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Plotting Flowers by Dumont Père

J. Clays (British, 19th-20th century) - Still life with fruit basket. 61 x 51 cm without frame, 67.5 x 58 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a gilded wooden frame. ...

Outstanding English 19th century still life of fruit, a German Stein with silver top in an interior. Charles Thomas Bale was born in Soho, London in 1849, the son of Thomas Bale, a basket maker. His older brother Thomas Charles Bale (1831-1899) was an artist and picture restorer. He lived with his family in St James, Westminster and although little is known about his education, he would have undoubtedly received encouragement and drawing tuition from his brother. Bale started exhibiting in 1866 at the Institute of British Artists, Suffolk Street. He also exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1872, the same year he married Caroline Leathem. Together, they spent their married life in St Pancras. He specialized in still life paintings predominantly of fruit, but he frequently incorporated baskets, a homage to his family’s profession, as well as pottery, glass, and game. Bale’s work was influenced by the English still-life artists George Lance and William Duffield...