Attributed to Vanessa Bell,British 1879 1961 Portrait of...

Attributed to Vanessa Bell,British 1879 1961 Portrait of Sir Leslie Stephen;oil on canvas, 67x60cm (ARR)Note: Sir Leslie Stephen, father of Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell, was an eminent man of lette…

AMENDMENT: this work is by Vanessa Bell and not attributed to her as stated in the printed catalogue. Please see the note below for further details.

Vanessa Bell,

British 1879-1961-

Portrait of Sir Leslie Stephen, c. 1902-3;

oil on canvas, 67x60cm (ARR)

Note: Sir Leslie Stephen, father of Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell, was an eminent man of letters and the editor of the first 26 volumes of the Dictionary of National Biography. The present portrait bears resemblance to the portrait of Leslie Stephen by George Frederic Watts on loan to the National Portrait Gallery [NPG L238]. Vanessa knew Watts personally as a family friend and her early work was greatly influenced by him. The present work is Vanessa's earliest known portrait painting.

We are grateful to Richard Shone for his assistance with the cataloguing of this work.

Literature: Richard Shone, 'The Art of Bloomsbury', London: Tate Publishing, 1999, fig. 147, ill. p. 278.