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Artist or Maker: Edward Wadsworth, A.R.A. (1889-1949)
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Provenance: Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 14 November 1979, lot 135, as 'Glass Floats', where purchased by Gordon House.
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Exhibited: London, Tooths, An Exhibition of tempera paintings by Edward Wadsworth , April - May 1938, no. 6.
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Notes: The sea and related marine subject matter became important motifs for Wadsworth. In 1918 he worked on dazzle-camouflage for ships in Bristol and Liverpool, and in the 1920s he began working on a series of tempera harbour scenes and still life paintings. Wadsworth's marine still lifes include a variety of objects, for example shells and nautical instruments. He had a collection of maritime equipment and other ephemera, which he would arrange in his studio and then paint. In these works particularly Wadsworth demonstrated his knowledge and enthusiasm for European art trends, notably Surrealism. He had close associations with artists including de Chirico, Pierre Roy and Jean Metzinger.
The glass floats which Wadsworth has depicted in this work also appear in other works by him of this period, including Marine Set , 1936 (Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne) and The Rogue's Yarn I , 1936-7 (destroyed by the artist in 1948).
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