Lot 256: Two Framed Watercolour Landscapes including a Work by Ernest Boat
This lot comprises two framed watercolour paintings on paper depicting traditional British scenes. The first painting is an English landscape at twilight, featuring a central church spire rising above a dense line of trees in autumnal colours, which are reflected in the still water of a river or pond in the foreground. The work is executed in a naturalistic late Victorian or Edwardian style with soft handling of light in the sky. It is signed and dated Ernest Boat 1923 in the lower right corner. A partially torn paper label is affixed to the lower left of the mount, bearing the characters Wal. c. / by Ern / 192. The painting is housed in an ornate gilt composition frame decorated with foliate and floral motifs on the corners and sides. The second painting is a romantic style coastal scene illustrating substantial castle ruins on a rocky promontory with a single sailboat visible on the calm water under a hazy, overcast sky. This work utilizes a muted palette of greens and blues. It is presented in a wide gilt frame with scrolled foliate corner decorations. Marks are present in the lower left corner, but they are not clearly legible as a name.
Condition report:
The painting by Ernest Boat exhibits significant condition issues including widespread foxing and toning across the paper, particularly visible in the sky and water areas (photo 2). There is visible mat burn and toning around the edges of the paper (photo 2). The ornate frame shows minor surface wear and age-related cracks. The coastal scene painting shows overall paper toning and light foxing throughout. A pale horizontal scratch or surface abrasion is visible in the upper left quadrant of the sky (photo 3). The frame for this work has surface scuffs and signs of typical aging.
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