Arthur Melville, A.R.S.A., R.S.W. A.R.S.

Dowell's, Edinburgh, February 1884, sold for 90 guineas;
James Thomson Tullis, Glasgow;
Private collection;
Dorotheum, Vienna, 23 October 2014, lot 1115

Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Academy, 1881, no.712;
London, Royal Academy, 1882, no.199;
Aberdeen, 1893;
Glasgow, Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts, 1905, no.106;
London, Royal Institute, 1906, no.18;
Glasgow, Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts, 1907, no.123;
Edinburgh, National Gallery of Scotland, Arthur Melville, Adventures in Colour, 2015, no.7

Agnes E. Mackay, Arthur Melville, Scottish Impressionist, 1855-1904, 1951, no.207;
Kenneth McConkey & Charlotte Topsfield, Arthur Melville, Adventures in Colour, ex.cat., Edinburgh, 2015, p.38, illustrated

Condition report prepared by Hamish Dewar Ltd. UNCONDITIONAL AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE Structural Condition: The canvas is lined and is securely attached to what certainly appears to be the artist's original keyed wooden stretcher. This is ensuring a stable structural support. Paint Surface: The painting has a relatively even, heavily discoloured varnish layer. There is evidence of ingrained dirt beneath the varnish layers and the painting would respond very well to cleaning. The paint surface has an overall pattern of craquelure. This appears entirely stable. There is also evidence of stretcher-bar lines, most notably corresponding to the central vertical stretcher member. These also appear entirely stable. Inspection under ultra-violet light confirms the heavily discoloured and opaque varnish layers which prevent the ultra-violet light from fully penetrating. Inspection under ultra-violet also shows scattered retouchings, including: 1) a vertical line of retouching running up from the central figure's ear corresponding to a stretcher-bar line and several spots and lines of retouching to the left of this, and a further vertical line of retouching running through her right hand, 2) lines of retouching covering craquelure within the dark pigments in the centre left of the composition including on the turkeys, and 3) spots and lines of retouching within the centre right of the composition including covering craquelure within the figures in the background. Other retouchings are also visible including above the centre of the lower edge and towards the lower part of the left edge. There would appear to be retouchings which are obscured by the varnish layers when the painting is inspected under ultra-violet light. Some of these retouchings are visible in natural light including a vertical line running through the central figure's chest and further retouchings within the white fabric of her clothing. Due to the heavily discoloured and opaque varnish layers it is difficult to ascertain the extent of any previous restoration work. Summary: The painting would therefore appear to be in good and stable condition and would respond very well to cleaning, restoration and revarnishing.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Old Enemies is an important rediscovery of Arthur Melville’s most significant work to date, large in scale and ambitious in concept. It was an achievement recognised by his contemporaries as the painting was positioned on the ‘line’ at the RSA’s annual exhibition (eye-height), a coveted place for artists displaying at exhibitions.

Depicting a protective mother comforting her children from an inquisitive rafter of turkeys, this picture was probably based upon sketches made in the market at Granville on the French coast in the summer of 1878. The naturalism of the costumes and setting is combined with the sentiment and drama of the scene, reflecting the influence of the plein air painters that Melville would have encountered during his time at the artist’s colony at Grez-sur-Loing in 1880. His studies of peasants in rural landscapes were in part influenced by the painters of the Barbizon school, such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille-Corot and Jean-Francois Millet.

The piquant red of the turkey and fruit is characteristic of his early oil paintings in which blocks of bright colour provide points of visual intrigue, though the brushstrokes are tighter here than in previous works in oil.

The present picture was in the collection of James Thomson Tullis (1842-1910), a leather-goods manufacturer who served as a Director of the Glasgow Institute of Fine Art where Old Enemies was exhibited in 1905. It may not be a coincidence that Tullis moved to a new home in 1905, Kiloran House in Hatfield Drive, and purchased the picture to decorate the walls of his new home.