11th Feb, 2020 10:00
Out of the Ordinary
62
John Simmons (1823-1876)
JOHN SIMMONS (1823-1876)
TITANIA IN THE FAIRY KINGDOM
Signed and dated 'J. SIMMONS / 1871', watercolour on paper
40.8 x 51.5 cm
John Simmons was a British miniature painter and illustrator, known primarily for his watercolours of ethereal fairyland scenes, often illustrating Shakespearian or other literary works (such as his illustrations for 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'). He was one of several popular Victorian artists who together created 'the genre of the forest idyll' in their fairy paintings. They are often grouped with the Pre-Raphaelites. Simmons lived in Bristol, and also painted portraits. He was elected to membership of the Bristol Academy of the Fine Arts in 1849. He died in November 1876 and is buried at Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol.
The typical fairy painting is strongly rooted in the literary influences of Romanticism, as well as in the Victorian cultural period. Among the most significant of these influences were the themes of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest. Other literary works, such as Edmund Spenser's 'The Faerie Queene' and Alexander Pope's 'The Rape of the Lock' have been cited as contributing influences as well. Interest in the fairy painting genre saw a revival in the 19th century, allowing observers of the imaginary world shown in the paintings a respite from the austerity of the Victorian way of life. The majority of Simmons' paintings are simple and generally portray one or two main figures set within a framework of foliage. This example is one of his more ambitious compositions. Titania was frequently a subject of his artwork, shown delicately draped in a variety of poses. He portrays the fairy queen as a paradigm of Victorian female beauty using the winding flowers and convolvulus as a decorative motif. Blurring the boundaries between reality and dreams, he creates a poetic vision. According to Christopher Wood, Simmons' technique demonstrates the influence of Joseph Noel Paton, who utilised a very detailed style. Wood also suggested further influences came from William Edward Frost and William Etty. Simmons' paintings of fairies are given a surreal effect by his skilful use of light and the realistic detail he adopts for portraying the animals and plants. Wood described Simmons' 'A Fairy among Convolvulus' as 'a typical Simmons pin-up' and hypothesised the paintings were 'distinctly titillating'. Other pieces of artwork by Simmons with a fairy theme include: 'Hermia and the Fairies', which was also based on Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and completed in 1861; 'The Honey Bee Steals from the Bumble Bees'; and 'The Evening Star'.
This example may well be a scene from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. There is a much larger human figure with a sword clad in the mist, blissfully unaware of the fantastic creatures in the foreground.
Take advantage of our Sworders Delivery Service. Please see 'Shipping estimate' below.
Sold for £4,500
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: Out of the Ordinary, 11th Feb, 2020
Viewing
7 February 2020, 9am - 5pm
9 February 2020, 10am - 1pm
10 February 2020, 9am - 5pm
11 February 2020, from 9am
Removal of Lots
All lots should be removed by 5pm on Friday 21 February 2020. Selected lots remaining after this date will be removed to: Perry Removals, Chapel End, Broxted, Essex CM6 2BW. Removal will be at a cost of £20 per lot and storage will be charged at £2 per lot, per day.
Sorry, we cannot calculate a pre-sale automated shipping cost due to the items weight/size.
Should you be successful in buying this item, a specific shipping estimate can be requested after the sale by using the link in your invoice email; this also includes requests for international delivery.
If you would like further information about shipping and collection please see here.
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.
