Arthur Wardle (England, 1864-1949). "Monkey holding a book". Oil on canvas. Signed on the lower left.

Lot description

ARTHUR WARDLE (England, 1864-1949). "Monkey holding a book". Oil on canvas. Signed on the lower left. Measurements: 61 x 51 cm; 71 x 61 cm (frame). Arthur Wardle was a British painter. Born in London, Wardle had a work exhibited at the Royal Academy at the age of sixteen. His first exhibition was a study of cattle by the River Thames, which led to a lifelong interest in painting animals. In 1880, Wardle was living in Oakley Square, Camden, but artistic success allowed him to move to the more exclusive 34 Alma Square in St John's Wood in 1892. Wardle was prolific; until 1936, he exhibited over 100 works at the Royal Academy, as well as at the Society of British Artists in Suffolk Street. He painted a variety of animal subjects with equal skill, but his work can be divided into two categories: domestic and exotic; overseas animals such as leopards, polar bears and tigers, such as The Deer-Stealer (1915), were painted from sketches he made at the London Zoo. He is considered equally proficient in oils, watercolors and pastels, and was elected a Fellow of the Pastel Society in 1911 and became a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours in 1922. In 1931, he held his first solo exhibition at the Fine Art Society and in 1935 Vicar's Gallery held an exhibition of his work. He also exhibited in Paris. By 1936, Wardle had moved to West London. His career was very successful and his works are still highly sought after and widely reproduced on postcards, calendars and chocolate boxes. He remains one of the best known dog painters of the 19th and 20th centuries, and is particularly renowned for his paintings of terriers. Wardle painted what is probably the best known painting of the fox terrier in its modern form, The Totteridge XI (1897). The painting was commissioned by the famous smooth-haired fox terrier breeder Francis Redmond; Wardle painted several of Redmond's dogs. The original is in the gallery of The Kennel Club in London.