John Piper C.H.

Acquired directly from the Artist by Yvonne Mitchell and Derek Monsey in the 1950s, and thence by descent to the present owner

Original canvas. There is a tiny, possible pin hole in the extreme bottom left corner. There is minor surface dirt and the varnish is discoloured in areas, most noticeably to the white pigment. There is some minor craquelure to the blue pigment in the upper left quadrant, visible upon close inspection. This excepting the work appears in very good overall condition. Ultraviolet light reveals a few scattered, minor traces of fluorescence which may be in keeping with a couple of tiny spots of retouching to the centre of the composition. Housed in a thick gilt and painted wooden frame. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
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John Piper was first entranced by the landscape of Wales when he visited it in the late 1930s with his second wife Myfanwy, who was herself half Welsh.  He later travelled to the countryside in his capacity as an official war artist, having been commissioned to paint the Manod Quarry at Blaenau Ffestiniog, where the National Gallery's and Royal Collection’s paintings were being stored during the Second World War. Whilst this project was abandoned, Piper fell in love with the mountains of Snowdonia, a passion which brought him back to the area many times over the coming years, the subjects of his paintings including not only the dramatic Welsh scenery, but also its churches, castles, and seaside villages, as we see in the present work. Piper painted several scenes of this particular Welsh town in 1954, the present painting, with its glorious colours and wonderfully layered surface, being an especially excellent example of the artist’s ability to capture architectural details with skilful efficiency.