Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell 1883-1937

Sotheby's, Belgravia, 24 April 1979, lot 556;
Private collection

STRUCTURE The canvas is unlined and the paint surface is in excellent original condition with fresh colours throughout. There are no signs of craquelure and the paint surface is clean an stable throughout. This picture is ready to hang. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT Examination under ultraviolet light reveals two minor areas of old retouchings, one half way along the bottom edge, and another in the upper left corner. There is also one tiny spot just to the right of her face and a very fine line where the extreme upper edge meets the frame but generally the painting is in very good origional, untouched condition. FRAME This picture is held in a decorative silver frame in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Portrait of May Easter reflects much of the elegant glamour that Cadell expressed in his paintings of female figures, whether  portraits of patrons and their relatives or studies of artist's models. When the picture was sold by Sotheby's in 1979 it was identified as a portrait of a sitter named Miss May Easter and although no record has been found in the standard books on Cadell or the lists of his exhibited work, there seems no reason to doubt the identification which was presumably based upon evidence now lost. Perusal of volumes of Debrett's and Who's Who have cast no light on Miss Easter's identity but given the lack of mention of her name in Cadell scholarship, it is likely that the picture was a commissioned portrait rather than a study of a friend or regular model. 

Cadell's greatest period of portrait painting was around 1912 when he depicted various patrons, their wives and their children. Notable examples include those of Mrs Chiene, Valentine Ford and a wonderful self portrait painted in 1914. These portraits were painted around the same time as the series of paintings of Miss Don Wauchope, the Black Hat series and the group of pictures of female figures in Cadell's George Street studio in Edinburgh. The pictures led to a number of brightly coloured figurative pictures painted in the early 1920s with bold bright colours. These pictures depicted several regular models including Cadell's companion Charles Oliver, a black male model who appears in a number of works and a fashionably attired female model who would appear to be the sitter for the present work. 

Portrait of May Easter was probably painted in the early 1920s, when Cadell produced some of his most striking figurative work in a bold and monumental style. The chair in which she is seated was a gilt armchair upholstered in blue silk, which appears in a painting which took its title from the piece of furniture The Gold Chair of 1921. The present portrait appears to be the picture propped against the wall in the background of Negro (Pensive) of c. 1922 (private collection). It is possible that the same model, with her bright auburn hair appears in A Lady in Black of c. 1926 in which a young woman wearing the same gold hooped earrings is seated in front of a mirror wearing an ostrich plumed hat and a black fur coat. She would appear to be the same girl seen dressed in the same costume in Interior, The Orange Blind of c. 1927. A Lady in Black and Interior, The Orange Blind, like Portrait of May Easter portray a fashionable world of exotic langour.

The picture is a beautiful and fascinating depiction of a model who features in several important works of the early 1920s and perhaps sheds light on the identity of this sitter, which has until now alluded research.