Large Victorian Oil Portrait Painting of a Lady Knitting, Possibly Lady Laing (1831–1913) John Maler Collier

Details

Description

John Maler Collier Large Victorian Portrait of a Lady Knitting, Possibly Lady Laing (1831–1913), c.1893–1900

Impressive British society portrait with … Read more John Maler Collier Large Victorian Portrait of a Lady Knitting, Possibly Lady Laing (1831–1913), c.1893–1900

Impressive British society portrait with richly coloured green upholstery, elegant late Victorian costume and a substantial period Richard Turley frame.

Highlights

• Attributed to John Maler Collier (1850–1934)

• Circa 1893–1900

• Signed “John Collier” in red

• Oil on canvas

• Large three-quarter-length portrait

• Mature female sitter knitting

• Rich green upholstered armchair

• Approximately 103 × 81.5 cm / 40.6 × 32.1 inches

• Period giltwood and composition frame

• Richard Turley trade label

• Mellors & Kirk Lot 718, 14 January 2021

• Acquired directly from the above sale

• Possibly Lady Laing (1831–1913), identification unconfirmed

Introduction

A sophisticated late Victorian British society portrait with striking scale and exceptionally strong interior presence.

The mature sitter is shown seated within a richly upholstered green armchair, quietly engaged in knitting. Her formal dark costume and pale lace collar give the work the gravitas of a commissioned portrait, while the knitting creates a remarkably intimate counterpoint.

The saturated green upholstery is particularly effective within a traditional, country-house or period-inspired interior.

Catalogue Details

Artist: Attributed to John Maler Collier (1850–1934)

Title: *Portrait of a Lady Knitting*

Date: Circa 1893–1900

Medium: Oil on canvas

Signature: Signed “John Collier” in red, lower left

Canvas dimensions: Approximately 103 × 81.5 cm

Inches: Approximately 40.6 × 32.1 inches

Frame: Period Richard Turley giltwood and composition frame

Sitter: Unidentified; possibly Lady Laing

Catalogue Note

The painting's modern provenance is firmly established from Mellors & Kirk's Nottingham sale of 14 January 2021, where it appeared as Lot 718 and was catalogued outright as a work by The Hon. John Collier.

Mellors & Kirk recorded the work as signed in red, oil on canvas, 103 × 81.5 cm, in the original Richard Turley frame and in good original unlined condition beneath glass.

Recent research has produced a particularly compelling comparative lead.

Collier's accepted 1893 portrait of Lady Laing (1831–1913) also depicts a mature female sitter engaged in needlework. While the known Lady Laing portrait is a different composition, the shared artist, period, sitter type and unusual knitting motif make it an important comparison for the present painting.

Composition & Technique

The composition is deliberately pared back, with the sitter occupying the majority of the visual field.

The green chair supplies the principal decorative colour and forms a strong contrast with the sitter's dark costume.

Careful modelling of the face and hands, together with the handling of lace, jewellery and textile materials, creates a convincing portrait of individual character.

Historical Context

Portraits of Victorian women often combined formal presentation with visual references to domestic accomplishment.

Knitting and needlework were familiar activities, but their inclusion within a substantial commissioned portrait could simultaneously convey femininity, cultivation and private character.

Collier's 1893 portrait of Lady Laing demonstrates that the artist used this vocabulary himself.

The Sitter – Possibly Lady Laing

The sitter is not conclusively identified.

Research has now placed **Lady Laing, Theresa Talbot Laing (1831–1913)** among the principal candidates.

Collier's documented 1893 portrait of Lady Laing similarly depicts her engaged in needlework. Her age at the date of that portrait is compatible with the apparent age of the sitter here.

However, the documented Lady Laing portrait is a separate, larger composition, and no evidence currently establishes a second portrait corresponding to the present work.

The identification therefore remains unconfirmed.

About Lady Laing

Lady Laing was the wife of Sir James Laing, the prominent Sunderland shipbuilder.

In 1893 John Collier painted portraits of Sir James and Lady Laing. Their related portraits provide an important insight into Collier's portrait commissions during the same period as the likely date of the present painting.

The Artist

John Maler Collier was one of the prominent British portrait painters of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods.

He trained at the Slade and subsequently in Munich and Paris, establishing an extensive portrait practice among prominent British figures.

His work is noted for naturalistic observation, strong likeness and close attention to the treatment of faces, hands and materials.

The Richard Turley Frame

The substantial original-period frame retains Richard Turley's trade label from 21 Crogsland Road, Kentish Town.

The National Portrait Gallery documents Turley at this address from 1891 to 1922 and records Collier referring to him as “my framemaker” in 1898.

Mellors & Kirk described this frame as the original frame when the painting was sold in 2021.

Signed

Signed “John Collier” in red, lower left.

Provenance

Mellors & Kirk Fine Art & Antiques, Nottingham, 14 January 2021, Lot 718.

Acquired directly from the above auction by the present owner in 2021.

Earlier provenance presently unspecified.

Why You'll Love It

Exceptional scale and presence.

Elegant late Victorian female portraiture.

Unusual knitting subject.

Rich green upholstered armchair.

Period Richard Turley frame.

Documented Mellors & Kirk auction provenance.

Intriguing possible connection with Lady Laing.

Dimensions

Approximately 103 × 81.5 cm / 40.6 × 32.1 inches.

Frame depth approximately 10 cm / 3.9 inches.


Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution

The artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.


Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®

Specialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art.

Every artwork is professionally researched and catalogued using comparative scholarship, published reference material and more than two decades of experience within the international fine art market. We are committed to offering collectors works of artistic and historical merit accompanied by transparent provenance research, detailed catalogue descriptions and professional, client-focused service.

Additional photographs and further information are available upon request. See less