About this lot

Description

Trompe l'oeil signed and dated 'Martin Battersby. '67' (lower right) oil on canvas (Dimensions: 59 x 74.5cm)

(59 x 74.5cm)

Footnote: Provenance With 20th century Gallery, London, 2004 Martin Battersby is best remembered for his work as a trompe l’oeil artist, a theatrical set designer, and a connoisseur of the visual arts of the 1920s and 30s. Battersby initially trained as a draughtsman at Gill & Reigate, before studying acting at RADA. His interest in a stage career soon dissipated when he discovered his love of painting and set design. Battersby’s first commission was for a production of Hamlet , starring Laurence Olivier, at the Old Vic in 1937. Later commissions included designs for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and a collaboration with Cecil Beaton for a 1945 production of Lady Windemere’s Fan. Developing concurrently with his career as a set designer, Battersby’s artistic work was noted for its neo-classical style and surrealist inflections. The present work typical of Battersby’s paintings, which often took the trompe l’oeil form and, alluding to his work as a set designer, featured sphinxes (see lot ?) and theatrical masks. Notable patrons include Lady Diana Duff Cooper, Evelyn Waugh and John Profumo.

Condition report: Oil on canvas attached to a wooden stretcher, the canvas tension is slack but the picture is in plane. The paint layer is in a good condition, there is a light scratch at the upper left corner. The varnish is even and glossy. The frame is in a good condition.

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