Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd has dated this Victorian Still Life Painting to the 19th Century.
Signed British Victorian still life with Haynes Fine Art and documented auction provenance.
Highlights
Signed Oliver Clare (1853–1927). Oil on canvas. Circa 1880–1890. Blossom and bird’s nest with four blue eggs. Haynes Fine Art stock no. 3463. Golding Young & Mawer, 2025.
Introduction
A signed late Victorian oil on canvas by British still-life painter Oliver Clare.
White and pink blossom emerges amongst moss, branches and dense woodland foliage. At lower right is a finely painted bird’s nest containing four vivid blue eggs.
Catalogue Details
Artist: Oliver Clare (1853–1927)
Title: Still Life of Blossom and a Bird’s Nest
Date: Circa 1880–1890
Medium: Oil on canvas
Signed: Lower right
Catalogue Note
Flowers, mossy banks and bird’s nests recur throughout Clare’s documented oeuvre.
A related composition is dated 1882, while other documented examples demonstrate Clare’s continued interest in nests and flowers throughout the later nineteenth century.
The Bird’s Nest and Four Blue Eggs
The four largely unmarked blue eggs are suggestive in colour and number of a European Starling clutch, although the species cannot be established conclusively.
The Artist
Oliver Clare belonged to a Birmingham family of still-life painters that included his father George and brother Vincent.
He specialised in highly finished studies of flowers and fruit, frequently arranging natural objects upon moss-covered banks.
His work is distinguished by close observation and exceptionally controlled handling.
Provenance
Historic F.R. registered-stock label verso.
Haynes Fine Art of Broadway, stock no. 3463.
Private eastern shire collection.
Golding Young & Mawer, Lincoln Fine Art Sale, 5 February 2025, Lot 113.
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
Dimensions
Framed: approximately 33 × 38.5 × 5 cm.
Condition Report
Canvas previously relined with extensive age-related craquelure and associated surface characteristics.
Gilt frame with rubbing, chips and small losses. Frame not represented as original.
Shipping
Worldwide shipping is available.
Owing to the delicate nature and historic framed presentation of the artwork, it will be professionally packaged using appropriate protective materials and dispatched fully insured.
International buyers are welcome. Please contact us for a destination-specific delivery quotation or to discuss any particular shipping requirements.
Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution
The artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.
Attribution and Research
The historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available evidence, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.
These observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations.
Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd has dated this Victorian Still Life Painting to the 19th Century.
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Oliver Clare Victorian Oil Painting Blossom & Bird’s Nest C.1880–1890
