Description
A simply stunning, colourful watercolour by Frederick George Coleridge of two ladies picking flowers in their very well tended garden. This painting is about 100 years old and the colours within it are as vibrant today as they were when it was first painted. The level of detail and accuracy within the picture is simply amazing. This is the sort of picture that one would just love to sit and look at, rather like the little dog in the painting. The painting is framed, mounted and glazed. The frame is gilt wood and measures 54 x 45 cm. The painting inside its gold coloured mount measures 36 x 28 cm.
Frederick George Coleridge (1840 – 1925)
Here is more on this painting from a newspaper article about it…
Coleridge…Sheer poetry in a beautiful watercolour.
Many years ago, when I was at school I studied Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poetry for my English Literature O Level…The many twists and turns of the likes of “Kubla Khan” and “The Rime of The Ancient Mariner” are wonderful examples of his work and evoke all sorts of images in one’s head of times past. In my collection of classic and fine art originals I have another Coleridge represented, whose work is no less memorable and he too produces stunning images of a different type.
This painting is a watercolour of such sheer beauty and incredible construction that it ensures that your eye is drawn to the part of the picture that the artist wants you to focus on. It is a watercolour of two ladies in a Victorian flower garden. One lady is kneeling within the flower bed to pick flowers whilst in conversation with a younger lady who has a little Jack Russell Terrier in attendance. The younger lady is standing in her blue dress on the garden path with the dog sat patiently waiting behind her. The pathway lies arrow straight and runs past the flower beds and through an avenue of high hedging until it reaches an opening. There are flower beds to both sides of the pathway but only the flowers in the left-hand lower quarter are detailed…the flowers, bushes and trees to the remainder of the painting are just blurs of varied colours with little or now definition. This ensures your eye is drawn to the area that the ladies are occupying.
There are many things I like about this painting…The artist painted this picture over 120 years ago and it is still bright and colourful to this day, the picture is beautifully painted and, in my mind at least, it prompts many questions to be asked…What is the relationship between the two ladies? Is it Lady of the House and Gardener? Or is it Mother and Daughter? What are they discussing? The type of conversation they might be having would rather depend upon their relationship to each other. How long did the little dog sit obediently waiting for his mistress? What is at the end of the garden path? What does the house they inhabit look like? I bet that it would have been spectacular. I love paintings that make you question the artist and this is definitely one of those.
The painting is by Frederick George Coleridge a British artist who lived from 1840 until 1925, who for at least part of his life lived around the Reading area. Many of his works have been of local scenes such as The Thames near Mapledurham, Bisham Abbey, The Thames at Marlow and a couple of paintings of old Twyford. His works at auction have gone for up to £5,500
