Sale Modern British Pictures of Plants
Plant Sale
Modern British Pictures of Plants
13 May to 2 June 2025
Open Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm
Ground Floor, 6 Mason’s Yard Duke Street, St. James’s London, SW1Y 6BU
www.freyamitton.com freya@freyamitton.com 07968 562499
Front cover: (23) Mary Newcomb (1922-2008) Caterpillars on Ragwort
Inside front cover: (9) William Fairclough (1907-1996) Kingcups
Plants are an enduring theme in art, something often depicted and returned to again and again. Their colouring and form can be so inspiring. In some examples, (eg Mary Fedden, Cat. 2 and Cat.3) the work is all about the plant, whereas in others the paintings include the plants in context (eg Margaret Mellis, Cat.1)
In the collection I have tried to cover a variety of media, and have enjoyed comparing the different techniques used to bring these organic forms to life. I have also purposely varied the scale of the works included, from the diminutive (Maxwell Ashby Armfield, Cat.5) to the monumental (Mary Adshead, Cat.6).
To give the plants context I have included garden scenes (Mary Potter, Cat.25 and Anthea Craigmyle, Cat.27) and conservatory views (Richard Bawden, Cat. 33 and Fred Yates, Cat.34)
I hope that you enjoy the catalogue and the exhibition as much as I have enjoyed putting it all together, particularly at this time of year as gardens come alive.
All works are available for sale on receipt of the catalogue.
Opposite: (37) Nicola Bealing (b.1963)
June (detail)
1. Margaret Mellis (1914-2009) Hyacinths and Almond Tree
1951
Oil on canvas
51 by 62 cm.; 20 ¼ by 24 ¾ in.
Provenance: Estate of the Artist
Exhibited: London, The Redfern Gallery, ‘Margaret Mellis: Paintings and Constructions’, 2016
Literature: ‘Margaret Mellis: Paintings and Constructions’, The Redfern Gallery, London, 2016, illus., p. 22
signed and dated 1999 watercolour and gouache 28 by 24 cm.; 11 by 9 ½ in.
2. Mary Fedden, RA (1915-2012) Yellow Hellebore
RA (1915-2012) Purple
signed and dated 1999 watercolour and gouache 28.5 by 26 cm.; 11 ¼ by 10 ¼ in.
3. Mary Fedden,
Hellebore
pencil and pastel
25.5 by 18 cm.; 10 by 7 in.
Provenance: Estate of the Artist
4. Maxwell Ashby Armfield (1881-1972)
Cyclamen
signed with monogram and titled egg tempera and gold leaf on paper diameter: 8.5 cm.; 3 ½ in.
5. Maxwell Ashby Armfield (1881-1972) Violet and Leaf of Rue
oil on board
179.5 by 75.5 cm.; 70 ½ by 29 ¾ in.
6. Mary Adshead (1904-1995) Out of the Thicket signed
signed with initials and dated ‘53 oil on canvas
53.5 by 68.5 cm.; 21 by 27 in.
Exhibited: London, Leicester Galleries, October 1953
7. Leonard Applebee (1914-2000) Petunias
signed oil on canvas laid down to board 29 by 24 cm.; 11 ½ by 9 ½ in.
8. Ronald Ossory Dunlop, R.A. (1894-1973)
Cyclamen
9. William Fairclough (1907-1996) Kingcups
signed, titled and dated on the reverse oil on board
44.5 by 54.5 cm.; 17 ½ by 21 ½ in.
(1928-1992) Lillies
signed and dated 6.71
watercolour and gouache
40 by 50 cm.; 15 ¾ by 19 ¾ in.
10. John Bratby, RA
75 by 59.5 cm.; 29 ½ by 23 ½ in.
11. John Bratby, RA (1928-1992) Sunflower signed oil on canvas
12. John Nash (1893-1977) Comfrey
a drawing for the National Trust topographical and botanical guide to Wicken Sedge Fen pen and ink
9 by 8 cm.; 3 ½ by 3 ¼ in.
13. John Nash (1893-1977) True Bulrush a drawing for the National Trust topographical and botanical guide to Wicken Sedge Fen pen and ink 9 by 6.5 cm.; 3 ½ by 2 ¾ in.
14. Josef Herman (1911-2000)
Daffodils
Pencil, watercolour and gouache
19.5 by 25.5 cm.; 7 ¾ by 10 in.
Provenance: The Albany Gallery, Cardiff
on canvas
60 by 90cm.; 23 ¾ by 35 ½ in.
signed and titled on the reverse oil on board
56 by 20.5 cm.; 22 by 12 in.
15. Elvic Steele (1920-1997) Vinca
16. Stella Steyn (1907-1987) Still Life with Pot Plants oil
signed oil on board
14.5 by 19 cm.; 5 ¾ by 7 ½ in.
17. Fred Cuming, RA (b.1930) Purple Pansies
signed; titled and dated ’26 on the overlap oil on canvas 61 by 50.5 cm.; 24 by 20 in.
18. Stephen Bone (1904-1958)
Blue Chinerarias
signed with initials and dated 2003 oil on board 14 by 18 cm.; 5 ½ by 7 in.
19.
Tessa Newcomb (b.1955) Strawberry Plant
signed with initials and dated ‘25 oil on board
47 by 48 cm.; 18 ½ by 19 in.
20. Tessa Newcomb (b.1955) Dark Tulips
signed with initials and dated ’07; also signed, titled and dated Feb ’07 on the reverse oil on board
12.5 by 12 cm.; 5 by 4 ¾ in.
21.
Tessa Newcomb (b.1955) Pink Cyclamen
signed with initials and dated ‘14 oil on paper
18.5 by 17.5 cm.; 7 ¼ by 7 in.
22. Tessa Newcomb (b.1955) Snowdrops
23. Mary Newcomb (1922-2008)
Caterpillars on Ragwort
signed and dated 73 oil on board
23 by 63 cm.; 9 by 25 in.
Exhibited: London, Crane Kalman Gallery, ‘Mary Newcomb; Recent Paintings’, November 1988
Kendal, Cumbria, Abbot Hall Art Gallery, ‘Mary Newcomb – A Retrospective’, 1 October – 10 November 1996
Provenance: Crane Kalman Gallery, London Private Collection
signed and dated 1985 mixed media on paper 34 by 29 cm.; 13 ½ by 11 ½ in.
24.
John Hubbard (1931-2017)
Dorset Garden
25. Mary Potter (1900-1981) Garden
signed and dated ’72 on the reverse oil on canvas
30.5 by 40.5 cm.; 12 by 16 in.
18.5 by 14.5 cm.; 7 ¼ by 5 ¾ in.
26.
Anthea Craigmyle (1933-2016)
Geraniums and Terracotta Pots
oil on board
Feeding the Birds
signed with initials; titled on the stretcher bar to the reverse oil on canvas 122 by 91 cm.; 48 by 36 in.
27. Anthea Craigmyle (1933-2016)
signed on the reverse oil on canvas
34 by 28.5 cm.; 13 ¼ by 11 ¼ in.
28.
June Miles (1924-2021)
Cyclamen in a Pot
29. June Miles (1924-2021) Geraniums
signed and titled on the reverse oil on canvas
35.5 by 30.5cm.; 14 by 12 in.
pen, ink and wash
29 by 42 cm.; 11 ½ by 16 ½ in.
30. Rose Hilton (1931-2019) Plant and Jug
31. Ruth Burden (1925-2011) Still Life with Wedding Shoes signed and dated ‘89 pencil, watercolour and pastel 61 by 76 cm.; 24 by 30 in.
The Garden Room
signed and dated ‘93 pencil and watercolour 48 by 38 cm.; 19 by 15 in.
Provenance:
From the Collection of Paintings in Hospitals, Cat. No. 1738
32. Richard Bawden (1936-2024)
33. Clive Blackmore (b.1940) Still Life with Earthenware Jug
signed and dated ’98; also signed, titled and dated on a label attached to the reverse oil on canvas laid down to board 25.5 by 38 cm.; 10 by 15 in.
34.
Fred Yates (1922-2008)
Conservatory by the Estuary oil on canvas
25.5 by 31 cm.; 10 by 12 in
35. Fred Yates (1922-2008) Mountain Wood signed oil on canvas
45.5 by 53 cm.; 18 by 21 in.
Provenance: John Martin Gallery, London
61 by 42 cm.; 24 by 16 ½ in.
Provenance:
From the Collection of Paintings in Hospitals, Cat. No. 7963
36. Michael Scott (1946-2006)
Cyclamen II
acrylic on paper
June
signed with initials oil on board
90 by 106 cm.; 35 ½ by 41 ¾ in.
37. Nicola Bealing (b.1963)
38. Margaret Lovell (b.1939) Leaf Form
signed with initials and numbered 8/9 bronze on a slate base height (including base): 50cm.; 19 ¾ in.
Illustrated: Peter Davies, ‘Margaret Lovell; Sculptor’ published by Sansom and Company Ltd, Bristol, 2009, p.52
signed with initials and dated 24 papercut collage in a hand painted frame 91 by 71 cm.; 36 by 28 in. (including frame)
39. Mark Hearld (b.1974) Tulips and Lilac
signed with initials; also signed, titled and dated 2018 on the reverse oil on canvas
30.5 by 25 cm.; 12 by 10 in.
40. William Balthazar Rose (b.1961) Flowers with Red Background
41. William Balthazar Rose (b.1961) Flowers from the Park at Sydney Place signed, titled and dated 2022-2025 on the boackboard oil on board 32 by 31 cm.; 12 ¾ by 12 ¼ in.
signed and dated 1973
76 by 56 cm.; 30 by 22 in.
42. Mary Fedden, RA (1915-2012) Sunflowers
pencil
signed twice oil on board 121 by 90.5 cm.; 48 by 36 in.
Provenance: Century Gallery, London
43. John Bratby (1928-1992) Hyacinths in Pots in Hove
Freya Mitton has been specialising in Modern British Art for over 25 years.
She shares a gallery on the ground floor of 6 Mason’s Yard in St. James’s, London and lives with her family in Somerset. Her business began in 2012 and it has grown through exhibiting at over 100 fairs in London and elsewhere in the country. She continues to exhibit each year at the British Art Fair, LAPADA in Berkeley Square, The Petworth Fine Art and Antiques Fair, The Cotswold Art and Antique Dealers’ Association Fair, Westonbirt, and the London Art Fair.
Freya began her career at Bonhams in Chelsea where she catalogued the picture sales and learnt to auctioneer before moving on to Sotheby’s in 2002. At Sotheby’s Freya was in charge of Modern British sales at Sotheby’s Olympia before leaving in 2009. While there she had the privilege of cataloguing the Croft Castle Collection, as well as the Shell Advertising Art Collection amongst other wonderful private collections. She also worked with a number of artists’ families to disperse estates.
Her focus is on selling pictures that she likes, works that she would enjoy living with in her own home. The selected works are all by established artists, mainly Royal Academicians, but if not then certainly well known artists whose work has a strong secondary market. It is important to her that the works have an intrinsic value rather than being purely decorative.
Each work is carefully looked after. Any necessary cleaning and preservation work has been completed by specialists and the frames have either been restored or replaced. For works behind glass all mounts are acid free and the glazing is TrueVue 70, a virtually invisible, antireflective surface with a UV filter. However if you would like to make changes to suit your own collection this can, of course, be arranged.
Freya is on the board of LAPADA, the largest professional trade association of art & antiques dealers in the UK. She is also a member of the BADA and an associate member of the CADA.
A
Cat No.
Adshead, Mary (1904-1995) 6
Applebee, Leonard (1914-2000) 7
Armfield, Maxwell Ashby (1881-1972) 4, 5
B
Bawden, Richard (1936-2024) 32
Bealing, Nicola (b.1963) 37
Blackmore, Clive (b.1940) 33
Bone, Stephen (1904-1958) 18
Bratby, John R.A. (1928-1992) 10, 11, 43
Burden, Ruth (1925-2011) 31
C
Craigmyle, Anthea (1933-2016) 26, 27
Cuming, Fred R.A. (b.1930) 17
D
Dunlop, Ronald Ossory R.A. (1894-1973) 8
F
Fairclough, William (1907-1996) 9
Fedden, Mary R.A. (1915-2012) 2, 3, 42
H
Hearld, Mark (b.1974) 39
Herman, Josef (1911-2000) 14
Hilton, Rose (1931-2019) 30
Hubbard, John (1931-2017) 24
L
Lovell, Margaret (b.1939) 38 M
Mellis, Margaret (1914-2009) 1
Miles, June (1924-2021) 28, 29
N
Nash, John (1893-1977) 12, 13
Newcomb, Mary (1922-2008) 23
Newcomb, Tessa (b.1955) 19, 20, 21, 22
P
Potter, Mary (1900-1981) 25
R
Rose, William Balthazar (b.1961) 40, 41
S
Scott, Michael (1946-2006) 36
Steele, Elvic (1920-1997) 15
Steyn, Stella (1907-1987) 16
Y
Yates, Fred (1922-2008) 34, 35
Mason’s Yard, St. James’s, London, SW1Y 6BU
Opposite: (21) Tessa Newcomb (b.1955) Pink Cyclamen
