How much will two John Piper paintings of rural and urban Reading fetch at Newbury auction house?
Two works are coming up for auction at Dreweatts’ Modern and Contemporary Art sale this Wednesday (October 25) , that have an important historical Berkshire link.
The paintings are by the British artist John Piper (1903-1992) who was commissioned by Reading Borough Council in 1974 to celebrate Reading’s natural and urban heritage.
Piper knew Reading well, as he and his family had lived at Fawley Bottom in the nearby Chilton hills since the 1930s and he was a freeman of the Borough.
In 1949, he had been commissioned by Jock Murray, alongside his friend, John Betjeman, to produce a series of architectural guides as a successor to the pair's pre-war Shell Guides.
In the Berkshire edition, they state that post-war Reading was perceived as a modern place, concluding that ‘No town in the south of England hides its attractions more successfully from the visitor’.
They championed Reading's history encouraging the visitor to explore further in order to reveal the town's fascinating heritage.
PAINTING 1.
URBAN READING
Watercolour, ink and gouache, signed (lower centre), 63 x 56cm (24¾ x 22 in)
Provenance:
Private Collection, Harry Tee, chief executive Reading Borough Council 1967-1988 (acquired directly from the artist).
The present work, along with lot the previous lot, is the original design for one of two tapestries commissioned by Reading Borough Council in 1974 for their new civic offices. The tapestries, entitled Urban Reading and Rural Reading aimed to celebrate the town's contrasting urban and natural landscape. In the present work, Piper presents his vision of Urban Reading, with its mix of red brick Victorian architecture and earlier Bath stone archway. The chimneys in the distance represent the iconic Huntley and Palmer's biscuit factory which, until production ceased in 1976, was a significant part of Reading's economic life. By contrast, the landscape creeping in at the left hand side hints at the town's rural connection and wider situation in the Berkshire landscape. The tapestries for which these works were designed, were produced in France by the illustrious Pinton weavers and are now housed at Reading Museum.
Estimated to fetch. £6,000-£8,000
PAINTING 2.
JOHN PIPER (BRITISH 1903-1992)
RURAL READING
Watercolour, ink and gouache, signed (lower left), 66.5 x 56cm (26 x 22 in.)
Provenance:
Private Collection, Harry Tee, Chief Executive, Reading Borough Council 1967-1988 (acquired directly from the artist)
The present work, along with lot the next, is the original design for one of two tapestries commissioned by Reading Borough Council in 1974 for their new civic offices. The tapestries, entitled Urban Reading and Rural Reading aimed to celebrate the town's contrasting urban and natural landscape.
In the present work, Piper presents his vision of Rural Reading. The blue running through the centre of the composition represents the importance of the Kennet and Thames rivers on which the town is situated. The foreground is adorned with bulrushes and snake's head fritillaries, both of which are common along the river banks.
The tapestries for which these works were designed, were produced in France by the illustrious Pinton weavers and are now housed at Reading Museum.
Estimated to fetch £6,000-£8,000.