Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd has dated this Equestrian Hunting Oil Painting to the 1940s.
Subject portrait of King Edward VIII on horseback.
Hi is looking to the left holding the reins and mounted on his impressive brown horse on the hunt.
Oil on board.
Signed by the known British Norwich artist Geoffrey Mortimer.
Artist biography.
Geoffrey Mortimer 1895-1986 was active at the same time as Sir Alfred Munnings and painted in the same areas of East Anglia so it is no surprise that his works bear more than a passing similarity to Munnings.
Geoffrey Richard Mortimer (1895-1986) was an East Anglian painter and illustrator. He referred to himself is Richard and signed his work R Mortimer or GR Mortimer but for some reason he is known in the art world as Geoffrey. His forte was buses, cars, boats, trains and airplanes but he was also an accomplished landscape and portrait painter. He was very good with architectural scenes. He worked in all mediums and had a penchant for writing the details of the substrate on the back of his work. One of his portraits hangs in the Norwich Civic Portrait Collection.Geoffrey Mortimer was a British Impressionist & Modern painter.
In our opinion this is the most interesting and finest example of his work.
Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 1936 until his abdication in December of the same year.
Edward was born during the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George V and Queen Mary. Upon his father's death in 1936, Edward became the second monarch of the House of Windsor.
Only months into his reign, a constitutional crisis was caused by his proposal to marry Wallis Simpson, an American who had divorced her first husband and was seeking a divorce from her second.
The prime ministers of the United Kingdom and the Dominions opposed the marriage, arguing a divorced woman with two living ex-husbands was politically and socially unacceptable as a prospective queen consort. Additionally, such a marriage would have conflicted with Edward's status as titular head of the Church of England, which, at the time, disapproved of remarriage after divorce if a former spouse was still alive.
Edward knew the Baldwin government would resign if the marriage went ahead, which could have forced a general election and would have ruined his status as a politically neutral constitutional monarch. When it became apparent he could not marry Simpson and remain on the throne, he abdicated. He was succeeded by his younger brother, George VI. With a reign of 326 days, Edward is the shortest-reigning British monarch.
Set in a traditional stylish gilt frame.
Circa 1940.
Provenance purchased from an antiques dealer in Norfolk.
Such a delightful scene to the eye a great conversation piece.
Highly sought after due to the collectible sporting nature of subject matter such elaborate detail.
With hanging thread on the back ready for immediate home wall display.
Incredible conversation piece for your guests.
We only select & sell paintings based upon subject quality & significance.
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Condition report.
Offered in fine used condition.
Front painting surface in good overall order. Foxing stains in places. Set in fine gilt frame which has general wear also over painting, chips and losses to frame in places commensurate with usage & old age. With tears to the old brown paper lining on the back.
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Dimensions in centimetres of the frame appr
Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd has dated this Equestrian Hunting Oil Painting to the 1940s.
Source the historic in 17th, 18th, 19th & 20th century fine arts, painting, sculptures & collectibles
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Oil Painting Royalty King Edward VIII Hunting by Geoffrey Mortimer
