Continental School (early 19th century), Still life of gooseberries in a porcelain bowl

Continental School (early 19th century)
Still life of gooseberries in a porcelain bowl
Oil on canvas
Indistinctly signed, dated 1818 and numbered 217 (lower left)
26 x 33.5cm (10 x 13 in.)
Unframed

Provenance:
The collection of Eardley Knollys (1902-1991), friend and associate of the Bloomsbury Group, artist, critic and owner of the Storran Gallery, London, from 1936 to 1944
Bequeathed to Mattei Radev (1927-2009) and, subsequently, to the present owner

Eardley Knollys (1902-1991) was born in Alresford, Hampshire. He studied at Winchester College and continued his education at Christ Church College in Oxford. Knollys interest in the arts and his reputation as an art critic grew during the 1920s and in 1936 Knollys opened The Storran Gallery, opposite Harrods with his partner Frank Coombs. The gallery exhibited renowned artists such as Amedeo Modigliani, Maurice Utrillo, Ivon Hitchens, Pablo Picasso and Victor Pasmore to name just a few. Coombs tragically passed away in an air raid during World War II in Belfast in 1941. Knollys closed the gallery shortly afterwards.

In 1945, Knollys along with music critic and novelist Edward Sackville-West and music critic Desmond Shawe-Taylor purchased a Georgian rectory in Long Crichel, Dorset. Along with James Lees-Milne, literary critic Raymond Mortimer and gay activist and eye surgeon Patrick Trevor-Roper, the house became a centre for young creatives, where these young men and their friends could immerse themselves in books, music, art and poetry. These passionate young men hosted guests such as Ben Nicholson, Duncan Grant, Sibyl Colefax and film director Anthony Asquith.

Knollys joined James Lees-Milne working for the National Trust during World War II and published diaries recording their trips to some of the most renowned British country houses.

In 1965, Knollys, a well respected art critic and member of the Bloomsbury art group inherited a collection of artworks which had belonged to Edward Sackville-West. In 1967 Knollys and Mattei Radev purchased a hunting lodge in Hampshire and they both painted and worked in the artist's studio attached to the lodge. Knollys' interest in the arts continued and he added to the collection right up until his death in 1991. Knollys' collection was bequeathed to Mattei Radev, who continued to grow the important collection.

Mattei Radev became an iconic member of the artistic and literary Bloomsbury group. Radev was a Bulgarian émigré who settled initially in Glasgow after escaping Bulgaria through Turkey. When he first arrived in London he started working at Whittington Hospital as an orderly and met eye surgeon Patrick Trevor-Roper. Trevor-Roper was a gay activist and introduced Radev to likeminded friends in London. Influenced by these new acquaintances in artistic circles Radev decided to pursue an apprenticeship in framing. In 1960 he set up his own workshop in Fitzrovia with the help of a financial loan from Eardley Knollys. Clients included John Banting, Graham Sutherland and Duncan Grant. The framers continued under Radev's management until the 1990s. Radev visited Long Crichel many times and met his life-long lover E.M. Forster, the notable novelist and literary critic.

The Radev collection represents the three strong individuals involved, Sackville-West who championed Modernism, Eardley Knollys whose passion for French Impressionism shines through and Radev for his loyalty to British artists with whom he was friends and in business with.

Condition Report:
Stretcher marks visible and with slight wash effect around the stretcher marks.
Paint thinning in areas revealing the canvas weave. Fine craquelure and surface dirt throughout. Evidence of an uneven varnish and some evidence of mildew build up, especially to the lower left corner. Small puncture damage to top right with touching in and old small patch to reverse, small area circular of paler surface to left of gooseberry on the table Condition Report Disclaimer