λ STANLEY SPENCER (BRITISH 1891-1959), PORTRAIT OF ANDREW NICHOLAS FRANK (AGED 2 1/2 YRS) RESTING

λ STANLEY SPENCER (BRITISH 1891-1959)PORTRAIT OF ANDREW NICHOLAS FRANK (AGED 2 1/2 YRS) RESTINGOil on panel44.5 x 32.5cm (17½ x 12¾ in.)Painted in 1954.Provenance:Commissioned directly from the artist by Dr. O. Frank, the sitter's fatherSale, Christie's, London, 9 June 2006, lot 109Purchased from the above sale by the present ownerLiterature:K. Bell, Stanley Spencer: A Complete Catalogue of Paintings, London, 1992, pp. 502-3, no. 392, illustratedExhibited:Plymouth, City Museum and Art Gallery, Sir Stanley Spencer CBE, RA, 1891-1959, July - August 1963, no. 45The sitter was the son of Dr and Mrs Osmund Frank and Spencer had painted his father in 1950 (Bell no. 351), who was mayor of Maidenhead from 1946 to 1950. Spencer also painted Mrs Frank (1951, Bell no. 368) and Dr Frank's dog (1955, Bell no. 410). Keith Bell notes that Andrew was two and a half years old when he sat for the present work (see Bell, op. cit, pp. 487, 502). The work started as a pencil drawing on plywood but as the boy sat so still Spencer decided to paint the work in oil (see exhibition catalogue, Sir Stanley Spencer 1892-1959, Plymouth, City Museum and Art Gallery, 1963, no. 45).Condition Report: The board is stable and providing good support. Under UV light there are no visible signs of damage or restoration. Condition Report Disclaimer