Augustus Edwin John O.M., R.A. (British, 1878-1961)


Portrait of Anna John, The Artist's Granddaughter signed 'John' (lower right)oil on canvas, in a carved wood frame76 x 56cm (29 15/16 x 22 1/16in).Painted circa 1950
|ProvenanceSir Crichton Mitchell-Cotts, Bt., and thence by descent to the previous ownerTheir sale; Sotheby's, London, 21 July 2005, lot 24, where acquired by the present ownerPrivate Collection, U.K.Anna John is the daughter of David John, the eldest son of Augustus and Ida. Anna sat for three portraits while an art student at Central Saint Martins in London, and would travel to see her grandfather at Fryern Court, Fordingbridge and sit for him at the weekends. She recalled of this portrait that: 'The dress I wore was made by me out of some material that a farmer friend gave. The hat was Gus's hat which he plonked on my head - a good idea, I think. We worked in his bedroom at Fryern and it had red wallpaper with gold stars on it, which left me dizzy after half an hour'.