cat.no.47 (as The Three Graces)

Literature
Daisy Philpot, Manuscripts Catalogue of Paintings by Glyn Philpot, circa 1938-57, p.62
Albert Charles Sewter, Glyn Philpot, 1884-1937, McCorquodale, London, 1951, p.9, pl.95 (ill.b&w)

For Philpot the 1930s marked a tremendous period of creative activity as he moved away from his Edwardian romantic aesthetic and embraced modernist qualities. Classicism had long provided the artist with subject matter and continued to do so with Greek mythology proving an especially fruitful source in his final years. Pan, Pegasus and Apollo all feature in narrative canvases of this period, often depicted accompanied by Fates or Muses. On occasion, as in the present work, the Muses take the role of protagonists and are rendered in flat saturated tones posed in volcanic landscapes. Discussing such works Albert Charles Sewter concludes 'of the series of mythological canvases concerned with Fates and Muses, Two Muses at the Tomb of a Poet, and Sir Oswald Birley's Three Muses, both painted in 1937 are perhaps the best. With their harmony of pale blue, terra-cotta, grey, chocolate brown and pale pink, they have a mystical calm (slightly reminiscent of Burne-Jones)' (Albert Charles Sewter, Glyn Philpot, 1884-1937, McCorquodale, London, 1951, p.9).

Peter Farley was a theatre designer, curator, writer and teacher, celebrated for his innovative approach to the stage. After studying Theatre Design at Wimbledon School of Art, he became a part of the thriving arts scene of 1970s London, running a gallery called the Artists' Market in Covent Garden alongside artist Vera Russell, and working for many years with stage designer Yolanda Sonnabend on a variety of design projects for theatre, opera and ballet.