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Lot description
Rowland Wheelwright (British, 1870-1955) The enchanted shore Oil on canvas 49 x 73-1/4 inches (124.5 x 186.1 cm) Signed lower right: R. Wheelwright. Signed and inscribed on the reverse: R. Wheelwright / 17 Meadow Studios / Bushey / Herts. Property from the Cary M. Maguire Estate, Dallas, Texas PROVENANCE: Guarisco Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1992. EXHIBITED: Latin-British Exhibition, London, 1912; The Royal Academy, London, n.d. The present work is an arresting example of Rowland Wheelwright's unique output. A diffused palette, almost pastel, belies the boldness of his crisp, illustrative imagery, and his penchant for sprinkling the fantastic into the everyday produces a fascinating effect when his oeuvre is examined as a whole. This setting of a rocky coastline appears frequently in his work, at different times hosting contemporary locals sunbathing, children playing in the surf, or in this case, mermaids calling out to a brave knight, bringing myth and magic into his own backyard. This familiarization of the fantastical extends beyond just the human figures. While perhaps best known for his historical subjects, Wheelwright had a keen interest in equine portraiture, which he masterfully worked into his compositions, as exemplified in the present work. His close observation of the equine figure, particularly that of the draft horse, is apparent in his faithful rendering of this colossal, muscular animal. He has turned a working horse, perhaps belonging to a farmer down the road, into a fine mount for a true and noble knight. HID01801242017