Haynes King Rba, the Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth - Antique Oil Painting

This compelling late 19th-century oil painting by British artist Haynes King RBA (1831-1904) depicts the aftermath of an impassioned lovers' tiff within the quaint surroundings of a rustic cottage. King was a meritorious painter of genre subjects, portraits and landscapes.

An agitated young lady sits anxiously in distant contemplation as her mother attempts to console her with benevolent words of encouragement. The family dog looks on, equally perturbed by the unfolding drama. In the doorway leans a country lad held earnestly by the girl’s father. It’s a firm interaction coupled with a disapproving look.

The interior is rendered skilfully with an eclectic array of kitchenware described in exquisite detail. Note the uniquely designed crockery on the table and the shelf above the fire, laden with goods. It’s Haynes King at his finest and one of his most celebrated works.

In 1877, this delightful painting was shown at the Royal Society of British Artists, where it was acquired for £175 by the London art dealer Reuben Brooks (1823-1894) who subsequently included it in several exhibitions. The critics were in raptures, describing it as “a capital illustration of the old proverb” and such was its success that it was reproduced in ‘The Pictorial World’ as a print.

Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, King moved to London at 23 and undertook his education at the acclaimed Leigh’s Academy. He did so while simultaneously studying heartily from his city lodgings - working predominantly from live subjects. Described as “one of the most strikingly handsome men in London”, he was understandably never short of models.

In 1855, he became acquainted with the prominent Scottish artist, Thomas Faed RA (1826-1900), who became both an artistic advisor and trusted confidante. Faed was a notable painter of scenes and probably encouraged the young aspirant to pursue similar endeavours. As a result, King’s works bear many resemblances in terms of content and spirit, yet they’re also noticeably more buoyant when compared to the Scot’s surly tones.

King’s narratives tend to convey domestic tales involving young country women, such as mothers sitting dotingly alongside cherubic infants and blushed sweethearts drafting loving prose to absent suitors. They’re quintessentially sentimental and were popular with female buyers and London dealers.

Aside from his rural depictions, King spent numerous summers painting the French fisherfolk of Normandy, Brittany and Portel, near Boulogne. Often working on a small scale, his colourful depictions are flooded with light and decorative appeal.

In 1857, he debuted at the Royal Society of British Artists where he was elected a member seven years later. And, in 1860, his first work was hung at the Royal Academy, where he would exhibit until his death. He lived for a while with the landscape artist Henry Yeend King, of no relation, and married Annie Elizabeth Wilson in 1866.

When into his 70s, he was beset by a lingering illness, which tragically led to his suicide at Swiss Cottage on the Metropolitan Railway in 1904. In an obituary, he was described as “the comrade of many artists, actors and journalists” with an almost inexhaustible “fund of stories”.

He’s represented in numerous public collections including at the V&A Museum, Leeds Art Gallery and the Victoria Art Gallery.

Signed/dated in the lower left and held within a contemporary frame.

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Medium: Oil on canvas

Overall size: 43½” x 35½” / 111cm x 90cm

Year of creation: 1877

Provenance: With Reuben Brooks, Picture Dealer, Bedford Square, London (1878) / Private collection, UK.

Exhibited: London, Royal Society of British Artists, 1877, no. 72 / Exeter, Victoria Hall, 1878 / Bristol, Atheneum, 1878.

Condition: Cleaned. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint l