Diana Armfield Standing Nude Before a Mirror

An Original Oil Painting on Canvas

by Bernard Dunstan R.A. (1920-)

We are grateful to Bernard Dunstan and Diana Armfield for confirming the authenticity of this lot on the basis of photographs and supplying us with details of the scene and date of execution of the painting .
Auction Record - £11,000 GBP
Signed with initials lower right
'Gallery' condition
Painting - 66cm (26") x 51cm (20")
Frame - 81.5cm (32") x 65cm (25 1/2")

Lot Notes

A very fine early oil painting on canvas by one of England's greatest living artists - Bernard Dunstan. The painting was made in the 1970's and depicts Diana Armfield (the artist's wife) standing nude before a mirror at the couple's cottage in Bala, North Wales. We are grateful to Bernard Dunstan and Diana Armfield for authenticating this lot and supplying us with details of the scene and date of execution of the painting. The painting is signed with initials lower right.

Condition

The painting is in very 'gallery' condition; the canvas laid onto board, clean, most attractive and entirely original. The frame in good condition though with minor imperfections.

Artist Information

Bernard Dunstan is a British artist, teacher, and author, best known for his studies of figures in interiors and landscapes. He is currently the longest serving Royal Academician. Bernard Dunstan was born in Teddington, Middlesex, in 1920. He studied at Byam Shaw School of Art in 1939, then at the Slade School of Fine Art in London from 1939 to 1941. In 1947 he was elected a member of the New English Art Club, and was president of the Royal West of England Academy from 1979 to 1984. In 1968 he was made a full member of the Royal Academy. Dunstan taught at the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol from 1946 to 1949, the Camberwell School of Art from 1950 to 1964, the Byam Shaw School from 1953 to 1974, the Ravensbourne Art College (now the Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication) from 1959 to 1964, and City and Guilds of London Art School from 1964 to 1969. Artists whose influence inform his painting include Renoir, Bonnard, Vuillard, Walter Sickert, and Philip Wilson Steer. His works are represented in the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Collection, Windsor, and the Museum of London. He has written a number of books on painting, including Painting Methods of the Impressionists (1976). Dunstan is married to fellow painter and Royal Academician Diana Armfield. He is the father of the physicist Professor David Dunstan.

General Information

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Art has long been regarded as a strong and safe investment. Ellen Kelleher a personal finance reporter for The Financial Times recently wrote an article recommending art, particularly in the $500 - $50,000 range as a sound long term investment with an impressive current average annual increase of 9.7 percent. See Hang your investments on the wall by Ellen Kelleher Published October 22 2010 by the Financial Times.

About Us

Priory Fine Art specialises in high quality 17th - 20th Century British and European Fine Art. Our team have a combined experience of over 80 years in the field of fine art and have together handled the sale of many millions of pounds worth of art. As well as our own team of specialists we have close contacts from the leading auction houses who often assist us with particular pieces.

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Certificate of Authenticity

Every item we sell is fully guaranteed to be as described and a signed photo certificate is issued with every painting. We use the same cataloguing terms as most major auction houses, the terms that appear in the listing are also used on the certificates of authenticity. The cataloguing terms that we use have the following meanings;

where the bold coloured text which forms the listing's heading reads 'by' and is followed by the artist's full name (or the artist's initials, if his full name is unrecorded), the work is in our opinion by the artist;
where the expression "attributed to" is used, the work is in our opinion possibly a work by the artist, in whole or in part;
where the expression 'circle of' is used, the work is in our opinion a work of the period of the artist and showing his influence;
where the expression 'follower of' is used, the work is in our opinion a work executed in the artist's style but not necessarily by a pupil;
where the expression 'manner of' is used, the work is in our opinion a work executed in the artist's style but of a later date;
where the term "after" is used, the work is in our opinion a copy or pastiche (of any date) of a work by the artist. Where the term 'signed...' is used in our opinion the work has been signed by the artist, where the term 'with signature...' or 'bears signature...' is used in our opinion the signature is by a hand other than that of the artist.

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About Priory Fine Art

Priory Fine Art specialises in 17th - 20th Century British and European Fine Art. Our team have a combined experience of over 80 years in the field of fine art. We issue a certificate of authenticity with every painting that we sell.

We aim to provide a first class service with a personal touch, if you would like to discuss any painting we have for sale please call us on 01636 830 824.

Returns policy

All items are covered by a no quibble 14 day money back guarantee.

In addition Priory Fine Art Limited warrants for a period of one year from the date of sale that where the larger white text which forms a listing's heading states without qualification that a work is by a named author that that item is an autograph work by that author and not a forgery or reproduction of any kind.

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The warranty does not apply to any heading which is stated to be a qualified opinion. The warrant is not assignable and shall apply only to the original buyer of the lot as shown on the original invoice issued by Priory Fine Art Limited when the lot was sold. The buyer's sold and exclusive remedy is the cancellation of the sale and the refund of the original purchase price paid for the lot.