EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (SCOTTISH 1864 - 1933),
BY THE LILY POOL
oil on board, signed and dated 1901, titled label verso
image size 28cm x 43cm, overall size 44cm x 58cm
Framed.
Label verso: Ian MacNicol, Glasgow.
Provenance: Acquired by the vendor in 1978 from Ian MacNicol, Glasgow.
Comment: McTear's were selling paintings to Glasgow collectors some twenty-two years before the birth of Edward Atkinson Hornel and in the years since we've handled the sale of many of his paintings to a market which has always been enthusiastic. Purist collectors are most motivated by Hornel's early works and "By the Lily Pond" is a superb example.
Note: In February 1893 Hornel set off with George Henry to Japan, financially supported by Alexander Reid and William Burrell. Hornel produced some of his best work during the nineteen month visit and the exhibition of Japanese paintings held in Glasgow on his return was a huge success. Despite this success, Hornel returned to Kirkcudbright, shunning the art establishment in Edinburgh and Glasgow. His commercial success continued for the rest of his life, although some believe that after 1910 some of his paintings reveal an element of repetition and diminishing quality. This had little impact on his sales or popularity at the time or since and he acquired Broughton House in Kirkcudbright (now the Hornel Museum) with the sale proceeds (£400) of a single painting. The "Pioneering Painters" exhibition in Glasgow (Kelvingrove) and London in 2010 focussed on the work of Hornel and the Glasgow Boys and the record breaking numbers who viewed the exhibition surprised many. The exhibition attracted the expected enthusiasts and collectors but also large numbers of younger people, demonstrating the enduring interest in Scottish art which typifies Glasgow's past, present and almost certainly - future. "By The Lily Pond" is the one of the finest examples of Hornel's early work that we've offered in many years. So far as we can ascertain "By the Lily Pool" has never been offered at auction and it has been a treasured picture in a private collection for well over forty years.

Condition Report
Condition is good overall, with no visible issues or damage.