Benton Fine Art Interior Paintings

Alfred Holst Tourrier British, (1835-1892) The Prisoner Oil on canvas, signed with monogram & dated (18)78 Image size: 28.5 inches x 18.75 inches Size including frame: 35 inches x 2...

John William Haynes British, (1831-1924) The Lesson Oil on canvas, signed and dated (18)84, further transcribed verso Image size: 24.75 inches x 29.5 inches Size including frame: 32...

Laslett John Pott RSA British, (1837-1898) Bess of Hardwick Receiving Visitors at the High Great Chamber, Hardwick Hall Oil on canvas, signed & dated 1872 Image size: 18.75 inches x 29.5 inches Size including frame: 25.25 inches x 36 inches Provenance: Frost & Reed no. 30819 A wonderful historical painting by Laslett John Pott of figures at a table in the High Great Chamber at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire. Two men in Elizabethan costume can be seen standing up to toast a lady as she reclines in a chair holding a fan, whilst a dog watches on. Meanwhile, another woman looks across the table as her seated companion has his glass refilled by a man servant. To the left of the painting, a lute with sheets of music can be seen lying on the ground whilst on the opposite side sits a wine cistern with a bottle next to it. The fashionable dress and bearing of the woman seated on the right indicate a woman of wealth and standing, most likely Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury who built Hardwick Hall in 1590. She was lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth I and one of the wealthiest women in England. She commissioned the architect Robert Smythson to design the house, which included the extraordinary High Great Chamber located on the second floor. Decorated with a plaster frieze depicting Diana the huntress, a large alabaster and marble chimney piece and Brussels tapestries on the lower walls, it was used by the countess to greet and entertain guests. After her death, the property passed to her son William Cavendish 1st Earl of Devonshire in 1608 and later to his great grandson, William who was made the 1st Duke of Devonshire in 1694. In 1959, the property was transferred to the National Trust and most of its original features, including the plaster friezes, chimney piece and tapestries depicted in this painting, can still be seen today. The painting bears an old label for Frost & Reed, no. 30819, with the title ‘Interior of Haddon Hall’ which was wrongly given to the painting at the time. Later research uncovered the correct location as being Hardwick Hall. Pott used Hardwick Hall as the backdrop for a number of his works including: Mary Queen of Scots Being Led to her Execution, His Highness in Disgrace, Waiting for the King’s Favourite and Wayland Smith Showing Amy Robsart her Wedding Dress. Laslett John Pott was a genre and historical painter born in Newark, Nottinghamshire in 1837, the son of John Manger Pott, and his wife Sophia Charlotte Moss. His father was a successful auctioneer and land valuer and his wealth enabled Pott to receive a good education. Although he showed an early talent for art, his father wanted him to become an architect and at the age of 16 he became an apprentice at a local firm. After his apprenticeship, he was able to persuade his father to let him change careers and enrol at the Bloomsbury Art...

Marcel Brunery French, (1893-1982) A Good Hand Oil on panel, signed Image size: 18.75 inches x 23.5 inches Size including frame: 26.75 inches x 31.5 inches Provenance: Frost & Reed ...

Alfred Provis British, (1818-1890) By the Fireside Oil on canvas, signed & dated 1869 Image size: 10.5 inches x 15.5 inches Size including frame: 21.5 inches x 26.5 inches This charming cottage scene by Alfred Provis features a woman preparing supper by a fire with her young daughter. As the mother peels the turnips and places them in the pot, the girl’s attention is drawn to the kitten feeding from a saucer. The dress and hat of the woman bears a similarity to those found Provis’s other scenes of Welsh cottage interiors. The artist was known to have visited North Wales around the time this painting was produced. In 1869, he exhibited a work entitled ‘Interior of a Welsh Farmhouse’ at the Royal Society of British Artists. Given the level of detail in the painting and the fact that it is in such an impressive original frame, it is possible this is the same painting as the one exhibited. Alfred Provis was a genre painter born on 18 February, 1818 in Chippenham, Wiltshire. He was the son of John Provis, a timber merchant and his second wife Ann Banks. He spent time in London being tutored by the historical and portrait artist John Wood (1801-1870) before returning to Chippenham. He began exhibiting at the Royal Society of British Artists in 1843, continuing to exhibit there regularly until 1886. He made his debut at the Royal Academy in 1846 with a work entitled ‘A Cottage Door...

Robert Alexander Hillingford British, (1828-1904) The Duke’s Musicians – A Reminiscence of Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire Oil on canvas, signed Image size: 40 inches x 59 inches Size including frame: 47.5 inches x 66.5 inches Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1883, no. 844 Exhibited at the Yorkshire Institute A large-scale Royal Academy painting...

Jonathan Pratt British, (1835-1911) Spinning Wool Oil on canvas, signed Image size: 12 inches x 17.75 inches Size including frame: 17.25 inches x 23 inches A pleasing genre paintin...

Charles Hunt Jnr British, (1829-1900) A Visitor Calls Oil on canvas, signed Image size: 24.75 inches x 34.75 inches Size including frame: 32.25 inches x 42.25 inches A wonderful genre painting by Charles Hunt of two men and two boys with horses and other animals in a cottage. A farmer and his two sons can be seen eating lunch at a table in rustic interior as a visitor approaches. Perhaps encouraged by the boys, a piglet seems to have found its way onto the table whilst a rabbit and guinea pig eat cabbage leaves on the floor. To the far right, a horse is shown in a stable area along with some piglets. To the far left, a terrier waits on the step by its master. Charles Hunt was a genre and figure painter born in Kensington, London in 1829. His sons Reuben Hunt...

Charles Hunt Jnr British, (1829-1900) A Deal to be Done Oil on canvas, signed Image size: 24.75 inches x 34.75 inches Size including frame: 32.25 inches x 42.25 inches A superb genre painting of two men and a boy with donkeys and other animals in cottage by Charles Hunt. Two men are depicted conversing at a table in rustic surroundings as a boy watches on. Meanwhile, two donkeys and a pig can be seen chewing the leaves of a turnip on the floor nearby as a small dog stares out at the viewer. Through the open door to the far left, we are shown a glimpse of a garden path leading to a gate with trees and a landscape beyond. Charles Hunt was a genre and figure painter born in Kensington, London in 1829. His sons Reuben Hunt...

Casimir van den Daele Belgian, (1818-1880) On the Mend Oil on panel, signed & dated 1857 Image size: 29 inches x 21.5 inches Size including frame: 35.5 inches x 28 inches A well-e...