An original c.1900s watercolour painting, Isabel Lewis, Sheep with Shepherd & Sheepdog.
A beautiful watercolour sketch by the interesting Royal Doulton artist Isabel Lewis (fl.c.1870s–1920s). Lewis studied at Lambeth School of Art along with her sister, Florence E. Lewis, after which they found successful employment decorating Royal Doulton pottery. From 1898 onwards they relocated to Croydon to focus on their art, travelling, sketching and painting. This painting appears to date from this period.
One of a collection of pictures by Isabel Lewis that we have for sale, it shows the artist working at the beginning of the 20th century in a style that bridges Impressionism and Post-impressionism. Her 'en plein air' subject is rendered in a loose and expressive style, the colours simplified and intensified for decorative effect.
In watercolour with bodycolour and charcoal. There is a partial watercolour sketch on the verso.
This picture forms part of a delightful collection of works by Isabel Lewis (fl.c.1870s–1920s). Lewis was one of the leading artists working for Royal Doulton potteries at Lambeth around the 1880s.
Her early life was spent in London, where her family home was at Kennington and her father was employed by Cox's bank. Isabel and her older sister, Florence, were encouraged in the arts by their father from a young age, and both went on to attend Lambeth School of Art, which at the time was one of the best art schools in the country. Under the direction of John Sparkes (who later became principal of the Royal College of Art, South Kensington), Lambeth became a training ground for artists for the nearby Doulton pottery works, and in turn the designs at Doulton became more artistic and refined. Isabel and Florence worked for Royal Doulton from the 1870s to the 1890s, when the highly decorative 'Lambeth Faience' style was at its height of popularity; exceptionally for the time, Florence even became head of the Faience department and teacher to about seventy students.
Around 1898 the two sisters retired from the potteries and relocated to Croydon, from which time they both focused on their personal art, travelling together, sketching and exhibiting in the opening decades of the 20th century. Our collection of works by Isabel Lewis evidences their Continental travels and her preference for 'en plein air' landscape and animal subjects. In particular, the works embody a sense of modernity, their naturalistic subjects viewed through a decorative lens: her colours are at times post-impressionistic and her forms fluid and flattened, patterned and ethereal.
Accompanying the collection was a print of 'The Shepherdess' by the French artist Henry Lerolle (1848–1929), which features a flock of sheep that possibly provided inspiration for Lewis's own sheep compositions. Lerolle was a friend and patron of many leading French artists at the end of the 19th century, including 'Les Nabis' post-impressionist artists Maurice Denis and Edouard Vuillard. Lerolle's own pastoral style evoked the work of Jules Bastien-Lepage and in turn, Isabel Lewis's pastoral sketches seem to embody the move towards decorative naturalism that was exemplified by artists such as the 'Glasgow Boy' Joseph Crawhall (1861–1913).
In the late 19th century, more than 300 women were employed at Doulton’s Lambeth pottery but it was nevertheless a man's world: Henry Doulton believed that the 'true sphere of woman is the family and household'. The work of female decorative artists has so often been lost to the annals of time, but the place that such artists occupied in the story of European modernism should not be overlooked.
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Somerset & Wood was founded in 2015 near Bath, UK in the beautiful Cotswold market town of Bradford on Avon. Today the Gallery is run by founding owners Ayumi Ellingham and Olivia Nicholls. The Somerset & Wood project grew out of a desire to share our interests in art, history and design, and to champion the sometimes underrated field of British drawings and watercolours. We bring to the project combined professional arts backgrounds, in museums & galleries, art dealership and illustration. After completing a first class MA in English at the University of Cambridge and an MSc in History of Art with distinction at the University of Edinburgh, our Art Historian, Olivia Nicholls, worked for many years at the National Galleries of Scotland, and subsequently as an independent editor and art historian.
Our focus is affordable original British works on paper of the 19th and early 20th centuries–principally in watercolour, ink and graphite. Although our stock is antique, our gallery is exclusively online and provides an inclusive contemporary shopping experience, eschewing the often intimidating environment of more traditional galleries.
With over 2,500 artworks in stock, priced from under £50 to over £1,000, Somerset & Wood is a rich storehouse of 19th- and early 20th-century visual culture. Notable artists whose work we have handled include Louis-Philippe Boitard, Paul Sandby RA, Thomas Hearne, William Payne, Joshua Cristall POWS, Richard Westmacott RA, Nicolas-Martin Petit, Joseph Powell PNWS, David Cox OWS, William Turner of Oxford, Henry Barlow Carter, Paul Jacob Naftel RWS, Frank Brangwyn RA RWS RBA, Conrad H.R. Carelli, Winifred Sandys and Alice Des Clayes ARCA. At the same time, we recognise that value is as much about authentic personal connection as it is about the machinations of the art world. We have equal interest in researching and bringing lesser-known artists into prominence, in serving collectors of items of local historical interest and in reuniting family members with their ancestors' lost work.
We present our large volume of stock in carefully curated collections, which help provide context and tell the 'story behind the picture'. We believe in offering in-depth research and explanatory information, regardless of price. Somerset & Wood is, as a result, more than just an online shop; we are part gallery, part archive, part research project.
Come in for a browse and see for yourself. We hope you will come away with a piece of history, a piece of a story, something that feasts your eyes, pulls at your heartstrings or ignites your imagination.
We are delighted that our pictures resonate with art-lovers worldwide. We welcome a diverse international client base, ranging from public collections, established collectors and dealers to novice art-buyers or those simply searching for something to look good on their wall.
We sell regularly to countries big and small across the globe—from the United States, Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Australia, Brazil, India, China and Japan, to Luxembourg, Iceland, Finland, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Somerset & Wood also sells to museums and galleries throughout the UK. Our clients have included: The British Library; Historic England Archive; W.W. Spooner Charitable Trust in association with The Wordsworth Trust; Victoria Art Gallery Bath; Leicestershire County Council Museums; Alnwick Castle, Northumberland; Rozelle House and Maclaurin Galleries, Ayrshire.
We welcome requests to reproduce Somerset & Wood images. Recently our images have been reproduced in the following publications:
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We understand that when buying online you do not have the opportunity to scrutinise an artwork in person. We therefore offer complete assurance that you can return the artwork if it does not meet with expectation for any reason.
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