Charles Spencelayh

Purchased from the artist by Mr. Joseph Nissim Levy and his wife Mrs. Rosie Levy, 3 Esplanade, Harrogate, by whom sold 23 September 1937, to Mrs. J.M. Blount of Stoke on Trent, by whom gifted to her stockbroker Mr William Bell, Ryburn Avenue, Blackburn and upon whose death bequeathed to his widow Mrs. Lily Bell, Station Road, Earls Barton, Northampton, thence to her daughter Mrs. Joan Dorothy Parish, Church Farm, Boxworth, Cambridge and by further descent to the present owner

Paris, Salon, 1931

The picture is unlined and in excellent condition; The varnish is slightly uneven otherwise the work appears in very good overall condition. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT Ultraviolet light reveals an opaque varnish but no apparent signs of retouching. FRAME Held under glass in a gilt plaster frame.
"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."

'Much of Spencelayh's work now appears to me to possess a nostalgic quality about it. The agreeable clutter of inherited possessions, common enough in most households early this century, and even between the wars, is becoming more and more of a memory as people find themselves crammed into flats and pressured into the purchase of modern purpose-built furniture.'
Aubrey Noakes, Charles Spencelayh and his Paintings, 1978, p.32

Charles Spencelayh's endearing images of aged men, in humble interiors and involved in domestic every-day activities, remain eternally popular for their sensitive and humorous depiction of maturity. His rendering of bric-a-brac details and typically English interiors make his pictures immediately accessible.

In the early 1920s Spencelayh met a Yorkshire cotton merchant and owner of chain of stores named Joseph Nissim Levy who was to become his most avid and generous patron. Whilst on holiday Levy and his wife Rosie (née Cohen) bought a picture by Spencelayh entitled Cinderella from an exhibition in Harrogate. This was their first purchase and it was not until they visited the Royal Academy summer exhibition in London that they saw another work by him which Levy immediately recognised; sadly the picture was already sold but the gallery attendant gave the couple the address of the artist's studio. The Levys visited Spencelayh and bought two of his paintings and asked him to let them know when he had other paintings available for sale. Eventually their patronage became intense and they even decided to rent a house for him in Manchester and suggested that he doubled the price he was asking for his paintings, paying as much as £600 or £700. The Levys were Jewish and suggested several subjects for the artist to paint and introduced him to his business associates and also arranged several exhibitions of his work at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. As Rosie Levy reminisced; 'So, Mr. and Mrs. Spencelayh came to live near us at Manchester, and my husband used to love watching Mr. Spencelayh work... This lasted for many years and we became great friends. We used to take them out for drives and spent the day in the country.' (ibid Noakes, pp.60-61) The Levys eventually owned some of the artist's greatest pictures, including The Empty Chair (sold in these rooms, 26 March 2004, lot 76), A Dear Lot (Christie's, 23 November 2004, lot 149) and The Old Dealer (sold for a record price of £337,000 in these rooms, 17 December 2007, lot 50). 'Mr. Levy had a lively and informed love of the arts, and the instinct and generous impulses of a true patron, and Spencelayh's output during this period in Manchester is an eloquent testimony to his benefactor.' (ibid Noakes, p.61) Spencelayh painted several portraits of the Levy family, including one of Rosie taking tea at the Midland Hotel. 

For his Birthday was probably one of the Levy's early purchases from Spencelayh and was exhibited in Paris in 1931. The subject is charming and typical, depicting an old man who has received a gift for his birthday of a plump pheasant and is peeling an onion to make a vegetable broth to accompany his lunch. As so often with Spencelayh's pictures, the subject is of the passing of time, denoted by the clock, birthday-card in his pocket, the calendar on top of the cased stuffed fox and the pocket-watch (only the chain is visible). The painting on the wall depicting a gamekeeper and his dogs is similar to the work of James Hardy Junior and also appears in There'll Always be an England voted 'picture of the year' in 1940.