* JOHN BELLANY CBE RA HRSA (SCOTTISH 1942 - 2013), LITTLE EVERSDEN STILL LIFE oil on canvas, signed 120cm x 90cm (approx 48 x 36 inches) Framed. Note: After Bellany's 1988 life-saving liver transplant, his room at Addenbrooke's Hospital became full of flowers and plants sent by friends and loved ones. Bellany had escaped death and these flowers symbolized and celebrated ''life''. Bellany convalesced at Little Eversden, Cambridgeshire where he began a series of still life paintings, a subject which he'd never focused on before. The chequered pattern represents ''duality'' - black and white, good and bad, life and death and is relatively rare in Bellany's work. The fireplace represents warmth, security, home and family, yet this fireplace is devoid of the paraphernalia one would expect if the picture had been painted in Bellany's studio. Even the position of the signature in the white square to the right of a black square could be interpreted as being symbolic of Bellany's belief that he'd escaped death. This composition is stacked with symbolism but overall, it's a celebration of life, of family and of colour. Private Glasgow Collection.