Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell

D. H. Mathieson Esq.;
Bourne Fine Art, Edinburgh;
Private Collection

Edinburgh, National Gallery of Scotland, 1942;
Edinburgh, Bourne Fine Art, The Painted Lady, 1982

The canvas is original. On close inspection there is some extremely minor craquelure to some areas of the impasto. On further close inspection the stretcher is very slightly warped. Otherwise in good condition, clean and ready to hang. Ultraviolet light reveals some minor cosmetic retouching to the figure's hat and to the left of the figure. Held in a simple black painted frame in fair condition.
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In 1912, Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell and John Lavery, along with Patrick William Adam, David Alison, James Cadenhead, Harrington Mann, James Patterson, and Alexander Sinclair, formed the exhibiting group 'The Society of Eight'. They took premises in Edinburgh and put on an annual exhibition with each member showing up to twenty works; the company of like-minded artists stimulated artistic creativity and has been credited with encouraging Cadell's increasing use of free-flowing paintwork. It is probably within the context of 'The Society of Eight' that Cadell painted this stunning portrait of Lavery's wife Hazel. Although his primary artistic training was undertaken in Glasgow, Lavery is often more readily associated with his Irish and English connections; he was knighted for his services as a war artist and, of Irish descent, was a supporter of Irish home rule. Lavery gave a collection of paintings to both Belfast and Dublin, including portraits of delegates to the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations; however, the Lavery's association with the Irish Free State was also due to the diplomatic efforts of Lady Lavery, who entertained political luminaries in her salon. Indeed, the gracefully elongated features of Lady Lavery are recognisable in her husband's painting of Erin which was printed on Irish Free State currency.

The present portrait of Lady Lavery was executed during Cadell's greatest period of portrait painting from around 1912 until the mid 1920s 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. In the present work Cadell's depiction of Lady Lavery's porcelain flesh against her black dress and hat creates a highly evocative mood so reminiscent of the period. The simplicity of this colour statement is further accentuated by the splash of colour provided by the rose with its dash of teal leaf. Considered to be of great beauty, Lady Lavery was photographed by Cecil Beaton for Vogue and featured as a model for Pond's Cold Cream advertisements. This highly sophisticated and elegant portrait displays her beauty in the grace of her full lips, aquiline nose and long neck punctuated by the colour of her cheeks.

An unfinished version of this work was given to the Scottish Modern Arts Association in 1917 and then presented to the City of Edinburgh in 1964 although it lacks the well-defined structure of the present work. Given Cadell's title on the reverse of the present work one can assume it was painted after 1918, the date of Lavery's knighthood, and that it is likely to be a finished version of the Edinburgh picture.