CHATSWORTH SUMMER FINE ART SALE 18th & 19th June 2025

74 IMPERFECTIONS NOT STATED Fonsie Mealy’s Est. 1934 686. Attributed to Sir Alfred James Munnings KCVO,KT PRA, RI (1878-1959) “Gypsy Caravan,”O.O.C., approx. 26cms x 36cms (10” x 14”). (1) In this small but superbly painted canvas, a Romany gypsy caravan makes its way across an open common, with a man and a dog walking alongside. The brushwork is free, but skilfully controlled. Colour is used sparingly, and blended to good effect. The attribution to Alfred Munnings is tentative, but the accurate depiction of the horses, and the sense of space and movement, are characteristic of his work. In the foreground can be seen a grassy heath, while in the distance the low horizon line adds to the sense of space and openness. The composition and low vantage point emphasise the silhouette of the caravan against the sky. The two horses pulling the caravan are harnessed in line, with the man and dog walking alongside. They may be on their way to a country fair, or looking for a site to draw up for the night. Images such as this, of travelling gypsies and traders, were a favourite subject for artists in the early twentieth century. Holding to a Bohemian ideal, they sought to capture a sense of the freedom they felt was being eroded with increased restrictions on roaming. The artist Augustus John, a contemporary of Munnings, even took to the road himself in a gypsy caravan, travelling around the countryside, sketching and painting. A painter who served as President of the Royal Academy in the 1930’s, and was famous for his opposition to Modernist painters such as Picasso, Alfred Munnings has enjoyed perennial popularity and is still renowned for his portrayals of horses, dogs and other animals, generally in rural settings. Dr. Peter Murray 2025 €3,000 - €4,000