31st Mar, 2026 10:00
Modern and Contemporary Art
286
▲ Dod Procter RA (British, 1890-1972)
'My Breakfast Tray', 1939
signed 'Dod Procter' l.r., oil on canvas
51 x 61cm; framed 61 x 71cm
Provenance:The collection of David and Sandy Fuller.
Footnote:Exhibited: The Leicester Galleries, London;
The Fine Art Society, London, September 1973, catalogue no. 16.
Known for her portraits of women, sculpturally painted and often set against monochromatic backgrounds, Dod Proctor is an artist traditionally associated with the second generation of Newlyn School Artists. Born in Hampstead, she moved with her family to Newlyn when she was 17 and studied at the Stanhope Forbes’ School of Painting. Later, with her husband, Ernest, she attended the Atelier Colarossi, Paris, where she was exposed to the work of the French Impressionists. The work which established her as a household name was 'Morning' (1926) now in the collection of the Tate, London, which depicts a woman reclining on a bed, bathed in the morning light, the colour palette reduced to subtle greys. The work was awarded picture of the year in 1927 at the Royal Academy and sent on a two-year tour, first in New York and later in Britain, after being purchased for the nation by the Daily Mail.
Apart from her paintings of women, still life was one of her most enduring subjects. In this work, we see a traditional breakfast tray, with tea service, a spotted pot, painted china, toast and butter. Not the crisp clarity of her early work, here the paint is dabbed on, with thick bits of impasto, in an almost pointillist technique which she developed and utilised later in her career. She painted against a white ground, which meant her colours appear to have an almost luminous quality.
Take advantage of our Sworders Delivery Service. Please see 'Shipping estimate' below.
Women Artists - Including a Collection of Works from the Family of Mary Fedden
Browse 'Women Artists - Including a Collection of Works from the Family of Mary Fedden', featured in our 31 March 'Modern & Contemporary Art' auction.
Sold for £9,500
Condition Report
Presents well. Paint a little thin in places. No obvious retouching shows under uv light.
IN PERSON
To bid in person at auction for the first time please register for a bidding paddle in advance by filling out and submitting a registration form at our front desk. When registering in person we require photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence.
ABSENTEE BIDDING
If you cannot attend the auction in person we can bid on your behalf. You can leave an absentee bid on our website.
The amount you bid should be your maximum bid. We will bid up to that limit for you, and remember you may end up paying less than your limit, depending on other bidding on the day.
You can leave an absentee bid up to half an hour before the start of any sale. Please note when we receive two or more absentee bids for the same amount, the first bid received will be the one taken.
LEAVE COMMISSION BIDS ONLINE
If you would like to leave a commission bid on our website you can do so up until 30 minutes before the sale starts. Leaving a commission bid through sworder.co.uk is free for all registered clients. Thereafter you may register bank card details under your account in order to bid live. Click here to register an account.
BID LIVE ON sworder.co.uk
You can bid live at our auctions from the comfort of your home or office using bidding platform Sworders Live. It is easy to register and you can watch the auction live as it happens. A 'Bid Live' button will appear on the auction on our website homepage when a sale is live; simply click the button to sign in or register with your card details. There is no additional charge for this service.
For further instructions on registering to bid live, please click here.
TELEPHONE BIDDING
If you would like to bid by telephone please contact our team prior to the auction with your details of the lots you are interested in and your full name, address, telephone number(s) and email address. Once our team have entered your bid request you will receive an email confirmation. We will contact you during the sale and one of our team will bid live with you over the phone.
Please note that we normally offer this service for lots with an estimate of £500 or higher and all telephone bid requests must be received by close of business the day before the auction.
Auction: Modern and Contemporary Art, 31st Mar, 2026
Viewing
Stansted Viewing | Auction
Viewing will be held at our Stansted Auction Rooms, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8GE, as follows:
Friday 27 March, 10am - 4pm
Sunday 29 March, 10am - 1pm
Monday 30 March, 10am - 4pm
All lots are, however, extensively illustrated and carry detailed condition reports - see 'Condition report' at the foot of each lot description.
The auction will take place at our Stansted Auction Rooms, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8GE.
Please select the shipping destination;
Buying a pre-loved, antique, or vintage item not only provides you with unique style and value for money but it also helps to reduce landfill, and the annual emissions of an antique or vintage piece can be as little as one sixteenth of those of its new equivalent!
Sworders is proud to be supporting the work of Antiques are Green - the movement that was founded in 2009 to promote “a greener future created from the past”. Read their fascinating carbon footprint study of a Georgian chest of drawers versus a modern equivalent here
Request A Valuation
Here at Sworders, we are happy to offer a free online valuation service. Please fill out the form and press the 'Submit' button below.
To help us with your valuation please attach clear photographs of the item where possible. You can submit up to 5.
Approximate dimensions are also useful. Expect to hear from the appropriate valuer as soon as possible.
